So I have been hinting in previous posts about a project that I have been working for several months. Well, I am finally deciding to share. I have always been interested in different crafts and making things since I was young. I have good vision and attention to detail. I have experimented with a multitude of avenues. I have made jewelry throughout the years and decided to start back up again.
Part of the inspiration came from my personal jewelry desires. I wanted specific things that were hard to find, or the things that I wanted seemed overpriced for what I would receive. It crossed my mind that it could be more cost effective to create pieces for myself and try to sell the excess pieces than to spend the money on one overpriced piece.
Part of the inspiration also came from a photographic standpoint. I didn’t see a lot of opportunity to explore environment photography, so I decided to create my own opportunity. I embarked on a new course that I was unfamiliar with, and since I am my own client in this circumstance, I do not have an unnecessary amount of added pressure on my shoulders while I wade through.
So I decided to open an Etsy store! One of my many flaws is that I can just dive right in instead of taking things slowly. I get very excited and have a lot of vision. This resulted in me creating two different lines of jewelry (and some accessories). I photographed most of it and put it online. I had no idea how time consuming and tedious the process would be. Creating the individual listings and figuring out what tags are appropriate for them is almost like an art form in itself. I did not think it would be that demanding. It is also hard for me to casually shoot things and throw them up online without looking them over many times to ensure that I am satisfied with the result. Being a perfectionist can feel like trying to swim through mud.
Each listing should have numerous photographs to show scale, dimension, and any additional facts that should be highlighted about the product. I would still like to fill in the blanks in that area for many of my products. I have more things to photograph, and there are many more things that I would like to create. I would like to include more unique pieces and not ones that seem so standard as I think the majority of my products are at the moment. I think that trying to do a business on the side like this is tough because I can only ever devote some of my *free time* to it (while the rest of my free time is split between my husband, my hedgehog, my family, my love of coffee/sleep, other art forms, Grand Theft Auto 5, laundry, and spontaneous adventures).
I have sold a few things, which is great! I like having this project going because there is no deadline, and I can continually keep adding to it over time. A great aspect of this is to expand my photography skills and portfolio. I do not feel the need to unnecessary shoot every possible thing for my personal work if I am not particularly interested in it. For example, while I sometimes find street photography striking, I am not drawn to it. I do not want to try and force something that seems unnatural. I can grow over time and my interests may fluctuate, but I like the direction I am going now.
Here is a look at part of my Woodlands Collection. These photographs were propped by a friend of mine named Elizabeth. It’s very sweet of her to help me with this project as much as she has. She did a great job, and I love the result. I wanted to approach my nature-inspired collection from a physically darker standpoint than I normally would. I think I was moderately successful in this, and would like to have seen it be more dramatic.
I love the images as photographs. But to advertise the earrings as the product itself, the proportion of earrings to image should change. They are the main focal point which is unmistakable, but in order to capture the lovely environment setup, I pulled back, which I should in a sense do the opposite for to make it solely about the product. These are things that I can keep in mind moving forward. I think the images aside from the scale are beautiful. I am very blessed to have people in my life that are willing to support me and help me along my various journeys!
I will share more from my jewelry collections and reveal additional information about my Etsy shop in upcoming posts!
SaveSave
