It's here! 2019 has come faster than I anticipated and I'm still trying to catch my breath.
Yes, I had great plans, and some have worked out, but one must stay flexible and open to new adventures. Most of what I said was going to happen in the last post still holds, but a few things will change.
This blog and the Facebook page will remain named Gray By Design. Zenfolio wasn't exactly what I wanted so the portfolio will remain up but it won't be my new shop home, this year anyway.
The online jewelry venue, J Gray Design, is still marked for closure at the end of January, with sales and free shipping all month! www.jgray-design.com .
The supply shop is getting stocked and more will be coming soon. www.jgdsupplies.com . Let me know in the comments if there is anything you've been looking for, I'd love to start a dialogue with you here.
My next big step is to create an Etsy shop for the photography prints. I want to return to a more organic feel for offering prints and products that really put the concept of cottage industry back into the craft. I'll be acquiring special papers and printing them myself, with archival inks of course, and hopefully with free shipping in the US.
I think these large print on demand sites are great for mass production, and I'm grateful to get to use them for such a low cost. But I love the one on one experience I have with a real customer, someone who becomes a collector, a friend.
It's a big project! So stay tuned for more developments.
I posed a vote on my Facebook page to see what folks like best, the newsletter they get directly to their email inbox, or these posts shared on Facebook. Granted you can easily sign up to receive these via email as well, but I'm really testing my exposure on Facebook.
I'm viewed far more here than there. Disadvantage is, I don't know who you all are, who's getting these via email, and who's just finding me at random. With a newsletter I know exactly how many are going out and how many are read.
I guess the marketing team in my head will eventually have to make the decision on this one.
Meanwhile, count your blessings, stay grateful and above all, stay creative!
I absolutely love your goal of doing your own printing with archival inks, and I agree that it will be a wonderful way to have that one on one experience and to gain collectors of your work. As we both know from our gallery work in the past, there's nothing like that personal connection with a fellow art lover to create bonds and a beautiful symmetry in what may otherwise just be a transaction. I cannot wait to see how things unfold!
ReplyDeleteThank you Stacey! Love having you onboard here. Thanks for your input and support!
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