Work with what you've got

My studiomate, Cathie Hamilton, is so clever. She taught me a good lesson this week as we prepare our studio for the open house this Friday. She taught me (or at least reminded me), that sometimes you've got to work with what you've got instead of trying to fix it. In fact, sometimes it turns out even better.

This is a picture of our studio door that Cathie painted. Notice the mouth? Well, our door had a hole in it, so instead of repairing it, she simply worked into the design. So far it's received many compliments and I think it's so cool.

So next time you're dreading fixing something, maybe just consider working with you've got.

Be an elf this christmas!

Since the economic turmoil began I've been thinking about what to write about it. Yes it's having an impact on everyone (and I'm sure even you), but do we really have to spend all of our energy in the doom and gloom that the media is highlighting for us?

I say no. Right now, more than ever, we are seeing the true Experience Economy. This phrase is borrowed from a book I'm reading called The Experiece Economy by B. Joseph Pine II. The basic jist of the book is that people will scrimp in some areas of their lives so they can buy luxury items in other areas. In a financial crisis this means that typically people will buy their consumables and what they can cheaply so they can make themselves feel better when they indulge in say...art.

But what does an elf have to do with this (the title of this entry is what I'm referring to)? Well, when people want luxury and pampering, they want luxury and pampering. Santa's elfs would never give a gift unwrapped or without a perfect ribbon and gift tag. And at the same time, those low cost consumbables would never come wrapped or with a fancy tag. So if you don't want to be considered a cheap alternative, make sure to think like an elf and make your art gifts a true indulgence. Let your customers solve their need to feel good by buying one of your one-of-kind, well-worth the cost pieces of art.

It's orientation time!

On Saturday, we had a new exchange student from Japan move in with us. Shizuka is here studying english for 4 months. The last few days not only has she had an orientation at Queen's but at our house as well. Everything from how to do laundry here, that we have a funny hot water tank in our house, what life with a 4 year old is like, the type of food we eat, etc. It's been fun for all of us, but it did make me relate it to my customers a bit.

When my customers buy a piece of jewellery from me, it is often their very first piece of beach glass jewellery. Which means they don't know how to take care of it; how to wash it, how often it can be worn, what if it tarnishes, etc. So I need to make sure to give them some sort of an orientation. Do you do this for your customers? Maybe with an FAQ page on your website, a little tip sheet given with each sale, or just by showing them during the sale?

The second thing it reminded me about was language barriers. In most cases, the challenge may not be as significant as Japanese to English; but often I hear artists (and other business owners for that matter) getting too technical when they talk to clients. Remember, you know the intricate details and 'lingo' associated with your industry but your customers may not, they may not know what those acronyms mean. You may just get the same crossed-eyed, squished up nose look I got from Shizuka when I said it was 'muggy out on the weekend'. So make sure you are speaking the same language as your customers, they'll appreciate it, Shizuka does.