I Never Learned to Juggle

This is the most disgruntled picture of myself I could find.

I am writing this post in opposition to every other post I've read recently. I don't consider myself a pesimist, but I feel like I can't do anything as good as anyone else. The more I read about marketing through social media and successfully running an online store, the more I feel like I don't have what it takes.

At the risk of looking incapable on my company blog allow me to pontificate. I have a website. I have an etsy site, as well as an indiepublic site. I am part of three etsy teams. Two of which I check in with. I signed on for Etsy's bootcamp. I have a buddy. I belong to handmade spark. I have a blog, obviously. I don't blog everyday, probably more like weekly. I am a member of independant fashion bloggers. I have a facebook and a fan page. I have donated pieces to charities and received promotion because of the effort. I have google analytics, but I rarely look at it.....the list may go on, but I can't think of anything else off the top of my head.

I handmake 85% of the items I sell. I have brought on a few other girls to sew a few pieces each season. This project was designed to get me more stock without working through the night, and get the art of these girls more exposure. Each piece is all handmade, sometimes right down to the button, and one of a kind.
I find it is impossible to spend as much time at the computer as one would spend creating. Besides, the creating is more fun. It's why I started this whole business.

It seems to me that I am starting to flood. So I am going to cut this off and ask, "Is there anyone out there like me?"

The only thing I know I do really well is make interesting scarves and hoods. I don't know how to keep up with every other aspect. I am all over the place. Just when I designed a new banner for my Etsy Store everyone is talking about a banner for the holidays. Ahhhh! Just when I may have my shipping down, now we're talking sales tax! I barely keep up with my blog how can I tweet?

I had a nightmare last night. I made my own Christmas stocking and it was really ornate. It was so beautiful because it was patchwork and embroidery- to the max. When it got close to Christmas it was filled with items before it was hung. This was when the dream started to get weird. Then when it was hung, it got put upside down. Everything started falling out. I couldn't catch everything, prevent it from falling out, and put anything back in it. And I woke up in a cold sweat.

Thanks guys. I just had to get that out. Maybe things will be on the up from here. I don't even have kids, pets, or live in the same town as my family. I don't know how real women do it. God bless you all. You deserve a fabulous holiday season.

I was going to write a post about how people should make, or buy handmade, gifts this season. I guess I'll save it for next week. That is, if I don't drown in my to-do list. 

Details

I've been watching this series on PBS. Obviously, it is called "Craft in America." For anyone that is not familiar, it documents the lives of American artists of a particular craft. The people on the show are just wonderful. Everyone's craft and personality are very different from one show to the next. I can even get my husband to watch it. Of course marriage is always a compromise, so it's one show about art for one show on the military channel. ( I would love a combo-show, "Crafting in the American Army") Last night one of the artists said something that really hit home with me. It was, "Being an artist means mastering the materials of your craft in order to express your heart."
This statement really puts it into words for me. I make scarves. Maybe your thinking, "no big deal." But I really put all of myself into each one. Every piece is different so I give it a personality of its own. Unfortunately this can mean way too much time is spent on one piece. The problem is, I don't feel complete until I feel the piece is complete. I want to be satisfied and I want the consumer to be satisfied. It is far better to spend an extra 10 or 20 minutes on something and really be proud of it than to rush through it.
This is my third season making scarves and I've really been inspired by small details this year. It's about getting into the piece and using five or six types of fabric and adorning them with handmade buttons or vintage beads. I really want anyone who buys my piece to feel special when they wear it. I want an individual to feel like I made it solely for them. Each scarf has a voice. Eventually one will speak to you.

Here are few examples of where I've been going this season:

This piece is actually available now

http://www.scgeraci.etsy.com/

This piece will be available at Hello World, Philadelphia.

This piece will be available at Hello World, Philadelphia.

No factory can produce the level of quality and aesthetic that an individual craftsman can. If you would like to be inspired further, as I have, watch that series on PBS ( Netflix too)

HERE IS WHAT PBS HAS TO SAY ABOUT IT

We have a deep sense of longing for the handmade. Perhaps because each of us, in our own way, has had a craft experience. Sometimes it’s an object passed down to us, or one that crosses our path, and connects us to others in traditions, heritage, and rituals.

Craft gives pleasure as well as function. It is inspirational as well as useful. It is the best representation of who we are as a culture. Craft is democratic. It is broad enough to accommodate anyone who makes something or appreciates the handmade. Craft is all around us. You’ll find it wherever you look – hiding in plain sight.
Craft in America offers you a place to explore these connections and to inspire your own creativity – through the PBS documentary series and this website. Join us on this voyage of discovery. View the programs online or purchase DVDs of the Peabody Award-winning series for your home library.