My Creative History - part 5

I've already entered the magical world of blog sphere by regularly reading all kinds of blogs and I was also introduced to the AMAZING Etsy, so I've begun to realize the endless possibilities that any crafter may have. Then I came across this blog and this e-shop and suddenly, Elsie Flannigan has become my role model! She is so talented, so creative and so inspiring! She has fulfilled my childhood dream! She has become what I've always wanted to be!

She has MY DREAM JOB!

So, the idea stuck into my head, "This is what I want to do with my life!" or better rephrased it "Let's go back to the master plan! The one that has been there all along and I kept ignoring it!" It was a start.  I've registered in Etsy and on March 12 2009 I've opened my own shop. Meaning I had an account and a banner.

But still, I haven't had the courage to put anything in it. "The more you know, the less you act". I was reading here and there about "how to be successful on Etsy", "ways to make successful listings", "how to display & present your products effectively" e.t.c. and the more I read the more I felt like I wasn't ready enough, or that I wasn't well organized yet to take the big step. On May 2009 I've also registered for this blog, not sure about what I wanted to do with it yet. Well, I had this idea... it seemed to me very interesting and challenging at the same time... wouldn't it be nice if I'd start a blog that would be like a diary,  starting from my desire to have my own crafty business until I will have finally succeeded it? Nothing to report though until Monday, November 23 2009 that I posted my very first post. It was something like a push to myself, to take action and to start moving towards my dream. As I've said:

"This  blog will follow my steps until I reach my dream, or just follow my steps through creativity. Who knows, maybe we'll come up with something good after all.

This is a dream. A dream that I want to become a reality. A dream that is becoming a goal and goals are only for achieving. But even if I fail, what's important is the journey and not the destination."

Since then I've taken a lot of steps and learned some new skills but still I was searching for someone to help me get organized and on track.

So, I've taken the Indie Business 2.0 Online Class

with teachers the incredible Elsie from A Beautiful Mess, Leigh-Ann from Freckled Nest and Jill from Lune Vintage. I was admiring those 3 ladies for quite some time for their success and all that they have achieved and I thought it was a great idea to learn some things from them. It was really great! Knowing their creative stories from the inside, with all the try and errors that they have come across helped me realize that anything is possible if you really love it and believe in it. Plus, getting to know so many other fellow classmates-crafters, each one with a different story to tell, has made me think that I could do so many things just by taking the first step. Which have't been taken yet, even after the class has come to its end.

When I've started my blog

I've also started keeping an Inspiration Book

with all the things that I like and several ideas for blog posts, creations, designs e.t.c. All on a piece of paper and nothing on "flesh and blood". So many ideas... but I didn't know from where to start.

"A journey of a thousand miles

begins with a single step." - Lao Tzu

Why I've been so afraid

to make it?!

My Creative History - part 4

After opening my shop on February of 2007 (with my father's blessings) I've started putting some of my creations in it too. My father's idea was that I would finally get involved with the job that I've studied all these years. My idea was that "Ok, I'm opening this shop with THAT excuse so I can also put my handmade stuff in it and see how it goes". And so I did.

Here are some random pictures of them.

Photo frames decorated with pieces

of golden plastic tablecloth

and gold & silver foil

Bottles decorated with

pieces of plastic tablecloth

Jewelery made of flax string

 Beautiful hair pieces with buttons

 Cute bracelet

 A vintage button

turned into a brooch

 Beads and more beads

A cute "laundry" necklace"

 Earrings made of cork

and paper napkin

 A vintage button turned into a brooch

 Decorative candle holder

made of old cds

 Christmas earrings

 Plastic foil and paper

Cute bookmarks

Handmade brooches

made of old tights and wire

The result? My main occupation has been draining out all of my energy and the "crafting business" has been left aside. Plus, I haven't had so many sales of my handmade items because everyone that would come into my shop was coming with something else in their minds. Some of them would get interested about them but they weren't coming to buy handmade, they were coming to make some photocopies or design their business card. That was a little disappointing for me but I couldn't blame them. You can't have EVERYTHING in one shop. Some things don't mix or match. So, once more, I've left my dream aside for a while "until I 'd be ready". I just have put all of my creations on my Facebook page and Flickr for sharing them with my friends and my friend Annie has made a Fan Page for me.

Some random sales came out of it.

A friend of mine had ordered me

some pairs of earrings for his girlfriend

 

and a girl that I didn't know had ordered me a bracelet

and earrings made with buttons

and a pair of my earrings made of caps.

I was so excited, but yet... afraid to make the big step!

(to be continued...)

Check the previous part of my history here.

My Creative History - part 3

On my last year in Athens and having almost finished my studies on Technology of Graphic Arts, every time I got asked "What would you like to do next?" or "How do you see yourself in the next few years?" my answer was really simple. I didn't want to do anything related to my profession or graphic arts in general.

"I'm dreaming about having my own little shop where I can have inside all the things that I would create. I don't care if they will sale or not. I'll just be satisfied of being able to lock myself inside it and create, create, create!" 

Wishful thinking, I was thinking at the time.

After returning back home I’ve continued experimenting with many different things. The thing about me is that my “creative bug” gets bored easily, so after a while one by one my creative techniques stop being so… creative. I’m always up for new challenges. It’s like a never-ending process trying to learn more and more new things. At this point it has started my obsession with bottles and anything that had to do with the sea, the beach and worn out pieces of wood.

My sister has been working in a bar and she would collect for me all the empty bottles that had an interesting shape. I still have a really big collection of those! I have been gluing sand, seashells, thin ropes and different little treasures from the beach like crazy or even painting on them!

And all of these have been given as a gift to someone. I hardly ever keep anything for myself and sometimes I regret it.

Like this one.

A piece of old wood, worn out by the sea.

I've cut out a stencil out of cardboard, painted it and

while it was still wet I've sprinkled some glitter on it.

It was a gift that has never been appreciated! Too bad!….

Around that time (or was it a little bit earlier? Hmm... I'm not really sure... maybe something in between.) I've also had my first sales. My friend Afrodite was working in a coffee shop and she was wearing some of my creations (earrings, brooches e.t.c.), so she would occasionally get asked "where did you find this or that?"

and she got me in contact with some of these girls that loved to buy my creations. Also, her boss had a little shop and she was selling faux bijoux and decorative stuff and she was kind enough to let me put some of mine in it. I was really excited about this but during that time I haven't put any serious thought about the possibility  of actually pursuing this dream and begin to create "more seriously", it was more like a hobby to me. My father used to say that I had to find a "real job" and I was so frustrated about it that I couldn't think of anything else. So, I've let the chance to just pass me by with the ridiculous excuse that I wasn't ready yet.

I haven't put down crafting thought. I have kept experimenting more and more with different materials and different techniques. Plus, I was hired as a part-time teacher of art in elementary schools, so my creativity was channeled elsewhere. I've also discovered another love of mine.

I LOVE WORKING WITH KIDS!

A Summer Camp Craft for kids

A plaster doll

A candy basket.

Birthday gift for a friend

made with a coffee can,

paint, canvas flowers and

decorative butterflies

Painted canvas as

a decoration for a school play

(to be continued...)

Check the previous part of my history here.