I don’t spend nearly as much time as I would like making jewelry. I have all these design ideas running through my head, but finding the time to execute them can be challenging. Thankfully on Saturday Sam took Eve for the day and I was able to spend six glorious hours in the metalsmithing studio.
For the first time in a very long time (since before Eve was born, in fact) I didn’t have something pressing to finish. I love doing commissioned work, to work a client and watch her idea come to life, but sometimes I just want to experiment and not feel like I’m racing against the clock to complete a piece.
I had all these little scraps of metal that I was going to turn in to recycle, but I played around with them and came up with some new designs out of them:
(I really adore by little Star of David ring, by the way. This one is for myself, but I’m thinking about about making more and selling them in my Etsy shop.)
Let me tell you, soldering those little rings closed for the bracelets was a massive pain in the ass. If I were home, I probably would have screamed, but there were a lot of people around in the studio and I didn’t want to throw a hissy fit in front of them. But after many several failed attempts, I did it. I didn’t quite fail 19 times, but pretty darn close.
Running a business requires a lot of perseverance with many–so many–setbacks along the way. You apply for a craft show and don’t get in one year, but you apply the following year and get in the next. You e-mail countless shops about carrying your jewelry and you only hear back from a handful, but you get your products out there and you keep on e-mailing. You try a new jewelry technique and keep messing up, but you keep trying it despite how aggravated you are and eventually you have mastered it. You put out a new line of jewelry with a lot of encouragement and excitement but few sales, but you keep pushing on.
I got so much support with my first run of the fitness jewelry for a cause, and it had a lot of promise. I spent a lot of energy marketing it, even paying for some Facebook ads. In the end I only ended up making two sales (at one point I had four, but one turned out to be an accidental purchase and the other was returned). Needless to say, I was disappointed.
But I made two sales. Two! On a rather pricey item, I will admit. And I was able to donate $100 to the One Fund Boston. I might not have met my fundraising goal of $500, but I got 20% of the way there. Does that mean I failed? Only if I allow myself to believe I did.
I learned to adjust my return policies, where to spend my energy marketing and my expectations. I will persevere.
Stay tuned for Friday’s post about the next piece in my line of fitness jewelry for a cause.
What have you persevered through recently?
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Those bracelets are beautiful, they look like they must have taken a lot of work and patience (I’d have screamed anyway!) but they’re definitely worth the effort 🙂
Jess xo
Thanks, Jess! I’d say they take a good amount of patience 🙂 Generally I have a lot of patience for my work, but there are definitely other creative endeavors that REALLY make me want to scream!
I get this. Oh how I get this! The trial and error of new granola blends that will never make the shelf – delivery errors that set me back in being able to bake or sell, and the list goes on and on. I guess we control what we can and we let go of the rest, and remember how blessed we are to do what we love!
Yes, I love how you put that! I do feel so, so blessed to be able to do this. And as frustrating as it can be at times, it comes with the territory of being a small-business owner, right?
I get this so much today. I’m having so much trouble with my business and having hired someone to do some work, which seems insane to me because I usually work alone, but I really needed this. Anyway, setback after setback. I was nearly in tears an hour ago. Now, I’m happy again. It’s a rollercoaster!
The jewelry is gorgeous!
I think that is a huge step that you have hired someone, and amazing that you are in a place that you can do that! I would love to one day be in a place where I can hire someone to do certain aspects of my business (i.e. social media!). It definitely is a rollercoaster and I have been brought to tears on many occasions, but someone how make it through those moments.
I love your new design! And I get the frustration and love how you were able to let go of it! That’s a huge milestone in itself!
Thanks, Michelle! I think one of the hardest but most important parts of having a small business (or really life in general, I guess) is letting go.
Perseverance is so important when you are running your own business. It’s no wonder people often just give up! Two sales is huge. And though it was a pain to close those rings, think about how many of us would never come close to doing what you did! Perspective is key, I think.
Yes, perspective is so important. I have to remind myself sometimes to look at the bigger picture: how much my business has grown in the past couple years, that I have built it from the ground up. It might not be quite where I want it to be right now, but I’m (hopefully) getting there!
I love the bracelet, and the ring. I would seriously considering getting one if you sell them, so let me know if you do! I’m sorry your jewelry for a cause wasn’t as successful as you hoped, but as you said – two sales. And two people who are happily wearing something that you created. I think that’s pretty awesome.
Thanks, Dana, I will definitely let you know!
Yes, I love how you put it: two people happily wearing something I created, one of whom I got to see last night who happened to be wearing my piece, which totally made my evening! I think that is the best part: seeing my jewelry making people happy.
I absolutely love these jewelry, and I can see why so many attempts were made. Glad you persevered – it is an important element to success. Actually my one word focus for this year is persevere. When things start getting a bit crazy in my life and I get to the point where I feel like giving up, I have to remind myself about sticking it out to the end, even if it hurts.
Have a great day/weekend. Stopping by from SITS.
Thanks, Yvonne! I think that is awesome that your word for the year is persevere. It is such a great reminder for when things are feeling so hard and overwhelming and you want to give up. Hope you are having a great weekend as well, and thank you for stopping by.
YES! Focus on what you DID do. Not what wasn’t done….that is always a great thing to see the positive side. Even if it is hard!
Yes! It can be really challenging sometimes not to focus on the negative, but trying to turn things around in turning them into a positive can make you feel so much better when you are feeling frustrated.
Whenever we do something we put our hearts into it can be very discouraging because self-promotion is a TON of work. Keep pushing along, you have some beautiful jewelry. If you make a quality product, eventually the people will come.
Thanks, Lauren! I am very proud of my work and have faith that in time my business will grow. And yes, self-promotion is so much work, much more than I could have possibly imagined.
I love the bracelet!!!! New follower from the Mommy Monday Hop! I’m glad to follow 🙂
Thanks, Lisa, and I appreciate you stopping by 🙂
Glad you kept going! Your work is beautiful; I love both of your masterpieces 🙂
Your heart is there, I see it all in your work. It’s nice to get out what is inside… isn’t it?
XOXO
Thanks! It definitely is nice to get out what’s in my head. I’ve had these ideas floating around for awhile so it’s nice to see them come out.