The Handmade Marketplace (part 2)

So this post continues on from part 1. There have been times when I am reading an interview with a designer in Rock Sound magazine, and I am amazed to find out they are the same age as me (or younger!), yet they already have an extensive portfolio of work for big bands and concerts. And other times, I find out that designers I really admire have gone to study design later in life and are only just finding their creative niche in their 30s.

So I found this piece of advice in The Handmade Marketplace from Liz Smith really inspiring...

Don't worry about where you are in the process of building your business. Everyone is at a different stage, but everyone is at some stage. Listen to people ahead of you, help those who are still catching up to you, and don't be intimidated by people who seem to have it all figured out. No one has it all figured out.

The Handmade Marketplace (part 1)

I recently read the book The Handmade Marketplace by Kari Chapin. Since the explosion in popularity of handmade goods and Etsy, more and more people have been selling their creative goods online and in markets around the world. This book is a guide to how to set yourself up as a crafty entrepreneur. There are some good pieces of advice in the book, and reading about how other people quit their day jobs to do what they love is quite inspiring.

I just want to share some advice I read in the book from Diane Gilleland, I can really relate to her advice of 'putting yourself out there'...

If there's something you dream about doing for a living, find a way to do it right now. Seek out some small way to engage in it without pay or for minimal pay - and not as a job working for someone else but as your own effort.
I wanted to be in business for myself as a crafter for years, but nothing happened until I started putting myself out there via my blog and podcast. Those led to more opportunities and, more importantly, got me to begin embracing the role of entrepreneur.

There's another piece of advice that I wrote down from the book, but that post will be part 2!