Welcome to my new website. This is my first ever blog and it’s just one of the new things I have been learning about during the last 6 months.
I set up my Etsy shop in November last year and have learnt so much since then. Running a business is not just about designing and creating my own products. It is also includes lots of other things such as taking care of the finance, lots of admin and a large amount of time posting on social media.
Most of my career has been spent working in finance and admin so that part hasn’t been too difficult but it’s definitely been a huge learning curve getting to grips with managing all my social media posts and creating my own website.
I have also had to work on improving my photography skills in order to try and capture my products in the best way I can, to ensure that what is seen online is of good quality but also true to the product. I have learnt so much about exposure, lighting and depth of field and it has given me a small insight into the world of professional photographers, and shown how much skill and hard work goes into taking a good picture. I now have a renewed appreciation for the art of photography.
The thing I enjoy the most though will always be the actual creating. I have been very busy working on lots of new pieces of jewellery in a variety of different designs and I still managed to find time to complete my PMC Certification Course 101 with the brilliant Amy Surman, who has taught me so much over the last few years.
I love what I do and I still get that feeling of excitement whenever I get the wire brush out and start to rub a piece of freshly fired clay. The anticipation turns to delight as the silver shine gradually begins to appear, leaving me with a gleaming piece of beautiful, shiny silver. This amazing transformation is definitely my favourite part of the process.
Prior to November everything I made was either for myself or for friends and family but now I am always busy, making new products for my Etsy shop and the Crafters Emporium, as well as working on commissions and bespoke items.
After my redundancy in October last year, I was lucky enough to get a part time job working with an amazing charity in Oxford called the International Tree Foundation. I love working for such a great organisation which does such a lot of good work, and the extra bonus is that my part time hours mean I have plenty of time to spend on building up my new business.
Running my jewellery business alongside my job provides me with a great balance between the creative, but sometimes rather lonely, task of designing and making my products and the contrasting world of office work, which is less creative but gives me an opportunity to be much more sociable and interact with my lovely team of new colleagues.
The last couple of months have been pretty intense, getting to grips with how to set up a website while making lots of new stock for the Crafters Emporium and still managing to keep my Etsy store ticking over.
I’m so pleased that the website is finally ready and I hope you like it.