Friday, April 01, 2011

GS: No More Custom

Well, after a great deal of thinking and talking with Sal, Green Spot Studio will no longer be making anymore custom jewelry.

Right now the cost of precious metals are insanely high and I'm having issues finding a balance between providing clients with a decent price and making enough income to keep my business afloat. And, to be honest, weeks go by without sitting at my bench (hence the lack of photos and posts.) I find myself spending about 40-60 hours a week meeting with, emailing with and talking to clients about money.

I can't tell you how many pieces of jewelry I have designed, at no cost, that never get built. I have even reached the point of agreeing upon a price, sending out contracts and invoices and then never hearing from those clients again. And, honestly, it has all just beat me down. I've always prided myself in being an artist first and a business woman second and all of this has made me despise my craft.

But don't worry, I'm not closing my doors. I'm just changing this up! You always have to keep reinventing yourself if you will survive in this business! So, I will continue making the pieces I sell on Etsy and maybe work on a small line? Who knows, only time will tell.

You should still expect some jewelry photos over the next couple of months while I'm finishing up all the jobs I promised to do (a couple wedding bands, some engagement rings, etc.)

Now, I'm sure you are wondering what will become of this blog? Well, I think I'm just going to start blogging about the new adventures that are in front of me! I'll keep posting on the process of my chair, maybe some cooking, of course lots of Jupiter photos... and possibly a few other big adventures.

So... stay tuned for new and fascinating adventures in my shiny & sparkly gem of a life.

2 comments:

Tegan said...

Hi Tracey,
I started following your blog after I stumbleuponed your flying buttress ring. I absolutely adored it and shared it with my partner, a mechanical engineer who has attempted a few times at jewellery for me just to see if he could do it I also hoped that one day we might get to the point where we might go to you to design rings for us :P but we're still working on that hahaha. We've enjoyed every post since then; I, the design, my partner, the technique behind it.
We're sorry to hear that you will no longer be making custom jewellery, but we hope that you will be able to put in just as much creativity and unique design into your future projects.
I must say though that I am intrigued by your upholstery project and I sincerely hope it goes well and am looking forward to seeing your progress.
All the best,

T

Unknown said...

Hey Girl,

I think that is often the tough part about being a career artist, having to be a business person too. I think the artist and the business person are often two very different animals and it's tough to be both. It's a big reason why I've shied away from the professional photography world and trying to set-up my own business in anything I enjoy. Glad your mixing things up and trying to find a way to make things work for you! Looking forward to seeing your new jewlery line!! Can you sell a design on Etsy before the piece is actually made to help relieve the need to front the materials and labor?
Good luck hon!

Katrina

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