Why Mannequins Are The Best Models ... Or, How I Met Zara

Many of you will have met my lovely mannequin, Zara. (Or not. Depends if you've looked at any of my necklaces online.)
She is indispensable to my business. I bought her on Trade Me for around $70.00 - some of the best money I've ever spent.
When I realised that prospective buyers really do want to see how jewellery looks when being worn, I considered using live models ... for about two seconds. Models have this irritating habit of wanting to be paid ... and not suiting the jewellery that they are modelling ... and not doing as they are told ... and not understanding what pose to assume ...
Ugh.
So I needed a mannequin. I looked on Trade Me (usually my first stop when I want anything specific that isn't jewellery supplies) and found several that would have suited. I lost the first one I was bidding on (it had arms, which would have been useful for modelling bracelets), and then I found Zara. She didn't have arms, but other than that she was perfect. When she arrived, she was even more perfect. I washed her thoroughly in the shower (because you just never know where things have been ... and because I'm paranoid), and so began our fulfilling relationship.
Zara is the best model I have ever worked with. She stands perfectly still, does exactly as she's told without having to be told, and never ever complains about anything. In fact, I think she loves the jewellery she gets to wear. She holds my magnifying headset sometimes, to keep it safe and off the floor, and I often leave necklaces on her for a few days while I decide whether or not I'm happy with them (or just admire them).
She is so versatile, too. When modelling pieces that have an ancient, historical feel to them, Zara does a sublime Greek marble statue look.

She can do bold, plunging statement pieces ...

... and smaller, more subtle jewellery.

She doesn't even have to change outfits. All I do is change the camera angle and Zara's angle. She can model both my - very different - jewellery brands with equal ease. She can work with almost any lighting, is utterly professional, and never upstages the jewellery itself. True, some things suit her better than others, but that is true of any model, and more so of many others than of Zara.
So, while I know that some jewellery designers use live models all the time, and while it undoubtedly works well for some, Zara's the gal for me.
Do you have fantastic plastic mannequin like Zara? Do you use live models? Or have you found another solution entirely? I'd love to hear in the comments. 

An Old Chinese Proverb

I am completely enamoured a fan of Chris Guillebeau's 'The Art Of Non-Conformity' blog. The guy makes more sense in two sentences than most people make all day.

Recently I finished reading his e-book '279 Days To Overnight Success'. Specifically, it's about making a living as a professional blogger, but, like most of Guillebeau's writing, it is also about doing anything that people say cannot be done.
At the end of the e-book, he concludes with this old Chinese proverb:

the person who says

something is impossible

should not interrupt the

person who is doing it.

Long live those of us who believe in doing the impossible. 

Dryad

I'm going to indulge myself slightly by showing you all a Whiteleaf piece that I made recently.

Its title is 'Dryad'. A dryad, in Greek mythology, is a tree spirit (specifically, an oak tree spirit; different plants had different spirits).
I had had the chocolate-brown agate leaf pendant hanging around for almost two years - it was something I bought when I first started making jewellery - and I had various plans for it, none of which worked out as the hole was too small. That meant I had to string it. With greens and browns and rust colours, I thought; Autumn colours. I got out all the suitable beads I had, realised that some gemstone chips naturally graduated in colour and size, and the design invented itself. 
I'm showing it off because it is quite different from what I've made before ... but I'm very proud of it.

I reshot this piece three times, because I'm not a good photographer and my camera seems to hate photographing gemstones; especially agates and jaspers. Doncha hate opinionated electronic equipment?

'Dryad' is currently listed here on Felt.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled programme. With a quote from Samuel Goldwyn:

“I don’t think anyone should write his autobiography until after he’s dead.”

Perseverance: the new black.

Annie is the jewellery maker of Ferosh Kitty Designs. Recently, she was Zibbet.com's Featured Zibbeter. On reading her interview, a particular sentence caught my eye: "And I’m a believer that perseverance is the new black!"

I love black.
Black is only one colour (in fact technically it's not a colour; it's the absence of light and therefore the absence of colour); it doesn't have shades or tints the way green and blue and other colours do; yet it can be dangerous, formal, mysterious, intimidating, enigmatic, aggressive, clean, precise ... think black cats, ninjas, hit men, top hats, limousines, formal calligraphy, the night sky ...
Black does not compromise. You can't negotiate with it. It is what it is, and if you want a lighter or darker tone then you're just going to have to look elsewhere. Black just is. When all other colours have faded away, all that will be left will be black.
(Literally.)
'Perseverance is the new black'. I like the nod to fashion there. It seems appropriate for artists to talk about perseverance in visual terms. 

Perseverance is a common trait of those who change the world. Research Thomas Edison, Sir Edmund Hillary, Marie Curie, or any other important person, and the chances are high that perseverance was the key to their achievement.

As Calvin Coolidge famously said, 

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”

(If, like me, you love quotes, here is an excellent trove of perseverance quotes. You're welcome. :-D)

Perseverance is the new black.

When all other skills and abilities have faded away, perseverance will still be there.
If you want to achieve something great, perseverance is not just the new black: it's the one and only black.

Why do you need to get away?

Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, you ought to set up a life you don't need to escape from.

- Seth Godin.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/

I'm probably preaching to the converted if you're reading this blog, but I often wonder why people drift through life waiting for the weekend ... for the holidays ... for their lives to become free and interesting.

Why do you wait for your life to change when you could change it yourself?

If the reason you're not changing your life is because you can't really be bothered or you don't really want it badly enough, then stop whining about the life you have now. If you don't like it, change it; if you don't want to change it, stop complaining about it. 
If you feel that change is impossible, you have two options: make change possible, or learn to live with your situation.
But in all honesty, change is rarely impossible. What stops us changing things is not so much our ability as it is our fear.

Roger Ebert

I follow, via E-mail updates, a blog called Copyblogger. Its tagline is 'copywriting tips for online marketing success', but, like most of the blogs I follow, it often talks about things that are bigger than just copywriting or marketing or the Internet.
Let me share this powerful Copyblogger post with you. It's about using what you have, and what you love, to overcome whatever filth life throws at you.

I'm on the front page of Felt!

One of my new Whiteleaf pieces has been selected for the front page of Felt.co.nz.
I think it's the second time I've been on the front page since I opened shop on Felt about a year ago. It's not as amazing as making it to the front page of Etsy, but still ... it's a happy event.

Oh, the little things that excite us artists ... no wonder everyone else thinks we're slightly mad!

Whiteleaf Jewellery launch!

I launched my new jewellery brand, Whiteleaf Jewellery, today.
It was very exciting.
(It was for me, anyway.)
I've spent all day listing items on the first two shops, which are on Felt.co.nz and Zibbet.com. The links will take you straight to my Whiteleaf shops.
For the rest of the week I will continue the frenzied listing of new pieces, until the shops have more than two pages of listings each. After that, I will have to list at least one new item per day in each shop. Once Silverlight Jewellery is rebranded and I start listing in those shops, I will be listing 5+ new items per day. That number will increase as I open up one or more shops on Etsy, where the rule is 'list often or get lost - amongst literally thousands of other sellers'.
Phew.
Don't ever let anyone tell you that being an artist is easy, cushy, soft, lazy, or any other insulting adjective.
Tell them to read this post instead.

Whiteleaf Jewellery update

A few more things to look forward to in my new brand.
I'm very pleased with the photographs. For some reason the Whiteleaf jewellery has been shooting much better than the Silverlight stuff.

The launch is on Monday. I have this evening and tomorrow to work on it (I don't work on Sundays, in order to avoid burnout), and then it's The Big Day. (To be followed in a couple of months by another Big Day: the rebranding of my Silverlight line.)
I've been gearing up for this for so long ... I'm actually nervous. This is how I make my living, after all.
The first two shops will be on Felt and Zibbet. Eventually I plan to have Whiteleaf shops on Etsy and possibly ArtFire too. I can't wait to see how they look - with their gorgeous banners expertly designed by Doctor Riptide to match my business cards and stickers - filled with the beautiful earthy jewellery I've been designing for the past two months or so. Will the look be coherent? Will everything meld together as I have planned it to? Will people like the new style and lower price points?
Right, I've got to go and make jewellery. My first order from Happy Mango Beads arrived last night and so I have new treasures to play with ... er, make stock out of.
Three sleeps until the launch.... 

Purple Showcase

It is my mother's birthday today, and she loves the colour purple.
She also loves cats, cushions, brooches, rich colours, and soft, luxurious textiles ... all of which I managed to find, directly or indirectly, on Felt.co.nz! There's even a card by Sewfunky showing a costumed lady which reminds me of one of Mum's favourite television programmes: 'The Pallisers'.

Cushion - Purple Wit...

craftyme

$39.95

Make Up Purse

kraftyas

$30.00

Beautiful Purple Pon...

crochetnz

$75.00

Dark Lady

sabine

$18.00

Solstice Antiqued Br...

bobbiepene

$31.00

Purple Freeform Croc...

jacber

$45.00

Crochet Flower Brooch

rosieposy

$16.00

Purple Velvet And Pr...

hast

$40.00

Amethyst Rosary Brac...

katibrown

$30.00

Lollipops And Roses

sabine

$35.00

Card | Swan Lake #2

sewfunky

$4.00

Crochet Earrings

chicca

$30.00

Letterpress - Keep C...

biplanepress

$20.00

Hello? Little Black ...

not-a-story

$10.00

"miss Boo" Tote Bag

cassiejade

$30.00

Brooch | Funky Cat

sewfunky

$15.00

Here’s to my Mum: perfectionistic, driven, strong-minded, intelligent, enduring, sensible, caring, excelling, moody, fun, very exasperating, and totally wonderful.
Happy birthday.

Coming soon ... Whiteleaf Jewellery!

It says in my profile that I have two brands of jewellery. Well, this is mostly true. Or it will be true shortly. Because, ladies and gentlemen and others, on this day next week I will be launching my second brand: Whiteleaf Jewellery. (Trumpet fanfare)
Oh, the excitement! The terror! The enormous amount of work still to be done!

Here's a sneak preview:

Seriously, it is a bit scary. It is a little like starting my business all over again. This time, however, I know what I am doing.
I think.
I am very excited about the new brand. It is wonderful because it has given me a chance to do a lot of things that I have chosen not to do with Silverlight Jewellery. With two brands, I feel as though I can have the best of both worlds.
I could go into enormous depth about all the different decisions I have made, and what led me to start up a new brand, and the long period of preparation invested before one actually gets anywhere near the point of being ready to launch, but that would really only be interesting to another jewellery designer. Instead I shall simply say that more details about this new brand will be forthcoming later this week.
Stay tuned!

Keys

The recent fashion for jewellery featuring keys has made me realise that I am fascinated by keys. They are intriguing. They come in thousands of variations – from big, heavy and functional to tiny, delicate and filigree’d. But this is only half of their fascination for me. A key is the answer to a riddle: the riddle of the lock.
A key is one half of a puzzle; one half of an act that will unlock something – a door, a wardrobe, a box, a gate, a house, a room, a shed, a trunk, a chest, a vehicle …
A key is a solution to the problem of the lock.
Keys are information, and as such they are power. The information contained in the shape of a small piece of metal decides whether or not we can enter or open the thing in front of us.
Keys are also riddles: what is the other half of the puzzle? We have the key – where or what is the lock? Keys are passwords; they give us access. If we have the key, we have the answer; the question is, what is the question?

Remnant Iv

artylovely

$50.00

Lock Me Up Woodcut E...

pinup

$10.00

Key Altered Art Pend...

seed

$21.50

Vintage Key Necklace

exter

$18.00

Hidden Love Necklace

bobbiepene

$48.00

Locket And Key

silverlight

$45.00

Simplicity Is Key - ...

patrooshka

$18.00

Your Secrets Safe Wi...

relique

$65.00

Tiny Thought Keeper

bibliographica

$42.00

Keyhole Key Pendant ...

supervery

$30.00

Vintage Key Necklace...

plan-b

$30.00

"precious" - Silver ...

katibrown

$25.00

Having just re-thought the branding of my Silverlight Jewellery line (again ... don't ask!), I have decided that keys will feature heavily. After all, they are so attractive ... and so intriguing. They have both an aesthetic beauty and an intellectual beauty. One must always feel a little mysterious when one has a key secreted on one's person; no?

Hard work ... and more hard work ...

I am a chronic Etsy browser.
Most New Zealanders are not familiar with Etsy, so here's a little description: Etsy is an American based, international, online marketplace for handmade and vintage goods and supplies. If you are an artist or craftsperson of any kind, Etsy is arguably THE foremost place to sell online. It's a browser's delight: a veritable online world of beautiful, handmade goods with personality and individuality - many of them eco-friendly, recycled, vegan, or organic as well. I'm almost certain that a person's entire life could be supplied and maintained solely with items purchased on Etsy.
If you are looking for it, and if it's a physical object, then the chances are high that someone will sell it on Etsy. And while you're looking for it, you'll find a bunch of other things that you (a) had no idea existed, and (b) didn't know could be bought online. Homemade vegan marshmallows. Soap that looks like a chocolate truffle. Italian-sausage-scented lip balm. A fabulous coffin-couch.
And that's just a little taste of the delicious buffet that is Etsy.

One of the features that I really like on Etsy is their 'Quit Your Day Job' interviews with artists who make their livings by selling their work on Etsy. One sentence that crops up repeatedly from these full-time, self-employed artists (besides 'work on your photographs'!) goes along these lines:
"I have never worked so hard in my life".
For someone who is at the beginning of the journey towards full-time artistic self-employment, that's an intimidating thing to read.
I have never worked so hard in my life. 
From all accounts, that's what artistic self-employment requires. A tonne of hard work.
It must take even more hard work when you are trying to succeed in a crowded marketplace - and, while I don't know the statistics, I would guess that the Internet is now the biggest and most crowded marketplace on Earth.

It must take even MORE hard work when you are trying to succeed in a particularly crowded corner of that marketplace: jewellery selling. For some reason - and I find this fact intriguing - the jewellery category on any and every shopping website is one of the most crowded; and on handmade goods websites the category is invariably the biggest - sometimes by 100%. I just checked, and a moment ago there were 1,420,338 jewellery items listed on Etsy alone. At the moment you read this, there will probably be even more. In a forum thread on the site, one jewellery seller gave a conservative estimate of the number of jewellery sellers on Etsy: between 7,000 and 10,000. Remember, that's just the jewellery sellers, and it's just on Etsy.

Suddenly that sentence - I have never worked so hard in my life - is put into perspective. One starts to realise that none of the full-time Etsy sellers in the 'Quit Your Day Job' interviews got where they are without working their tails off. 

I have heard many successful people say that luck is a fallacy. Luck does not exist. If you want to do something difficult (such as becoming self-employed or climbing a Himalayan mountain), forget about luck. Or better: re-name it. Call it 'work'. Hey, they both have the same number of letters, and they both end with 'K', so the switch should be relatively easy, right? (Sarcastic laughter.)

Samuel Goldwyn, the Hollywood movie producer, said, "The harder I work, the luckier I get." (Another favourite Goldwynism of mine is “If I look confused it’s because I’m thinking.”)

I have never worked so hard in my life. And the harder I work, the luckier I get.

To be honest, it's not a hugely appealing prospect. Is hard work ever appealing?

I guess it depends how badly you want the results. 

And I think this is where a lot of us stumble: we don't want it badly enough.