Happy 2012!

2011 is history!  Another year come and gone.  How time flies...  I remember when I was a kid and I thought about the year 2000.  I was going to be 38 years old.  Soooo  oooold!  Well, in a couple of weeks, I turn 50.  Not so old, eh?  Heh, heh....  It's all a matter of perspective.

The end of the year and the beginning of a new is always a time of reflection for me.  If you follow this blog, you know that I have spent a great deal of time and energy in building TAFA: The Textile and Fiber Art List, an organization that helps textile businesses and fiber artists market their businesses.  I launched it at about this time two years ago on a Blogger platform, wondering if there would be interest out there.  At this time last year, we had grown to over 200 members and it was clear that we needed a new website.  Most of the year was spent focusing on that.  Several members volunteered their time and energy in a think tank that we set up on Facebook, discussing what we needed.  Then we had a fundraiser on IndieGoGo and successfully raised $5,000, again from the members, to pay for the site.  A local design team, Horizon Media Group has been working on the site since August, with me actively in the thick of things.  One week ago, we had members volunteer as guinea pigs to test the process of loading their info and using the site.  There are still many glitches and we need to change servers, but you can preview it at www.tafalist.net.

TAFA: The Textile and Fiber Art List's new site.

Hopefully, we will be able to move to the www.tafalist.com url by the end of this week.  This has been an incredibly exhausting process, but one that has also been energizing, wonderfully democratic, and it goes to show that things can happen with no money.  My motto with TAFA has been, "Together we can do great things!" and the website is the first proof of that.

It's hard to explain to people outside of the textile community what I do.  I used to say I was an artist, but since I started TAFA I have poured all of my creative energy into building it, so have not done much of my own sewing or art work.  Hopefully, the website will free up some of my time so that I can do that again this year.  I also hope that I can travel more and actually meet some of the members who have become virtual friends.  We'll see how it all pans out.

We also had our first live event last year during the Quilt Show in April here in Paducah.  We suffered serious flooding in the area and it was a scary time.  I don't know if we will do it again this year.  I was also able to visit family and friends in Wisconsin and in Chicago during the Fall, a wonderful highlight.

What is ahead for 2012?  I haven't thought much beyond getting the new site finished.  Who knows what doors will open or close?  I pretty much try to live each day fully and take things as they come.  Many friends  have been ill in the past year, having major surgeries or having to go through chemo.  As we get older, nothing can be taken for granted, so I just hope that 2012 will be a healthy one and a creative one, with no big, rude surprises.

Let's start out the year with that old favorite Gaelic blessing:

May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

The rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

May God be with you and bless you:

May you see your children's children.

May you be poor in misfortune,

Rich in blessings.

May you know nothing but happiness

From this day forward.

May the road rise up to meet you

May the wind be always at your back

May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home

And may the hand of a friend always be near.

May green be the grass you walk on,

May blue be the skies above you,

May pure be the joys that surround you,

May true be the hearts that love you.

Happy 2012!

Setting New Year's Resolutions for Your Art Business

The end of a year always brings a time of reflection for me.  What happened during these past twelve months?  Did I accomplish anything?  What worked?  What didn't?  Where do I need to improve?  I think about these things, as many of us do, both in terms of my personal life and in thinking about my business.  And, that leads to those resolutions that may or may not become concrete in the upcoming year.

My business has been evolving.  This past year was the worst one, in terms of sales, that I have ever had.  The recession hit the whole world and I was not surprised to see activity dwindle.  Fortunately, I had a good commission with Sidney's Ties and was able to work with other peers on technical work they needed done on their online profiles.  Doors open and close, new opportunities appear and over time, these become defined into new directions.  Rayela Art now has three arms: my own sewing creations, the product I sell on Etsy, and increasingly, as a technical assistance provider.  I've worked hard at learning how to promote my business online and that has translated into developing skills that many artists and small importers balk at.  So, I can help them look at how they can improve their business and then set up the structures they need and train them on how to keep them up.  The challenge then becomes how to juggle these three interests as they all demand time and continued attention in order to grow.

Resolutions?  Yes, I have some.  For the purpose of this post, I will list ten:

1. Time management.  I have to make better use of my time, especially for my own art work.
2. Learn photoshop.  Right now I use photoshop elements.  I have the software for Photoshop, but just haven't taken the time to learn it.
3. Make little documentaries.  I started learning how to edit videos this past fall, but haven't followed through on it.  The goal: one short a month.
4. Increase my web building abilities.  I can build simple ones, but need to fill in some gaps to have more design control.
5. Get back on eBay.  I closed my eBay shop and have to get back on there.  I moved a bunch of things around between stores and never got back to redoing my eBay store.
6. Write more posts here.  I have been slacking off and just need to get into the groove again.  The goal: three meaningful posts a week.
7. Re-do my logo.  I love my snake, but not how I drew it.  I need to re-work it so that it looks like I want it to.
8. Network locally with small businesses.  There are meetings I can attend.  I have been too much of a recluse and need to get out there and interact with the business community where I live.
9. Increase my products on 1000 Markets.  There I can only sell things that I make, so I have to just do it!  It means sitting down and doing several runs of bags, hats, pillows and other things that I make.  I have lots of new ideas and just have to focus on getting them made.
10. Stay healthy.  Too much sitting has been taking its toll on me.  This may seem like a personal resolution, but not feeling well affects how well I can focus on the business.

If I can look back at the end of 2010 and see that these ten goals were tackled with consistency, I will pat myself on the back.  You may notice that I did not have a financial goal.  I have found that it is terribly hard to predict how my business will grow or suffer from year to year, but believe that I am doing all I can to bring in customers and if I can keep focusing on the bones of the business, the money will follow.

Interested in learning more about what I do?  I just re-did my website to reflect more of my role as a technical assistance provider.  Hop over there to learn more and to see my sewing projects as well.

How about you?  Any resolutions for 2010?  Self-employed artists have a tough time managing their talent and their purse.  Would love to hear about how you balance all of this out!

Happy 2010!

May the Muse be with us all!!!

We'll finish this off with an irreverant Jib-Jab look at 2009:

Setting New Year's Resolutions for Your Art Business

Season's Greetings from Rayela Art!

Wishing you a beautiful Christ Mass and all that you dream of in 2010!!!

-Rachel and the Monsters

(Mitchie, Juba, Laila and Sheba)

Season's Greetings from Rayela Art!

A Fiber Artist's New Year's Resolutions...

OK ... So, it's that time of the year when we look back, assess the progress made, get filled with guilt over everything that didn't get done, then look to the next year and make some promises... resolutions.... goals..... hopes.... dreams...

I actually do have some resolutions related to my art and work. I'm not numbering them because they are all things I want to get done, so here goes:

• Finish at least one UFO (UnFinished Object). Every fiber artist has stacks of them. I have a large tin box, filled with unfinished quilts. Ugh. So, one will be pulled out and finished. I promise!
• No new supplies! No fabric, no trim, no buttons, no nothing until I seriously make a dent in what I have. How is YOUR stash? Taking over your house? "Someday I will do something with it...." has arrived. That someday is 2009! OK, so I can replenish something that I need and that I'm out of, like Tiger Tail.... (just ran out)
• Make two new quilts. I already have an idea for my parent's 5oth anniversary and for my dear friend, Tom. (This is a test to see if he really is reading this blog...) Tom is also going to be 50, so that will be my quilt theme this year.
• Learn how to knit. ???? I'm still debating about this. I would like to have that skill, but am afraid it might open a whole new stash need and maybe it's not a good idea...
• Start a new blog.................. groan, oh my!!! Yes, it's a bit nuts, but I think it's a good concept and will be easier than this one. (Many of my posts here take 3-5 hours!) It will be a reference for cultural crafts.

Well, that's enough to keep me occupied for several months. The trick to resolutions is to set goals that are achievable. Then, when the end of the year comes, you can look back and feel good about yourself. There are lots of other things I would like to do, but how realistic are they?

How about you? Any resolutions for this upcoming year? Click on "people with something to say" and leave your goals and dreams! May they all come true!

Happy 2009!!!

A Fiber Artist's New Year's Resolutions...