Publishing like the professionals - what if we became the taste makers?

OK.
As all of us full time, self employed creators always do I have been doubting if the way I publish and promote my new items is really the best, most efficient and (most of all) most fruitful strategy.

Having worked as an employed designer for several years BUT now recently a full-time Etsy seller (and much more serious about this business) I have come to several conclusions. I would like to discuss these with this team and hopefully in the end create something like a "work group" of people who are interested to try something new.

Due to the complexity of this topic I think I will start more then one thread, cause things might get quickly confusing.

So I would like to start off with the way we PUBLISH our products/listings here on Etsy.

>>> I started my shop off as a hobby, something to do whilst in between jobs. My shop developed "on the go", organic growth so to say. Whenever I came up with a new product I photographed and listed it. taking the "one item at a time" approach but learning about Etsy, description writing, pricing, and most of all photography at THE SAME time.

Now that I am in my third Etsy year, clear about the decision and the following consequences of wanting to do this full time, clear(er) about how I want my brand and it's image to look like and how to accomplish this look I am starting to think about PROFESSIONALISM. And with this comes efficiency and that only goes with being organized.
How do the "big players" organize their business? Well, the first thing that comes into my mind is that they all have their work time scheduled. And some strategic decision have to be made up front. Things need to done by a certain time and at the end of the deadline there is a BIG PRESENTATION.
All major labels, brands, magazines have catalogs. the entire new collection is being presented in ONE great revealing.

So this clashes with my "one item at a time" strategy. And to be honest, I have been so far reluctant to try anything else, cause it has been said so often that we want to spread our listing times. You spread the cost as well and each day some more views from new listings looks sounder than playing the "all at once" card...cause what if you chose the wrong day or time?! Or both?! Or if you are, like me in Europe but your main customer load is in the US and Australia.
Well, maybe there is never the perfect time. Something else will be always more preferable then what you are already doing.

As you might guess now, I am about to give it a try. I am preparing loads of nwe listings and saving them as drafts in order to reveal my new collection in one go. If that is all in one day, or maybe spread over two or three according to theme.... I don't know yet. I have still some uploading to do and this time to come to a decision.

But I would like what you people think. How do you proceed and have you already tried different styles?
i would really love some feedback and opinions.


As soon as I get some more free minutes (in the next few days) I will start another thread about publishing in combination with promotion (which is such a time consuming issue for all of us) and how I think Etsys treasury system is a bit "outdated", how it could be improved and how we could help each other to be less dependent from external taste makers aka. become the new taste makers ourselves.
>>>Pew, a lot of words in long sentences. Thank you for bearing with me and reading it all.

X from france,
Nic*

Working around the mess.

As a stay-at-home-mom I have to chose between working around the mess that is accumulating every day  in order to get some work done OR work at that mess. Yesterdays choice was to get some work done. Here are the first results: My new Amsterdam canal house mirrors that will be available soon here. Which do you like best?

Amsterdam canal house mirror - LaNiqueHOME.

Amsterdam canal house mirror - LaNiqueHOME

Amsterdam canal house mirror - LaNiqueHOME

Amsterdam canal house mirror - LaNiqueHOME

Amsterdam canal house mirror - LaNiqueHOME

The melon diaries #3 - work space utopia

At the beginning of July I have been contacted by Etsy France to fill out an interview sheet which they sent to their 50 top Etsy stores based in France.
WOOHOO!!!!
The interview was the classic Etsy 'behind the scenes' questionnaire with the side note that they would love to have some pictures of me and my work space, if possible.

Pictures?
Yeah, sure!
.....no wait!

When I thought of that I instantly remembered the work space pics I usually see on Etsy, or on Pinterest. And I started a bit to panic, cause my work space looks nothing like them - see below:

YUCK!!!! Disgustingly perfect!
I mean "COME ON!" Where do you work in this space? It is all way too neat and tidy. Even those that have some full loaded ares, like a mood board, it is the neatest mess I have ever seen. I don't really believe that those are work spaces - those are showrooms projecting a work space utopia.

Don't get me wrong, surely some people can keep it together like this on a daily basis but they must be graphic designers, or similar. Having a work that takes really only place on the desktop of their computers.

Producing physical items like my ceramics, or paintings or clothing is a messy business no matter if you produce made-to-order or pre-produce in batches. And so I tried to find more realistic examples:

That looks much more like it, doesn't it?! I have these examples on my pinterest board, but soon there will be more - promise.

So here I was, annoyed that I was facing the dilemma between not sending in any photos and have a smaller chance of being interesting enough to be published by EtsyFR or having to have a big clean-up on short notice and show off my work space when there is actually no work in progress. I did the latter and here the results:

Oh, and it wouldn't be the melon diaries if I didn't give you an update, right?!
So sadly Melon No2 seems to be dying....; but No1 is doing fine, considering it is growing out of a flower pot.