Filed under: inspiration, research | Tags: contemporary, craft, creativity, creatures, design, Donna Wilson, fair, favourites, Lustre, market, price, quality, toys
Lustre lived up to it’s name and reputation. High quality design and craft, all deliciously displayed for me to drool over.
I was pleased to see Donna Wilson’s creatures there, although sad they were in a glass cabinet and I didn’t get to meet her. I got to have a good look at her creature calendar and a Sleepy Pom notebook which I wasn’t aware was in production, they were lovely, creative and well priced. There were very few other ‘toys’ at the show, which I found interesting. Although I have had my fill of flower corsages – aren’t people fed up with these by now?
The quality is certainly very high and the prices reflected this – not your average ‘craft fair’. It gave me hope though, as my products are likely to come in priced at the higher end of the market, especially with the raw material being organic and therefore a bit more expensive than your standard wool. I think they wouldn’t look out of place.
I was surprised that there wasn’t more variety and creativity in the display of the work – some of it tried too hard and lost the products in the process.
Here are some of my favourites (i.e. I’d buy from them if I had the cash):
KEN EARLEY’s ceramics
Lauren Van Helmond’s little collage sculptures
David knight’s glass forms
SUILVEN PLAZALSKA’s contemporary jewellery
LYNSEY WALTER’s fun and fresh felt
Filed under: research | Tags: , business plan, competition, creatures, design, feature, websites
As a result of work on my business plan assignment thoughts have turned to what is already out there and why would anyone want what I make.
Firstly I found this lady: DEBI VAN ZYL – and I sort of wish I hadn’t as she is working along very similar lines to what I am envisaging. Interesting to note that she has sold out of all her creatures online. I am going for a similar handmade look but with a more commecial feel in relation to the additional features, such as the eyes. I love the proportions of body to legs in these!
SOFTIES CENTRAL – this place is great, I am going to get my creatures featured on here as I think they’d fit in really well. Brilliant to see what else is out there and get links to individuals websites.
Who doesn’t know about DONNA WILSON and her whacky creatures. I have to bear in mind she is well established and has been doing this for years but her pricing is useful and the online interview invaluable. It feels as though I read her article and then decided to follow suit… it’s frustrating when you find you’re not entirely unique!
Filed under: session | Tags: aims, business plan, design, make, money, objectives, planning, practice, presentation, profile
Professional Practice, Planning & Presentation – this is the section that makes me panic inside. I don’t know what happened at the session today. Last week I had my goals up on the screen, felt clear and relatively confident about what I wanted. Today my mind went to mush with the enormity of the task before me – The Business Plan. Thankfully we are putting it together in chunks, part of which is to be handed in as our first assignment later in November.
Here’s the main rub: My Aims.
We indentified three main aims of why we want to go down the art-as-career route. To raise our profile, to make money and for self fulfillment (the love of creating work). So far, I have been designing and making for the love of creating. Sure recognition (without serious self promotion) has been nice, as has been the times when I get paid for something I make – but it really has been for the joy of learning new skills, experimenting with different materials and giving to other people.
I now have to find a way of telling my brain that this is not enough – unless I REALLY want to stay in the admin 9-5 job for the rest of my days (No.)
So the priorities (my new mantra) will go like this: I am going to raise my profile to sell my work and make money, I get an added benefit in that I love what I do
How lucky am I?!
But….the sneaky pre-Connect part of my brain says “But what if the money and the raising of your profile makes the designing and making a chore, no longer pleasureable…?” Well, I won’t know until I try and there are so many different ways of going about this that I can always change my plan.
Actions for the week – Research shows & exhibitions to attend :: Write artist’s statement :: Look further into what my options are for my objectives
