Contrary to what you may think most successful artists do not wake up one day and suddenly find themselves with flourishing careers. Gaining the respect and notoriety that comes with being an artist doesn’t simply happen. It takes time, effort, and patience. Starting my business I would not have considered myself an artist (although I was, I just didn’t know it yet). I considered myself a crafter. Constantly undercutting my prices just to get my product into customers’ hands, bending over backward to make customers happy, and grinding weekend after weekend at farmers markets, breweries, and pop-ups to gain recognition.
The Call to Adventure
Before I had my business I always dreamed of being my own boss. I woke up every morning and decided for myself what direction my career was going to take. That was until, one day, I decided to take my life into my own hands and fulfill that dream. With some tools for wood-burning, a few raw materials, and an Etsy account I began creating what would develop into a thriving business.
Little did I know that, in the beginning, being my own boss didn’t mean not taking orders. Sure, I didn’t have a boss to take orders from: instead, I had dozens of bosses i.e. my customers. Rather than spend time working on the things I was passionate about I, instead, found myself catering to what was popular, what was in demand, and what was going to sell. This gave me some mixed feelings about my choices initially but I decided to see it through and find out what lay ahead.
Challenges and Temptations
As time went on it was extremely difficult to meet the demands of my growing business. Competition at markets was fierce. People making similar products by machine could mass produce what I was creating in a fraction of the time for significantly lower costs. I felt like my dream was dying. Sometimes weeks or months passed and nothing was moving on the Etsy shop, I was barely making my table costs at markets, and the custom orders would be down to just a trickle. It was extremely disheartening to see my hopes and dreams go up in smoke.
You read the statistics about small businesses, how long it takes them to become profitable, how many fail in the first 3-5 years. You never think, however, that your business will fall subject to that fate. Once the profits are drying up, however, you start to question everything. Did I make the right decision with this business? Am I catering to the right audience? Do I need to invest in more marketing? Maybe there just isn’t a market for this product right now. All of these questions and doubts pop up in your head on a daily basis and it becomes more and more difficult to continue on.
Revelation
Sometimes when things are their darkest that is when you see a glimmer of hope. About three years into my journey I realized what it was that set me apart. I was trying to compete with people selling products whereas what I should have been doing is selling myself as an artist. Instead of lowering my prices, I would instead demonstrate the value that people get by purchasing my art (yes, now is when I start recognizing my work for what it is, art). When customers would come to my booth I would talk about the techniques I use to create my pieces, what differentiates my work, and the quality of the material and craftmanship.
What I wanted people to understand is that, when they buy something from me, they are investing in something that tells a story. The wood into which the piece is burned has history, the design was of my creation, and it is truly one-of-a-kind. By collaborating with other artists, learning about different forms of media to incorporate into my work, and building on techniques that I had gained from skills I acquired over a lifetime of learning I was able to differentiate myself. I was no longer trying to compete with the mass-produced, carbon-copy products at the markets, rather I stood apart from them creating something that you buy to add to your house to make it your home.
Transformation
Once I started thinking like an artist then things started to change. With the confidence I gained, I started joining arts councils and guilds to share my ideas with other like-minded individuals. I was no longer intimidated to enter my work into art galleries, juried shows, and other events reserved for fine artists. Much to my surprise, the more I treated myself like an artist, the more others treated me like the same. Invitations started showing up in my inbox, I was accepted into my first juried show, one of my pieces won honorable mention in a show, and now I am going to have a piece on display at one of the most prestigious museums in Charlotte: The Mint Museum in uptown.
This is a tremendous accomplishment for me. Validation that the past five years of scraping and clawing my way through the grind of markets and festivals was worth the effort. I now have a resume lined with achievements that I never dreamed of when I started this journey.
Return
I look back at where I started and I see the hope and determination I had. I also see the pain and rejection that I experienced along the way but now I look at it with a newfound sense of confidence. Today, I am an artist. Tomorrow, I will be an even better artist with more exciting opportunities that will be realized based on the successes I have achieved. What is your journey? Share it with us @bz_furfur and, as always, stay unique.
