I come from a creative family!

There is no way to overemphasize the creativity and craftiness of my family. I was just telling my Mom how it is only as an adult that I can appreciate this. I thought everybody's parents sewed them elaborate Halloween costumes and taught art classes (my Mom), and built treehouses and furniture (my Dad). These examples, of course, barely scratch the surface. Above is a picture of my Mom's fingerless gloves, and here is a picture of the fireplace that my Dad and my uncle remade. I keep telling them that they should go into business...and I'm actually not joking.

My Mom knits and crochets beautiful hats, gloves, socks, and blankets. She actually just sent a set of pillows up to New York--I have got to photograph them. They are chocolate brown and a rich lime green, which fit right into the color scheme of our house. Amazing. At the market where I sell jewelry every weekend, I see people selling similar items (well, mostly hats and scarves), and I think about how much people would love the stuff my Mom makes. Every time I wear a pair of her gloves, all my friends are trying to figure out where I bought them. Her pieces are really unique and beautiful.

And my Dad, of course, is equally impressive. At one point he wanted to be an architect, and he has always been a talented woodworker. Every room of the house I grew up in had pieces of his furniture. I have had his pieces in all of my apartments, except here in New York--it's a bit of a long haul to bring a bookcase up from North Carolina! I do really miss them, though. Although he did make a special trip up to the city just to help Nick and I overhaul our little backyard garden, so he has still made his mark on this house!

I feel increasingly grateful for all of the results of my parents hard work--mainly, the creativity that was deeply instilled in me. It is something that I learned not by being told, but through watching the way my parents lived and created so many of the things that made up our world. The creativity didn't just rub off on me, either--below is a necklace my sister made. She insists that I'm the "crafty" one, but the truth is in the woven hemp below (she's also a fantastic cook, paints, and makes duct tape wallets, among her many other talents). I also have a brother whose specialty is creativity of the mind (he's a natural born philosopher). It's no accident, I think, that we are all related.

I really am glad that the desire to create things has always stayed with me--when my boyfriend and I moved into our new apartment last April, we designed everything ourselves. We painted, we ripped out all the old light fixtures and installed new ones (some of which we made). We built a wall to separate the kitchen from the sleeping area, and we built a trellis in the backyard. Half the art on the walls we made ourselves. I am glad that I have found a partner who likes to make things as much as I do, and that we are often able to enjoy that process together. We did meet through our jobs at the same theater, though, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised.

Now, I am just appreciating the creative mindset a lot more. Without watching my parents creative lives, maybe I never would have thought to start this jewelry business. And it will all just keep expanding...when I go home for Christmas, my Mom has already agreed to teach me how to sew handbags :)

staying positive when sales are slow

I haven't posted in forever, but not because I haven't wanted to! I have just been busy, busy, busy. Which is great and hopefully it won't let up....ever! So I've been spending every weekend at The Market NYC, which has been exhausting but the best thing ever. For Nov. and Dec. it goes from two days a week to three--now instead of just Saturday and Sunday, I'm there every Friday too (although oddly, I won't be there this Friday, but I will be for all the other ones!).

Selling to people in person is definitely a special sort of situation that you can't always prepare for. There's really no set of rules as to what works best, and sometimes customers are really strange. So it is mostly trial and error. I learn new tips and tricks each time I go, and I hone my display, as well as the way I interact with customers, basically every weekend. Half of the effort of selling at shows, I have discovered, is all a psychological game being played out in your own head, with the constant goal being to stay upbeat and positive no matter what. Which is not always easy! I am a naturally upbeat and positive person, especially in customer service situations (I totally used to rock the drive-thru at Chick-fil-A), so you would think that I would do great with this. Which I do--I find it so satisfying and so much fun to talk to people and to get to sell them the things that I have made.

Where it gets harder is when the hours between sales are starting to add up. Maybe you made a few small sales before noon, but now it's 3pm, and people are mostly just walking right by your table. You see the vendors to your left and right swiping credit cards and wrapping expensive jewelry items up in bags. "What about me?" you start to think. "Why doesn't anyone want to buy my jewelry?" At that point your mind is teetering on a delicate edge, and it can easily begin the downward spiral into convincing yourself that everything you have ever made is a piece of garbage and no one will every want to buy it, and what were you thinking when you decided to try to do this, and, well, so on. You get the picture, and it is not pretty. I have learned that you absolutely have to nip this in the bud--as soon as you get that first flash of "why not me," you have to immediately counter it with every positive mantra possible, like "My jewelry is beautiful, and people will be excited to buy it, just give it a little more time." Or "I am so happy for the other vendors who are making sales, I will be making many more soon," etc., and repeat. I have found that this can really work, and help shift you back to the land of positivity. Because the truth is that no one wants to buy anything from someone who looks depressed, desperate and/or angry. It's just not the energy that anyone really wants to be around. It sounds kind of silly, but it's true--people are attracted to positivity, and that is when you will make the most sales. Now I just have to remember this all the time for myself!

Anyway, this past weekend was my best one so far. I used to think that I shouldn't talk too much to customers, that it would chase them away. I thought it was better if I just sat making jewelry and let the jewelry sell itself. But my mind was changed when two friends of mine came to help out the other weekend and they started talking to everyone. It had been a really disappointing day up to that point, and my mind was doing a major drift into dark places. But once they started talking, people started buying. A lot. It was like magic as far as I was concerned. They were way more aggressive than it would ever feel natural for me to be, but I realized that it's ok for me to have my own style, and that I shouldn't be afraid to talk to customers. That it can only help. That the people it might chase away are people who weren't going to buy anything anyway. Or at least this is my working theory :) Watch me be proven wrong next weekend!

"Selling" is not something that comes naturally to me, but customer service does, so my style is more to say hi, and maybe introduce something about myself or the jewelry to the person. I end up getting to talk to lots of people and hand out lots of business cards, which feels really good and positive even when people don't buy. So I still end up feeling good in the end. Or do my best too, it isn't always easy! What customers will do can really be unpredictable. I've been doing this less than two months, so I can only imagine the stories people must have who've been doing this for decades!

Anyway, I'm trying to have fun with every aspect of this business as much as I possibly can. My natural inclination is towards putting a lot of pressure on myself to do everything perfectly and be wildly successful, but it's unrealistic to demand so much from the point of just starting out. So I'm trying new things--this weekend I put out some handstamped postcards, some wine charms, and some keychains (a few pictured on this post!). I just want to make things that I love, and hopefully some people will want to buy them. That, of course, is the ideal. To make lots of things that you love and that lots and lots of people want to buy. There is time yet for all of that to happen! I'm still in my first six months, after all. I heard a great quote from someone a few weeks ago at The Market about the importance of just "staying in the race" no matter what. I know there's something to that--that success is not just about talent or luck, but largely about persistence and determination, especially when the going gets tough. And that's exactly what I aim to do.

My home jewelry studio

I do all of my jewelry work from home (that's my studio space to the left!!), which can be really convenient and fun, but it is definitely not always easy. My boyfriend and I moved into our new apartment last April, and while we really love the place, it is a 250 square foot studio in Manhattan. So there was never an obvious space that I could convert into a work space when I started to get serious about my business. I know that Nick was really wary at first about me trying to set up something here--it sort of gradually happened over a period of months, and he was always concerned that it would end up taking over the apartment. I am happy to report that that hasn't happened, although the space is always evolving.

Nick and I are both very DIY in general and especially with this apartment--we've done everything from painting the walls and making furniture, to wiring lights and creating the art that hangs on the walls. There's always an element of creativity that has to happen with small spaces, and both of us really enjoy that process. I'm really proud of the little nook of a work area that I have created. And, at least when I keep it clean, it really blends into the rest of the apartment. Often, when friends come over, they don't even see my workspace. I have to point it out to them when they ask to see my jewelry! Which is good--I never wanted the apartment to feel like it was dominated by all my stuff. I also want to be able to step away from work and relax.

Not that it's always easy to "just relax," especially with my work space being at home. It's a mixed bag. Certain aspects are nice--mainly, that I have no commute, and I don't have to pay extra rent for a studio space. On the downside, since the apartment is tiny, and there's two of us around, it's very easy to get distracted. Since he's been working mostly nights lately, Nick and I are together in the house most days, and it's hard to keep strict hours.

The flip side is my tendency to put in too many hours--what I don't do during the day ends up getting finished around 4am when I should be sleeping. It's so easy to work long into the night. I mean, I'm already home. It's not like I'm staying late at the office! But then all of a sudden it's dawn, I never ate dinner, and Nick is fast asleep. As productive as those long nights can be, it's not a great way to live, especially since I'm getting up at 9 am most weekends for craft fairs. So those nights end up throwing everything off. I'm just such a night owl that it's easy to lost track of time. Sometimes I wish the world didn't start until noon, because then I would fit right in and not have to worry about early craft fairs!

And of course there's my perpetual fantasy of having a space outside of the house where I could work. I love browsing craigslist and dreaming of the amazing spaces that I could someday own. I'm a ways away from that, but hopefully someday it will happen! I've got a lot of jewelry to sell first...

Wedding jewelry, sea glass from Bermuda...and some snow

My boy and I just got back home to New York City from a very snowy wedding weekend in Massachusetts! My poor parents are still driving themselves home to North Carolina, trying to escape the cold. We would have stayed in Sturbridge another night, but the power went out at the hotel last night just as we were coming home from dinner. We called around to other hotels, but everything was either booked or had no power. So we all slept with at least four blankets piled up on our beds, and left as soon as we could drag ourselves out of bed this morning. It was a lot of fun though--definitely a very memorable trip! As a transplanted southerner, I still think that snow is lots of fun, which almost everyone else in New York City vehemently disagrees with. And I loved seeing snow over the weekend, but I know it wasn't fun for everyone--I hope that everyone in Massachusetts is doing well, and is keeping warm tonight!

Luckily, the wedding happened before the snow, although it was still really, really cold. Here is a picture of the jewelry I ended up wearing (albeit not a very good one!). About ten million pictures were taken at that wedding, but somehow none were of me--or at least, I haven't found them yet! As you can see, the gold did not end up happening. Neither did the exact outfit I had picked out beforehand. It was just too cold for my southern transplant blood! And, this pendant just looked too good with my black dress (and giant black boots). Which although I don't have a picture of, I'm sure you can imagine. This is one of my vintage watercolor soldered pendants, and instead of listing it on my etsy site, I decided to selfishly keep it for myself for occasions such as this. It just had to be worn--it was absolutely perfect with the rest of my outfit. I will make up for it by wearing something special and gold later on this week. I was glad that I wore this though--I got a lot of compliments on it, and I gave out some business cards, which I think is always a good thing. My mom suggested that I try to expand my line of soldered pendants to include ones that can be customized with names, dates, or specific images. It's a great idea, and I think I will at least definitely be making something like that for a few of my friends for the holidays.

And now, about that sea glass!

One of the most fun things about the wedding was seeing all of the extended family that I rarely get to see. I completely forgot that my aunt is an amazing stained glass artist, and she very generously gave me lots of glass from her collection. I would have posted pictures from her wonderful basement studio, or of the beautiful piece she is currently working on, but the power was out, so we spent time in her studio with a small, sketchy lantern, which was not at all conducive to photos. One of the coolest things she gave me was a large bag of sea glass and pottery shards that she and my uncle found along the coast of Bermuda. You can see some of it in the picture--it's on the top left. The pieces are such different shapes, sizes, and colors--I really am astounded at how much they found. I absolutely cannot wait to wire wrap and solder some of the pieces. It was like Christmas morning as a kid--I packed my parents' trunk (and now, our tiny apartment) full with all the goodies that she gave me. I'm going to go back for another visit in a couple of weeks when the power is on--my aunt offered to teach me how to cut glass, and then give me some sheets of glass and cutting tools to take back to the city. Needless to say, I am thrilled and can't wait to go back. The glass that she works with is beautiful, and I'm dying to use some of it in designs. And, despite my best efforts, I just can't quite figure out how to successfully cut any kind of glass. So I've got a lot to learn! I am sure that I will be posting updates on my glass cutting for sure....hopefully there will be pictures of some successful designs very soon!

Gold v. Silver

I am one of those people who has always loved silver. I've also pretty much always been at least a little bit wary of gold. When I was a kid, I was pretty extreme about my distaste for it, going so far as to refuse to wear anything with any kind of gold color to it. My parents once bought me a delicate sapphire ring--it was gorgeous--but of course it was gold, so I hid it in the back of my jewelry box and never wore it.
I actually found the ring last year while my parents were selling their house and I was going through boxes of all my old (mostly silver) jewelry. Now it is finally getting some of the wear that it deserves. As I've gotten older, while I've had less of a distaste for gold, I have always maintained a strong preference for silver. It's just what I've always been comfortable wearing, what feels like "me." Since starting out as a jewelry designer, I have found myself having the same silver-focused instincts. I was surprised my first week at The Market when people gravitated towards my gold pieces--it's almost like I forget that anyone in the world has different preferences than I do and would prefer gold to silver. And a funny thing has been happening as a result of all my jewelry making... Believe it or not, I've actually started to like gold. I can't believe it, but I'm actually planning to wear gold accessories to the wedding I'm going to this weekend. And that is probably a first for me! Which is pretty amazing when you think about it, because I am 27 years old!

This past week I have really been on a mission with gold in terms of jewelry making. It is truly amazing to me just how much I've started to enjoy using it--well, it's mostly brass that I'm working with at this stage, not real gold, but it's just so different from silver--so much brighter, "flashier," and it interacts with gemstones in a different and really beautiful way. I am even--gasp!--thinking of making pieces that mix silver and gold, something that I never thought I would not only tolerate, but actually be excited about exploring. My golden horizons are finally expanding!! My next challenge with gold--well, with silver too--will be using more precious metals. Moving from brass and gold-plated to 14k, from nickel and silver-plated to sterling. I'm actually already using a good bit of silver-plated and sterling, but using real gold is something that I'm more afraid of. Also because it's significantly more expensive! But maybe once I start making some more sales I will invest in some real gold wire and chain.... For now I will stick to my brass and gold-plated wire!

For the wedding this weekend, I haven't decided yet exactly what jewelry I'm going to wear, but I am particularly in love with the pieces on this page. I am going to be bringing gifts for some of my female relatives, so if I don't end up wearing these, then I think at least one of them might end up in a gift box. And of course, there will be some silver gifts given too.....I'm not THAT obsessed with gold! But I'm glad that I have finally started to appreciate it. Will post pictures of what I end up wearing for the wedding!

Another great weekend (and a great pair of hot pink earrings too!)

My little bezels from the other day turned out great!! There's a learning curve to placing stones inside the bezels and pouring in the glaze without it being overrun by bubbles. But overall, I am pleased with the results. The Diamond Glaze did dry a little cloudy, which looked cool on some pieces and not so great on others. I bought some EasyCast resin at Blick (an amazing local art store) awhile ago, and it's just been hanging around my house ever since. I debated using it last week for this project, but it's just so hard to work with harsh chemicals in such a small apartment. Also, the warnings on it kind of scared me and convinced me that I would die of suffocation and go blind from using it. Neither of which is probably too great of a risk as long as I'm careful, but I have to admit that I got a little scared! I do happen to have a wonderful little backyard though, so maybe I can give it a try one sunny, warm(ish) day.

Both the pendants and the rings really were a hit at my jewelry booth, which was very exciting. I will have to make up some more of them very soon, especially with the holidays coming up!

Overall, I was very proud of myself this weekend and think being at The Market was a great success! I'm still getting the hang of it, but I'm getting more comfortable and having more fun with it each time I go. I also had the added bonus of taking home an awesome pair of earrings with me from the vendor who was to my left. I traded him one of my soldered pendants for a pair of these earrings. You can't really appreciate them in this crappy picture, but hopefully you get the idea. They are really incredible--large, hand carved hot pink plastic with gold and pearls. Amazing. All of his work is very distinctive, and I was surprised to learn that the only place he shows his pieces is at The Market. He doesn't have a website, which I think is crazy, because if he did he could make a ton more sales. Although, it's not like he's lacking in making sales! People are always drawn to his pieces. I think I was very lucky to have been next to him--not only was he very nice, but his booth was very popular and he definitely brought customers over to the area.
Even without him, though, I really did luck out with my booth placement. I was initially set up on one of the far aisles, but at the last minute I was asked if I wanted to move into the center aisle AKA the best location at the fair. So that was great! I really hate that I have to miss next weekend, but I have an out-of-town wedding. Truthfully, it's probably good for me to have a weekend off. I will have some time to recharge and prepare even more thoroughly for the weekend after. And, of course, the upcoming holidays. I have a lot of jewelry to make here in the next two months!

Alright, I guess I'm off to ebay to try to hunt down some good deals on bezels....

what i've been up to--bezel rings and metal earrings!

I have been busy this week! I decided to do The Market again this weekend, so I've been preparing. I made twenty (!) soldered pendants in one eight hour marathon session the other day. I'm still adding beads and chain to some of them, but I was impressed with my productivity. I also have had bezels and Diamond Glaze sitting around for ages, that I finally decided to use. My wire rings were popular last Saturday, so I thought now was as good a time as any to diversify my rings for sale. I made up a tray of ring and pendant bezels and spent the day making little works of art to go inside them. I finally poured the Diamond Glaze about twenty minutes ago, so now I am just waiting to see how they turn out! It is, believe it or not, my first time doing this. I certainly hope they end up looking good! Although I guess we may not know until tomorrow.....

I will definitely post an updated photo once they're dry! Can't wait to see how my little creations turn out...








I also had my once a week metalsmithing class yesterday at the jewelry studio. I really like the place and the class, but I get frustrated at least once every time I'm there about how long you have to wait for instruction/help sometimes. Actually, not sometimes, ALWAYS. They just don't have enough instructors for students. There's no "one-on-one" anything--it's two (one and a half, really) instructors for the room of twenty. So every time you need anything, you have to wait in a line of people to be heard. So annoying. I think if I was one of the daily students it would bother me less, but I'm only there three hours a week! I need that time to count! Plus, it's not like that class didn't cost $650....

However! I did finally finish some awesome earrings yesterday (took me two classes to do it!). I wish I had my own personal jewelry studio so I could design and make my own pieces like this. Or, you know, I'd take free studio time anywhere :)

Sometimes I go on craigslist or nyfa.org's studio listings just to imagine that I can afford to rent one of my own. Someday! For now, I just need to keep making as many sales as I can. And, of course, continue to have fun with this and see where it can go!

The Market NYC!!

Yesterday was my first day selling jewelry at The Market NYC and it went really well.  I was nervous about how the booth would look, since my apartment is way too small to practice the full set up.  But I was really proud--I think it looked great!  It was Nick's idea to have a banner made up with my logo on it, which was brilliant and ended up really taking the table to the next level.  Check it out:

The woman in the striped shirt in the background was my neighbor for the day.  Her name is Stella Page and she is a really amazing handbag designer who just moved to NY from LA.  She was amazing, and I'm glad we were set up next to each other.  I was really impressed with all the vendors there actually--everybody was incredibly talented and super nice.

I've decided that I am definitely going to go back next weekend!  And I'm going to be there both Saturday and Sunday.  I would have done it this weekend, but I didn't know what to expect or how it would go.  There are definitely things that I am going to change about the display and the products that are laid out....so much work to do, and only six days to do it!  It was interesting too because I learned a lot about the pieces that people gravitate towards.  It's really interesting the way that everybody is drawn to the same two sets of earrings, or one particular ring.

I also met a really cool photographer and blogger, Laurie Reeves, who photographed my work and ended up publishing one of the photos on her blog, Latte Village.  All in all a very successful day!  Can't wait to do it all over again next weekend :)

the creation of a jewelry booth

This has been a big week!  My etsy website is finally launched--which I am super excited about--and to top everything off, I am participating in my first craft fair this weekend!  Well, I don't actually know if "craft fair" is the right term....I'm going to be selling at a weekend indoor event called The Market NYC, and I'm sure there is some better/fancier term that someone will probably correct me on, but you get the point!

Anyway.  I am actually feeling a little bit intimidated about coming up with a design for--and then actually managing to set up--my jewelry booth.  They're providing the table/chairs (thank god--this is NYC after all and I was really hoping not to have to purchase a folding table, drag it crosstown, and then try to find a place for it in my tiny apartment afterwards!), but I've still got to provide, obviously, the jewelry, and come up with some way to display it attractively that is both affordable and doesn't take up much space (again, the tiny apartment).  I mean, I'm a crafty person, and I like DIY projects.  Also, I did actually come up with a pretty basic, cool display once before for a yard sale my boyfriend had in Miami.  Which kind of counts, although I didn't end up making any sales, and somebody actually stole a pair of earrings while I wasn't looking.  I don't really understand who goes to yard sales to steal things (!), but yeah, I managed to make negative sales that day.  Which hopefully will not happen on Saturday!!

I actually did find a lot of creative, inspiring display ideas online the other day with just a simple google search, but a lot of them either had some wall space for hanging/leaning (I won't) or are much larger (my total square footage is 7' x 5').  So I've got some problems to solve, and three days to do it!  In addition to all the random thoughts I keep having, like what if I have to pee and I don't have someone else there?  Am I allowed to eat lunch at my booth?  I am definitely not emailing that list of questions to the people at The Market :)  

A few friends have offered to spend some time with me at my booth on Saturday, so hopefully I will be covered for all my bathroom and theft-prevention needs.  I know that I can't plan for everything, and I'm sure I will mess something up this Saturday.  But it will be a learning experience!  And I know that worst case scenario, I can lay the pieces flat on the table, and it won't be the end of the world.  Maybe I will even make some sales :)

Anyone have any interesting advice/tips/ideas for a first-timer like me???

the first one!

This is the first post, which is a little intimidating.  I guess a good place to start is with who I am, what I do & what you can (maybe) expect from this blog!
My name is Eileen, I'm 27, & I make jewelry (pretty obviously, i think, my new jewelry-making business is called imprint by eileen!).  My background is in theater--I moved here to NYC in 2006 to do an internship at Juilliard & try to work full time in theater.  Since then, I've worked as a lighting designer, producer, & technician all around the city.  Long story short, I got laid off from my full-time theater job in June, & it's the first time I've had a "break" from theater, long enough to stop and think about what I want to (& can & should) do.
imprint by eileen is the result of this break--& actually, I think, a sort of culmination of years of learning & honing an array of technical skills.  As I have happily discovered, there is lots of sawing, drilling, & hammering in jewelry!  I mean, it's all working with your hands.  And I certainly know how to work with my hands.
I hope that I just keep finding ways to keep learning (and not be afraid to test out new skills/ideas, possibly even publicly) & also to keep creating interesting things & to keep meeting interesting people.
Here on the blog I'll be doing some tutorials & also featuring some interesting artists & fellow jewelry designers that I come across.  If you are an artist or a jewelry designer, I'd love to meet you & will hopefully have a chance to check out your work.
In a nutshell.....This blog will be partly about the journey of creating a business, partly about interesting people, products & techniques, & part of it I will make up along the way.  And hopefully you will come along for the ride!
Thanks so much for being here for the first post.