My Blog Has A New Home!

It's time to make it official: my blog has finally moved over to my main site, at ImprintByEileen.com. I haven't updated my blog here since last October, but I've been writing regularly over there. For awhile I was trying to consistently post in both places, which clearly has not worked!!

So! I still have lots of things to write and say and talk to you about. So you should come join me at my "new" blog HERE - it will be lots of fun, I promise!!! :-)

When Art & Business Mix...

So, hello everyone. I must say--I am really not having a good week!! I haven't posted for a couple of days now because I just couldn't decide whether I should talk about the infuriating business issue that I have been dealing with all week. I haven't had a chance to resolve it as of yet--that will be happening tomorrow, but based on how that goes, you may or may not be hearing more specifics very soon....

Today, I want to talk about the frustrating ways that the worlds of art and business do not always mix well (AKA how artists are taken advantage of and don't know how to protect themselves). I have realized that if you are a working artist of any kind, then you HAVE to be a business person as well. It doesn't matter what kind of artist you are--whether you are a designer, a musician, a photographer, an actor, a visual artist, etc. If you are an artist, then you are your own business. And you are the only person in the world who will look out for, and can stand up for yourself.

All week, I have been having flashbacks to June 2011, when I was laid off from my job at Performance Space 122. Being laid off was a complicated thing that made me feel a couple of things very intensely. First and foremost, I felt taken advantage of. It hurt that after years of working grueling weekly schedules at that theater, often above and beyond my job description, I was easily and unceremoniously let go when they didn't "need" me anymore.

I know that they would argue: "But you were paid for your time!" This is true, and this is not true. What was I paid? I was paid $20 an hour over the entire four years that I worked there, with no raise of any kind, ever. If they had to hire an extra person for a day, then they always got paid the exact same rate that I did--$20/hr. As you could probably guess, I never received any kind of health benefits or vacation time. Although I spent well more than 40 hours in that building every week, I was treated as inferior to the "regular staff"--it was constantly reinforced to me that I was just an "hourly employee." I was a line on the budget, I was someone not worth investing too much in. I was replaceable, and therefore, disposable to a degree. If I didn't like the working conditions, then I could just leave.

And so, for four years, I put up with all of this for one main reason, which was that I really, really loved that theater. For all its faults, I believed in that place. I believed in its mission statement and in what it was trying to do for theater in NYC. I spent so much time at PS122 that the place really did feel like home to me--I thought of my fellow staff members like family. And so I justified all the crappy conditions to myself, time and time again.

Looking back on it all, I was so, painfully naive. To think that the people I worked with were my family, or even my friends! How many of them even called me after I lost my job? Just to say hello, to see how I was doing, just to check in? I can tell you how many--no one did. Not a single one!

It has been almost a year and a half since I lost that job, and I'm really not bitter anymore. Losing that job taught me a lot of good lessons about how to stand up for myself in the world. It also taught me not to be so invested and distracted by how much I love the art, that I allow myself to get taken advantage of in the process.

Today, I really have moved on. I'm in a happier, more self sufficient place now in my life. I have a good life now--I see friends regularly, I am doing something that makes me happy. Things are generally good. But sometimes something happens that pushes on the bruise that was left by PS122. And that is what has happened to me this week. And all over again, I am struggling to figure out how to best stand up for myself as a working artist, in a business-minded world. It is so hard to walk the line between those two worlds, with one foot in each, without getting lost in either. I am well aware that all of these situations do not happen only to me--they happen to almost every artist that I know. I wish that I could fix all of this for everyone--but honestly, I can barely figure this stuff out for myself!

Thanks for listening to me rant...I feel about 10 pounds lighter now :) Are you a working artist?? How do you navigate the business world???

Sunday Spotlight: Juli Raja!

Today I am excited to feature my friend and fellow designer, Juli Raja, and her beautiful work! Her line, juli raja hand built, was founded in 2008 and is based on the handwoven, block printed textiles that are created by her family's company in Kolkata, India. I am particularly obsessed with her colorful, double-sided silk scarves--because the weavers her family works with in India only produce small batches of fabric, each print is a limited edition that she will only order once. All of her scarves are one of a kind, which means that she never duplicates a color combination It's something that I both love and hate--I love it because it means each scarf is special and unique, but I hate that once a scarf is sold, I will never get to see the same combination again!

Today is the first cold day of the season here in NYC, and I am currently wearing a scarf that was lent to me by Juli. I don't have a picture of it, but it's as beautiful as it is warm! Every time I put on one of her scarves, I'm amazed all over again by how warm they are. I somehow never realized how cozy and insulating silk can be--especially now that my hair is short, my neck really does need something to keep out the cold. If only she made gloves and hats too....then I would be perfectly cozy and content here at the store all winter! If you want to read more about Juli and her company, you can click HERE. That's a picture of her on the right, wearing one of her newest scarves! And of course, you can come see her and her boutique here at the store--12 Lions Studio at 684 Broadway & Great Jones. I will be here too, probably also wearing one of her scarves! So check out Juli, and have a great Sunday night everyone!! :)

It's Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

If you got my October newsletter yesterday, then you have already heard everything that I am about to write! But it's important, so I think it's worth repeating...

This month, October, is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It's a cause that is important to me--I know women who have had the disease, and it's an unfortunate likelihood that I will probably know more in my lifetime. During October, I'd like to do my part to help raise some money for breast cancer research, so I'm going to be donating 10% of all the proceeds from my online sales this month to charity.

We're also going to be hosting a special event at my store in NYC on October 14th, from 4-8pm. Different promotions will be run by the different designers at the store (including free manicures and cupcakes!). A lot of us will be running 10% discounts--and that 10% will be donated afterwards to the breast cancer charities of our choice. If you're in the NYC area, please feel free to stop by. You can have a cupcake with me and help support breast cancer research at the same time!

My store is 12 Lions Studio, located at 684 Broadway & Great Jones.
Thanks everyone and have a great night :)

Sneak Peek: My New Lookbook!

Yesterday, my new lookbook photo shoot finally happened! We must have taken close to a thousand pictures during the course of the six hour shoot, so this is really just the tip of the photographic iceberg...

I worked with the same photography team that I did back in February--Tara Greico and Nick Bixby. They are great to work with--they always find a way to improve on my ideas, and they work together creatively very well. The three shots that I'm posting here today really are just a quick teaser. They are also completely raw--none of the photos have been retouched at all, and they actually might not ever be, since they probably won't make it into the new lookbook. I just have too many more really amazing photos to choose from--I am absolutely spoiled for choice!

Even after my lookbook is finished, I know that I will still have dozens of beautiful photographs to choose from that can be used later in photo books and for all my promotional needs. Which is perfect!

Of course, to really finish the new lookbook as well as we possibly can, Tara, Nick and I will actually be shooting again in two weeks, for at least a few more hours, to finish up my final two looks. But if I had to make my lookbook with only the shots that we took yesterday, it would still turn out beautifully, which is a wonderful position to be in. I hope you all like the photos! I will be posting a few more shots from one of the other looks we shot tomorrow.... But for now, you can enjoy these beautiful three! Thanks everyone and have a great night :)

Sunday Spotlight: My Slow Store!!!

Haha, so it appears this week that I am veering off course from my usual Sunday Spotlight designer feature. (For those of you interested, I will be resuming that again next week!) In the meantime, I just have to write today about how SLOOOOOW it has been lately at my store. It is unfortunately the thing that I have been thinking about all week and trying to figure out!! I can't even believe how few people have been coming into the store lately--you'd think every day was the 4th of July of something. It's frustrating too because it's something that feels totally out of my control--I can't just make people come in and buy my jewelry (unfortunately!!). Although some days I really do feel like dragging people in off the street :)

It would be helpful if I felt like the store had a definite marketing plan or was really being proactive about attracting new business, but it just feels like things have been stagnating a little bit lately. I mean, marketing is not an easy thing--it's something that requires both time and money--either lots of time (making phone calls, writing emails, keeping up with social media, doing press releases yourself and so on...) and little money, or little time and lots of money (hiring someone to do all the things you don't have time for!), or some sort of combination of the two. And I'm not sure the guys running this place have much of either to spare at the moment, which means that we are for the most part depending on whoever happens to be walking down Broadway on any given day. We do of course get repeat customers, but we definitely do not have so many that we can depend on only them and street traffic to support the store.

But we all really want this place to work!! I don't want to have to leave the store next year because it can't support my business. I know that the location is great, that the concept is great, that the store itself is really, really great. But the bottom line is that we just HAVE to have more customers. Not just during the holidays, but year round. Otherwise none of us will be able to afford to stay here! None of us are big businesses--all of us are small, independent designers who really depend on our sales at this store to pay our bills.

Which means that for now, all the designers here have been trying to put our heads together to come up with ideas to try to increase business, since the lack of traffic has been really affecting us all. It can be hard to make decisions and find solutions when you have 15 different people with 15 different ideas of what should be done, but I think we are all starting to agree that it's better to try more things instead of less! And so yesterday we all more or less agreed on a free wine happy hour from 4-7pm! It was a really fun and easy idea, and it's something we're going to start doing every week. It will probably be on Friday evenings in the future (and maybe Saturdays too!), so I will definitely let you know. It's a fun reason to stop in the store and hang out for a little while! We also even had someone get into a yip yip costume and run around the store yesterday :) That wasn't an official idea per se, but it was hilarious. And sometimes you just really need some silly, fun energy to lift your spirits, which it most definitely did.

I'm also feeling hopeful about all the other things I'm working on in my business right now--the lookbook shoot is, after all, happening tomorrow--I can't wait!!! I will be posting at least one or two shots from the shoot here tomorrow. And hopefully we will get some more traffic in the store today....keep your fingers crossed for me! And hey, come visit if you're in the area :)
Have a good Sunday night everyone!!!

A Silver Circle For Carol Ann...

Today was a super slow day at my store, so I spent most of it creating some new pieces! Since my look book shoot is happening on Monday, I have to have everything ready to go by Sunday night. So I'm planning the looks now--and even making a few more statement necklaces that I think will photograph really well and make a nice addition to my current collection. I am so excited for the shoot!!

I also spent a lot of the day talking to the lovely Carol Ann! She has been working recently for another designer at my store, and because it was so slow today, we had plenty of time to chat. She's moving to another continent next Tuesday, which is really too bad for our store!! She has been awesome and will definitely be missed. She bought one of my necklaces today to take with her on her travels--a beautiful and simple brushed silver hoop on a delicate silver chain. She also ended up getting this cute bicycle tank, which was also really cute. (I now want one too--they are from SM Wardrobe, one of the other designers at my store, and only cost $20!) So today was fun, even though it was slow :) Hopefully tomorrow will be busier!! Have a good night everyone, and sending lots of good luck and wishes out to Carol Ann :)