The Etsy Experiment -- Prologue

2012 seems to be shaping up as The Year I Stop Doing Things That Just Aren't Working for Me. For instance, I'm not turning my computer on until all my chores are done each day; and once it is on, I'm not spending more than half an hour on it (unless I have to for work).

It's just too easy to spend time stupidly surfing the Internet, tempted by Yahoo!'s cryptic headlines to read articles and watch videos about things I would normally have absolutely no interest in. Wasting time is just not working for me; thus the new rule.

Another thing that isn't working is my mostly neglected Etsy shop. Every once in a while I get motivated to make and list a bunch of stuff, but it's been very sporadic. And it seems that you need to expend an awful lot of effort on promotion just to get traffic into the shop -- joining groups and circles, participating in forums, etc. -- all of which takes time away from creating the very thing you're trying to sell.

However, like soooo many other crafters, I would still love to be able to "work" at something I really enjoy. So I decided to do a little experiment, sort of a last-ditch effort at the whole retail craft thing, and my Etsy shop in particular.

Under other circumstances, a blog might be a good place to promote what you're trying to sell. I can think of at least one example where someone started a well-written home and family blog with a pretty generic title. Eventually she opened an Etsy shop with the same name, wisely not limiting herself or her audience by referencing a specific craft. She now has the freedom (and talent) to offer all kinds of handmade items in her shop and announce them on her blog amongst her recipes, decorating and other good stuff.

But in this case, you guys (excluding my family members!) are mostly crafters and crocheters, too, and could easily make what I'm hoping to sell. So my intention is not to advertise here, but simply to document and share the process -- what seems to work; what doesn't; whether it becomes worthwhile; whether it doesn't. Hope you'll read along!