Now Acailawen Designs’ Facebook wall posts are viewable direct from the Buzz Section of the Acailawen Designs website. View more in the linked announcement.
Crazy Busy With New 2010 Collections
Do you ever find yourself so busy that you’re not sure that you even blink? That would be me over the past few months. But, it’s all for a good cause. At least, it is if you love what you do for a living… and I certainly do.
I’ve been working on designs for two new green couture jewelry collections that mix elegance and drama with a touch of fantasy. They’re mythical, ethereal and enticing designs that tell a story. And, they’re sure to turn heads! Both of the new 2010 collections feature mixed media designs with fine and sterling silver, bronze, copper, hand carved gemstones, glass and enamel, polymer clay, as well as natural and found materials.
New designs are also coming for two of my existing collections launched in 2009, Earthly Desires, a collection featuring earth-inspired designs, and Ethereal Sands, my bridal collection.
Is your business really sustainable?
In this week’s article in my column in the GreenWise department at Handmade News, I explore what it means to truly be a sustainable business today. It’s more than being green. It’s also about profitability and longevity. Is your business truly sustainable? Sustainable Business: It’s More Than Being Green will not only help you to answer this important question, but also discover ways to benefit the environment, while increasing your profit margin!
If you find the article helpful, please give it a thumbs up, as it helps me gauge which articles are most popular among my readers.
If there is a subject on environmentally responsible business, green marketing or green design that you’d like me to cover in a future article, please let me know by leaving a comment on the article.
Question: Is your business truly sustainable? Is this a goal you’re working to achieve? Do you find specific issues challenging? Is there any helpful advice you’d share with others on becoming a sustainable business? Share your thoughts below.
Studio design plans on hold.
An unexpected move has put my green jewelry studio design plans on hold. While I can’t say I’m overly thrilled about the delays, there is a bright side to everything. I now have a bit more time to work on my business and marketing plans, to research my equipment options, to save for needed equipment, tools and materials, as well as to decide exactly what I want to incorporate into the overall design.
On the downside of all of this, I cannot determine the exact design (layout & setup) until I have a new space in which to build the studio. I tend to believe that things usually happen for a reason, although sudden surprises can certainly throw a wrench into your plans! I’m going to roll with it and turn this curve ball into a positive.
Environmentally friendly packaging & shipping decisions made easy!
My latest article Going Green: Responsible Packaging & Shipping Decisions is now up in my column in the GreenWise department at Handmade News. This week’s article provides some easy ways for you to make environmentally responsible product packaging and shipping decisions. Learn to make simple choices that have a big impact on the environment, while saving money, too!
Writing a new business plan is very revealing
I just began working on a complicated, multi-stage business plan for Acailawen Designs. I initially wrote my business plan to focus more heavily on custom design services, with sales as a secondary consideration. Things have changed, and now my plan must change to meet my business’ updated needs.
I had initially planned to simply revamp my existing plan, but I discovered that it was unintentionally dumped from my system during a recent hard drive reformat. As it turned out, my backup file on DVD was also corrupt. So, I had to start over from scratch. I admit, I wasn’t too keen on starting over at first, but now realize it’s probably just as well. I can’t say that I find the process enjoyable. But, it is certainly revealing. I have quickly come to realize just how much my direction has changed in the months since I decided to officially go into business. And, my business and design procedures are far more defined than they previously were. I have much better handle on my business overall. So, while I can’t say writing a business plan is how I’d like to be spending my time, in the end, I am certain it will be much more beneficial this time around.
Production Lines
I’m wandering outside of my comfort zone as a designer. I love one-of-a-kind couture design work & client commissions. The mass production process leaves me quite bewildered. Yet, it seems that most business grants, lenders & private investors are aimed at mass production lines or a mix of custom/production (presumed higher return). So, what’s a designer to do?
While I’d rather do solely original designs & commissions for clients, greater versatility means more opportunities for revenue long term. That is definitely worth consideration. I’ll weigh my options carefully, after doing a good bit of research. I’d consider doing both, but I could never give up custom couture design & being an artisan. It’s what I do & love.
3D Jewelry Design Considerations
Just watched a 3D jewelry design video on Matrix 6. Wow. This has to be one of the best looking 3D rendering engines I’ve seen. Impressive. Equally impressive are some of the mockups I’ve seen come out of RhinoGold v2. Both programs are built on Rhino’s impressive 3D rendering engine.
The migration from 2D illustration into 3D CAD/CAM jewelry design (technical rendering) is certainly a bit daunting, even with some AutoCAD training under my belt. But, wow! I’ve seen 3D designs in the past few days that look very much like finished photographs. I found it hard to tell the difference with a few of them. The ability to present these kinds of high-quality 3D comps to a high-end client for a custom commission certainly has merit. Now, about that learning curve…
Getting familiar with Ning today. Interesting platform for social networking. I joined a few jewelry & fashion networks + 1 covering Tampa
Now you can find me on the Fashion Industry Network website. I’ve joined a group for designers and another for stylists so far. I’m still checking the site out. If you’re a FIN member, feel free to add me. I love social networking. ;)
ArtisansNetwork for artisans to connect on Twitter
Artisans looking to connection, network, share ideas, teach & learn from each other on Twitter, this is for you. Visit the ArtisansNetwork a group for Twitter networking via the Twibes platform. Alternately you can simply tweet this URL on Twitter to automatically join: http://www.twibes.com/ArtisansNetwork
Write a Green Marketing Plan… now up at Handmade News
My latest article Write a Green Marketing Plan to Grow Your Eco-Friendly Business has been published in my column in the GreenWise department of Handmade News. The article was written to help environmentally friendly small businesses to promote and market themselves as a green business, while earning the confidence of eco-conscious consumers.. When the term “green” may be used by some as ‘just another catch phrase,’ we know there’s a lot more to it. It’s by educating the consumer on our own environmentally responsible business practices that we can gain credence as legitimate green businesses and earn the trust and respect of our customers. Knowledge is power.
If you’d like to learn how to write a green marketing plan, please drop by Handmade News to read the article. If you find it helpful, please give it a thumbs up, as it lets me know which articles are viewed as most helpful amongst my readers.
Home studio updates + teaching classes this fall.
I picked up my jewelry kiln and supplies yesterday afternoon, so art clay silver, bronze and copper; enameling and mixed media work are now officially in the lineup for my jewelry collections. I’m still working on building my green jewelry design studio here at home, as this is now where I work. New (or decent used) lapidary equipment and metalsmithing tools + equipment are still on my “need” list, but it’s a slow process given the state of the current economy.
It looks like I’ll also be teaching various classes at a Tampa area bead store starting in October. Thus far it looks like classes in mixed media jewelry, wire wrapped vine & tree pendants, art clay and enameling are likely. I’ll post more details as things get fleshed out.
Studio design, business & the process of designing
Today, I have been busy with the business side of jewelry business. I’m not a huge fan of inventory control or pricing, but without doing it (and doing it right), I’d never get paid for my work. In the office, I’m updating my inventory and planning my show schedule through spring 2010. I also have a couple of web design projects that need to be done in my spare time.
Despite the business end of things occupying a chunk of my time right now, my main goal at the moment is on designing an efficient green studio here at home, as this is now where I primarily do my design work. That is going to have much of my attention over the next couple of weeks and will require a good bit of work. But, being able to work in an efficient manner and keep my work streamlined will be a great time saver and much more pleasant in the long run. It’s well worth the time and effort invested initially.
Tomorrow, I pick up my jewelry kiln and some supplies, which will expand my capabilities here in the studio, as well. I look forward to incorporating art clay and enameling into my current and upcoming collections. A greater push toward hand carved gemstones, handmade beads and cabs is also in the works.
Speaking of collections, my ongoing focus is on designing more pieces for my current green couture jewelry collections, as well as flushing out the concept for an exciting new collection for spring/summer 2010. I work through my designs in a collection with a mixture of both traditional and digital media. I typically spend a few weeks at a time working on a thumbnail sketches, concept sketches, technical details, comp drawings and illustrations to flush out all of the key details in a set of designs before I begin hand crafting them in the studio. On the fly design may work for more simple pieces, but a complicated design should always be built on a well-though-out, solid design to avoid unnecessary complications and design flaws. I’m much more efficient in the studio when I have all of the key details for a complex piece already worked out.
Comp drawings or illustrations are also a must when presenting a selection of design ideas to a client for commissioned work, as well. There are times when I think a good 3D illustration may be more effective in client presentation, however (ring designs, for example). On my training agenda (a good designer is always honing his or her skills and learning new techniques) is 3D jewelry design in Rhino + Flamingo. I imagine that I’ll invest a good deal of time into learning the software, although my hope is that already have some working knowledge of AutoCAD will get me up to speed more quickly.
I work in cycles when it comes to my own collections, although everything can get moved back when new custom design work comes in. That is always my first priority as a designer. I always put custom design orders for a client ahead of my own collections. IMO, that is the only way to do business.
