Finding a Unique Niche

If you're a jewelry artist marketing online, welcome to the Online World of Crafty Anonymity. It's tough out there in the OWCA, unless Oprah discovers us. I'm still waiting...

Pierre the Pelican

Until then, what can we do to stand out from the crowd? For me an idea strikes literally in dreams or unpredictably when I'm just living my life. It rarely comes because I want it to. I find ZERO satisfaction in putting a new spin on someone else's unique niche. That's HER creative idea, not mine. For that reason I never graze through websites for design ideas or inspiration. My latest unique niche came, thanks to my friend Sheila from New Orleans (where I lived my first 27 years). She asked me to create 13 pendants depicting one "symbol" of either New Orleans or Louisiana. The medium & design brainstorms were left to me. My birthplace immediately inspired at least 4 unique designs (not counting Crooked Louisiana Politician), but Sheila quickly selected my sketch of a pelican in silver & gold wire outline.

And so Artsy Doodads was born -- a collection of wire-art critters & objects, custom made to depict each customer's "favorite thing." Doodads can be charms, pendants, earrings, bookmarks, knickknacks (on wire stands) for shelves, or Christmas tree ornaments! I've since created many Artsy Doodads-- including playing card symbols, pets, stylized crosses, flowers, birds, fish, trees. My favorites so far are the crab pendant & the surgically-separated lion earrings:) Oprah has many "favorite things." If you know Oprah, please tell her I'm sitting here with wire & pliers waiting for her call.

Le-oh!

The Pincher

Creating One-of-a-Kind Versus Multiples

AS AN ARTIST/CRAFTER, WOULD YOU RATHER MAKE...

One-of-a-Kind (OOAK) Items

OR

Multiples of Your Popular Items?

I've experienced the pros & cons of both approaches. Here are some things I've learned:

• Owning the Only-- Few customers love an OOAK creation enough to pay significantly more for it.
• Creative Flexibility-- The artist's imagination has total control when creating OOAK inventory. It's fun! 
• Balancing the Challenge-- ...BUT if the joy of creating OOAK isn't balanced by marketability, prepare to be another Starving Artist:) Also, creating multiples of one's most popular designs is a great Plan B when the creative well runs dry.
• Wholesale-- Shops & pricey boutiques may buy a selection from OOAK artists initially. But they'll often followup with requests for multiples of the best selling ones, perhaps in different sizes & colors.  To support such a market, consider removing the OOAK label.
• Creating Multiples-- Each iteration of the item becomes easier to make. Hopefully that results in more profit as labor becomes more efficient. However, the process gets boring & might feel like the opposite of creativity.

SPECIAL CHALLENGE: Creating Custom Multiples for ONE Customer
Given ONE well-made custom item that meets specs, the customer will likely LOVE it. BUT delivering well-made custom MULTIPLES to a customer is riskier. Because each handmade item will be slightly different, she'll probably prefer ONE & wish all of them looked "exactly" like that one! The more particular the customer is up front, the more likely she'll find a Pick of the Litter & love the others less. It's human nature, even though the artist explains the certainty of differences before taking the job. Hopefully the customer can become happy with the unique beauty of each multiple:)

I have as many questions as answers about these practical aspects of creating art & hope you'll Comment with your own experiences. I'm learning the ropes in the School of Trial and Error. "T & E" is a tough school!