Dawno's Weekly Wanderings Around the Beadosphere

~Happy Father's Day to any dads who happen to be reading. I'm enjoying my dad's company this weekend, but I made sure to schedule this post in advance~

Had a busy week? Not able to peruse a lot of beading, crafting and other artisan's blogs? Dawno's traveled the Beadosphere and has these "catch up on the week's highlights" suggestions for you:

• As usual, it's been a bright and fun week with Lisa at A Bead A Day - check out her pictorial with Russ Troll. But the highlight of the post is the insider story she tells about Russ Nobbs, the 'model' for the bead. The rest of the week is fabulous, too, so don't miss a day.
• Tish of Just a Tish features a wisteria themed piece featuring a Mirage bead and how she has THREE pieces in the June issue of Bead Trends. Go Tish!!
  
• Not only does this mom travel the world with her family on bikes, she beads and has a gorgeous collection of finds from her travels! From her "about me" section on the site: "Nancy and her family have recently embarked upon a year-long adventure bicycling around the USA, and it is inevitable that even more beads and more stories will be added to her bead box. There in one thing that is sure: Nancy's life is anything but "typical" and so is her beadwork!" You can follow Nancy on Twitter, too.
• Earthenwood beads shows what Russ Troll is up to there.
• So does the Crafty Princess! Russ Troll and cats seem to have this 'thing' going on...
  
• Cell Chic - a clever niche crafter with lovely products.
• This post from Archivia worries me as an Etsy shop 'owner' - hope Etsy does something about it. The Archivia blog also has great vintage resources (long post - towards the bottom is the Jewelry section with great links - do scroll down and check them out!).
• A Must See post on photographing sterling jewelry from Jen Kiaba's blog, Picture Today. Be sure to click on the main link and read more - good stuff!
• At Daily Jewel a post about a call for project designers from Lark Books. For the submission page at Lark , click this. To download the entry form, click this.
• Soft Flex Girl mentions A Bead A Day! (hope you read my interview of Lisa on Thursday, too!)
• Rings and Things blog has a new page up about their blog partners program
• Want to get some awesome tips about baking poly clay? It's a Rings & Things forum post, but I'll make an exception because it's worth reading.
• Speaking of Rings & Things, are you still wondering about Russ Troll? The collected sightings can be found at Flickr, too. I'm sure it'll be updated regularly, so bookmark the link and visit often!
• Heather at The Beadin' Path talks about vintage findings. I have got to get to Freeport, Maine one of these days!
  
• On Friday I posted about the Lima Beads "Fresh Pick" feature - here's a little info on their planned move. Looks like a great new space!

Debut of Thursday Feature: Reviews and Interviews - Presenting John A. Jacobs, CEO of Art Fire

Today I debut a weekly reviews and interviews segment and have the honor of presenting an interview with John A. Jacobs, CEO of ArtFire.

ArtFire, in its own words, is "...the premier online marketplace for handmade products designed by artisans around the globe. Our free community is designed for artisans to buy and sell their works, while celebrating unique handmade items and designs. It is always free for buyers of handmade products to search through our listed artisans, buy, or request for items to be specially made. No matter if you are looking for local handmade crafts, or handmade products from artisans around the world, Artfire.com is the marketplace for you."




You'll want to visit their "About" section to learn more about the people and history of ArtFire - it's a great story.

images courtesy of ArtFire.com

Dawno: The love and respect you have for your mother is very obvious - if you are comfortable about it, would you talk a bit more about what kind of jewelry she created, if she is still active in crafts and what does she think about Art Fire?

John: My mother is very active in many different handmade genres and very much enjoys making custom jewelry with semi-precious gemstones and sterling silver. She is one of our biggest fans here at ArtFire and certainly one of our earliest fans! I recall when we were just getting going with ArtFire, my mother, Kay offered to start making handmade items for EVERY category and sub category of ArtFire so we could start filling all the categories!

That still makes me chuckle a bit as we now have over 200,000 items in thousands of categories and expect many millions of items to pour in over the next year! My mother taught me balance and though I find myself in the office six days a week, I always remember that family must come first! She really is the glue that helps hold our family together and has certainly guided my course over the years.

My mother's struggle to establish herself as a successful artisan has always been very frustrating for our family. ArtFire has really become an answer for all those artisan who, like my mother, are trying to get a foothold but just can't afford the fees and cost of starting a new business or stepping up to the next level with their businesses. There are not many venues or companies that are willing to help a starving artist and we think that's a shame. ArtFire was built for my mother and all the mothers (and fathers), sisters, and brothers out there that just need a hand up and deserve a chance at being successful.

Dawno: As an Air Force brat, it was rewarding to read about your service. You mention that you "worked hard to both fulfill my service to the country and attend college full time. I graduated from Louisiana Tech University and then returned to Tucson after an honorable discharge from the Air Force." Just to clarify, you went to college full time during your time in the Air Force or was it afterward? If during, when did you find time to sleep?

We worked very hard in the Air Force in fact most typical days at Barksdale AFB were 12 hour shifts, and we worked six days a week. Of course there were TDY assignments, training, etc on top of staying proficient at my duties and volunteering for the local SWAT and Emergency Services Teams.

Just making it to class was a challenge every day. Most days I was late to class or had to pull the undesirable posts to earn the right to go to school. I often say the Bachelor's degree that I earned while serving on active duty was substantially harder than the Master's degree I earned as a civilian.

That being said, I wouldn't have it any other way. Much like what I learned in the USAF, we pride ourselves on speed of execution of projects here at ArtFire, and our team understands that to be successful and to truly serve the ArtFire community, we must work harder than we are comfortable with, and accomplish our goals each and every day.


Dawno:What would you say was the most important thing you learned during your time in the Air Force that you apply to your current role?

John: I learned the meaning of discipline in the Air Force and decided that I would carry that with me in life. Not just in work though, but in my personal relationship with my family and my wife, with physical fitness, and in with the way in which I allow myself to think. Discipline to me means pushing yourself to do the right thing even when it is not the easy thing to do.

I think that most of us can point to dozens of missed opportunities each day that if we would properly motivate ourselves to do, could change our lives. I find that to live a disciplined life, the first step is to never make an excuse when a solution or action could be substituted (even if the action does not yield the perfect result), inaction can often be the worse course.

Dawno: It's no surprise, after reading "About our Founder", that you are passionate about supporting the independent craft artisan, and the Art Fire business model certainly proves that. Were there nay-sayers in that regard? If so, what did they tell you that you've,so far, proven wrong and what challenges are still left to overcome?

John: Sure there are always challenges to success and naysayers along the way. To build any business takes an overwhelming belief that no matter what the challenge, you can and will find a solution to it and push through. With every business I have ever built, we have been undercapitalized, understaffed, under experienced or just plain not as qualified as our competitors.

Here's the good news; in most situations, none of this matters. Success has nothing to do with money or experience, success is a choice that we each make every day. Make a list of what you can and will accomplish today and don't allow yourself to fail. If you are working on a large project, then break it down to daily tasks. If you do this with your business, with your relationships, or with anything in your life that you want to complete; there is nothing you can't accomplish.

Dawno: Other than it being your home town, what are the business advantages to being headquartered in Tucson?

John: Tucson has a strong history of technology and is the home of the University of Arizona which produces world class talent that we are fortunate enough to be able to draw on. We are not too far from California either and have seen an influx of technical talent in the past several years, which has really turned Tucson into a hidden technology gem than many companies such as Intuit, AOL, Ratheon, Reliasoft, and even IBM have greatly benefited from!

We have a burgeoning arts and music scene here and a relatively low cost of living as compared nationally. By being based in Tucson we can effectively compete through substantially lower operating costs as compared to companies based on the east and west coast. This allows us to keep our overhead and ultimately our rates lower for our members.

Dawno: How important do you think social networking, web 2.0, etc., are to Art Fire's success now and in the future - any thoughts about what that future might look like?

John: The reality is that social networking is how business will be done as we move forward and technology evolves. As many as 80-90% of fortune 500 companies are increasing their investment in social networking and online channels or virtual contact points with their base. If a company wants to lower costs, become more efficient and sustain growth it is now more important than ever to use social tools to connect with their customers.

ArtFire could be compared to a traditional Gem or Craft show like CHA, G&LW, GLDA, etc. in which a 10x10 booth might cost thousands of dollars for a weekend, or a brick and mortar collectables shop that might run thousands of dollars in overhead to operate each month. ArtFire utilizes emerging technology to connect member artisans to an enormous pool of buyers, which never would have been possible for many artisans because of the cost barriers.

We take it even further than that with ArtFire though. As costs continue to fall on bandwidth, servers, storage and with an aggressive system of management and a focus on ease of use for our members, we can deliver the absolute lowest cost solution for sellers available on the Internet. Our objective is to be substantially less expensive than even building your own Web site and thus far we have easily pulled this off. On ArtFire there are no listing, final, or hidden fees. Just $12 a month for unlimited listings in your full custom Fusion Studio with integrated features and functionality that help artisans and business owners easily utilize social media sites to promote unique handmade items.

Best of all, we do all the hard work for our member, with just the click of a button, items can be posted to sites like Twitter and VoteHandmade.com or members can promote themselves by writing for sister sites like HandMadeNews.org.

ArtFire is young and the future is bright! We have shown amazing month over month growth numbers in traffic, members' sales, and market penetration that we expect will continue and accelerate. We have plans for many more facets of the community and even more sites and our commitment is to never stop innovating and executing ideas quickly. In fact some of the most innovative US companies are now following the lead of ArtFire and attempting to match our business model and features.

Dawno: You briefly mention your mother's and your experiences with eBay - where do you think they most went in the wrong direction for the independent artisan? Are they still the web's 800lb gorilla and if so, any thoughts on why that is?

John: I remember when eBay used to go around to gem shows and almost beg sellers to sign up and sell on eBay. Yep, an actual person would shake your hand and explain what eBay could do to help support your business. Over the years eBay changed and appears to have forgotten that their site was built on the backs of its members.

There was a time that you could find many independent artisans on eBay but changes to eBay which put substantial pressure on artisans and businesses to lower prices and offer free shipping just to get seen, have since driven many great artists and businesses away from eBay.

Several years ago we saw Etsy step up as a solution for many handmade artisans and most of us hoped that this would be a new approach and a potentially a venue that could support the true needs of artisans. Unfortunately I think that where a venue goes wrong is when they bring in Venture Capital and profits become more important than service. It may seem noble to go "public" with a venue, however when this happens the fiduciary duty of management by law must shift to protect the interests of the investors or shareholders, even at the expense of the members.

Yes, eBay for all intents and purposes is still the 800lb gorilla, they were one of the first to market and they do have momentum, however there has been a drastic shift in where the internet is headed and being the gorilla is not the necessarily the best strategy for survival anymore. Micro segmentation and customer service is making a comeback as companies like ArtFire can be built and serve communities better for far less expense, overhead, and operate with a flat management hierarchy that connects management with members.

We now see a thousand, one hundred pound gorillas that are fast and flexible taking market share from sites like eBay, and we think this is an exciting change that will prove to empower the seller/user/member/buyer and we will be a part of this change!

Dawno: What are the two or three most important things you thing an Art Fire artisan needs to do to get the most out of Art Fire - and not necessarily become the biggest seller or make the most money, but the whole package - community, collegiality, and yes, sales, too.

John:

1. I mentioned this technique already but I think it is in fact one of the most important things you can do for your business. Commit to your business and your success and make a list every day of things you can do today to improve your business; then check those items off as you accomplish them each day. We make ArtFire as easy to understand and use as possible, but there is still alot to learn. The Internet is far easier to use and grow a business on now which means that every day there is an increasing amount of competition that you have to consider. It is simply not good enough to put up a Web site and wait anymore. You have to have a plan to promote and we want to be your partner in this endeavor.

2. Put a schedule on paper that plans for one hour a day to promote your business using social medial sites, writing a blog, submitting an article to HandmadeNews.org and building Karma on sites like VoteHandmade.com. As a business owner you have many tasks on your plate. Stay focused on what needs to get done and how you will accomplish critical tasks like customers service, shipping, making listings, creating new product and budget time for each of these tasks. A venue or a web site does not sell your items for you. Your efforts are necessary to drive your success. Planning and managing your time effectively is critical to your success.

3. Embrace change and adapt quickly. If you see that one of your items is getting more views than others, what do you do? You should figure out why this item is getting more attention. Does it have a better picture or title or is it an item that is more in demand? Change the rest of your items to follow the lead of your successful items and look around you at your competitors for suggestions. Sometimes the items that you don't enjoy making, sell the best... You might have to make more of what the market wants. This can be hard for artisans, my mother and my sister have taught me this very well, but a balance can be found if you are willing to embrace change and adapt.

Many, many thanks to John for his time and wonderful answers. If you want to thank him personally, follow him on Twitter @ArtFireJohn and let him know you read about him here.

Lately I've been smitten by thoughts of the ocean, wishing I could fall asleep to the sound of waves rolling in, smelling the fresh salt air. To compensate, I suppose, I've collected a number of shell beads and am working on a number of new designs using ocean/seashore themes. Here's a new ocean/seashore design I finished today and have listed on Art Fire:

I've decided to use Sunday as a day to share links to some of my favorite beading blogs (and their bloggers). Without further ado, here's Dawno's Weekly Wanderings Around the Beadosphere:

A Bead A Day Lisa shows off a new bracelet made from beads she featured earlier in the week. Peace symbols in it may have inspired the dreams about the 70's I had last night.

Just ATish Tish has a bumper sticker.

At Perfectly Twisted you can see beautiful examples of wrapped wire jewelry by a very talented artist in this technique.

Smu Topia has an ocean themed Friday featuring Etsy artists.

Aww, all the Twitter posts (Tweets) disappeared from the Rings & Things blog. You can see Dave (who Tweets as @Rings_Things on Twitter) and the team with their new bike, though.

I'm hoping the Artbeads blog will update soon. If you haven't visited the top post right now is the Beadaholics 12 Step Program. Artbeads' most social Tweeter is @BeadGuy but they have a company account, @Artbeads, too

Heather (who Tweets as @beadinpath on Twitter) has a post up about amazing vintage beads The Beadin' Path acquired from an estate sale of a high end costume jewelry design house.

Would you like to see your link up there next Sunday? Mention and link to me, and this list of blogs & links (feel free to copy and paste), on your blog this week, leave a comment with the link to your post here, and I'll feature one of your posts in next Sunday's list!

Check the blogroll in my sidebar for some of my other favorite places to visit. Remember, you can add me to your list of blogs to follow, if you're a Blogger user, by visiting your dashboard and adding my URL.

A message from our sponsor:

Dawno

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Getting to Know: Tish from Just A Tish Designs

I'm going to try to do a regular "Getting to Know" post where I cajole some of the talented people I've met online to answer a few questions about themselves and their art. My first interview is with Tish from Just A Tish Designs.

#1 - Were you always crafty? What childhood crafts did you like doing most?

I wanna say I was always crafty, but my memories are a big foggy. I like that word , “crafty”. It encompasses so much. As a kid, I think sewing I think was one of my favorites. I have a lot of fun and warm memories helping my g’ma quilt.

#2 - I read in your bio "...family heritage of people whose lives were rich in art, design, music, and crafting." Can you share a tid-bit or two about the kinds of art, design, music or crafting you grew up with?

I grew up in a home that rivaled any vaudeville family. We were always on. We were always encouraged to do our own thing, think our own thoughts. We were never pressured to fit in or keep up with the neighbors. Maybe it was due to not being ‘privileged’ or maybe it was because we didn’t have much need of material things, we were so rich with talent, all we needed was a stage and a reason. Some of my earliest memories were of me being perched up on top of the piano, pulling a scarf thru my hands and singing at the top of my lungs, “Let me entertain you” while my brother pounded out the tune. My dad lives his music and is still out playing every weekend at age 75! He has played with a lot of bands over the years, Jefferson Airplane, Ike and Tina Turner, and Big Twist to name a few. My mother and grandmother sewed like fiends there was nothing they couldn’t make. My mom had a knack of looking at something and being able to sit down and make it. I had the BEST Halloween costumes hands down J My dad – again with my dad, he sewed his own ‘dungarees’ he called them. I remember seeing him take a pair of his jeans apart, and lay them out on some denim fabric, cut them out and sew them up. There ain’t nothing he can’t do. Both of my brother’s are accomplished singers. My oldest brother writes music and is an artist. His paintings have been exhibited around the country.

#3 - Your designs are fun and show a sense of whimsy and humor, can you elaborate on how that's important to you?

I can’t take much serious. The times we live in are serious enuff. I need a break. My designs reflect my mood and my skew’d view of life around me. My goal is to make people smile, and have at least one moment of their day tolerable. My designs do that. they make a statement. A statement that is not apologietic for being bold and being brassy. They allow you to stand out in a crowd and be noticed. You are an individual, not a mass marketed cookie cutout of what is perceived to be fashion.

#4 - Did you have any goals or hopes for your blog when you started? Has that changed? How?

I like to think I am funny and my approach to blogging about my work may help someone and make them smile. I like to share my knowledge. I remember when I first started how hard it was to find information about making jewelry. It took a lot of searching and a lot of question asking to know what I know now. That is a lot of work, so if I can make someone else’s life easier by posting up what I know, then I have done my job, and can hold my head high.

#5 - If I were just starting to think about getting into making my own crafty jewelry but was on a hugely limited budge what "must have's" would you suggest starting with?

*think* *think* tuff one.

So much can be repurposed, and it is a lot of fun to create from the chaos around you. If you pop a necklace, use that beading wire for your next bracelet. That is how my mind works, but if I had to have that must have, I would say - Side nippers - If I was told that I would have to trade in my kid for my next pair, I would have to think about it for a sec, no kidding.

#6 - Sort of a "desert island" kind of question - you're going away somewhere and you can't buy any supplies while you're gone. You can only take a small tote full of stuff to work with to keep you sane, but you can also use anything you might find in your hotel, as well as your tote stuff to craft with. I'll be kind and let you come back to the world in one week :-) What is in your tote? What do you think you could find to use?

A bottle of eye-be-pro-fin.

Side nippers, chain nose and needle nose pliers.

An assortment of stone donuts, cabs and pocket stones

20 ga square half hard wire

24 ga round half hard wire

Random handful of small beads, bi cone crystals, glass.

I am drawing a complete blank on what I may find in the hotel.

#7 - Do you have crafters who inspire you?

The world inspires me. Seriously everything does. I love to ooohh and awww over other ppls work, I am blown away everyday by someones work. I have favorites that I love oogle over but I can’t say that it is just crafters. Painters, sculptors, poets, sketchers, photographers, they all are a source of inspiration.

#8 - You can buy $500 worth of only one type of stone or bead to use in your jewelry - what would you pick and why?

Fancy jasper hands down. That stone naturally comes in a varity of warm tones. I love it.

#9 - Is there a craft from the past you wish were popular again? (I was a macrame nut in my teens)

Do you remember god’s eyes? Wrapping yarn around sticks? I loved that.

#10 - You've blogged about some shows recently - would you share your thoughts/feelings about being in shows and the value of participation?

When you speak of shows are you speaking of exhibits? It is nerve wracking. Let me tell you.

Getting up the nerve to go and show your stuff to a gallery or exhibit center takes some guts. What sets you apart? What makes me different from any other stringer out there. I guess it is my drive that keeps me going and keeps me out there. what is it they say – for every 10 no’s you get one yes. I am blessed in that area. I just don’t stop.

If you are talking show’s as in craft fairs – there is a lot to that too.

Keep in mind – This. Is. A . Business. I treat it as such. All the things I do to choose my shows, are the same things that are done when a new business decides to set up shop in a new town. When I hunt down the show schedule there are a few things to consider. What type of show, where is the show (demographically), what is the cost, what is the show attendance, how far of a drive is it….

It may appear cold but I have to put all of this into consideration. What type of show – is it full of food vendors, and rides? That is not a good show for my craft. Families will show up, spend all their money on food and ride tickets and not spend it on a bauble.

Where is the show, I actually do a census check on the location of the show. What is the employment rate, what is the mean wage, what is the major employer in that area. Lets face it. I am doing a show to make money. I have a craft that is a luxury, if the demographic does not fit, I can’t afford to go.

What is the cost? I have to triple the amount of my application fee to make my money. So cost is a big one. This includes my gas, if I eat out or take a lunch and will I actually have to spend the night.

What is the show attendance – if over the years there has been an average of 20K ppl flood into the show, I am so there. if the show averages 6k, I am gonna give it a long thought before applying.

Thank you so much, Tish for agreeing to be my first interview! I have really enjoyed getting to know you better.

Tish has a facebook fan page – Just A Tish Jewely Designs (yes it is spelled "jewely" on purpose). It would be wonderful if you'd become a fan, friend her blog, follow her on Twitter and, of course, look at her beautiful work and maybe buy some, too!