I make stuff.

[furtheradu]

I make stuff, out of driftwood, seaglass, & shells. I go to my Sacred Space & make stuff. Some have feathers, pretty beads, or rusty pieces I find on the Beach.
As I make it, I meditate, & pray, for the person I gift it to. Each piece is my Prayer & Blessing.
I call them mobiles, or windchimes.

The other night, I was *whining* to my Sister Friend, about needing a job, needing a Home..things are getting really..intense.

& Sister Friend, exasperated, said,
"WHEN are You going to use Your GIFTS?!!!"

EEK. *Helloooo!*

I make stuff from my Heart, out of LOVE, full of gratitude, & it's a Gift to those who Love & Bless me, & Bless the World! 💖

More than one Sister Friend has told me to "make stuff" as a bizness.. I have a "waiting list" of Lady Friends who want one..& they know each piece is very unique, & full of Spirit, made just for them.
Just seems so weird to take a Spirit Gift, & profit from it.
Any advice or guidance would be very welcome.
Thanks, Y'all.

[Blue_Roses]

1. Have you thought about opening

a shop on Etsy?

[furtheradu]

2. No, but I am open to the idea!?!😊

I am tech challenged, I only have a smart phone, don't know how to post pictures or anything.
That may be a goood option. Thanks!

I do have a Friend who is a *REAL* Artist, with a real gallery..I plan to talk to her this week.
I guess my hang up is taking a Spiritual *GIFT* to the "material" world..for $!
Thanks so much, for Your reply! 💖

[Phoenix61]

4. About money

Money, really, if you think about it, is just a simple way to carry around energy. Before money people would barter their services or things for other services or things. Functional but not so easy when trying to do this over distances. Money made these transactions simpler. When you use your gifts, you are using your energy. The cash someone gives you is what they got in exchange for the energy they expended using their gifts. So it's really just trading energy. I get the spiritual part but aren't all gifts from spirit? Whether it's a gift for fixing cars, building houses, or healing the sick the energy all comes from the same place.

[furtheradu]

6. Awww, thank YOU 💖

I am really struggling with this aspect. YOU get it.
Thanks for Your understanding & Your thoughts on this.

[calimary]

3. Etsy is a great idea! They have loads of hand-crafted items, of every imaginable kind!

People are really creative on there. You could get lost, just roaming around and exploring different shops. "Let's see - I'm into handmade quilts..." "...looking for a baby present with some real heart..." "saw a woman wearing this neat turquoise necklace. Wonder what there is?" "Gardening accents?" It's fascinating! Just go look around. A hundred-and-one million gift ideas to buy or try making. That's a really great idea, Blue_Roses!

furtheradu, sounds like an ideal place to show off your wares. "Spirit Gifts" - is a TERRIFIC title for your shop! The way you've written about it here would work there as part of your self-introduction. Just go look around and you'll get a sense of it. Please keep us posted as to what you want to do.

[furtheradu]

7. Thank YOU 💖 so much

for Your thoughts! I appreciate it. I will go peek at them!

[brer cat]

5. I have been blessed by handmade with love

pieces that I purchased without knowing the maker. Taking nothing away from the gifts you make especially for your friends, your talent, caring, and spirit can also bring joy to a stranger. I once bought a hand-thrown pottery bowl that had a note attached from the maker which included a blessing. Receiving compensation for your labor shouldn't take away from the pleasure you find in making the art work.

Getting into a gallery or established shop would be an ideal way to start, I think. I am fairly comfortable with online selling, but I tried etsy some years ago and found it to be difficult, definitely not user friendly. They may have made changes since then, but if you go that route, you might need to find a friend to help you with the setup. I have no idea how successful the business there are.

There used to be a marketplace here on DU, and I assume it's still around here somewhere...maybe in the basement or attic. At any rate, you might consider posting some pictures there to at least get some feedback if not some sales.

Good luck, furtheradu!

[furtheradu]

8. THANK YOU.💖

Funny.. my Sister Friend suggested (a year ago) that I make my "stuff" & attach a little note, a Blessing, of what was on my Heart, as I made the piece. Each bead's color has a meaning, a feather is precious, each shell has a name..
Thank YOU for Your thoughts on this!

[FormerOstrich]

9. Be careful with the feathers....

there are laws governing them. Here is one website that has some information. I don't know the accuracy so you might want to check around more.

http://www.featherfolio.com/blog/guide-to-legal-and-illegal-feathers-in-the-usa-updated

Good Luck and Best Wishes!!

[furtheradu]

10. Yes, I know about Feathers!

Thank You, though, for Your concern & respect.
That means A LOT.
& Thanks for Your goood Wishes!

[pansypoo53219]

11. good pics. plain background. outside good. cloudy days give the best detail.

sun to show off glass. ruler or coke can for visual size. HOW will it get wrapped. shipping costs. gotta weigh it w/ wrapping/box. plastic is the lightest. weird boxes. hardware stores sometimes has boxes for free.
BUYER PAYS SHIPPING! ALWAYS.
get a state business # for tax free supplies.

long time ebayer & summer artist.

[furtheradu]

13. ThankYOU 💚for the great ideas

& those important lil details. I appreciate Your experience & advice!!

[mopinko]

16. yeah, they taught me in art school that

it is more important to have good pics than good work.
i was always at a disadvantage w paintings, because they were large. small works show well when juries are looking at all the pic at the same size. i did better w sculptures, which small.
use a tripod. you can get adapters for phones. http://joby.com/gorillapod

if you do art fairs, find a buddy. they are exhausting.
most will let you split a booth, but if they dont, make sure you let them know you want to be next to each other.
if you can, check them out before you do them to make sure your work fits in.

write yourself an elevator pitch.
and write a good artist statement.

let me know if there is anything i can do.

[calimary]

17. Yeah, this is a really good point about showing actual visual size.

Help your viewers get a good idea of how big the object is. That makes a big difference, especially in wearables like accessories or jewelry, furniture, tools, toys, quilts, tea towels, and gewgaws. Photos of the object alone don't give you true size.

If you're making small things like jewelry items, make sure you photograph each one with a penny sitting close by. For scale. Use rulers or yardsticks for larger items. Get a friend to model something of personal adornment that you've created. So you can see how long the necklace is when you're wearing it and where it hits you in front; or how well that new piece of living room decor might actually fit in an area where you're looking for a unique accent piece; would your tool drawer have room for the new experimental tool; would the baby quilt be big enough for the baby - for longer than maybe the first six months; how long the shawl really is and would it go all the way around you with plenty of room to spare for a nice roomy fit; how big is that hand-painted pitcher, considering the purposes you might have in mind for it; the size of the wreath, because it's for an important occasion and needs to be larger and more prominent; stuff like that. It's all so the viewer can compare.

Longtime "artsy-fartsy" here: nature crafter, kids' craft teacher, recycling crafter, polymer clay artist, and beader, plus a few odds 'n' end.

Hey furtheradu, the pinecone/seed pod Christmas wreaths I make for gifts, using all the amazing stuff that falls from neighborhood trees year 'round, never fail to please. I bet you could create some STUNNING "Spirit Wreaths" for faith-based occasions or significant moments.

People like hand-made/hand-crafted. It means you, or your lucky gift recipient, will not see a whole bunch of the exact same, mass-produced stuff out there all the time.

[FormerOstrich]

12. You are welcome

Your gifts are great..all materials I cherish and have collect myself. I feel guilty I don't share more, as you do.

I have no doubt that you're feathers were collected properly...but I understand why they have the laws in place. I'd like to think us all good enough people it wouldn't be necessary.....but sigh...we know better!

I love my birds and they seem to like my space so I suppose I share with them.

[furtheradu]

14. Beauti FULL pics & thoughts!!!💜

I absolutely support those Laws, my Feathers are found, & usually during a Walk (Walking Prayer/Meditation) & I consider them a Gift! Most are Seagulls, or Brown Pelican. I have been gifted with Roseate Spoonbill (PINK!) Feather.💖
My most Treasured Feathers are Owls' Feathers. I am stingy with them. Some Belief Systems say they are a sign of death, or a negative situation. Doesn't mean that to me.. I keep them for mySelf & enJOY their Beauty & goood Energy.

I have never found a hummingbird Feather! I LOVE those sweeet, fierce, lil Creatures! SO beauteous & amazing!

[Baitball Blogger]

15. Set up your own website and take pictures of the work that is up for sale.

Then post again, and link to your site.

[UTUSN]

18. Love it!1