With it starting to feel like Spring finally, it naturally also feels like the perfect time for a general refresh – in our home and life. The groundhog apparently had mixed predictions on whether Spring would arrive early in Canada, but this week in Saskatoon has seen a drastic change in temperature, for the better. Sayonara snow! We also bid goodbye to Gigi (black kitten above who was the spitting image of Sweet Chili) who we were looking after while her foster mommy was away.
After being stuck inside for much of this brutally cold winter, things have started to feel a little stagnant. Although my creative juices have been flowing with my daily drawings, my shop sales could definitely use a boost. And while I’d love to blame Trump for imposing tariffs, or that many people are just not making unnecessary purchases these day, it’s more likely that my shop could just use an overhaul after all these years.
So that’s something I did the other day, starting with my shop banner.
This is what it looked like for the longest time. My large Clever Kitty head peeking at you, with Wonder Kitty and Wonder Cat in the clouds.
I’d been wanting to change it to a close-up photograph of some of my products. I went with stickers since a lot of my designs can be seen all at once.
But because I had removed my business name, I reworked the image with the name placed over top the sticker pile.
Then, I changed my mind again, having seen several other shop banners that looked much sleeker in their simplicity, showcasing four different product photos. Going through all my own product photography also made me question how on earth some of my things sold online over all these years. I think I have gotten better since I first started on Etsy, but I definitely have room for improvement. And really, I should have no excuses since so many resources are at our fingertips now!
Slowly, but surely, I will be updating a lot of my product shots this Spring. I think consistency is key, with lighting, accessories and colour palette. That’s why I like the banner above the best.
Another reason I was going through all my product photography is because one of my goals this year is to get into local craft fairs. When we lived in Toronto, I only participated in a handful of shows before our kids were born, mostly because we didn’t own a car. The added cost of renting one or taking a taxi to and from the shows just made it unfeasible. It was that, or sometimes I didn’t get into the shows I wanted to.
Now that we own a car and our kids are older, I’m itching to try my hand at this again. But after putting my art on the backburner, for the past ten years, I have some catching up to do… with social media, with making new things, with finding a creative foothold in Saskatoon!
Applying for shows means showcasing your best work. That’s harder to do when the photography is not the best. But it also forces you to evaluate your art too and really ask yourself if it is the best it could be. Could you see yourself buying it and putting it in your own home? Is it marketable?
While I don’t want to make things simply for the sake of selling, I know I have to keep my customer in mind. I know they’re out there! The question is how to find them. And hopefully, by getting to do in person shows again they will find me!
I’ll keep you posted in the coming weeks once I hear back. In the meantime, here’s a sweet photo of our latest foster kitty, Cookie, another girl.
