tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313799443819854406.post7003612050426375310..comments2023-09-04T04:59:16.747-07:00Comments on John Bauman: Busy Days On Etsy/Blog to Finnegan BlogJohn Baumanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10910451039953672849noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313799443819854406.post-64322327157607540012010-12-27T04:07:35.894-08:002010-12-27T04:07:35.894-08:00Hi Mickey,
Sorry, I nearly missed your post. The...Hi Mickey,<br /><br />Sorry, I nearly missed your post. These blogs are a terrible way to communicate after the first day or two of a post. Once the post is old enough, any further comments to it go unnoticed because there's nothing to bring it to the blogger's attention.<br /><br />Anyway, good luck with Etsy. You're at least the fourth person who has told me that you're beginning to do Etsy because of the Finnegan/Bauman/Philbeck blog conversation. <br /><br />So I guess the blogs work after all?John Baumanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10910451039953672849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313799443819854406.post-52661065037081563652010-12-23T20:50:51.196-08:002010-12-23T20:50:51.196-08:00I am caught within the "catch 22"
makin...I am caught within the "catch 22" <br />making - marketing - mothering all the while<br />feeling bogged down by the "low apples gone" idea you used. This "convo" (<--- an etsy term I just learned :) has me feeling resigned to carving in the time to get etsy involved in my life.<br />So glad ya'all are simply up front with your experiences about it.<br />Thank you. w dot snowapplestudios dot comMickey Smeelehttp://www.snowapplestudios.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313799443819854406.post-85323646869027236792010-11-28T08:02:50.774-08:002010-11-28T08:02:50.774-08:00John, Congrats on your etsy success. I have been o...John, Congrats on your etsy success. I have been on etsy for just over 4 years now. I have shipped pots all over the country. I don't think that would have happened through my blog/facebook/twitter alone. I have found that I need to constantly list items in order to keep selling and sometimes I get lazy about it. I think it is a great venue for people who don't want to haul their wares around the country for art fairs.Cindy Powershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15013713972483546381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313799443819854406.post-15043033800905459692010-11-28T06:18:08.920-08:002010-11-28T06:18:08.920-08:00Hi John, It's great to see this post. I'm...Hi John, It's great to see this post. I'm actually going to sort of do what you did w. Dan and do a blog post about it over on my site. I have some questions and issues I'd like to put out for further discussion. I'll get it up there soon. www.ronphilbeckpottery.com<br />Best,RonRonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07960400186962033610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313799443819854406.post-32455716114415739382010-11-26T16:44:49.046-08:002010-11-26T16:44:49.046-08:00What a great conversation! Thanks for starting so...What a great conversation! Thanks for starting something, Dan. And thanks everyone for your thoughts.<br /><br />I'm guessing that we're all up against the same wall -- the same "Catch 22": The more time we spend marketing (whether on the road at shows, or online cranking out copy and images for websales), the less time we have for making the very inventory we need to sell (not to mention the making being the very reason we got into this lifestyle in the first place). <br /><br />It's been the biggest puzzlement (to quote the King of Siam) of my entire 33 year career. Trying to balance the making and the selling.<br /><br />I noticed early on that guys whose work didn't sell well always had pots available for self-advancement opportunities (exhibitions, publication, etc). For me, I was always out of inventory and scrambling for the next show. I remember about 20 years ago Studio Potter was going to feature potters of Indiana. I had to pass. I was too busy chasing my tail to take advantage of a nice opportunity for a li'l ink. <br /><br />I'm not sure Etsy solves that Catch 22 problem for me. BUT....here's how I'd put it:<br /><br />I think we are at a point in our culture (and hopefully it is a passing thing) wherein most of the low-hanging fruit has done been picked. Etsy affords us a ladder and a reason to get back in the orchard.John Baumanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10910451039953672849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313799443819854406.post-33334239618230470752010-11-26T11:57:57.826-08:002010-11-26T11:57:57.826-08:00This is blogging at it's best!This is blogging at it's best!Dan Finneganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12464319954358422836noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313799443819854406.post-90431599679939517762010-11-26T11:10:31.255-08:002010-11-26T11:10:31.255-08:00GREAT insights... I especially like your observati...GREAT insights... I especially like your observations on ETSY's weaknesses -maybe they will listen(?) Hmmm, I had been thinking/not thinking about ETSY for 3 years now... haven't had the energy for what it takes to maintain a quality site on ETSY. It wasn't so much other people's work that has deterred me, just the amount of time it takes to commit to selling work that way -but hey it probably beats the 35-50% commissions I'm paying to the Galleries huh?!cindy shakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01353820195984269329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313799443819854406.post-51326756703386039572010-11-26T07:38:12.317-08:002010-11-26T07:38:12.317-08:00I am an Etyhoovian.
Admittedly I was initially rel...I am an Etyhoovian.<br />Admittedly I was initially reluctant to sign-up, it did have the feeling of a rummage sale, but my reluctance had more to do with my computer skills than my aesthetics.<br />Learning to post and maintain a shop was a challenge, but it wasn't all that difficult.<br />I joined a few Teams, made a whole lot of new friends, and most importantly, I grew beyond my local market.<br />As an emerging potter, it was one of the best investments in time that I've made.FetishGhosthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06139502682128929276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313799443819854406.post-61092425743465809062010-11-26T07:32:53.316-08:002010-11-26T07:32:53.316-08:00John,
Spot on with this article. I had all the ...John, <br /><br />Spot on with this article. I had all the same apprehensions, but unlike you, I needed to make a living from my pots (adjunct professors don't make a living wage) and I had absolutely no established market -local, national, regional, -nothing. I was a complete unknown. I got my website up and tried to figure out a cart system and noticed that Kristen Kieffer's online store was etsy powered, so I gave it a shot. <br /><br />I experienced an immediate swell of sales, and a base of fans and collectors who weren't even familiar with pottery. I found high-end home decorators buying vases by the boxful for their clients. I even got some galleries contacting me about wholesale arrangements, I got an article in Niche Magazine through Etsy! things I never would have imagined. Incredible.<br /><br />One thing I came to learn from this was that part of what is off-putting at first about selling on Etsy is also what makes it powerful. There is definitely a sea of crap to wade through on Etsy to find anything decent. As long as you don't feel dependent upon the venue to lend you cachet, that shouldn't be a problem, but rather a benefit. After sifting through a lot of poorly thought out, poorly thrown, poorly photographed stuff, someone stumbles upon my work and it must look like a shining jewel in comparison. I think within the context of an Etsy search, there is a major advantage for strong artists to stick out from the crowd, which draws the traffic in. The people who have been drawn in to buy my work have been the exact customers I want to find. They are not the typical demographic of pottery buyers, they are people just discovering how wonderful handmade pots can be through MY work. It doesn't get more satisfying than that. <br /><br />On a side note, one of your listed disadvantages has been fixed. Look on the left side column of "your etsy" and you will find a link "rearrange my shop" that will allow you to switch around the order of your products at will.Jeff Campanahttp://jeffcampana.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313799443819854406.post-34366031135000193552010-11-26T07:23:40.776-08:002010-11-26T07:23:40.776-08:00Lovely pots and I enjoy your blog. I've had s...Lovely pots and I enjoy your blog. I've had some modest success with Etsy so it has been good for me also. I've sold pots to people all over the country and Canada that I never would have reached otherwise and these sales have often led to commissions. Sure, there is alot of work on Etsy of questionable quality, but it almost makes good quality work stand out all the more:) Also, Re Etsy weakness no.4, I might be misunderstanding what you are referring to, but Etsy has a "rearrange your shop" feature to rearrange the order of your listings. Go to "your etsy", under "shop setting", click on "options" and click to enable "rearrange your shop". Great post - thanks!barbaradonovanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06694148642745082571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313799443819854406.post-47724563241523292622010-11-26T06:45:22.284-08:002010-11-26T06:45:22.284-08:00Following all of this with much interest. Thank yo...Following all of this with much interest. Thank you!Patricia Griffin Ceramicshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11205981725964222971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313799443819854406.post-40346701238427634712010-11-26T05:19:31.885-08:002010-11-26T05:19:31.885-08:00Great post! I read Dan's comment about Etsy an...Great post! I read Dan's comment about Etsy and while I agree with him and said so on his blog, this post makes me rethink how I have felt about Etsy, some very good points in your post and from those that have commented. Maybe if enough people that have quality work like you sell on Etsy, it will outweigh the crap that is there....hmmmmm.Tracey Broomehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14560971496423789576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313799443819854406.post-83832035490852911192010-11-26T05:09:13.374-08:002010-11-26T05:09:13.374-08:00Hi John!
Thanks for your kinds words about the bir...Hi John!<br />Thanks for your kinds words about the birds...I have to admit i'm pretty excited about them. But more importantly, thanks for the ETSY advise. I have to admit that I was fishing for this kind of info. and no surprise that it would be YOU with a terrific answer! <br />My computer skills are pathetic and it may take help from someone a little younger and brighter than me, but I will be looking much closer.<br />It is hard to suppress the contrarian in me...and the elitist in me...and all my other issues!<br />Thanks again, I'm sure that a lot of us will find this useful.Dan Finneganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12464319954358422836noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313799443819854406.post-65549150188243723112010-11-26T04:23:33.560-08:002010-11-26T04:23:33.560-08:00I think you nailed it. I had the same reservations...I think you nailed it. I had the same reservations as you, not wanting to be associated with such mediocre quality as was predominant on etsy 3 or 4 years ago. And when I checked back last year I was surprised that so many really talented artists were now selling their work there.<br /><br />Of course the majority still set the bar fairly low, but artists such as yourself have changed the perception to now include some incredibly talented and sophisticated work. And I think you are right that there is no shame in rubbing shoulders with beginner potters or hobbyists. The audience will decide what it likes, and if one person doesn't like what you do that reflects more on their taste than on the quality of what you are presenting. As is always the case.<br /><br />I think your point about the difference to juried art fairs is also telling. A fair where the artists have all been selected, presumably based on quality, gives the audience that confidence you described. A booth "next to Steve Kostyshyn’s incredible baskets, or Jerry Smith's marvelous landscapes" is much different than one next to a beginner or occasional hobbyist. Perhaps especially with ceramics the audience often needs to be told what counts as quality. There simply isn't a lot of cultural education in that direction, except perhaps in some communities with strong traditions.<br /><br />I guess I have a small concern that because so few folks are educated about quality in ceramics that often it is fairly irrelevant to a sales situation. A brightly glazed or garishly decorated pot has more intrinsic mass appeal than quiet subtlety. In a venue like etsy there is no presumption of quality, and personal taste mocks the "juried" standards of merit. But I think it is quite amazing that clay workers with minimal experience and marginal skill sets can make decent money off their endeavors on etsy. And on an important level this is exactly as it should be. If someone wants to pay good money for a thing, that is entirely up to them.<br /><br />I guess the question is whether pottery needs a standard of professionalism or if merely anything goes. Potters are getting kicked out of ceramics departments, can't get in most galleries or museums. Is etsy our last refuge? Will the public perception of our craft be based mostly on what gets sold on etsy? Will we someday only get juried into craft fairs based on how well we sold on etsy? Is this troubling? [Of course you can count on me as the voice of paranoia on this issue ;) ]carter gillieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12744265678233135968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313799443819854406.post-16682917410501290662010-11-25T21:48:51.946-08:002010-11-25T21:48:51.946-08:00Brilliant post, John. I've been looking for th...Brilliant post, John. I've been looking for this kind of description of Etsy. Thanks for it.Hollis Engleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01550281579804944085noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313799443819854406.post-33688108503457183592010-11-25T21:03:35.643-08:002010-11-25T21:03:35.643-08:00Well,now there you go. If someone like John Bauman...Well,now there you go. If someone like John Baumann can sell his beautiful work on Etsy, I don't see how others can be too good for a shop there.<br />Ironically, there may be "so much crap" on Etsy because people who make great work have reservations about being associated with Etsy, and won't open shops there; whereas if they DID open shops ther, the amount of junk would be reduced quite a bit. There IS quality work on Etsy, and having a shop there can get you sales and more opportunities, for example, we got a commmision for a charity auction fundraiser to make bowls, and some other items, because we have a shop on Etsy. We do it every year, and it's worth quite a bit of dough. Not to brag, but to say that the exposure can be good, and we might never have had the opportunity were we not on Etsy.<br />If people making quality, great work like you, Dan Finnegan, Jeff Campana, Whitney Smith, et al, might have some reservations about being associated with junky sites, that is understandable, but why cut your nose off to spite your face?<br /><br />PS Dan Finnegan, if you read this, about a year ago you had posted some killer bowls on your blog that I would have bought in a second had they been in an Etsy shop. I'm sure they sold anyway, but you might sell even more.Stumpy Peepsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313799443819854406.post-39175522554692260802010-11-25T16:03:36.973-08:002010-11-25T16:03:36.973-08:00My Goodness! How do you get that basket weave pat...My Goodness! How do you get that basket weave pattern to come out so evenly spaced? That is wonderful!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com