These are challenging times. As a designer and maker of handmade jewelry, I’ve always enjoyed interacting directly with my customers, and most of my jewelry sales have been made in person. With the pandemic, all shows but one have been cancelled, and I have come to realize that I have to re-think my business model.
At first, I made the best of the situation by taking online art and gemology classes and spending more time in the studio working new projects. It has been an incredibly productive time and, except when I’m not overcome by anxiety over the state of the world and sadness at the loss of face-to-face contact with loved ones, I have enjoyed myself. Yes, I have been making sourdough bread weekly since March; I’ve sorted and bagged clothes to give away; I planted seeds; I’m working my way through the mysterious contents of our food pantry; and I have read many many books. I have also been on Zoom too much: hanging out with friends; attended lectures; and singing with folks from all over the world. Did I mention that I taught myself how to dye cotton yarn, and that I’ve made 1 wool sweater and 3 cotton sweaters? Oh, and I’ve been making a jewelry. At the same time as I’ve been making my way through my yarn stash and food pantry, I’ve been coming up with ideas that use the metal and stones I already have in my studio. I’ll post more about that later.
With the future still so uncertain, I’m now temporarily shifting my focus to moving most of my inventory online (onto my Etsy shop, www.etsy.com/shop/bialopadindesigns). And I’m using this time as an opportunity to learn how to use various tools to establish a more vibrant presence on social media. This has included developing new skills, such as making and editing videos, and learning how to connect my Instagram posts to my Etsy listings. It has been telling to discover just how strongly potential customers respond to compelling photographs of merchandise, as well as demonstrative videos. There’s a lesson there, and I will be paying attention!
I will soon begin the process of reviewing and revamping my web site, which is seriously out of date. I have treated the site as a historical repository of images of work I’ve done over the years, but I haven’t posted new work in ages. I’m hoping to make this site a little more engaging, so stay tuned!
I’ll leave you with a photo of one of my latest pieces of Covid themed jewelry: a Covid Crown, because it is a “crown virus”.