Ctrl-Alt-Delete
Anyone else remember that sequence of key presses? Back in the day, when my computer screen would freeze up, or my mouse suddenly disappeared, or any general weirdness went on, I would press this keystroke combination to reboot my computer. It wasn’t a complete shutdown just a refreshed start up. In this New Year, 2015, I feel like I need a reboot.
A Look Back
2014 was a good year. In summary, online sales were up. I had several stained glass commissions and my first fused glass wall art commission. I did a little teaching, and I added a new wet belt sander to my arsenal of tools.
Looking Ahead
So what’s ahead? I am looking forward to a two-part stained glass commission that I will be starting next week. The first part is for a dining room cabinet and the second for a wine cabinet. I will do more experimenting with glass frits and paints in my work. I did a few high temperature melts last year and want to continue exploring that as well.
Rebooting
So here is where I need a reboot. On the business side of things, it’s time to rethink my online sales strategy. The bulk of my sales on Etsy are recycled glass items and moderately priced items. The most popular item is the cheese tray I make from wine bottles. Unfortunately, making these does not fulfill my need to be creative. They do, however, provide a means to invest in tools and supplies. Last year I started to make personalized trays by sandblasting monograms on them. I hope to find other ways to expand this line and streamline my Etsy shop. It might also be time to explore a different selling venue for my more artistic pieces.
Social Media
It has been difficult to keep up the blog. Writing takes me way too much time. I spend a lot of time hitting the backspace key, rewriting, rethinking. I seem to have either too many words or not enough words. Writing just doesn’t come naturally to me. But, it does have value for me. Even if no one reads the blog, it helps me organize my notes on my experiments. When I don’t blog about something new I’ve tried I often go back to my notes and can’t make heads or tails out of them. I have pages and pages of hastily scribbled notes with things crossed out and several sticky notes on top. The goal for 2015 is to post at least once a month.
On the other hand, I am consistently active on Facebook which just seems easier to keep up with, and I love the feedback and interaction. I do pin my new work on Pinterest. I have all but abandoned my Twitter feed. At this point I just tweet about new blog posts and new pieces for sale. I have been encouraged to use Instagram. Not sure I want to invest time in another social media site, but it might be a quick easy way to post pictures as I am working. We’ll see!
So now I sit staring at the end of this post wondering what I should write as a coherent closing paragraph. And since I have a head cold at the moment which is really making my head fuzzy, I will simply end this post with….
Happy New Year!