Reality Studio and Real Life Time Management

Here is my surprise at how my time is spent..... And, above, real live shots of the studio... aftermath of holidays...

I am not sure it's actually time management. I need to schedule a date with myself to figure that out; but at present I predict that my actual creative time to maketing/networking/shop upkeep time is about 1:4. That is 1/4 of my time is spent in the studio creating and 3/4 spent marketing, shop upkeep, prep and delivery of work via mail or local boutiques etc (writing blog...). Can this really be true? Requires further research.

Ciao for now,

Kristen

Jazzercise and Jewelry

Today was all about jewelry and jazzercise. My daughter who is "more than four and half" as she puts it is a great little worker! Orders are coming in and I needed a helper. She has become an expert at putting earrings onto earring cards & my business cards into the jewelry boxes. She is also very into fishing out all of the pieces from the steel shot after they have been tumble polished. She feels very important helping me and I honestly am grateful for the jobs that she does! I just wonder when I'll have to start paying her....

Then it was off to teach my Jazzercise class. We had two new students tonight which is always exciting. I love seeing students laugh as they try to get the new moves down. Everyone feels like they have 2 left feet when they first start, but after they have 4 or 5 Jazzercise classes under their belt they get the hang of it and bust a move! It's very rewarding being on stage and helping these incredible women get a great workout, and motivating them to stay fit and make healthy choices.

Kristen

Jewelry Class Camaraderie

I have been taking a great metalsmithing class this fall. This is the nicest group of talented artists! It is such a gift to be able to work for a few hours a week with other jewelry aritsts and share ideas, questions, and some laughs.

Raol brought his lapidary set up tonight so we watched with facination as he cut and polished some gorgeous stones. I admired a piece of Boulder Opal so much he gave it to me. Yeah! It is not without a challenge however. He said, "I cut this several weeks ago, but still don't know what to do with it!"

Now my wheels are turning. I even managed to stay awake while laying down with my daughter to get her to sleep...only because I couldn't stop thinking about that beautiful stone and what kind of setting I would create for it.

Cleaning the Studio and Try Try Again with Sales

Well, no bites from the weekend sale. But it was my first go-around with a sale promo. I will have to experiment with how much to discount, how many items etc. Or go the 'free-shipping' route. My store is still new (http://www.kmbrownstudio.etsy.com) so people are still finding me. I am learning ... just keep swimming, just keep swimming....as Dorey says in "Finding Nemo."

I do have a 'live' customer coming to my studio today to look at some work. So that means..... Yes, cleaning. Which I will go and do now. It is always good to have a reason to buckle down and clean the studio. I always work better in an organized environment anyway.

Have a great & clean & organized day!
ciao,
Kristen