Deciding what to sell was the hardest part for me. I wanted to do something that I enjoyed, was good at, was shipable, and salable.
The problem was that what I really love doing is building and finishing houses for people. But...houses are too big to ship, too expensive for people to trust you if they are not local. What I loved was creating something custom for people. It is harder to get something right at a distance when they can't see it close up. Pictures don't really work. I tried it a couple of times and was uncomfortable. Customers were happy but I wasn't.
Next, I considered roomboxes. There are a few people selling them, but I noticed no one's sales were very good. I could compete on price and quality but there didn't seem any use and the ones that were selling the best were the ones I liked the least. Oh well.
The problem was that what I really love doing is building and finishing houses for people. But...houses are too big to ship, too expensive for people to trust you if they are not local. What I loved was creating something custom for people. It is harder to get something right at a distance when they can't see it close up. Pictures don't really work. I tried it a couple of times and was uncomfortable. Customers were happy but I wasn't.
Next, I considered roomboxes. There are a few people selling them, but I noticed no one's sales were very good. I could compete on price and quality but there didn't seem any use and the ones that were selling the best were the ones I liked the least. Oh well.
Next I considered scenes or mini groupings. I really liked the idea but it was complicated. Where would I start? It would be too much mentally to do them at the same time that I was learning to use Etsy. Maybe later.
As I was sitting there wondering what to sell, I suddenly realized that I was making a fern. That was what I did to relax. I had always intended to expand my plant line. Why not now?
I started looking around. There are a lot of examples of real plants online now. Seed catalogs, nurseries, ag departments at universities, and a lot more. I avoided anything that was copyrighted just to be on the safe side. There are so many oipen source examples they aren't needed. I don't think it would really matter anyway because all I was looking for is the overall shape and color. I never copied any particular plant.
I made a tentative list of what looked doable in miniature. My criteria was that I could make it look realistic but I did not want to make it to IGMA (International Guild of Miniature Artists) standards. I wanted something that ordinary people could enjoy, not a perfect copy. I wanted it affordable for anyone. Miniature plants online run from $1.99 to over $150 a plant at the places I looked. If you look at them with a magnifying glass, you can find flaws, but in a setting, you will not. It seems like a nice compromise. I am aiming mid market. We will see. I can change if people want me to.
I started looking around. There are a lot of examples of real plants online now. Seed catalogs, nurseries, ag departments at universities, and a lot more. I avoided anything that was copyrighted just to be on the safe side. There are so many oipen source examples they aren't needed. I don't think it would really matter anyway because all I was looking for is the overall shape and color. I never copied any particular plant.
I made a tentative list of what looked doable in miniature. My criteria was that I could make it look realistic but I did not want to make it to IGMA (International Guild of Miniature Artists) standards. I wanted something that ordinary people could enjoy, not a perfect copy. I wanted it affordable for anyone. Miniature plants online run from $1.99 to over $150 a plant at the places I looked. If you look at them with a magnifying glass, you can find flaws, but in a setting, you will not. It seems like a nice compromise. I am aiming mid market. We will see. I can change if people want me to.
Shorter today. I think I have been going on too long.
Next will be - what I did to start constructing plants!
Next will be - what I did to start constructing plants!
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