So late last night I decided to google one of my cushion covers out of curiosity* to see what impact I have made on the search engine. (* some may say vanity!)
I came towards the top of the second page. Not bad. But I pretty much freaked out when I saw that the top listing was for someone in London, UK promoting the same idea I had about cushion covers with a removable corsage brooch. And there was me thinking it was a genius, unique idea!
To add insult to injury, the next listing was for retail behemoth Marks & Spencer, with their 3D flowers cushion. And there was me thinking my designs were for more of a niche audience.
It didn't take me too long to refocus though. I thought back to a saying on a postcard that a girl I used to live with a long time ago had blu-tacked to her door; 'Remember you are unique . . . just like everyone else!'
I thought, what is it about me and what I do that makes it unique?
Sometimes I click on to the 'Just Listed' page on Etsy. 10, 20, 30, 40 . . . . . 100, 200, more images of 'just listed' items scroll up the page every few seconds. At peak times you can count the seconds with each image. And that's just Etsy. There are billions of items everyday being added online. Assuming everyone who sews can make a cushion, everyone who beads can make a necklace and so on, just what is it that would make your own needle shine out in that huge haystack?
Sure there are online methods, social networking or craft fairs . . . lots of different ways you can help your sales . . . but what exactly are you trying to sell?
For me, I quickly thought of a few things;
1. I make each item to the highest quality I can, with the same love and care I would as if I were making it for my very best friend or my own mom. It's not just a couple of bits of fabric sewn together - I finish seams with hand-covered fabric binding. It isn't charms you could buy on Ebay - I make each fabric flower by hand.
2. Each item I make is one-of-a-kind, a one-off, unique, never-to-be-repeated, you own the only one ever . . . I haven't got 2 or 3 or a dozen of them taking up space that I'm trying to shift. I create each one, love each one, sell one by one.
3. The choices I make in design, fabric, texture, colour and placement are ALL my choices. There may be similar items out there, there may even be copies of my work, but no-one can do it quite like me. Only I can do that.
These are the first things that sprang to mind. These are the most important things for me. I like them. I can stand by them.
And then I thought, just how clear is this vision of what I do and what I believe in being communicated? When I list an item on Etsy, when I post an image or update on Facebook, what exactly am I communicating? That my stuff is on sale? That I have hundreds of these? That I am annoying because I keep posting? Or am I communicating those three core values listed about.
That's the question. I'm not sure I am. So I'm going to reflect on this and revise how I show what I do. My handmade items are about quality not quantity . . . and I want my communication to be the same.
Best Birdie Wishes,
Birdie Gingham
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