I’ve posted about this quite a bit over the years on Tumblr, my main blogging site, but just in case anyone here is interested in the final (as of now) update regarding my online business attempts, my Etsy store, my vending at in person markets… Long story short, I’m giving up the dream of major independent success in today’s hostile environment, but I’m still working on products for my store for fun.
I have been trying to sell some of my arts or crafts since first year of university in my early 20s, but have never really succeeded selling stuff online at various sites and kept giving up. I tried to sell again after I came home from pharmacy school, setting up my Etsy and Storenvy in 2011 (my Etsy is still online) so that makes 14 years with an online shop presence. I also sold in a handful of art markets, four small markets on my own, one with my friend, throughout this same time frame. I would say the total amount of sales I made in 14 years from my artwork, not even all stuff I personally made because the acrylic charms were produced overseas, is maybe $700 if I’m being generous. $50 per year. Not counting expenses, and all of the merch I gave away for free at social events. Extremely profitable (not!)
I can forgive myself for being lazy and flaky and undependable because I had been studying to be a doctor, and obviously arts and crafts was always a hobby and not a side hustle because I knew I was going to have a secure job eventually. Still, I really wanted to establish myself as an artist in case I retire early but still want to work at something or something disastrous happens to the medical field which could still happen with this government (although if things are getting that bad no one will be buying arts and crafts because everyone will be working 14 hours shifts to eat one meal a day). Therefore I needed to have that business experience and customer feedback and chances to build up my social skills. I also hoped to work with others someday, make my own doujinshi circle or videogame studio or artist collective, but even though I’m a hard worker in medicine, I’m not a hard worker in art, so the other people I’m working with would be bearing the burden. (Maybe it was better I’m antisocial lol.)
The more I thought about it, the less I wanted to work at a 5 to 9 second job after my 9 to 5 first job. I should have started in my teens and twenties when I had energy and ideas, instead of my thirties and forties when I have stress and back pain. But how could I have started in my twenties, my art and craft skills sucked back then, I only started drawing better in my late thirties and still not that great.
Next point, my art and crafts are not the most sellable. I’m not saying my art is bad, I personally am fond of my art style, and I would hope I’m not the worst artist you’ve ever seen in your entire life vending, but idk, kids are super talented these days because of all these online tutorials that I didn’t have access to because I lived in the pre-internet era, so maybe I am crappy now. Regardless of how I like my own art, I bet I could draw better if I had time to study and practice and if I had no back pain. If I had to make an objective judgement, my art needs to either be much cuter and fluffier and simpler, or it needs to be fully colored and rendered and realistic, and right now I’m in the center, simple colors over semi-detailed drawings, and no one is drawn to that style or willing to pay for it. That’s like magazine advertisement artwork, not flashy anime print artwork or cutesy stationary design. As for other crafts, I guess I could work on one of a kind products, but my sewing is good enough for me only, and probably not sturdy enough to be used by others. For a hot moment, I really wanted to work on the “atelier” part of my shop and make Japanese fashion inspired clothes and doll clothing and unisex accessories with my embroidery machine, but I just didn’t have the confidence to push through on that because sewing takes a lot of time and physical stamina and I’m afraid of getting bad reviews because I don’t have industrial strength machines that people expect.
This artwork I drew for the Lantern Rite festival last year? Never sold a single print, they were $5, I’ve only ever given the print away for free. I still have several left if you want one.
Finally, even if I did spend the time and effort to get a little better at drawing and produce more products, my stuff still won’t sell too much because I make only the things I like, not the sellable stuff. Also I don’t enjoy participating in capitalism enough to properly advertise and rebrand and network and apply for openings, all that busy work you need to do as a business owner to even have the slightest chance of success. I’m lazy and this isn’t my main source of income, I don’t want to waste my precious energy making things I don’t 100% love in a style I’m not familiar with and then do busy work I don’t wanna do to sell to an audience who won’t jive with what I love because I’m not selling stuff I love. That’s a lot of negatives for a very uncertain small benefit.
So why am I still even trying to make products if there is so little benefit and hope? The answer: I paid for shop equipment and supplies, and online shop listings have a fee. I have to at least use up my supplies as much as possible and/or make back the fee to even list my products on Etsy or Ko-fi websites (Etsy and Paypal take another cut when I actually sell). I don’t have a choice but to sell until I reach that equilibrium point of having used up my supplies while selling an average of $60/year (my shop fee is $5/month.)
In the end, I decide to continue the way I have been, drawing mostly what I like, taking a few requests from friends as I get the chance. That’s all the spirit I have for. I won’t be making any changes on purpose, although I really like the new packaging style I did at the last art market so I’ll continue with that.
Should I somehow muster the energy to improve my sales, here’s a simple business plan for the year…
- Rebrand with an actual logo and graphic design and other business stuff
- Advertise more on social media, at least twice a year, spring and fall
- Take better photos of my products
After writing all of that down, I have a lot more motivation to draw now lol. I hope to sell a few more items by the end of this year, let’s see work hard and what happens!
My ko-fi shop (all the stuff on etsy plus anime button badges)
https://ko-fi.com/insomniel/shop
My etsy shop (charms and some fandom merch)
http://insomniel.etsy.com/