I'm still here!

Just a quick post to say that I haven't abandoned my blog (or my Etsy shop). I will have real updates again soon. I've just been focusing on other things, like bird watching, enjoying the weather/outdoors (or huddling in front of the AC when it's 90 degrees), and spending time with my family. My mom has been in and out of the hospital lately, and my uncle visited from Louisiana. My husband and I also celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary (and 7 years together total).

One of the complaints I hear most often from new Etsy sellers is that they are overwhelmed trying to run and promote their shop. Not only do you have to design products, create them, photograph them, measure & weigh them, and type up descriptions...then there's all the work you have to do to get your shop noticed if you want any hope of making a sale one day. There's SEO keywords, Etsy teams, treasuries, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc. You have to be active in so many different communities and websites. I know sometimes I feel like I spend more time promoting my shop than I do making jewelry. Promoting an Etsy shop could easily be a full time job all on its own. I admire anyone who works outside the home and still finds the time and energy to run a successful Etsy shop (especially if they have kids too).

Is all the work worth it? The short answer is yes. This is my second time around selling on Etsy and I had more views and sales within a few weeks than I had in months last time because I knew nothing about networking then. But you need to have a life outside of Etsy too. I'm sure all of us started making stuff because it was fun, and it should still be fun now. If it's causing you too much stress, then it's time to take a step back. Either do what you've been doing less often, or take a break completely. I justify it to myself by realizing that even when I go crazy promoting my shop, I'm not guaranteed a sale, so I'm not necessarily losing out on anything if I don't do that stuff for a while.

When I do start again, it always helps me to have a list. It's best if you focus on one thing at a time, and set some limits for yourself. I'll talk about that in more detail another time, though, so I can share more specific tips. I admit that I still haven't found a good balance for everything -- I feel like I'm either doing all Etsy stuff or nothing at all (hence my absence here) -- but I'm working on it. If I figure out the secret, I'll let you know!