When I decided to start Ginkgo Creations, I knew I wanted to create things to sell - jewelry being one of those. Some friends will remember my Ginkgo Tree painting business decades ago now when I painted primarily children's items - frames, t-shirts, onesies, baby shoes, little containers, baskets - you name it - I would paint on it. So, Ginkgo Creations is the grandchild of that original business, and I have my talented graphic designer son, Seth, to thank for my logo and font. (mcwhortercreative.com)
Originally, I wanted to name the new business venture, "I'm Not Dead Yet," as an homage to my retirement from education, and a challenge to anyone who might think I was going to stop doing anything. Seth did not think that was a very good idea... (although morbidly funny), so I went back to my ginkgo tree roots. Ginkgo Creations was born.
But I digress, and how I got started is not really the issue I wanted to discuss here. It's about marketing in a competitive online world in a saturated market with lots of younger, more attractive, more engaging, more seemingly self-assured Instagram-worthy creators...
My creations are all different. I don't have a "look" - unless my "look" is not having a "look," I create what I want to create, what I'm inspired by on any given day. I will go for weeks and only work with seed beads, then I might make a Memory wire bracelet, pound on some wire for earrings, make a Kumihimo necklace, or string some gemstones. I frequently end up "down the rabbit hole" in YouTube videos and Pinterest and everything in between looking at tutorials. And I'm actually happy about the results I achieve in tackling a new design or trying a new medium, until I see the marketing gurus lists of "do's" and "don't's", or see the Instagram posts of some of my favorite creators.
They have a "look," they "drop collections," they have all white backgrounds with fancy script on their posts and websites, they share photos of crates full of orders they have fulfilled, they have thousands of followers and "likes" on everything. They seemingly adhere to the rules and benefit from that adherence. Or is it all just smoke and mirrors?
I don't know the answer to that question - although I have my suspicions. What I do know is that it's freeing to accept the way my brain works - to be happy on the days I'm inspired to write a post or send an email, and to be happy on those other days when I stayed in my pajamas until that last bead was connected in a project.
As always, thanks for reading. I welcome all comments and feedback.