Website overhaul
Oct. 23rd, 2009 12:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
norsegirlTime for another website overhaul. My Geocities page will disappear from the web some time in the next week, I forget the exact date, but it's not important. I've bit the bullet and bought some hosting and registered for my own domain. I went with norsegirl.com because it was cuter and catchier than evethejust. ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ashendari helped me to set up both the website and a new e-mail addy last night. Not sure what I'll do with the new addy. Part of me wants to move all personalized correspondence over there and leave the old one just for mailing list subscriptions. Part of me is thinking maybe use this new one for contact through the website and people who I meet in the SCA by way of classes, but that would mean I'd get very little mail and probably check it very infrequently. I don't know. I'm feeling mailing list overload again. Mostly the usual annoyance with the "me too" people and the chattiness that is neither relevant nor interesting to me. I hate low signal:noise groups, and sadly that is the standard, not the exception.
Anyway, time to do another website re-design I think. I've fallen out of love with the old black and green colour scheme. Yes, maybe it is time I admit that it's hard to read. I'm also thinking now that I've got my own catchy domain that it might be time to invest in some more professional-looking and unique stuff. Like make myself a logo and a pretty background instead of just a solid colour. Nothing hideous or distracting, I'm thinking something in a lightly textured tan or grey. Something that evokes a carved wood, stone, or leather look.
I'm also tossing around thoughts of what to do with my life. I'm almost at the point that the government of Texas considers the end of the standard maternity leave. And while I might disagree with their notion that 12 weeks is the right time to get back into the workforce, I don't think it's too early to start considering what the future might bring.
I don't like being a leech. I'm not good and consistent enough at housework to feel like I'm earning my keep on that one. And of course, the more we make, the more freedom we will have to do the stuff we want to, like go on vacations, pay the mortgage off, get a second vehicle and send Georgia to college. I'm just not sold on the idea of being a full-time-career mum. I was never that in love with having a desk job, and I'm not sure it's worth the sacrifices that would come with it. That said, it does seem like the easiest way to actually contribute to the family coffers. I'm wondering if there's any skill that I possess that might allow me to work either part time or from home that will bring in enough income to make it worth doing. And further to that, if I should be leveraging the website to market said skill.
The sad truth about creative products is that people are seldom willing to pay anything near the value of the time it takes to produce it. Even if I assume the cost of materials is $0 (of course it never is) and value my time at a mere $5/hr, less even than minimum wage down here, people balk at the cost. It's hard to compete with 3rd world slave-labour, and sadly, that's what I'm up against. Then there's the issue of wanting to do things repeatedly. I like doing all kinds of projects once, but I'm pretty resistant to doing the exact same thing again. Take the mobiles for example. Doing a single piece of the mobile was fun. I enjoyed the challenge of finding the right patterns and discovering which stitches would look best and create the right effect. But then duplicating the effort to make the rest of the parts for a balanced mobile was tedious. And while I loved the viking ships and mice and desperately want them in my house too, Georgia still doesn't have a mobile. The proof is in the pudding there.
About the only thing I can do repeatedly and not get bored of it is glass beads. But I have a damn hard time estimating the cost of materials, I don't have any facilities here to get my beads annealed, which is a must if I'm going to sell them, and I'm slow. Here's where we get back to those 3rd world artisans. Their beads might not be as perfect as mine, nor will they be willing to research and ensure they are accurate period reproductions, but they whip them off in a fraction of the time, they have their glass purchased for them in bulk, and of course they are content to make $5 a day or something ridiculous. When faced with purchasing a bead from a craftsperson in the civilized world that demands a premium for their work and picking up something in the "eh, close enough" range from Michael's at a fraction of the cost, you can guess where most recreators are going to go. And then there's the problem of competing even with local talent. Lampworking is fun, so many people are taking it up, and SCA people have a bad habit of consistently undervaluing their time and skills.
So yeah, I'm back on this tired merry-go-round pony and looking at what I want to be when I grow up. And I still haven't caught the ring. I wonder if I ever will?
ashendari helped me to set up both the website and a new e-mail addy last night. Not sure what I'll do with the new addy. Part of me wants to move all personalized correspondence over there and leave the old one just for mailing list subscriptions. Part of me is thinking maybe use this new one for contact through the website and people who I meet in the SCA by way of classes, but that would mean I'd get very little mail and probably check it very infrequently. I don't know. I'm feeling mailing list overload again. Mostly the usual annoyance with the "me too" people and the chattiness that is neither relevant nor interesting to me. I hate low signal:noise groups, and sadly that is the standard, not the exception.Anyway, time to do another website re-design I think. I've fallen out of love with the old black and green colour scheme. Yes, maybe it is time I admit that it's hard to read. I'm also thinking now that I've got my own catchy domain that it might be time to invest in some more professional-looking and unique stuff. Like make myself a logo and a pretty background instead of just a solid colour. Nothing hideous or distracting, I'm thinking something in a lightly textured tan or grey. Something that evokes a carved wood, stone, or leather look.
I'm also tossing around thoughts of what to do with my life. I'm almost at the point that the government of Texas considers the end of the standard maternity leave. And while I might disagree with their notion that 12 weeks is the right time to get back into the workforce, I don't think it's too early to start considering what the future might bring.
I don't like being a leech. I'm not good and consistent enough at housework to feel like I'm earning my keep on that one. And of course, the more we make, the more freedom we will have to do the stuff we want to, like go on vacations, pay the mortgage off, get a second vehicle and send Georgia to college. I'm just not sold on the idea of being a full-time-career mum. I was never that in love with having a desk job, and I'm not sure it's worth the sacrifices that would come with it. That said, it does seem like the easiest way to actually contribute to the family coffers. I'm wondering if there's any skill that I possess that might allow me to work either part time or from home that will bring in enough income to make it worth doing. And further to that, if I should be leveraging the website to market said skill.
The sad truth about creative products is that people are seldom willing to pay anything near the value of the time it takes to produce it. Even if I assume the cost of materials is $0 (of course it never is) and value my time at a mere $5/hr, less even than minimum wage down here, people balk at the cost. It's hard to compete with 3rd world slave-labour, and sadly, that's what I'm up against. Then there's the issue of wanting to do things repeatedly. I like doing all kinds of projects once, but I'm pretty resistant to doing the exact same thing again. Take the mobiles for example. Doing a single piece of the mobile was fun. I enjoyed the challenge of finding the right patterns and discovering which stitches would look best and create the right effect. But then duplicating the effort to make the rest of the parts for a balanced mobile was tedious. And while I loved the viking ships and mice and desperately want them in my house too, Georgia still doesn't have a mobile. The proof is in the pudding there.
About the only thing I can do repeatedly and not get bored of it is glass beads. But I have a damn hard time estimating the cost of materials, I don't have any facilities here to get my beads annealed, which is a must if I'm going to sell them, and I'm slow. Here's where we get back to those 3rd world artisans. Their beads might not be as perfect as mine, nor will they be willing to research and ensure they are accurate period reproductions, but they whip them off in a fraction of the time, they have their glass purchased for them in bulk, and of course they are content to make $5 a day or something ridiculous. When faced with purchasing a bead from a craftsperson in the civilized world that demands a premium for their work and picking up something in the "eh, close enough" range from Michael's at a fraction of the cost, you can guess where most recreators are going to go. And then there's the problem of competing even with local talent. Lampworking is fun, so many people are taking it up, and SCA people have a bad habit of consistently undervaluing their time and skills.
So yeah, I'm back on this tired merry-go-round pony and looking at what I want to be when I grow up. And I still haven't caught the ring. I wonder if I ever will?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-10-23 08:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-23 11:23 pm (UTC)Hmmm... I know there is a lampworkers club here in town. Maybe it's time for me to invest in learning some modern techniques and maybe I could make a go of it...
no subject
Date: 2009-10-24 01:28 am (UTC)There is indeed a market for simple beads- several people I know through the bead society here do almost all simply-designed beads rather than modern fancy things.
I say go for it- if anything, you might meet some new friends. :)
no subject
Date: 2009-10-23 10:11 pm (UTC)Yeah, I know THAT feeling.
I've given up on the idea of selling in the SCA for the most part. And not just because I don't want to merchant at events. Those rag dolls of mine? 2-3 days each. And since art and craft is my sole source of income I refuse to value myself at less than $100 a day. There are a few things I could probably do quickly enough to keep costs down, though I can't say I'm thrilled with their repetitive nature.
Have you thought about switching to doing craft in the regular world? Things like Etsy have their problems, but not everything is undervalued, and people seem willing to buy stuff at a real value there a fair amount of the time. Glass beads would probably sell there. I've seen other sellers with them, and there's a lot of jewellery makers on Etsy who also buy their supplies there.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-23 10:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-23 11:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-23 11:29 pm (UTC)And yeah, $100 a day is kinda what I'd like to be making too. I'm used to making a lot more than that doing the desk-work thing, so even that would be a bit of a step down for me. Stupid cushy, unionized, government job making me value my time and get accustomed to a fat paycheque.
I can believe 2-3 days on the rag dolls. The mobiles I made were about the same. No one will ever be willing to pay what they're worth, unless maybe we die and some art dealer decides our stuff is valuable folk art. Giving them as gifts does really give you the warm fuzzies though eh?
no subject
Date: 2009-10-26 10:44 pm (UTC)it's hard to earn a decent income from any art or craft. i can think of sylard recently commenting on his income. i also grew up with mom selling pottery. it basically paid for itself, but little more.
i wish i had a solution or answer, but if i did i would liekly be following my own advice :/
and as for wondering what to be and catching the ring... i'm still doing that *wry grin* i think we were spoon feed that some day all the problems of life disappeared when that magical moment of decision/realization happens. i'm beginning to think they lied ;)
is there any at home data processing that you could do and work into your schedule with G? not sure where one would start to look. and then there's the tolerance levels (how fast does one go snaky).