See Saw Balance

Remember see saws from the playgound? Being flipped up in the air or landing hard on the ground? Trying to hold steady, straight across and balanced? Hard? YUP!

A partial, from memory,list of handmade venues:
Zibbet
Etsy
Artfire
Recycled Market
Folksy
Storenvy
Bonanza
EBay
GroovePress
SilkFair
Big Cartel
eCrater
Cafepress
Zazzle
RubyLane
(After I wrote this list, I Googled "handmade venues" and 3,460,000 entries came up...!)

A partial list of sites to promote the above partial list:
Facebook
Google+
MySpace
Flickr
Blogs
LinkedIn
Twitter
Forums
Ning Groups
IndiePublic
and all the sub groups within each of those...overwhelmed yet?
You should be!

How about all the e-mail newsletters you must/should subscribe to to learn the ins and out of online selling, how to take photos, the way to handle the oodles of money you're making and to be notified when your favorite seller is having a sale?
In-box clogged?
It is!!!

Some conflicting truths:
The most seasoned & novice amongst us have to step away from the computer at times and resume normal (HA!) life.
The newbies must realize posting an item online will NOT get them tons of sales without hard work and long hours promoting online.
The young parents and full time workers must not be online all the time until 3AM to work this business.

So I'm saying take a break from the computer but work hard online?
Yes...
We all need to establish a balance. I try to do it by closing the door to this room and spending time in another. Maybe in the studio creating. Maybe in the kitchen cooking. Or outdoors, gardening.

Whatever you do, balance. Create,photo,promote BUT step away from the computer whenever you can. You will also lessen the chances of  back trouble or carpal tunnel syndrome!

Refresh. Relax. Balance!

Love It Or List It!

There's a show on HGTV called "Love It Or List It". Homeowners have to decide if they love their newly renovated homes and will stay or still need to move and list it with a broker.
I have a love/list problem with my work! There are some things I just LOVE to make,so I make them & list them online but they may sit...that's okay because I loved making it. There are other things I'm not as crazy about and will not list or repeat if the first is sold. I really have a problem doing a good job if I don't love it to some degree.
So I have a love it and list it issue in another sense.
I am loving working on small hoops with stitchery and other props. I started a grouping of craft pieces, the first knitting and the 2nd, sewing.
I love them.
They are listed.
If they don't sell, they give me joy and I count!
Now, what craft should I do next???