Taming the Tangle

Oh the places I'll go... upcoming show worries

Well, this year is the year that I'm going to try out some Florida shows since my application was finally accepted to the Coconut Grove Arts Festival. Since I just updated my website, you can see my show schedule online as well.

I'm less than 3 weeks away from my Florida trip. My boyfriend and his dad left a week ago to drive since they are sculptors and are doing more shows to make the whole cross country trip worthwhile. I'm lucky enough that part of my display could fit in their van, mainly my booth, weights, signs, drapes, and 3 small folding tables (which are rather short), which means that I can fly with the rest of my display, inventory, and other sales and clothing essentials.

In early November I did a show in Sacramento where I set up my booth like this, where the jewelry was pushed out close to the aisle:

This sort of setup would be possible to replicate with folding tables and drapes, although I won't have my cases. Honestly, I really didn't like being behind the wall of cases. I couldn't figure out how to naturally hand jewelry to someone looking. I also just didn't like being separated from my customers; in general I like standing near them and pointing out things so we can engage together. And it's easier to access mirrors in an open booth.

I modified my booth for a show in San Francisco, which was much more successful, but I'm afraid that without my columns, shelving, and cases, trying to recreate this setup with folding tables will look too much like a yardsale.

So I'm thinking of creating an island of tables with some hanging panels in the middle of my booth that I can display jewelry on. I want some of it to look like art pieces yet not be daunting on display. I have no idea quite how to achieve this (I'm thinking frosted plexi to not block too much light?), but it's all I can come up with as an interesting concept that would be easy to fly with. I'll have to make sure I don't block the visual on my jewelry too much if I'm going back to no cases... I want the jewelry to be touched, enjoyed, and tried on but not stolen.

My first step will be to make a mockup panel as a test... I'll keep you posted. Then I will have to create drapes for the tables or some sort of simple covering... Not sure if it should just be the cinnabar color from the sidewalls in my booth or if I should mix in some of the colorful print as well because that's so eyecatching yet not distracting once people are engaged with the jewelry. It adds some fun and flair I think but am open to opinions. Let me know what you think! Do you like the print? Or do you think simple is better?

Get techie with it

The past week has been a very techie one for me. One of my big February goals is to set up a new mailing list database. In trying to download a free trial of Bento, suggested by art biz coach Alyson Stanfield, I found that I needed to update my computer system for it to be compatible. After updating my system I realized I could finally consolidate my old external drives onto my new external backup drive. Now I'm back to square one (albeit a little zippier and less cluttered) where I can finally get around to downloading a free trial of Bento to see if it will fit my needs.

Earler in the week I also spent a huge chunk of time (as in 2 full days) working on updates for my website. I had let some areas of my website slide for a while, so this was a major organizational undertaking. It's all good, though, because I have new goal and checklist systems in place so a major back slide won't happen again. Yet it all made me wonder... does anyone care? do people look at these pages on my website?

Well, here's an interesting post I found on Crafting an MBA, a great resource for looking at your art or craft as a business. Megan Auman of Smaller Box wrote a guest post about Google Analytics and your online shop... she's a bit of an expert seeing that she's written an  e-book about it all. Reading that will have to be one of my spring goals maybe for April. I hate to put it off, but after a full week of being techie it's definitely time for me to get my hands in action on some new jewelry designs!

I have several Riverstone Bangles in process on my bench right now for my newest store, the Bellevue Arts Museum gift shop in Bellevue, Washington as well as some unfinished new designs; shown above: Riverstone Bangles, photo by Linda Savitz, © 2011 Kathy Frey

Art to wear

A few new updates are live on my website now. One of them is this great image from a recent photo shoot I had with Linda Savitz... check out my home page to see this image live!

Oh so many rings! wearable sculptures by Kathy Frey, Photo by Linda Savitz, © 2011 Kathy Frey

Many of these rings are available in my etsy shop, or you can contact me directly if one of them catches your eye... or let me design a special piece for you!

I've also updated my Show Schedule online, so maybe you can visit me in person at an upcoming event.

Photo updates

Have you ever done a photo shoot of yourself? I've done several over the years since as an artist I often need headshots, and I use several photos of myself on my website. Sometimes it seems weird to do that, yet I want people to know and trust that they are working directly with me and see who I am.

It had been a few years since my last photo shoot. Sometimes there's the desire to stick with the older images... fewer wrinkles, fewer pounds, etc. etc. But it was getting hard for me to ignore that I *really* don't look like my older images since my hair is almost a foot longer than it used to be.

On one of my last forays to Chicago, I met with Thea Dickman (now Thea Volk!) for our third artist image shoot together. We always do something different. I end up with a ton of different styles of shots to choose from, which allows me to keep book images, publicity pics, facebook, blog, and website all looking fresh and varied for at least a couple of years. I've selected 3 to use so far on my website and personal facebook page... quite a variety, no?

Photography: lean times require creativity

In years past I've had a slew of photographers I've worked with because each has their specialty. Larry Sanders takes my jury slides (I try to choose the pieces carefully so I don't over-spend), Grant Boyle would photograph pieces for my catalog, and Thea Dickman would photograph my jewelry on models as well as take any headshots I needed. Both Grant and Thea are in Chicago, so that eliminated them as a resource anyway. And financially I still have to keep a hawk's eye on my spending, yet I have to show new pieces to promote them... so I'm doing what I can.

Photography is always challenging for me. It takes a different type of patience plus there's all the technical aspects of the lighting and camera equipment. I've read some great tips in Steve Meltzer's column in The Crafts Report magazine, and I've learned a few things just by trial and error.

If you are an artist who wants to do high-end art fairs, by all means pay for a professional jury slide photographer. This made a huge difference for me when I was just starting to do shows. This is something I will continue to pay for. Aside from that, you might be able to take your own photos. Mine are still amateurish, but I'm trying to have fun with them. I'm taking fun experimental lifestyle shots for my website's front page and trying out different setups for products I'm featuring on etsy... all of these are just using natural daylight. I'm going to invest in some professional photography lights for some product shots to eliminate the strong shadows and the experimenting will begin again.

Here are a few shots I took one day when I had a concept for my Spring home page on my website (check it out to see the shot I really used). I like them but am always grappling with the idea that the props (or flowers in this case) might distract from the piece or are they saying anything about the piece in particular? I'm not sure that these photos fit with my clean marketing style that I've used over the years, yet I'm willing to use some of them for now as my own photographic style unfolds over time.

 

My bundle pendant is the featured piece in all of these photos. It's so springy looking to me... it looks like a little winged creature excited to flit around all the new blooms. In the above shot, I've draped it in front of the pear tree blossoms that are in my backyard. The bees had just come home (the hives were on loan to an almond orchard) so these trees were positively humming!

 

I tried the necklace on a leaf to have a simpler background. This shade of green didn't fully capture "spring" in my mind, though.

 

These camelia blooms are just so pretty! Do I love the flower or the necklace??? Not sure, but the necklace sure does look cute sitting there.

 

I have to find out the name of these flowers. This is my favorite plant in the garden right now, and it's huge! At least 4 feet tall and as big around. I love how the flowers glow with the light passing through them. This color is quintessentially spring to me (which is a big hint.... do you think I used them on my website?).

If you have any photography tips or feedback, share them here! What do you do; do you take your own shots? What type of camera and setup do you use? Do you photograph your pieces one way for a catalog and another way for "lifestyle" shots?

Message for the day: you can't go it alone

Have you ever had one of those days where you get the same message repeated to you in various forms? Well, by the end of yesterday I was saying "Okay! I get it!" and my mind was shutting down from all the information processing... needless to say it was a very good sleep.

It started early in the morning with a call from a friend to go for a walk followed by a birthday breakfast for one of her friends at a local restaurant. We walked and talked and got our day off to a lovely start. We both admired the idea behind the breakfast: her friend simply posted on facebook and made a few calls around to let people know she would be at the restaurant and would love it if anyone who wanted would just show up, wish her a happy birthday, and enjoy breakfast. She knew what she wanted, asked for it, and got it! It was such a wonderful opportunity for an interesting cross section of her friends to meet as well... there was so much wonderful networking and storytelling.

That was when the message started for me... it was there under the surface all along in various conversations, yet when Reinette (a friend of the birthday girl's and our town mayor actually) mentioned the time when she did the Iditarod alone (yes! I can't wait to hear about this story at her performance on Saturday night)... well, she said she was just recently enlightened to the idea that she wasn't alone at all. She couldn't have finished the race without all the help of the villages and villagers along the way who taught her skills and helped her achieve her goal.

This struck a cord with me because that's the way I have felt about my life and especially my business. There are so many people who help me and have helped me along the way in various forms. After breakfast I received an email from a fellow jeweler who is thinking of hiring some helpers. I gave her some pointers from a business perspective, but definitely encouraged her to do it. I'm not always sure why our American culture wants to put so much emphasis on doing things alone or being the best or trying to do it all. I'm a huge fan of teamwork or delegation and being proud of it. That's why my website isn't just about me (I am in the phases of simplifying it for various reasons, but I still acknowledge other people who help me on the In the Studio section of my website.

The rest of my day was filled with business errands and various emails. I was surprisingly exhausted from the early part of the day yet knew I needed to keep my energy up for the evening event at the APPLE Center where See Jane Do was hosting an event. Eleven women stood up for 5 minutes each speaking about the projects they are involved in, mostly based around food, the environment, gardening, and community. It was a powerful night, and each speaker acknowledged that she was merely a leader who brought other people together (actually, most of them didn't even feel like leaders since they were all deeply involved workers in their projects). There were no loners in this group, and each person made an appeal for volunteers and thanked the community for its various forms of support and encouraged everyone to get involved on some level.

Soon after I had to head home just to crash, but first a phone call to a friend who reached out in a time of needing an ear. To wind down I crawled into bed and finished the book "When Everything Changes, Change Everything" which ends of the note of "you can't do it alone," and why do that to yourself. Sometimes to not be alone you have to be the one who reaches out (and don't we all want people to reach out to us and know just when we need to hear something? well, people aren't mind readers, and to get what you want you have to go for what you want). The writer (Neale Donald Walsh) clarifies that solitude and meditation are different from being alone. Often times to be alone is an effort where you are shutting yourself off. When you have gratitude and appreciation and understanding of what your soul needs, you will not be alone.

That's hardly the message of the whole book... it's very interesting if you need more control in your life based around changes that are happening to you (it turns out you are making them happen!) or simply to change your perspective on all the change and turmoil happening in the world. The end kept emphasizing the "not alone" message, though, which was just interesting based on the events of the day.

Winter Updates Online

Kathyfrey.com has a new front page image for the winter season. This shot is from the photo shoot I did with fashion designer Paul Wesolowski (we also did a runway show together)... the fabulous photos are by Thea Dickman.

There are more updates for me to work on, but I did post my upcoming shows for the next few months... have to have priorities when it's just not possible to get everything done magically. Check out my show schedule to see if I'll be in your neck of the woods this spring. You can also join my mailing list if you want email notifications for when I'll be in your area.

Moving to the Sunnyside of the street...

Yes, it's moving day! Wednesday & Thursday were mostly spent packing... Friday the movers came right at 9am and by lunch time we were officially in the new space! With the move comes the usual mayhem... address transfers, unpacking, figuring out new furniture and where everything goes.

Our old space (shown in all these pics) was 1 big room in a loft-like setting shared by many artists in the building... it was also only 400 square feet. Our new space couldn't be more dramatically different... it's a coach/alley house in Lincoln Square. We will be occupying the first floor, which is totally ours, and about 1,000 square feet. It's beautifully redone with stunning hardwood floors and fixtures, which include our own bathrooms and kitchenette.

The new space doesn't have cool exposed brick or an interesting raw feel, but there are windows in almost every room and we have environmental control (heat and AC!!). I'll work on updating my website with all of the historical information and photos in the next few weeks. For now, here's the new address:

Kathy Frey Studio
2212 W. Sunnyside Ave., Unit 1
Chicago, IL 60625

New studio phones are being installed on Monday, so I'll post those updates on the website this week. Look forward to a post-moving sale (of jewelry & other extra stuff) at the end of August.

Tracking Progress

Networking has been on my mind a lot lately. It’s important to build new networks, but it’s also valuable to keep connections from various life points alive. Sometimes those connections can really come in handy.

Last month when I drove to Las Vegas and back, I was able to couch surf the whole trip. This was fabulous! It not only helped me to save money, but it gave me something to look forward to at the end of a long grueling day on the road. It was also a fun bonus to eat everybody’s favorite cereal (have you tried Cracklin' Oat Bran lately?) or sit down for dinner together. It was a life saver for that trip overall (yet have I mentioned that I won’t undertake that type of drive again?).

It was also interesting to capture the snapshots in time of where we all are right now, which gives a good sense of progress. I know sometimes I think I haven’t accomplished much with my jewelry career yet, but that’s because I’m monitoring day-to-day progress which feels like a snails pace! Several of my friends felt the same.

My friend Martha Schindler-Connors, who had the good fortune of hosting me to and from Vegas :), has pushed her freelance writing career to a new level (she’s in the midst of writing a book). It was also great to get some running pointers from her… she is my “just do it” running idol.

In Vegas I visited with Ramsey Hong, a college buddy who I hadn’t seen in probably 9 years. I always remember him doing fun illustrations and working on the comics section at the newspaper, and now he’s had his illustrations published on a new game: Walk the Plank.



I didn’t get a chance to play it yet but am eager to track it down for some of my nephews. It was also fun being reminded that I had lost a lot of weight since he saw me last (60 lbs.!)… which helped me take some pressure off myself to lose 10 more pounds to be at the weight my doctor wants me to maintain.

While on the road I also sent a newsletter to my friends, contacts, and customers announcing the launch of my new website (you can sign up for my newsletter here). It was wonderful to receive a response from my friend and former colleague Pat Rosenzweig (a fantastic knitter... find her work at Artisans 21 in Chicago) with the simple question, “Is it true that just 5 years ago you were selling jewelry out of your loft?” Indeed it was true, and suddenly I realized that not only do friends and contacts ground us, but they can also lift us up when we need it. 

Jewelry Gallery Sneak Peek

Later this week I will fill you in on my absence all last week, but for now I wanted to give you a couple more glimpses of the new kathyfrey.com to reassure you (and me) that it is underway and coming along beautifully.

There will be separate sections for Shop Online (still in development) and a Jewelry Gallery showcase. The Jewelry Gallery will feature some of my more adventurous designs, pieces I've created specifically for shows, or even some of my existing designs in a fabulous environment (like the runway show in which I -- meaning my jewelry -- participated in 2005). Here is how that page will look:

It will be a scrolling page of thumbnails where the emphasis is more on design of individual pieces and exploration of new ideas rather than filling out my jewelry lines for retail, which will be available for browsing and purchase by style grouping in the new Shop Online area.

Here is also the revised home page... I love the addition of the nature shots to add color and allude to my inspirations.

Thanks for your support and patience during this design process!