The Thousand True Fans

I'm late on the thousand true fans boat, but I'd still like to discuss it. Even though it sounds like the premise of an anime- gain a thousand true friends...I mean...fans...and you'll become a real girl...I mean business... but it may have some validity to us crafters. Many people knew of the etsy famous Black Apple who even though most have never heard of her is doing alright with her fanbase.

Of course, as they say, different things are different. It's a bit easier for soapers as people consume soap and will often buy from the same soaper month to month. I like a lot of variety in my soap buying, but I will return to the same 'favorites' as well. Jewelry isn't consumable and you can only have so many earrings, but your true fans act as evangelists to the more casual types. They are the ones who retweet your tweets, advise others to go to your shop, etc. I think that more than the mere 1000 people a year giving you $100 once aspect that that is the true value of true fans.

People fall out of love with things, they move on, but before that happens, they can show your work to people who really are turned on by your art. Different methods work for different people. You don't see a lot of very very personal stuff on this blog as I am really shy, but other people display their daily life. But getting people to engage with your work, standing out from the crowd- that's something we can all relate to.

Rethink Your Rapper Dreams

Artist compensation in a handy infographic. Of course, this has always been true, but this just puts it in stark relief. Better print out tons of t shirts, bands!

Ning's Bubble Bursts

Ning, home of such networks as WeLoveEtsy, is closing off free networks and laying off workers. Even on the rapidly growing internet, you need a way to monetize your product. Grow slow and steady. If you expand too fast, you might just be a bubble...

BTW: perhaps we should focus on companies that actually make things again. Stop giving 120 million to random dot com boom type companies and give 1 million each to 120 companies that actually do things, make things, etc, and I bet the effect on the economy would be a whole lot better for more people.

On journals

MAKE magazine asks about how your notebook is organized. First, I pick a journal.

Sometimes I buy a nice journal. This boygirlparty journal is my current one, although it's all pink now because I spilled juice in my bag:



but usually I use a simple moleskine :



The journal must have at least some lines, because I like the structure of a lined page. With blank pages, my writing goes all over the place. I may doodle or draw a graph, but since I can't draw, I don't mind the lines. I find graph paper really satisfying sometimes. I like to make little charts using the squares, and of course, that can also serve as lines to direct my writing.

When I actually start to write in my journal, I always date and then start writing. Mostly it's complaining or an extensive list of everything I have accomplished that day. When I was in school, I'd write observations on the lecture that I did not need to memorize for the test, such as how Adlerian therapy could be used in various ways, or to write down books mentioned by the professor. I'll write down story ideas and to do lists. I'll write down quotes, although I do have a special journal for quotes. It's a ringdex- a bunch of index cards connected with a metal ring.

When I'm in the library, I write down the Dewey decimal numbers of the books I am trying to find in my journal. I heard that young folks don't know how to do this, and therefore can't find books in the library.

Anyway, to me, a journal is essential to life. The only problem is what to do with a filled journal. I keep them, but I have so many that space is an issue. I love the tactile feeling of writing on paper, so I'll probably journal forever.

Really, I don't care

I think Hobby Lobby's customer service should have not gone with the we know Christ is the only way to Heaven approach. Why? Because people often go through a great deal of searching and work to find their religious beliefs for themselves. So when you say, Christ is the only way, you seem to be looking down on their religious beliefs, and that feels like an insult to many people.

I understand it can be difficult for those reared in places where religion is a public matter to understand this world view. However, often we must be sensitive to other world views in our customers. Some people see being given a discount as an insult. This is not my world view, but it's an understandable vision of the world that does not in fact harm me. To many, religion is very personal, and telling people what religion they should be is as bad as telling them what sort of underwear they should wear.

Happy Black Girl Day!

It's nice to see a Happy Black Girl contest that is for handmade items! Today, I will praise the creativity of our girls. Our girls are out there creating fashion anew. Folks will say it's too loud, too gaudy, too ghetto, too trashy, unless it is seen on other, paler bodies, then it is fresh, new, a revolution. To that, I say no. It is a fresh revolution on our bodies. Our creativity creates the fashion, creates the dances, creates the recipes, creates the writing, creates the art. Others may be inspired, and their works garner more praise than ours. But I say no. The ones who originate are the creators, the creatives. To them, I light a candle.

Best Forum Trainwreck Ever

Really folks, don't tell us what to do. If I think etsy should fix their technical issues,I'm going to say it, so there.

Handmade Video Ads

I love this Oyin ad. Keep it handmade!

The Happy Black Girl

I love our girls. The ones who wave their hands in the air- squealing "Me! Me! I know the answer!" I love the quiet ones, and the loud ones. I love the ones who want so much to be grown. I beg you all not to label them 'fast' and withdraw your protection from them. Outside our protection, there are hungry wolves looking to feed on their bodies and souls, who are focused on that booty in those jeans, not the thoughts and feelings in their heads.

I love the ones who pass notes in class, and those who take notes in class. I love the ones perfecting their dance moves, their poses for their facebook photos, and the ones who are daydreaming of sports glory. I love them all, and their dreams of the women they long to be.

Inspired by L'Elephant Rose.

Beautiful Copyright Infringement

Man, this is what I'm talking about. These game figurines are beautiful! This sort of thing is why I can't really take a strict line on intellectual property. Yes, it's not all her own design, it's inspired by games, but look at the beauty and detail of that art. She has some fanart on her flickr as well.

I just can't think of where the balance needs to fall, so that artists like this can flourish, yet Hot Topic can't go in and grab someone's art without any credit...

What I Think About The Postal Service

People say that private services are better, but give me the post office! Why? The post office is cheaper for many items. People may complain about $2 jewelry shipping[it costs me $1.50 to pay the postage, and .50 cents is added since packaging isn't free], but if they paid fed ex or ups prices[$5 and up!], they'd be screaming for my blood! USPS also has media mail, which means I can ship books and DVDs for cheap, even if it takes a little bit more time. And the mail service helps me with the fact that I'm old school and prefer my netflix through the mail. People complain about the OMG GOVT running a postal service, but many private businesses rely on its reliability and cheap cost. The postal service is an important public good, and I'm all for it.

The End of An Era

Beadbabe is closing. I wish Bill well in his struggle against cancer.

Shame on Hot Topic.

They're using Kawaii Not's artwork without her permission. Buy from her, not those vampires! I'm of two minds about artist protection. On one hand, I'm all for fan art and fanfic. But on the other hand, I don't want people making cash not crediting, not sharing the profit, just acting like they came up with the idea all by themselves and getting rich off of other people.

A Peeve

This shirt peeves me. The rest of the designs are about actual grammatical or word use errors, but this is just bagging on people's accents.

I love soap

I was a bit nervous buying soap from a seller I hadn't bought from before, but I really enjoyed this cinnabun soap. It took a little time to receive, but I received a bar that is huge[it barely fits in my hand], and was packaged very nicely. Very good in shower scent, and it leaves sort of a 'dark' musky aftersmell. I like it, as it's very unisex, even though it has a hint of sugar, it's still quite masculine. The lather is good, not excessive, and the bar itself has a nice graininess to it that is very appealing to the skin. I am also softer, which I also prize in a soap. Top marks to the maker. I think this bar will last a long time too!

Day Old Bread

Apparently, where people need day old bread, they can't get it. That reminds me that today on freecycle, I saw a strange offer. UNOPENED Walmart Cake. If you had a car, and a computer, you could get a whole free cake. I think we'll probably regress to more of this. Baby showers where instead of new boxes and bags, there will be bags of hand me downs, more potlucks, more people eating bread made with homemade zucchini. Live small.

For you who feel alone

I'd like to say something. For all of you who feel alone, remember, the other half you have been searching for was in you all alone. Even if you eat your chocolate alone, for you to eat that chocolate, hundreds have labored in the fields for the sugar, for the cacao beans, in the diary farms for the milk. To make the chocolate, there was a factory or a kitchen, with people working hard to form the chocolate into a shape, to put the raw ingredients together with the help of machines or by hand. Thousands of truck drivers drove thousands of miles to put it on the shelf. There are stockers, and cashiers to help too. Even the simple act of eating chocolate is a connection to many other beings, from cow to cashier.

Every day, you're connected to the rest of the earth, and to the rest of the people. I hope my words reach you, and comfort you.

Love Your Body

This probably has been linked before, but I'll link it again- The BMI project. Love your body. You live in it. It is what you walk with, what you sing with, what you cook with, what you hug with. Love it! You can't hate yourself for your own good. Love yourself.

It's Time for Radical Self Love!

It's time for us to love ourselves. To stop putting our hopes and dreams and good feelings on the back burner until we find 'the one' or until 'the kids are a bit older' or until 'we lose five pounds', and start loving ourselves now, without waiting for society or other people to put a stamp on us that says 'worthy'.

Yes, that's much harder done than said. The picture is boygirlparty's journal. It has blank, lined and graph papered pages! While I usually don't recommend buying things to make you feel better, having a new journal has given me a little lift.

Love LikeThat

My dad made a bookcase for my manga. It was truly a labor of love. With handmade things, you can see the energy that went into it. I jokingly tell my dad that when he retires he should become a bookcase seller. I didn't know this before, but almost all of the bookshelves in our house are ones that he built.

There's something wonderful in a useful craft- canning food, building things, working on cars... It's nice to connect to the physicality of the world- and have something you can enjoy for years to come.