Lessons in business

My lovely 'aura-soma' cuff!

Last week I chose an Aura-Soma colour of light blue and magenta, and when I went to the shops a couple of days later, I saw some ribbon in the same hues so of course had to buy it, especially as I had in mind to make a cuff. Now the aura-soma colour I chose related to creativity and wanting to share it with everyone, e.g. by teaching! Which was very appropriate as I am going to be doing some creativity lessons at Creative Seeds very soon. If you check out their website you can also get some information on Aura-Soma.

I sat down with my ribbon, some felt and my sewing box, and just started to make the cuff. I took notes at the same time for future reference, because I'm thinking of selling these cuffs on Etsy - everyone needs some colour in their lives, and this is a good way of making it portable but visible at the same time. I sewed the ribbon to the felt, which I'd measured to go round my wrist to just touch ends. I used embroidery threads in the same tones, and whip stitched gold thread through the running stitch. One of the things I found out is that the gold thread I used for the 'whipping' stitch did not like being pushed through the felt and fell apart! You're OK if you use short lengths though and are very gentle ... The final touch was to add a pretty sparkly button on one side, and a small elastic hoop on the other side to make the closure. I want to make another cuff using velcro for the closure to see which works best.

But, it did take quite a while to make and I don't think I would make heaps of money by selling them - I've got to think of ways to make it more economical. Being the typical artist I would quite happily sit for hours and make a few and sell them for not very much. It was pointed out to me however, that if I want to run a business I have to think of profit margins, something I think a lot of artists and creative people have a problem with. It's not enough to do it all just for love if you want to buy groceries! (Shame though!) It's quite a learning curve trying to combine doing what you love with making money at it - I wonder if it's possible?

Oh well, at least I have a lovely colourful cuff to wear and remind me of my creative aspirations - keep following the dream!