A: I am not a crazy religious person, but my shop name comes for a mixture from how awesome I think Jesus is and my mother passing away. Often, I would get sad that I was "motherless" meaning I was long longer a "daughter", but I soon realized that was silly nonsense thinking because I am God's Daughter. So, hopefully my shop's name pays honor to them both. Jesus was a carpenter and working with wood makes me feel closer to him and helps me think about Him (instead of thinking about stressful things I shouldn't be worrying about). So, Jesus had a woodshop and I am his daughter. Hence - The Woodshop's Daughter :)
Q: Do you only sell online?
A: Yes, as of today I only sell online and only on Etsy. I am working on going to small local shows again in the very near future.
Q: What inspires you?
A: My customers inspire me! Someone will write me asking for something different and it motivates me to find a solution for their need. Almost my entire shop was built this way! I love it! I simply love it!
Q: What is the hardest part of what you do?
A: The hardest part is being self motivated when working from home. I have to stay organized, have a set routine, and make lists to keep myself on task. As an artist, I am sometimes easily distracted, or I get too many things going and then cant finish the first project, lol. I have a little saying "Keep me straight" to get myself back on task.
Q: What is one of your favorite items from your shop?
A: My favorite item in my shop is my two tier bracelet holder. It's an original design, it's brought me many orders, and I feel like it's uniquely me!
Q: What made you decide to use Etsy instead of sites like ArtFire and MadeItMySelf?
A: I only sell on Etsy. I researched the heck out of the other sites - I even made an ArtFire account, but didn't sell anything. So, after 3 months I took it down. It was too much stress trying to handle more than one account. Etsy is easy for me to understand (computers are not my strong suit). I really just like the community aspect of Etsy. Even though some people complain about the fees - I think it's worth it. I am comfortable here. I feel like I fit in - which is sometimes hard for the artist personality type.
Q: Is Etsy your only "job", or is it something you do on the side?
A: For the first two years of my shop being open I had a full time job. But, just a few months ago I took the plunge into being a full time Etsy seller. I do not have another job and I am happy as can be!
Q: Are you attending any art shows in the future?
A: I just received my "PayPal Pay Here" swiper, so I am ready for the shows! Sometimes it can be overwhelming trying to prepare for shows and keep up with my incoming orders, but you just have to push though it. I do not have any big shows planned, but do I hope to get 15 stands made and meet a friend at the Newport NC Flea Mall next Saturday- August 18th.
Q: Any future projects?
A: I am working on increasing my "Ooh la la" factory, but adding two new lines to my shop. One line is jewelry stands adorned with feathers, rhinestones and beads (who doesn't want more feathers and beads!) and the second is my Prestige line - where I have braided leather over the the hanging bars of the bracelet stands. (ooh la la!)
"Sometimes it takes a little while to find your niche. When I first opened my Etsy store I made dog bandannas, then I added cross necklaces, and then I added jewelry stands! I was making the cross necklaces and I needed a display stand for the consignment stores- and they just started to sell. I just left the ads up, my skills improved, I revised my pictures and keywords and they started to sell faster and faster! So, my shop is kind of an unintentional success! You never know what will take off. So, post it all and see what happens. Finally, just don't give up! It will be tempting. You will have slow times and even dead times! Just keep making things, keep posting ads on Etsy, stay active in your Etsy community forums and teams, let other Etsy'ers inspire you. (But, don't copy them, just absorb the feeling of what they do). If you do decide to go to shows - anticipate going and selling nothing - not one thing. But go out for ice cream afterwards and celebrate anyway because you got your name out there. You did something - and that is worth celebrating! I like to always bring a friend to shows with me to help me set up, watch my table when I need to walk away, and also to share that ice cream!" -Melanie
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