Technology: Blessing and Curse for Art Sellers

It became fairly obvious to me in the last weeks that I could not keep up with the mega-posting requirements to social media on my own. So I invested in a Tailwind account ($176.46 for a yearly subscription) and dove into learning the software.

I can’t tell you how many videos and blogs I viewed/read to train myself, but let me just say, it’s a good thing I live alone so that no one else has to feel the tension when my frustrations overflow.

Many choice words entered the atmosphere as I navigated my way.

An additional challenge was that, in looking for new content, I often found myself designing new products. So, in addition to Tailwind idiosyncrasies, I was often struggling with Printful’s design process. Sometimes my computer would freeze or simply give me a black screen in the midst of creation.

Technology is a blessing and a curse. Wise is the person who can bask in the blessing and let the curses flow away like rain off a duck.

I’m working on the wisdom part.

Blessing: It is very nice to be able to spend 4-5 hours one day a week and then relax because things are scheduled to post.

Curse: One snag I have recently encountered is that Tailwind tells me that I have 4 failed posts but gives me zero information about what or why. In many ways, the user interface leaves something to be desired. Yes, I’m sure the information is out there but I am a bit exhausted with having to track down so many answers. Not to mention that many of the answers (including photos with instructions) are dated and don’t match the current versions of the program (Tailwind) or Instagram, Pinterest or Facebook. So when you are searching for answers, look for the most current ones you can find.

Upcoming sales season: There’s a lot of hype and pressure on Etsy and elsewhere to gear up for the holiday season. I discovered that I needed to sign up for the local Christmas artists market in April so I had to apply for the wait list.

Another market (at the ferry terminal) stressed how highly competitive it is and wanted a photo of my booth set up. What booth? I’ve never done this before. Yes, it might be possible to rig something up but I’m not ordering product until I have a show and my apartment is too tiny. I just felt so amateurish, so I skipped that one.

However, I found a pop-up event with only a $25 entry fee and no percentage taken from sales so I will be gearing up for that small event. My artist friend, E. warns me that events with minimal fees don’t have advertising dollars so not to expect huge crowds.

I figure this is a good way to practice. I’ve ordered a banner ($28 from Shutterfly) – although I did have to be a contortionist to get one that met the resolution requirements without paying for yet another subscription.

E. doesn’t have an event that weekend and will help me with setup by loaning me many display items. Thank you, E.!

I also signed up with Square, ordered a Square Reader for payments and will need to familiarize myself with its workings before the event.

The biggest gamble and current concern is ordering products ahead of time. I have no idea what will sell (if anything) and my income is severely reduced during these coming months. Fortunately, I have savings so I will be dipping into them and trying to make wise choices.

I should be able to lower prices a bit since I can buy in bulk from Printful and won’t need to pay Etsy their 6.7% on sales.

Readers, you could help me by going to brokenforyou.etsy.com and letting me know which items you think would be good to have at this pop-up event on November 16th. Thank you in advance!