New Years!

Ok- I think I'm officially addicted to Etsy.com.

Admitting you have a problem is the first step right??

I've loved Etsy ever since I discovered it 3 years ago but I forgot how freak'n addictive it can be! I can't stop looking through peoples treasury lists and all their favorites! I especially love to look through the favorites of people who's work I admire. It's like they curated a special collection just for me!

You can check out my own Favs Page Here!

I have to say it's intimidating and inspiring! I keep beating myself up thinking, "Why didn't think of that first!" to just being completely blown away by the sheer awesome skill involved with some of these pieces! (Oh, and I've discovered that I have a real obsession with geometric shapes and neon colors. Seriously! I'm hoping it's just a phase and not a permanent part of my creative programming.) At the same time, I look at other people's work and I feel so lucky to be alive in a world were people can express themselves so freely and we have this awesome platform were we can be heard and appreciated for our efforts!

It's a little anti-climactic though when you work like crazy for weeks and runrunrun and then, when you're all finished... nothing happens! Well, not nothing- I have made one sale so far! From what I've read online, it can take several months for sales to really pick up when you're a new shop, but it's soooo hard to stay motivated and enthusiastic when no one is buying your work! I've been lurking on my Etsy page, checking my stats every few hours, trying to see if there's a pattern to people's searches or viewing habits. I think my most exciting moments, other than my first purchase, are when a complete stranger 'likes' one of my pieces! I find it so thrilling that someone I don't even know would make the effort to tell me they like my work!

It's also very strange adjusting from working 7 days a week to having your weekends free. I still have two jobs mind you, but my online shop is very different from working in a formal 9-5 environment. It's so tempting to just lay around doing nothing, but I have to keep motivated and remember that working for myself is just a valid a job as working for someone else. I have the same responsibilities and I need to hold myself accountable to them!

I think part of the slow response to my shop is that the holidays are upon us and most people have finished their shopping and are ready to relax with their families, and part of it is that no one really knows who I am or what I do!  I need to really step up my marketing and get myself KNOWN if I'm going to be successful at this! And I FULLY intend to make Defiant Designs a smash!

Which brings me to my New Year's Goals & Resolutions!

• Create a marketing package that I can distribute to friends, families, blogs, magazines, etc.
• Create a marketing schedule for the year!
• Create MORE!! I need way more product on my site and now that the hard part is done (getting launched), I can focus on the fun part of creating!
• Get featured in an article of some kind: blog, magazine, etc.
• Sell 3 items a week!
• Sell to a boutique.
• Push myself creatively!!! One of the biggest things I admire about my fellow Etsians is how fearless they are & passionate in their creative pursuits! It's my goal to show my passion & to push my creative limits! I.E.- Let my freak flag fly and just go for it!

And on that note, I will leave you with some pics of the recent holiday festivities in NYC!

Just a pretty night shot I took walking about Manhattan!
Everyone was on their way home from the SantaCon Parade!

The Wish Wall at the Times Square Visitor's Center!
You write your wish on a piece of confetti and all the wishes get dropped from the Ball on New Years!!
(Mine is there on the far left! haha!)

SantaCon in Times Square!