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Re: slow sales... in my brief time in this industry it's been my experience, as someone else said, that summer is a particularly slow time. Things pick up around August when school's churning to start, and then thru Fall, Winter, and early Spring, it's like WOWZA. And then... back to a slow summer. I just had a GREAT sale, for which I'm very grateful... but it was my lowest eBay pricepoint in years. So we're all in this together.
Also, just now, I received my fabulous BEAR PATHS Plum Club Monday night showcase, and I noticed that a HUGE number of absolutely gloriously beautiful bears were STILL available, even though they were already introduced during a "special" Plum Club showcase a week or so ago. From very highly regarded artists, I mean... not newcomers of little reknown. So I do think it's fair to conclude that when it's 100 degrees outside and people are just leaving for vacation, bears are not on their mind(s)...
Keep the faith, and your credit cards closeby to tide you thru the summertime! Things WILL pick up come fall. Cause in autumn, in winter, in spring... everybody loves a bear!
Take care,
Posts: 8,574I'll have a nice little collection of Apple Dumpling Bears...someone out there will be green with envy
[size=18]
ain't life grand?![/size] 
[size=18]So many ways to do what we love![/size]
Jellybelly Bears[size=18]So many ways to do what we love![/size]
Yes there certainly is Dilu and thank goodness for that!...I went to the craft shop yesterday (my monthy outing lol) and was looking at scrapbooking stuff...now I have the urge....not another craft!!! 
Thats the thing with the wonderful world of creating...it never stops just because sales are down...we just keep on creating because we LOVE it and can't stop. YAY for that...we have the best job in the world don't we 
An outlet for keeping busy that I love are shows and competitions...we have a couple here in Adelaide a year and its fun to enter...you build your skills and having another artist judge your work is so good to know how well you are really doing.
Hugs and this has been a great thread to read!
xo Sarah
Posts: 1,836From very highly regarded artists, I mean... not newcomers of little reknown. So I do think it's fair to conclude that when it's 100 degrees outside and people are just leaving for vacation, bears are not on their mind(s)...
Eww..this lets me jump in with a question I've been wanting to ask! 
For those of us who are newcomers, what advice would you give as a seasoned artist? When was the moment you realized you were "known" or recognizable by collectors and other artists? Was it advertising that helped you, ad placement in mags/sites..or was it actually being pictured or included in a write up in a publication? Was it just outright sales on your site or on ebay? Awards?
Coming from a pretty intense corporate setting, but being a creative romantic at heart I'm balancing between the two worlds right now. I'm enjoying every moment of creating these little guys, but I'm also committed to the goals I've set for myself.
Have any of you felt pressured to move away from your own style and move toward "trends" to meet, generate, or kick start sales? Like by doing what seems to be "hot" on ebay or something? (Not something I'm worried about for myself right now, I'm really just curious.)
Thanks!
~Chrissi
ebay, CTCatherwoods
coming summer 2006..www.CatherWoods.com
Melbourne, AustraliaHave any of you felt pressured to move away from your own style and move toward "trends" to meet, generate, or kick start sales? Like by doing what seems to be "hot" on ebay or something?
Chrissi,
As a collector, I always look for a quality bear who has instant appeal, but still stands apart from the norm, one tht's well made with even joints and a nicely stitched nose.
As an artist, I have found by trying to please everybody or follow the trends, you may as well try looking for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow...you'll never find it.
Try new styles, sizes and experiment by all means, this way you'll find the techniques you do best. However, if you want to develop a unique recognizable style of your own, stay true to yourself.
Big hugs,
Sandi
Summer months are great for experimentation! It's a wonderful time to work on new ideas.
While the collectors are away, bear makers can play! 
Kim-Bee BearsI say stay true to yourself and create what makes YOU happy... If you make what others want, you will not want to create! I just make whatever comes out of me (unless it is a commission and all people who have gotten my commisions know that I work pretty much the same way, I take an idea and I put my twist on it). That is why I create, show pics and then ask if they would like to adopt. We all went through this last year... people are out enjoying the sun (well, not here in PA right now, it is suppose to rain until Saturday!!!!) and enjoying vacations and aren't on ebay buying. I just keep creating Sure, I would like to sell right and left but I am enjoying the sun (whenever I can) as well! I guess I don't worry as much because bearmaking is my hobby and not my job There is a LOT more pressure when it is your only means of income.
BIG HUGS, SHANTELL! :hug: :hug:
Posts: 1,836Shelli wrote:From very highly regarded artists, I mean... not newcomers of little reknown. So I do think it's fair to conclude that when it's 100 degrees outside and people are just leaving for vacation, bears are not on their mind(s)...
Eww..this lets me jump in with a question I've been wanting to ask!
For those of us who are newcomers, what advice would you give as a seasoned artist? When was the moment you realized you were "known" or recognizable by collectors and other artists? Was it advertising that helped you, ad placement in mags/sites..or was it actually being pictured or included in a write up in a publication? Was it just outright sales on your site or on ebay? Awards?
Coming from a pretty intense corporate setting, but being a creative romantic at heart I'm balancing between the two worlds right now. I'm enjoying every moment of creating these little guys, but I'm also committed to the goals I've set for myself.
Thanks for the comments so far!! What about all the first few lines of the original question...I'd love to hear what you all think or your exp. are/were! Those questions are pasted here again in the quote. Thanks so much!!
Melbourne, AustraliaFor those of us who are newcomers, what advice would you give as a seasoned artist? When was the moment you realized you were "known" or recognizable by collectors and other artists? Was it advertising that helped you, ad placement in mags/sites..or was it actually being pictured or included in a write up in a publication? Was it just outright sales on your site or on ebay? Awards?
Chrissi,
I don't think anyone can pinpoint the moment...success (being known or recognizable) isn't something that happens overnight, it's earned, through a lot of hard work and perserverance.
Sure advertising plays a part in getting your name seen, so do editorials, competitions and shows.
But when all is said and done...it still all comes back to your work...it's originality and quality.
Big hugs,
Sandi
I guess I'm pretty well seasoned! 
My advice would be to persevere towards improvement. We can all improve upon what we offer collectors, whether we're new bear artists carving a niche, or old timers striving to maintain our grip!
I would also advise working hard to make yourself accessible to the bear collecting public. It always amazes me how many bear artists I hear complaining that their work is going unnoticed, when they are failing to put enough effort into self-promotion! It's rare for collectors to 'stumble' over a new artist's work, no matter how beautiful it is!
Get your name 'out there', make certain your product is as near perfect as possible and only then will you begin to establish the first foothold on the long haul towards a lasting reputation!
Newcastle, OntarioI agree with Paula - put your bears out there as much as possible to be noticed by the public. If you can't afford advertising, there are plenty of the magazines that accept submissions for free. You can even have some fab pictures taken of your bears, and send to the editors of the magazines, and ask them to consider doing an article on your bears. Enter the bear competitions - it's another way to get recognition.
I don't do shows anymore, but I did for the first 5 years of my bearmaking and I did a lot of them. Some of my best customers from the shows are now my best customers on Ebay. I was "extremely" fortuitous in that Deb Canham asked me to design for her company and I did nine pieces for her. In some ways, it actually interfered with my sales, as people could get "repros' of my work much cheaper, but it definitely got my name out to the publc and helped with recognition of my work, so rewards come in different ways. I do believe you have to be true to yourself. I love antique bears and that's what I strive for in my "look". I couldn't do a "cute" bear if I tried, and I don't want to. If you do what you love, it shows in your work.
It also depends on what you want with your bears - I was surprised when I started selling on Ebay, that there seemed to be two worlds for bear makers. There were a lot of wonderful artists selling there, that I had not heard of, yet they were extremely popular on Ebay. Some of these artists have never sold anywhere else, yet they have a great business. I think if I had discovered Ebay first, I might never have done shows. I love the freedom that Ebay gives me, without the pressure of orders. Now, lots of artists sell on Ebay, and it's become more common for customers to buy there bears online, but some customers still want to actually "feel" the bear first, and I understand that completely.
This is my take on things, Chrissi - hope it is of some help.
hugs,
Brenda
Bears by EdieChrissi wrote: For those of us who are newcomers, what advice would you give as a seasoned artist? When was the moment you realized you were "known" or recognizable by collectors and other artists? Was it advertising that helped you, ad placement in mags/sites..or was it actually being pictured or included in a write up in a publication? Was it just outright sales on your site or on ebay? Awards?
I agree with everyone else, Chrissi, it just takes time and getting your name out there by whatever means you can. I used to send in photos to magazines often, and enter contests which really puts you in the limelight - especially if you win lol! I also managed to get write ups in a number of magazines and that really gets you noticed. Doing shows or being on ebay regularily also gives you good exposure. - so really all of the things you mentioned! However - that still does not guarantee you sales - just makes it more likely that people will recognize your bears and hopefully will eventually be reflected in sales. Donating bears to charity bear auctions is another good way to get noticed.
I think when new trends come along a lot of artists will try doing similar things - I think most artists like to experiment and try new ideas - but they are not necessarily copying but incorporating into their own designs and still doing their own thing and more because it is something they are interested in and not because they think it is a hot seller. People have to make what appeals to them - for instance if you really don't like anime bears, if you tried to make them just because you figured they were "hot" you likely wouldn't be very successful and your bears would look like copies of someone elses as it isn't coming from inside you. Or if you really disliked distressed old looking bears and tried to do that, you would again miss the essence of it because you wouldn't "feel" what you were trying to do. Not sure if I am explaining what I mean here or not??? Besides trends come and go and you really have to do what you like and what works for you - but always keep striving to improve and create new designs and do the best work that you can.
I have a cute story that in a way was the defining moment for me to realize that I had started to create a "name" for myself (at least in Canada at the time - perhaps not til later on the world wide scene!) About 14 years ago, when I had been making bears for about 5 years, I did my first real bear show - the 1st Bear Fair in Calgary, Alberta - with celebrity artists from the States and artists from across Canada in attendance. I felt like a real greenhorn but was SOOO excited to be doing a bear show and meeting all these people that I had only read about in the magazines. Well the first night they had an auction of bears made by the artists in attendance with the money going to charity and I had 3 bears in the auction and was a bit worried about whether anyone would bid on them. My name is Edie (pronounced eedee) and everytime the auctioneer got to one of my bears he would read out the info about it and say it was from Bears by EDDY (as in the boys name Eddy) and the WHOLE room would shout back it's EDIE not EDDY - I just couldn't believe it that they all seemed to know who I was and cared enough to correct the auctioneer! It certainly was an incredible experience for me and one I will never forget!
P. S. all 3 of my bears did really well for the charity and I was thrilled that one of the top artists in Canada at the time was the top bidder on one of my little offerings!
Bear hugs, Edie
