On last week’s post on creating niche products, I got several comments from people who felt they just could not limit themselves to one material or idea.
“I’m creative, I just have too many ideas to focus on one thing!”
There is nothing wrong with being creative and having a lot of ideas. In fact, those of us that possess the elusive skill of creativity are often the envy of those who don’t.
But ultimately, if you want to build a successful business, you need to learn to balance the creative brain with the business brain.
The creative part of your brain is the part that keeps you up at night dreaming of new ideas. But the business brain is what you need to edit and figure out which of those new ideas will make it to market.
When you’re overwhelmed by all the things you could sell, the first thing to keep in mind is this:
Not every thing you make needs to be for sale
An important role of the business brain is to edit what your creative brain produces.
One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is that they try to sell every type of thing they create.
I have creative skills far beyond what’s reflected in the jewelry collections I sell in my online store. Beyond the vast repertoire of metalsmithing skills I have in my arsenal, I also like to sew, am skilled at felting, can hold my own with a crochet hook, and like to spend time painting and drawing.
But you don’t see any of that in my shop. (Though you may occasional see some of those things on my personal blog or Instagram.)
Just because you can and do make something doesn’t mean it necessarily needs to be for sale.
I like to think that every creative business has a sweet spot, where all the different things you could (or love to) make intersects with the things that are the most profitable and that you find easiest to sell. And yes, it can certainly take some experimentation to find that sweet spot, but it also helps to impose some limits on what you actually take to market.
This could mean sticking to core materials, processes, or products, and then letting your other creative expressions be just that, creative expressions.
Which brings me to my second point:
It’s ok to have hobbies
The prevailing idea around sites like Etsy is that you’ll be able to turn your hobby into a business. But the truth is that not all of your hobbies are suited for business.
It’s ok to keep some of your hobbies as just, well, hobbies.
And I realize, once you’ve got the entrepreneurial bug, that this is easier said than done. It’s a dilemma I’m all too familiar with.
I love to ride my bike. And every so often, I get bitten by the bug that asks “how can I turn my love of bicycling into a business?” And after entertaining that thought for a few days, I finally remind myself that I have plenty of work to do running the businesses I already have, and that it’s ok for some of my hobbies to be just that, hobbies.
You’ll probably also need to keep reminding yourself of that from time to time. Last year, I decided I needed a non-work, non-art, non-exercise related creative hobby. So I started buying ALL the houseplants. And even though I turned into a plant lady specifically because I was looking for a hobby, it’s still amazing how many times I found myself wanting to figure out ways to monetize my newfound passion for plants, whether that’s by suddenly turning into an Instagram plant influencer or offering plant classes online.
But at the end of the day, I keep reminding myself that not everything we do needs to be monetized (or even shared on the Internet) and it really is ok to just have hobbies.
Balancing your business brain with your creative brain means taking a good look at which products make sense to sell, and which products don’t. It means coming up with an overall brand identity and choosing products that fit into that identity. And it means not feeling the pressure to monetize every single one of your interests.
This is true even for large companies admired for their creativity. For every product Apple brings to market, there are plenty of ideas (some that probably made it pretty far into the prototyping and development process) that the world will never see. Apple has to balance the creativity of their design team with the need to make a profit.
There’s nothing wrong with indulging the whims of your creative brain and trying out different techniques or subject matters as the mood strikes you. That’s where new ideas come from.
But it’s important to spend as much time cultivating and listening to your business brain, because that’s what will help you build a cohesive product line and a successful business.
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LOVE this, Megan!
I see a lot of people – especially when they’re starting out – making this mistake.
That said, I *have* seen some successful shops that mix media – but they seem to be in the minority.
I think that perhaps ‘variety on the other side of simplicity’ might be the way to go for some people – but at first, I’d always recommend sticking to one thing and doing that really, really well.
thanks Jess!
I do think it’s possible to have a shop that mixed media if it’s got some other unifying factor (like a really great niche theme!)
But in general, you’re better off focusing on something than trying to sell it all!
Wise wise words!
THANK YOU for this article. I really needed to hear this. It makes total sense yet it never really occurred to me. As someone who is trying so desperately to make this into a full time business venture, anytime I come up with an idea that has even the tiniest potential of furthering my business, I tend to jump on it. Without thinking. And now I’m at a point where there are SO many ideas Im trying to pursue that nothing actually ends up getting done. I guess there is something to be said for finding a niche and sticking with it for awhile at least. Hm…. interesting post for sure. Might be time to step back and re-evaluate some things. : )
It’s easy to call yourself an artist. Running a business takes discipline and focus. If this idea turns you off, then a full-time artmaker is not for you. Turn your art into a side business or a hobby. There is nothing wrong with that, it’s the grown-up thing to do.
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Oh sweet! So glad you posted this – I’ve got a follow up started, will link up!
Well done! It surprises me that so many people don’t “get” this. I have many hobbies and am always dabbling in something new. I do bead-work, knit, crochet, spin etc. Often people comment on things I’ve made and say I should be selling them and I always say no. Those things are hobbies for a reason, two really. I am not proficient enough at any of them to produce what it would take to earn money, and I do them as a leisure activity and don’t have a need to excel at them. Once something becomes work it is still fun but it is not leisure it is work and I strive to do it “really, really well”.
THIS is the article that I’ve needed. It is being printed as I type and will be posted on my studio wall. Just like Gwyn, I have always had people comment on many things I’ve made and say I should be selling them and I always said “if I sell this it will be work and then I won’t have any hobbies.” It was jewelry making that became my passion – way beyond a hobby – and I knew that would be my next career. Narrrowing it down to what kind of jewelry or that special niche has been a struggle, so this article really clicked for me. I now know that I need to pick the medium that I’m most passionate about, really master it, and keep the others as my hobbies.
THANK YOU so much for this article!!
Hi there
I LOVE this article! Especially the part where you say you contemplated what sort of business you could start from your love of bike riding. This is exactly the sort of thoughts I have every day so is reassuring to hear someone express the same thoughts! I am in the same sort of place – trying to work with my business brain more and not keep following every creative idea I have! Easier said than done though 😉
Thanks for this! I am going to re-tweet it now!
Victoria xx
Well said. So many people ask me “why don’t you make such and such?” I have figured out that just because I will make someone a gift for their baby, doesn’t mean I need to sell what I made in my shop.
It took me a minute to figure this out, but I am glad I did!
Oh, just dead on! Yes, exactly! I was just messing around with one of my favorite hobbies today and found myself slipping into exactly this type of mindset – hmm, maybe I should research where I can get these materials in bulk, and figure out how much time it takes to make one, and, and… I’ve got many, many hobbies, but this particular one is the only one that has caught my attention like my actual work does. But that does *not* mean that I need to start thinking about producing to sell!
Megan, great post! It has taken me awhile to figure out that it’s okay to keep some of my creative talents as hobbies that I can just enjoy. Sometimes I think as creative people we have to figure out which of our talents BEST serves others and allows us to flourish in our creative passions. Thanks for communicating this concept in such a clear way.
Great article, Megan! Thank you!
Love Heather’s comment:
“Sometimes I think as creative people we have to figure out which of our talents BEST serves others and allows us to flourish in our creative passions.”
—-
So true!!
Thanks for another post for all of us! It’s an odd combo, business and art. I think all of us interested in both have a hard time shutting down both sides when we need to. I find myself limiting myself with the things to sell (opening my shop this month) and fighting people who are trying to make things more complex by selling different things, or going in a million directions. It’s refreshing to hear people say the honest truth and “get it” when so many family members just don’t really understand.
Megan, you are so right, especially for beginners trying to make a living on their art. Creativity can scatter your focus so easily with all the wonderful inspiration that are around us. Thanks for keeping us on target.
I feel the people giving support to artist’s businesses need to hear this as well. How many time I’ve said “thanks for the idea maybe later” to people that really care and support me and my work. We work in an exciting business, creativity comes and goes through ideas, dreams, wishes and conversational brainstorming. It can be easy to get carried away. Thanks for the reminder to excel in that one thing.
Hi Megan,
I really enjoy your articles. A friend told me about your site and I am hooked!
Thank you for the wise words I enjoyed both articles. They have reinforced thoughts I have had since opening my Etsy shop. I love making shawls but they take over a year to make so for me they will remain a hobby not a business venue. Your article contains many words of wisdom.
Hey Megan,
Great perspective. I *always* struggle with this, and striving to make my focus more complete & my shop cohesiveness is what has made my business more successful (not just making more, and more jewelry). It is a very exacting science, balancing these 2 parts of your creative business, but is critically essential.
It’s great to hear you speak about it in plain terms, though. Always encouraging to hear another’s thoughts about something we all struggle with, thanks! :^)
Heidi
Inspirational as always. Got to link this up 🙂
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Oh, thank goodness. There was a glimmer of sanity at my core that has been telling me to stick to my Rock Collection necklaces and run with them and all around that sanity whirled visions of colorful embroideries and paintings.
I can say “whirled” in the past tense because this was just the kick in the pants I needed! Thank you thank you thank you!
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KUDOS!!! Thanks much for the advice…sometimes I can get ahead myself with creativity, but I have to keep a business plan in mind at all times.
This is dead on target for me! I struggle with the freedom I now have in my brain as I began life as a full-time artist last year. After YEARS of corporate America, it’s taking a while to ‘reign it in’ and focus. But I’m getting there. The drive to create always surprises me. It’s a strong and strange taskmaster! Thank you for the wise words!
I so agree, struggling to decide what is for business and what should remain as a hobby is sort of a blur sometimes. You feel torn between keeping things for yourself or selling it for others to enjoy especially when you feel that you have it in you to make only that one item and not make a duplicate….And worse of all its harder when you have many different skills and in your head you have so man ideas of things that can be produce using those skills.
Good post, it has definitely made me think about the issue a bit more.
Thank you Megan.
Francesca