A while back, a jewelry artist told me she felt boxed in by her customers’ expectations.
She had become successful with a particular style of jewelry she created, but she’d gotten really tired of making it.
She yearned to create new, different jewelry items – and felt jealous of the creative new directions she saw other jewelry artists going.
But she was afraid that making and offering something different would cause her to lose customers.
Should this artist
stick with what’s working,
or take the risk of evolving?
Here’s what I told her:
If you don’t feel creatively fulfilled, then everything about your business seems like uphill work.
You feel more like a factory than an artist.
And your business becomes a job instead of a creative entrepreneur’s journey.
When you get to that point, your work and your customer care lose the spark of excitement and innovation that make a handmade business so appealing to shop from.
But will you lose customers
if you evolve and change over time?
You may lose some. But I think you’re more likely to lose customers if you DON’T evolve.
Because even if they love your current successful item, your customers will only want a limited quantity of it.
Sooner or later your returning fans will to want to see some new designs from you.
After all, would you keep returning to the same jewelry store if their inventory was always exactly the same as the last time you visited?
Your current success
is not the end of your journey;
it’s a stepping stone.
If you already have a successful “signature” jewelry line, you’re in a great position to launch new designs to an audience that’s already sold on your work.
And of course you can continue to offer your successful jewelry item.
In fact, it may be excellent “bait” for luring people in – so they can then see your newer designs as well.
Your fans want you to grow and evolve. They want to see exciting new things from you.
If you don’t evolve, you stagnate – both creatively and business-wise.
And that’s never been as true as it is now, when everything around us is evolving faster than ever.
How has your jewelry business evolved over time?
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I get creatively bored very fast and prefer to create new designs all the time, so my jewelry is constantly evolving. No wonder this poor artist was losing heart, if she felt stuck with making the same things over and over! I would go nuts, lol! I guess sometimes success can also feel like a curse.
I agree wholeheartedly with Rena. Evolve! Evolution is necessary for survival – even in the handmade jewelry business.
And as Rena already pointed out you can still offer selections from your current popular line (even if you reduce the number of offerings from that line) while also providing offerings from your adventures into new and exciting territory. I have regulars who come to see me at every show and they’re looking for the stuff they didn’t see the year before. They want to know what’s new! As long as you are offering new goods your customers will keep coming back year after year to see what’s new from you too.
You have to evolve – take baby steps and those new designs may tempt the existing customer base to evolve with you!
Unless you are Amish, you have to evolve!! And if you are Amish, you aren’t reading this.. I haven’t been doing this very long, but my style/designs have changed several times.. I still do some of the same things I started with, but most of my (friends/family)customers like to see what I’ve been adding to my collection.. And I always check out the latest trends in Bead Style magazine and see what I want to work with next..
Thank you Rena for giving us this forum to share and learn and grow!!!
Using the successful line to build more successful lines is the key. You have customers who love your work so show them more, different styles. Everyone has to change to grow their business, our customers always want new designs and styles so we introduce new items before the winter and summer wholesale jewelry shows. We still make designs we created over 20 years ago, we stick with what is popular and create new lines as well.
I agree with the rena, changes is necessary. Don’t fear of loosing customer because your new design would also appreciated by them. You can also show your art and skills in your particular style jewelry.
Yes, it is true. I have been in the jewelry display business for more than a decade and that’s what we usually proved – time in business goes ups and sometimes down but striving to will it to the success path is important. Indeed a splendid post.
Nile Corp
Jewelry Display
Fabulous article that hits home. And what if your creativity pulls you into a completely different direction?
In the past I made & sold jewelry, then discovered lampworking and in the last 5 years I almost exclusively made beads.
But now suddenly my mind is buzzing with all these jewelry ideas (incorporating my beads) and the day has only 24 hours.
I worked hard on establishing my bead business and I don’t want to lose my customers. However, I wake up in the night with jewelry ideas and my whole creativity evolves around this at the moment.
What’s your take on this. Should you follow an established (and profitable) path, or take a risk if creativity pulls you somewhere else?
While I agree with those posters that say follow your creativity and evolve, I come to the concept from a totally different angle. I just officially started my handcrafted jewelry business in January 2012 and have only had a couple sales so far (friends and family) so I wouldn’t describe my business as a success, not yet – I know it takes time and I am willing myself to have the patience
My story goes like this: I worked in a profitable career as an environmental consultant for about 8 years. I was working my way up the corporate ladder, but felt increasingly unsatisfied with my career choice. I spent so much time working that I didn’t have time to do the fun creative stuff I loved. When my other half took a new job that required a big move to a small town forcing me to quit my full time job, I started taking a serious look at what I really wanted to do. In my heart I knew I wanted to make things, to follow my creative and artistic side that had been dormant during years of consulting. Thus, By A Wire was born (thank you Rena for all of your wonderful tips, blogs, and instruction! I can’t say enough about how helpful it all has been and continues to be!!). I know I haven’t been at it for long, and I’m not sure if I could do this year in and year out if all I could afford to eat was PB&J sandwiches, but now that I’m here following my creativity I can’t imagine betraying it again. Following your creativity makes your heart rejoice and your passion will draw others to you. Through all of the research I did just to get started, I encountered lots of people in a variety of levels of success. The ones that I found myself connecting with the most weren’t necessarily the most successful ones, they were the most passionate ones. If you aren’t following your creativity, it will show in your work and it will take a toll on you too (believe me I know!). I love dreaming about new designs and can’t wait to get started on them in my studio the following morning – I wouldn’t trade that for my money making career where my job was just surviving the day (I guess we’ll have to wait and see what tune I’m singing in the next year or two :-\ ). Remember that not everyone has the gift of creativity, take advantage of your gift!
Thanks to all for sharing your insights on evolving creatively!
I so agree that evolving is a vital part of business success – especially when you’re in an artistic business. When customers deal with us, they expect creativity and new angles on things – and that means we need to provide new products and experiences for returning customers.
Judith, regarding your established bead business vs. your growing interest in making jewelry with your handmade beads – why not do both?
I think you’ll have a lot of customer overlap (I buy jewelry supplies as well as other artists’ finished jewelry) – so I don’t think you have to choose between them.
As long as you’re still happy and feel a connection with both, you could offer both beads and finished jewelry. I’m sure you’ll have some fans of one and some fans of the other – and many fans of both!
Jessica, I visited your Etsy shop – very nice jewels!
And I agree – the artists who are passionate about what they do are usually far more compelling and memorable. And their work has a special quality that we don’t find in less passionately produced art!
I love your statement, “Following your creativity makes your heart rejoice and your passion will draw others to you.”
So very true, and a beautiful guidepost!