nicely done amber! thanks.

Can’t wait to read what everyone’s ideas are!

Excellent Idea!

ooh – very cool. I sometimes post work in progress on my blog & it is always interesting to see what people think. This sounds like a really interesting forum

This is going to be exciting!

artsnark, do you post pictures of work in progress? can you tell us how you do it?

thanks viviana. how do you think you’d react if people told you they liked your item.. or gave you ‘suggestions’ about how to change it?

Interesting idea, can’t wait to see it in action

Wow – very cool and intriguing idea. I’m thinking this could lead to some artistic collaborations too? Maybe you print fabric and have a bag design in your head but don’t sew – maybe this could be the place to find your perfect project partner?

neat idea.. thx!

This is a good idea ejorpin!

I love feedback, all of it, good or bad! Bring it on! And yes, sometimes I too need a little push to get things moving. Looking forward to what this will bring to HS.

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Very interesting idea!

I love posting photos of my process. I’ve posted on my blog here -

http://linda-ellett.blogspot.com/2010/09/my-latest-carving-project-roman-soldier.html

and on my flickr page here -

http://www.flickr.com/photos/linda_ellett/sets/72157623348397779/

those are just 2 places I post process photos – I also put them on my facebook fan page and link from the Etsy Mud Team, where I’m a member. It’s great fun to get feedback…what a great idea!

looked at both your blog and flickr links and the pictures really engaged me in your creative process. nice.
this is cool too: http://www.flickr.com/photos/linda_ellett/4295509730/in/set-72157623348397779/

Great observation Emily – we would love to help make those collaborations happen!

Wow! Thanks for sharing, Linda! I love how you’ve organized yourself to share your projects with your readers! I agree that it is fun to get feedback, in addition to the more obvious reason of it being helpful too! :)

So excited to see where this goes!! I often hint around to what I’m working on on my Facebook page and sometimes on Twitter. I have often thought about posting a running list (a very long running list) of what I’m working on somewhere on my blog, too. You’ve definitely got my wheels turning on how letting my readers in on the creative process could really help sculpt my projects towards exactly what they are looking for!

hi nikki, in stiches – how long is that list of things you are working on… including ideas, things you have started, things that are almost done, etc? maybe you can write a post and link to it here?!

great stuff on your blog: http://nikkiinstitches.wordpress.com/2010/10/13/chocolates-cherries-ribbon-embellished-quilt-tutorial/

This is a great idea. There are times when I’m working on a photograph that I just kinda stop & think “am I going to far with this one”. I will just leave it for a day or 2 & then rethink it again. Feedback from an impartial person would be great. I sometimes post a pic of something on progress on my FB page too just to try to keep it fresh. I can’t wait to see how this goes :)

this is interesting: There are times when I’m working on a photograph that I just kinda stop & think “am I going to far with this one”

can you give an example of what ‘going to far’ means? and how someone else could help you?

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Great idea! I make jewelry and usually take it to work for “show n tell” to my co-workers. But having other artists and crafters to bounce ideas off of is a great idea.

in reply to glitteringphotos – I wondered what it was too and check out the link….neat idea, love the water lily photo.

Thanks!

This sounds like a good way to get some impartial opinions. Fun idea! I’m always getting ideas, some good and some not. Usually though when someone tells me something won’t work, I plow ahead anyway. Stubborn, I guess. ;)

So happy you like my blog!

Yes, I would love to write a post and link to it here…do you have a word count in mind??
;-)
It’s a long list!

Continuing with our convo about letting people see our creative process….I have always had this idea, but have yet had the time to really see if it would work:
Have you heard of the people that take a picture every day at the same time of the same thing, to show its progress? I always thought that would be interesting to do with my works in progress. People could see how sometimes I make great progress in a short amount of time, sometimes it sits for days while I walk past and try to get a feel for where I want it to go, and sometimes even I take a few steps back because I’m not happy with where it went.
Anyone else think that’s at all a neat idea??

NIS – Write something, but don’t worry if its finished or not but gives us enough to spark our interest… then drop a link to it in this thread. you can always add more to it later if that feels like the right thing..! yes?

totally agree that someone saying something isn’t for them probably is not reason enough to stop. for me, when someone says “no” i want to know “why” and with “specifics” because just “no” doesn’t get me any closer to “yes”… yes?

I like this because it means more interaction which is exposure and the 6.00 rate is certainly a great deal for promotion

oh wow!!! I think this is a fabulous idea! This will be integral for artists who are isolated, or who do not find much support from family or friends. I am very much looking forward to something like this!

Thanks April! I think sometimes our family and friends can also be “too nice” when offering opinions on our items too. (The only one I trust is my husband – who is a tough critic and usually “spot-on” with his critiques. Otherwise my f & f all are “oooh that’s nice” people only!) LOL I like the idea of getting feedback from people we don’t know.
You bring up a great point about how this will be important for artists who might feel isolated from interacting with their peers, let alone potential customers. Thanks!

Thanks designsoffaithandjoy! Glad you are excited about it! We think it will be a great tool that our subscribers will benefit from in so many ways: promotion, social interaction, product feedback during the creative process, sharing with your peers, the list goes on and on!

Another thought – sometimes I get given or fall in love with materials that I then have no idea how to use in my craft. Could this be a place to seek input and inspiration from others at the very start of a project? For example, I have some lace in the shape of an owl that I want to incorporate in to a felt pin cushion…somehow… Could I seek ideas on how to proceed with the design in this kind of forum?

Have an idea and a few “scribbles” on paper. Looking forward to this going live!

Yes Emily you could do it this way: post a pic of your materials, let’s say the owl lace you mentioned. Next image I can imagine a sketch you’ve drawn of what you imagine your felt pin cushion would look like – rough idea. You ask for ideas on how others might use the lace owl on a pin cushion. Maybe you’ve come up with two sketches: one pin cushion is a rectangle where the owl might be on the top of it. Another sketch might show the pin cushion in a different shape w/owl lace on the side instead. Get the idea? Start a conversation and see where it takes you (and your creative process!)

I’ve been getting more involved with Etsy item / store critiques with some of the street team forums members lately. They’re really helpful, not just at pointing out what is wrong but in giving effective advice on how to improve.

I’d like to see Handmade Spark doing something similar, perhaps with categories so other users who are experienced in similar areas can give targeted feedback and support.

Also, I’m quite enjoying learning about other handmade artists’ workspaces and work processes, so some more “behind-the-scenes” would be fantastic.

I’ve just given it my first shot on my blog, not sharing the technical aspects but more the end-to-end process of creating and selling a dress (for me): http://maybrady.blogspot.com/2010/11/its-just-dress.html

Looking forward to the new HS Design Studio!! mb

Thanks for sharing that blog post with us. I think it’s a great idea to give people an insight into the process of selling handmade and into how you spend your time as a handmade seller (and it’s not always making stuff, as we all know!).

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