Typewriter pouch by ity bity bags

Continuing the Writers Spark series, I am delighted to introduce you to Handmade Spark blog writer, beaded jewelry maker, gardener and cat lover Susan Campanini!   Susan is also a freelance copyeditor – something which I had to admit made me a bit nervous typing up this post (did I get all the commas in the right place?  No spelling mistakes?  What about apostrophes!  Arghhh!)

Susan’s blog posts for Handmade Spark have given us a chance to peek inside her truly amazing collection of beads – a collection which constantly inspires her to make unique pieces of jewelry.  Here, Susan talks about her love of beads and the patience and self-belief required to make on-line selling work – I love her advice for Etsy sellers!  Enjoy!

1. Tough ask but…give us a bio in one sentence!

I’m a semi-retired teacher of French and English who works from home as a freelance book editor, has been a passionate designer of beaded jewelry for twenty years, loves flower gardening and literary fiction and playing with our six cats.

2. What do you create?  What drew you to this particular craft?

I create one-of-a-kind designs in beaded earrings and necklaces using a wide range of unusual handmade, vintage and just plain beautiful beads.  I got started when I visited a bead store with a friend twenty years ago.  I fell in love with the variety of materials, the color and design possibilities, and the way each bead is an art treasure in itself.

3. What inspires you?  How do you keep your creative spark firing?

Getting new beads from time to time is a big source of inspiration, but I can just open any box of beads in my studio whenever I have the time and a jewelry design jumps out at me!  It’s the beads themselves that provide the creative spark…so wherever there are beads, the spark is firing I guess.

4. Tell us about your day job…

I do copyediting on books of all kinds – adjusting grammar, punctuation, spelling and word choice, and checking typesetting instructions, queries, figures, tables, citations and references – for everything from science fiction to brain surgery!  I work at home using my computer.  I have deadlines, but my daily schedule is flexible so there is time for my beading and Etsy updates.

5. What kinds of things do you enjoy writing about?  Where do you get your ideas for blog posts?

I really enjoy writing Susan’s Blog and the articles for Handmade Spark.  For Spark, the articles so far have been mainly about beads, craft shows and bead shows.  I plan to do some pieces on more kinds of beads, design principles and beading tips.  In my personal blog, I include lots of spring flower posts, fiction book reviews and cat tales.  I try to use my own life experience and activities as a starting point for sharing information with my readers.

6. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt from running a handmade business? What advice can you pass on to other Etsy sellers?

The biggest lesson so far (and still ongoing) is to have patience!  None of the handmade business happens overnight – not building up an inventory, promoting your product, or getting sales.  It’s taken me quite a while to get a lot of listings in my Etsy shop, and I have a ways to go yet.  I know I still need to improve my photos.  I think the best advice for other Etsy sellers is to keep believing in yourself and doing your craft because it’s what you love doing.

7. And for blog writers?  Any advice on writing posts and engaging readers?

I think the mix between something personal and something that has a larger interest is important in choosing blog topics.  Taking the camera with you helps a lot because many posts can be based on a group of photos from a particular activity you do.  I tend to avoid super controversial subjects, I use a light tone and an upbeat attitude in my writing.  I also care about the material being accurate and informative so that my readers enjoy what they’re reading and learn something along the way.

8. How do you market your business?  What has and hasn’t worked for you?

Whenever I add a new Etsy listing, I put up a post on Susan’s Blog, or publish an article on Handmade Spark, and I usually announce it via Twitter.  I find Twitter easy to use and fun.  I love writing my blog and I also use it to link my readers to Spark articles and to Beaded Jewelry by Susan, my Etsy shop.  I have  Facebook fan page as well that I update from time to time.  For me, Facebook is still very confusing to navigate and I don’t really like it.  I have some studio photos on Flickr but I haven’t expanded on that.  At this point I only do two craft shows per year, but I include my Etsy website on the business cards I give each craft show customer.  I have sometimes shown items from my Etsy shop on Kaboodle and IndieSpotting.

I’m really waiting for most of these promotional activities to bring traffice to my site.  Because I’m not sure yet which will work best for me, I’m going with a combination!

9. Time to pay it forward!  Tell us your 3 favourite Etsy shops that we should support…

Fiber Beads – beads made from all kinds of fiber in all kinds of colors

Bobbi’s This ‘n That – Czech glass beads, Bali sterling silver and lots more!

Renae Schoeffel Art – Modern abstract art paintings and fine art giclee prints

Thanks Susan!

Beaded Jewelry by Susan on Etsy

Susan’s Blog

Susan’s posts for Handmade Spark

Susan on Twitter

Beaded Jewelry by Susan on Facebook

Beaded Jewelry by Susan on Flickr