Friday quirks

I get weekly emails from one of my California fabric vendors. Her messages aren’t short or commercially slick. They are just honest messages about why her email arrived a little late, or some of the things she’s done to improve her business. Sometimes she mentions personal things that no one would even think of putting into a customer email. At first glance, these “unpolished” emails might get a smirk from a marketing pro, but after looking at what’s out there in social media, and the number of fake or staged pieces that I am inundated with every second of my day—she feels real to me. It’s like my neighbor telling me about her day.

There’s social media overload in my life, so much so that I barely post my work these days. I feel guilty about adding more to an already saturated market of IG and FB updates. But are there choices for artists and creatives to share their work? I looked at Google ads, and for those of you who don’t know, they are also useless for the most part, and budget busting for non-commercialized businesses.

The future looks like it could go either way for creatives like me. The need to purchase unique and quality products might be on the rise as distribution channels around the world are being affected. Maybe the hat from China might never arrive in time for your event, even after paying extra money for expedited shipping. Maybe the time to look for American made and shipped has circled back around. What do my customers get if they order from me? Well…me of course. They could converse, ask questions, make requests, and I can create something just for them, and not replicate it for a million other people. The creative could be embarking on a renaissance so to speak.

This has been one of my busiest months of the year with a couple of commissions, extra sales, and the attendance of my first craft show. I have been shy to attend many because I have found my work “in between” art and the artisan category. But who really cares now? If I sat around worrying about where I fit in, I would have drowned into the abyss ages ago. People like me have rarely found a normal anywhere in the world. It’s probably what make me…me.

My growing UFO pile of hats needed to be addressed last month. There were quite a few gems to be had in there. I found a Jackie O pillbox base I made ages ago, and never covered. In one of those weird moods that warranted something quirky to satisfy, I considered poodles first. I am not really very fond of mini felines, not to mention my cat allergy. Perhaps it’s this very distaste for something that draws me to it. Can it be? I tend to have a lot of “cat” things around.

It’s a beautifully made hat out of this insane brocade with portraits of cats wearing a red fascinator. It’s also lined in a black silk taffeta. These type of pillbox hats can be worn toward the back or the front. It’s such a fun print, I might use it again in a button style. This pillbox will be available for purchase exclusively on Saturday, April 23rd at: https://thefrontmarket.com in Austin, Texas. Please inquire if you would like a cat hat yourself, meow.