We’ve all done it. We’ve created a Homemade item and gave it as gifts to friends & family. The well-meaning friends & family suggest you ‘should sell these’. But is that piece ready for the selling as a handmade item. Yes, it is handmade but it is also homemade. There are so many factors in elevating that one product from homemade to a handmade artisan sellable piece. Let’s explore.
 
We might be yet to build more skill around this craft to produce a piece that a paying customer will welcome willingly and hand over their hard-earned cash for. Have you tested your products in this type of situation – maybe you could try a craft market or sell through your social media channels. I did this in the early days of Becreates. Through several craft markets I began to see what customers were interested in purchasing and why. Markets are great for customer research. You learn a lot from setting up and displaying your products in a visually pleasing way to attract customers to your stand. If you don’t have a lot of product you could try pairing with a fellow crafter and share the costs & the space.

​Does your product have presentation appeal? Have you actually thought about product packaging? Do you wrap your product or hang tags and what impression do these give your customers? Is there a level of handmade professionalism or is it more stuff put together and hope it works. Handmade customers don’t expect retail store quality but they also expect more than homemade. Our handmade products need to be presented so the customer is happy and confident to buy your product knowing it is quality and in most cases gift-worthy.
 
Photos…this one is something many creatives are not amazing at but we definitely need to learn at least the very basics. We don’t need fancy cameras to take great photos, we simply need our mobile phones, our products, good natural light and some trial and error. It took me many attempts to work out the best way to photograph my products. Morning light works best for me in my creative space and I love the addition of plants or simple décor items that sit off to the side and allow interest in the photo and doesn’t overshadow the product. This scenario won’t work for everyone and there is so much free information on the internet to help you take great photos. This is a must! Customers are visual people – they buy with their eyes. Great photos are the invitation to look closer and see themselves with your product.
 
The time factor. We all love the idea of having a side hustle or our ‘little craft thing’ but in reality selling handmade takes time. We’ve all been there where our creations are taking over the kitchen table, the loungeroom and the office and you spend all your spare time creating what you love. We love to create! We love to use our imagination and inspiration to bring an idea to fruition. Selling that idea takes more than your creative time. We become a jack of all trades and need to understand tech, create a logo, be active on social media, list & update products and fulfill orders. We do it all because we love what we create and want to share it with the world.
 
Are you ready for it!  

As a creative we are always gathering inspiration. We see it in objects, art, books, internet, social media, stores and markets and nature. How do we convert what we see and feel into our form of art or craft? 

If you understand anything about Human Design you might be aware of the different types within Human Design. I'm a Manifesting Generator and my strategy within this is to respond. I get a small snippet of information or an idea and then go searching for inspiration to turn that into a sellable marketable product. I sometimes can struggle with coming up with completely new ideas and now I understand my human design it makes sense so I can work with I have available to me. 

Sometimes I can see or hold certain yarns and immediately come up with a great way to turn that into something whereas other times those yarns have sat as a collectable on my shelf - looking beautiful of course - but the inspiration hasn't come to me yet. 

Inspiration can come from others too. I will have customers come to me wanting something but with no real certain idea. With a mix of some questions and my creative intuition I can come up with some ideas for them to choose from. The end result of these is usually very special pieces that I know hold a special place for them and their recipient. ​