CreativeLive

Week 3 was another busy week of creative ideas and learning new skills. This week I was able to catch a couple classes that were jam packed with good ideas and information. I need to go back and watch all of them again but for now I will share with you the highlights. 

The Art of Selling What You Make with Tara Gentile 

What really stuck with me is the concept to start with the idea of who your ideal customer is and then build everything to talk to this person. I hadn't thought of framing my business in this way before but it has already helped me to rethink how I talk about my business from product descriptions to my about page. 

Start a Handmade Business with Kari Chapin 

Kari has a lot of  information to create a strong foundation for your business. There was a segment on the basics of photography for taking product shots that I thought was so helpful. I take decent photos but I do it without really knowing what I am doing. This quick overview is a perfect way to get me onto the path of upping my game when it comes to photography. 

In addition to the classes, my own project continues. I am really excited about the progression and I have moved away from the idea of literal houses and am thinking a little more abstract. I plan to create houses that represent different communities and interests but the imagery on them will be more abstract than before. I also plan on making illustrations that can be applied to surfaces such as textiles, paper, and other fabulous materials. 

The images above are my progress sketches. The houses represent individual communities and as a whole they create something greater. The image on the right has less detail but represents this idea and could be any city in the world. To me it reflects San Francisco but also reminds be of Brazil. 

What do you think are elements that make a successful community?