Soon after the
high school, I started to work as a real estate agent. I was only eighteen, but
I was very good at my job. Some of the properties we offered were either in a
really poor condition or the ownership was complicated. Since they were also
mostly overpriced, they remained in our listings for months, or even worse –
for years. When I started to work there, I soon found out that I had a knack
for those troubled properties. I sold them one after the other.
I was a good
salesman but I was also lucky to learn from the best.
I am not
selling real estate anymore. Today I am a maker, a potter, a ceramicist or a
clay artist. Today I am selling products I make with my two hands in my small
home studio in the Swiss Alps. Today I wish I had that ease and fearlessness
from my days as a real estate agent when it comes to selling my own work.
Looking back,
I remember that I was always honest about the homes I was selling. I didn’t
talk much but I was trying to give many different perspectives of what is
possible to do with a potential new home without being pushy or aggressive.
Mostly, I gave my clients the space to get their own impression about the
estate and helped them to supplement their gut feeling with facts and
figures.
The art of
selling one's own work is probably the most difficult skill that every artist
has to learn. How do you sell something you put all your heart into? How do you
put a price tag on something you made late at night when your baby finally fell
asleep? How do you price a design you had been developing for a whole year? How
do you charge for something that goes through your fingers many, many times?
Finally, how do you value something that carries tracks of your soul?
A few years
ago, I have decided that selling my own work is just like selling anything
else. At the end of the day the costs should be covered and the working time
should be included in the calculation. Finally the most important thing is that
you should learn to stand behind your work.
So far I have
been selling my ceramics to my friends, family and neighbours. Now it feels
right to reach a wider audience. So, a few days ago I have opened my Internet shop on Etsy. To celebrate it I am giving this pair of earrings
away.
 |
| Giveaway earrings: faceted porcelain beads, labradorite, amethyst and sterling silver, ca 4 cm long incl. the clasp. |
To
participate, check out my new Etsy shop and leave a comment either here on my
blog or on my Facebook page. Lucky winner will be picked randomly on
August, the 15th. This giveaway is opened to all of my readers worldwide.
The winner is Rachel from Berne.
The winner is Rachel from Berne.
