Believe

Today I watched young 17 year-old Melanie Oudin's exhilarating win over Maria Sharapova in the U.S. Open. Stamped in Oudin's tennis shoes is the word "believe", obviously there to serve as a reminder to believe in herself. Her confidence shines through in her tenacious style of play and she is truly a joy to watch.

Believing in yourself is often half the battle when taking risks. As artists, we put ourselves out there everyday. We create because we love it, but when we decide to take the risk to try and sell our creations, we are opening ourselves up to praise or, in some cases, criticism. The mentally strong people who continue to believe in themselves, even when times are tough, will ultimately find success because when it comes right down to it, if we don't believe in ourselves, why should anyone else?

This is one of my favorite bracelets that I have made. The pewter charms read "live light", "integrity", "laugh", "inspire", "create" and..."believe".

About pricing

I think that artists undervalue their work far too often. When I go to shows or browse online and see handcrafted pieces selling for a price that I know will barely cover material costs, if at all, I cringe because this sets the market lower for my work. I believe that my work has value and that incorporates not just the material costs, but the time it takes for me to develop the design and make the piece.

I try to offer a range of pieces at various prices. For example, this bracelet, for sale on my Etsy shop, is only $20, which I believe is a fair and affordable price:

This bracelet, on the other hand, took much longer to design and create, so it is priced at $70:

As much as artists all enjoy creating for the sake of creating, we also need to be paid what we are worth. Don't undervalue your time and your talent. If you do quality work and pay attention to marketing, the sales will come!