hats off.

As I'm the only one working for Scarlet & Madrone, I find I wear a lot of different hats in this operation.  Please excuse the overused cliche; I'm sure all my professors from the Creative Writing program at SFSU are groaning at the sight of it, but it's the best I can come up with right now.  And as I continue to work on my business I'm finding there are a lot of things I don't like doing.  Like writing copy, for instance.  Or pricing items.  Or making spreadsheets.  And there's some things that I just can't do alone - a lifestyle shoot, for instance.  And trust me, I've tried.  I've tried holding the camera out at arm's length, I've tried using the mirrors in the bathroom to see what the frame looks like, and I've even tried setting up the tripod, attempting to set up lighting, putting the timer on the camera, and running to the spot that I think will put me in the right position for the frame.  Oh, and did I mention that I also become very awkward when placed in front of a camera?  Yeah, I'm sure you can imagine how well that worked out.  Thankfully I have some very talented friends who also have their own set of very talented friends.

With the help of my friend James and his buddy Ray, I was able to pull together the first lifestyle shoot for Scarlet & Madrone.  It started out a bit rocky - shooting outdoors wasn't an option as it was overcast and raining.  James was nervous his work wouldn't be good enough and I felt awkward being in front of the camera.  And trying to art direct while modeling is, well, pretty much impossible.  "Just don't get my face in the shot," was the extent of my "art directing" as I sat stiff and awkward, waiting for the shutter to click.

Ray arrived shortly thereafter with a crap load of equipment and brought some sunshine with him.  We moved outdoors and having another set of eyes was beneficial.  "Check this one out," James would say, showing the image to Ray.  "Ooh, that's some dramatic lighting," he'd respond.  "How's my hair?" I'd yell at Ray before James clicked the shutter.  "Why don't you try this?  Or how 'bout this?" he'd yell back at me.  Then there was the "smile, don't smile, smile, don't smile" directing that was an epic fail on my part.  Try it.  I dare you.  Then tell me you managed to get through it without laughing.  Oh really?  Yeah right.  Liar. 

The shoot lasted roughly four hours and we got a lot of great shots out of it.  I've also learned that I really don't like modeling.  It's enough to feel uncomfortable in front of the camera but add in standing around in 40-50 degree weather in a tank top?  No thank you.  So I'm taking off another hat and recruiting a friend to model for the next shoot while I focus on art direction.  Now, if only I can find a copywriter...

presentation, demonstration.

It's been said that the best way to advertise your product is to wear it.  I wholeheartedly agree with this, yet rarely ever do it.  Part of the problem is that I'm kind of a lazy - my hair is usually pulled back in a ponytail, I rarely wear makeup even though I love it, my nail polish is almost always chipped, and I can get away with wearing hoodies and yoga pants to work.  But I'm working on that for 2011. 

The other part of the problem is that I don't have somewhere that I can store my designs and easily access it.  It's in a bag in a box in a cupboard in the kitchen and when I only give myself ten minutes to get ready and out the door for work (I know, I'm working on this), the last thing I have time for is searching for a pair of earrings hidden in a cupboard in a bag in a box in the kitchen.  But I also know firsthand that when I wear my stuff, I usually get asked about it.

So, in an attempt to solve this dilemma, I spent the better part of yesterday constructing a display.  It's nothing more than a cardboard box covered in pretty paper and cut up window screens, but it serves its purpose.  It seemed like a pretty simple project, I figured I'd be done in a couple hours.  I really wasn't expecting to spend the whole day on it.  What happened?  Well, first I ran out of paper.  Then I ran out of glue.  Then it was lunch time so Ryan and I went out for a couple slices of pizza, more paper, some coffee, and glue.  We got pizza, Paper Source was out of my original paper so we got coffee, then I decided to just start the box over with a new paper, and totally forgot to buy glue.  Thankfully, Ryan refuses to throw out any of his old art supplies from college and I found a very old but still useable glue stick and production proceeded rather smoothly.  Then I had to cut up the screen.  With this guy around. 

He's pretty much like:  "Oh, an empty box!  Better sit in that.  Look at this pretty paper!  I should make sure it's secure by scratching at it.  Hey, what's this mesh looking stuff?  I better inspect it by chewing on it.  Oh look!  It comes apart!  I should grab one of these strands off the table with my teeth and run out of the kitchen.  Oh, are we playing chase now?  Yay!  Choking hazard, what's that?  Ooh look!  Small pieces of black wire.  You don't seem to be using it right now, so I'll knock it off the table and bat it around the kitchen floor.  Then chew on it some.  Why do you keep yelling about choking hazards?  Hey, I was playing with that!  Fine, I'll just wait until you aren't paying attention and bat that piece of black wire off the table.  What?  You've got like 10 pieces, I think you can share.  Oh, Ryan's putting food in my dish, nomnomnomnomnomnomnom..." 

I probably spent about as much time chasing after Dexter and pulling wire and bits of screen out of his mouth as I did constructing the display.  But I'm not gonna lie - he does look really cute sitting in the box.  Anyway, by the time I got the back panel of screen and one side panel secured, I was over it.  I hadn't eaten, I was feeling shaky and I really needed a break so I put everything away and maybe I'll finish the last side panel today.  Or I'll edit and post new pictures and listings on Etsy since the light box experiment was a success.  In any case, the display works as is and this weekend is proving to be rather productive for Scarlet & Madrone.

Things I should do, could do, and need to do...

orginially posted 30 October 2010:

Always evolving and ever expanding:
1.  resale license
2. list items on etsy
3.  list items on wazala
4.  import blog to facebook
5.  spreadsheets
6.  price items
7.  lifestyle photo shoot
8.  product photo shoot
9.  research business laws/taxes
10.  shop policies, company overview, mission statememt

Ugh.

originally posted 19 October 2010:

It seemed like a lot of fun.  Design some jewelry and maybe sell some of it and take some pictures and have an excuse to write a little something – all things I like to do.  Score!  Then I started thinking about some of the other details – how am I going to package it?  Do I go eco-friendly or cheap?  Do I get padded envelopes or the set price boxes from the post office?  If I choose small jewelry boxes and padded envelopes, should I stamp the top with something?  Like a pretty little design.  Or a customized stamp with the Scarlet & Madrone logo.  I could get a customized stamp!  Or maybe get boxes pre-stamped with the logo.  Oh!  And can I get an embosser?  Yes.  I want an embosser.  And yes, I’m getting carried away with all the small details and forgetting the larger infrastructure of creating a…well, I’m not really sure what it is yet, but there are other, larger issues at hand before the nitty gritty.  Like setting up a shop to sell some items.  Or maybe even a price list. Or getting a resale license or a business license or something to make this a little more legit.
None of that stuff sounds like any fun.

Start.Up

originally posted 18 October 2010:

“So now what?”
Everyone wants to know what your plans are after college.  But what do you tell them when you don’t have a clue?  Grad school is a good one, or taking more classes at the community college also works well.  I guess everyone just wants to know that you have a plan.  I’ve never been very good at planning.  Instead I decided to adopt a cat.

I brought him home from our local SPCA and stalked him around our studio apartment with the camera.  We had a lot of fun; him wearing ties and onesies, hiding in laundry baskets and purses, and me snapping pictures.  In fact, Dexter the Inspector Fang has his own album on Facebook.  But after awhile, people start asking again: “So now what?”  I guess they don’t see much of a future in photographing your pet.  Plus, I’m kind of starting to look like the crazy cat lady.  I guess another hobby was in order.

I used to write.  A lot.  And then I stopped.  But then I started up again and felt so satisfied and inspired that I even bothered to go to school for it.  And then, in my final semester, I took a class that killed any desire I had to continue to write.  One day I'll come back to it, I always do, but in the meantime, I need a creative outlet.

I'm not sure how it all started, really.  I worked with a girl who made jewelry and sold it off her body during her shifts.  There was a popular necklace in the jewelry case at work that used the same knotting technique I used to make hemp jewelry in high school.  While visiting my grandma up north, she wore a necklace I made for her in middle school.  She mindlessly played with the pendant, telling me about the compliments she still receives when she wears it.  Soon enough, I was looking up local bead shops in SF.

At first, I designed for myself.  I'd see things I liked and decide to make it at home.  Soon, I was trading jewelry for services at work.  After a client stated she would be willing to buy the necklace I was wearing, I figured why not?  Over the summer I worked on designs, learning new techniques and using materials I’d never used before.  This first collection is filled with one of a kind, limited edition items.  I’m excited to see what happens with it.  I’m excited to see what happens after it.  I’m just excited to see it.