i like the non-team

(this treasury challenge was inspired by that cute whale t-shirt and, in a way, sesame street)

because of my impending vacation, i'm on a temporary hiatus from participating in the non-team treasury challenge. when i post recent treasuries (to store them somewhere they'll stay indefinitely), most of those treasuries are non-team challenges. i think the non-team is one of the best parts of etsy, so if you are an etsy seller and haven't heard about it, here's what you should know:

the non-team *is* actually an etsy team. it didn't start out that way, but around the time etsy began to limit what subjects could be discussed on the forums, and forced all other conversations to take place in a team setting (different subject entirely), the non-team became a team. unlike most treasury teams, though, it does not require that you make treasuries with a certain number of other team members items, or that you make a treasury around a particular theme. there is nearly complete freedom over your treasury, except...

one item is featured in all treasuries each week. the seller of that item judges all of the treasuries and chooses a favorite. there is some incredible diversity in the themes based on the featured item, and it's fun to think of a theme, title, and arrangement that is like no one else's. the creator of the winning treasury gets to choose one of their items that is featured in the next treasury, and the cycle begins again, every week.

it's a good fit for me, because:
1. i like making treasuries. this gives treasury making more of a purpose, and more reason to be seen.
2. creative freedom with just enough structure. i don't want to be limited to certain sellers when making a treasury.
3. i am not really a joiner, and the non-team doesn't demand a certain level of commitment. you can just join this team today if you want. you don't have to be approved by anyone. if you stop participating for a while, it doesn't matter.
4. there is a three day window to make the treasury. it's good for busy people.
5. i like a good contest.
6. it's good company - there are some talented treasury makers who take part, and their ideas are fantastic.

i didn't miss any of these challenges at all until last week, and after six months, it seems weird to skip out. i won't be online much so i can't really participate in the off chance that i would win. it would be great to win someday - i've had three honorable mentions in the past several weeks, so i'm still hopeful, even though there are over a thousand people participating now.

and as the non-team grows, it just gets better.

treasury experiment, day three

Treasury West:
21 views (one mine + one that has always been a mystery to me) (five more than yesterday)
54 clicks (12 mine) (three more than yesterday)
7 comments (one mine)

Treasury East:
7 views (one mine) (three more than yesterday)
16 clicks (all mine)
3 comments (one mine)

treasury experiment, day two

Treasury West:
16 views (one mine + one that has always been a mystery to me)
51 clicks (12 mine)
7 comments (one mine)

Treasury East:
4 views (one mine)
16 clicks (all mine)
3 comments (one mine)

I know this is small scale. I am not going to overpromote this, because I want as level a field between these two treasuries as possible. Still, the Treasury East is effectively buried at this point. I'll update again tomorrow.

east vs. west

I make treasuries on Etsy (little curated collections of pretty, lovely things) because it's fun, and it's great free promotion for my shop and the shops of other people who make those pretty, lovely things. Every day, chosen treasuries are featured on Etsy's front page.

On Thursday, Etsy unveiled their newest version of the Treasury, which they're currently calling Treasury East. It's in beta form right now, and once it is all tested out, it will become the new Treasury. There will be just one, no more Treasury and Treasury West. This new treasury looks a little different and functions a little differently. And, most crucially, Treasury East is open to everyone, on an unlimited basis, all the time, forever. Instead of having to wait for the treasury to open so you can make *one* collection that would expire within 2-3 days, you could potentially curate 100 collections a day, and they would never expire.

I have been reading comments about the pros and cons here. No one seems to like the fact that they won't expire. By the time I noticed that Treasury East existed, there were already 80 pages of treasuries. They will keep piling up! The concern is, what is the point of making a treasury if no one can find it among all the others? It's instant frustration, particularly for those treasury makers who take a lot of time to arrange everything just right, so their favorite items and shop name may grace the front page of Etsy. Other people have pointed out the confusion to buyers when they link to treasuries that feature items that have already been sold. I completely agree that Etsy shouldn't confuse potential buyers in any way.

There are pages and pages of the controversy in the Etsy forums, for anyone who is interested in reading more. I see the pros and the cons, and I'm not too swayed in either direction. I just thought I'd write a little background information, because I'm going to do a little experiment.

Tonight I posted the same collection of items to East and West, approximately 15 minutes apart from each other. I made one comment on each, clicked twelve items in West and sixteen in East, and linked both to the most recent promotion thread for each Treasury. Besides mentioning this here, I'm not going to do any more promotion for these two treasuries.

I wonder which will be viewed, clicked and commented on more frequently in the next three days. I'll keep track and let you know!

A goal for 2010

I have a goal to reach 100 items in the Mirthmarket in 2010.

I am not a natural goal setter. I am more of the kind of person who thinks, "This sounds good today, I think I'll try it", and either lose interest or change my mind - leading to a continual evolution of plans and ideas that keep me busy and cheerful. I like being busy and cheerful. But that kind of mindset has some residuals.

For example, I have a lot of craft supplies. A lot. Some of these are from those "I think I'll try it" moments that don't quite make it to fruition.

So I'm tying this into my goal as well. Until I reach 100 items, I cannot shop for craft supplies in 2010.

(I'd start this sooner, as I'm not any *more* motivated on January 1st than any other day of the year, but I need a few days to buy some more paintbrushes and some ribbon that will work on some of these 100 projects. I'm not going to get through this goal without some back-up tiny paintbrushes.)

And, I'm posting this here to keep myself accountable. This is the kind of thing that works for me.

I am going to use up surfaces and more surfaces, and build up the Mirthmarket as well. I've already started, and I can't wait to share the results with you!

Wish me luck. I'll need it!

the coolest thing on etsy this year...

...is the rearrange your shop feature!

I'll be updating the whole shop really soon.
It's definitely time for that!

keeping up with the etsians

i am busy with custom baby projects. i know quite a few ladies who will be giving birth this summer...and there is at least one more new baby in the world (i don't know this baby) who is getting a present soon that was painted by me.

these projects, plus my "day job", have left little time for etsy lately. very very little.

i posted a few new rings in the shop last weekend. someday soon i will extend beyond rings and branch out, but moms and babies cannot wait for that. i have noticed on the etsy forums that several sellers are puzzled at the lack of views, and i have noticed, too. if not for the incredibly quick glimpse under newly featured items, no one would even know they are there.

so i have also read, and heard, that etsy sellers need to spend their time marketing. twitter when you have new items, create a facebook page, join byhand.me or open up a shop on artfire, relist, relist, relist, celebrate etsy day and let the world know that etsy itself exists (oops, i didn't do that), and the list goes on. it's exhausting to think about, and at this point in the story, i would rather spend that free time painting.

the one thing i have done is purchase an ad on craftopolis. it was nice, and i'm fairly certain that a lot of people found the shop because of that ad.

sellers, i want to tell you how i find shops: through treasuries (especially the front page featured treasury) and through the favorites lists of people whose work i admire.

not twitter, facebook, byhand.me, artfire...not even through the newly listed items that i hope to be discovered on.

that's why i love getting shop hearts!

i know people have to see me to "heart" my shop, and i'm going to work on being seen. really.

but first, i am giving my energy and attention to these custom projects. and that's why the mirthmarket is taking it easy right now. no pressure.

enjoy the week!