Expectations and Acceptance
A commentary article by
Shari Sislonski
One thing that has helped me to keep going is my expectations and
acceptance. If you set your expectations too high for yourself or others,
you're always going to be disappointed.
When I post a pic of my work, I don't expect
people to comment, if they do it's a bonus, if they don't no biggie. Majority
of the time I don't even have time to go back and look to see if anyone
commented anyway. I don't have time to comment on everyone's work so I don't
expect others to do it for me.
When I list my beads, I don't expect to sell every single one and I
don't expect them to get big dollars. I have an idea in my mind of what I might
get for it, and that is usually what I start the bidding process at. If I don't
get that then I accept I've set the price too high for the bidders that are
looking that week or for what the market is at that week. When I do get big
bucks for something I consider it a privilege and an honor and sometimes luck.
But I never take it for granted or expect it.
I accept that it is what it is and things happen for a reason.
I would never judge someone else's bead or judge buyers by saying big bucks are
spent on crap beads. After all, beauty
is in the eye of the beholder and it's rude to comment on someone else's
purchase.
When I see beads where someone has "borrowed" my design idea, I don't
get upset. Because to expect
that my design idea will never be "borrowed" would be setting my
expectations too high. I expect it to happen, at some point, at some
time.
I feel that as long as I just keep making what I'm making I'll do okay.
I take the time to educate myself on the buyers, what the buying trend seems to
be: the color, the shapes etc. If something isn't selling then change up what
you're selling. Make something different.
Then there is marketing.
I can't sit back and expect buyers to come find me; I have to get my
beads out there and get noticed. Some days I don't feel like it and the results
of my effort will show. You get out what you put into it. That applies to
everything our lives, work, relationships etc.
In the end it's all about educating yourself,
marketing yourself, not setting expectations too high, and accepting things for
what they are.
Not every day is going to be the same; not every week or month is
going to be the same. Just make the most
out of each day and accept it is what it is.
Don't expect to get top dollar after torching for a week.
Expect that it takes time to build up a name, to get good at what you do, to
get noticed. Time, effort and practice.
I still do not consider my beads top quality. I don't have a lot of patience
and it's something I need to work on to improve the quality of my beads.
Patience brings perfection.
Don't expect to come up with ideas every day. I will go months sometimes
without any new ideas. That's when you play or make and sell some basic things
like spacers.
I've never done this art because I love it. Lampworking has always been a
business for me from day one. But I've never set an expectation of how
much I NEED to make. I accept whatever I get and work on improving. Making the
most of my work time, making beads where I'll get the most money for my time.
Keeping my expectations low in all areas of my work allows me to still enjoy
my work as much as I would if it were a hobby.
Shari Sislonski is a
glass artist currently living in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia,