Explore the world of academia through this informal Q&A. You’ll find out what it takes to become a college-level educator and what to expect on a daily basis from someone who has already navigated those waters successfully. This session takes a practical approach by addressing what worked and what didn’t, in a frank and open [...]
Read more »Cathe Holden started blogging as a simple way to update her online graphic design portfolio. She became instantly enamored with the world of creative contributions through other bloggers and in March 2008 launched her own craft blog, Just Something I Made. Over time, trial and error, craft blogging transformed her from a part-time logo designer [...]
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Venturing out beyond the online world to sell your wares at art and craft shows can be quite intimidating for many folks. It takes planning, money, time, confidence, and much more. In Meylah’s new eBook, Preparing For Art & Craft Show Success, several topics are covered related to vending at art and craft shows, for example what you should consider when you’re submitting applications, deciding on the items you need to pack and how to set up your booth that customers can’t resist. If you apply these tips to your art and craft show strategy, you will definitely be on your way to succeeding at your next show. The best part? You can download the whole eBook for free!
Join this panel discussion with other crafty folks who want to learn more about sustainable business practices. Is being “Green” a good fit for your business? How can sustainable business practices save your business money? What is green washing and how can it negatively impact your business? What does it take to get “Green” certified? [...]
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Kelly Lynn Jones is an artist and curator living in Oakland. She created Little Paper Planes in 2004. After graduating from art school, she wanted to create an online platform where she and her friends could sell the pieces they were making to help support their individual art careers. LPP was one of the first online stores offering artist editions….
Jodi Warshaw heads up the Lifestyle category at Chronicle Books, acquiring lifestyle titles of all sorts, specializing in fashion, beauty, parenting, home décor, craft, and gardening. She’s especially interested in titles with a DIY slant and is always looking for the next big thing in craft. Her specialty is creating book-plus packages—books that include extras such as pattern sheets, stencils, embroidery tranfers, and more. She’s worked…
Can’t wait for CCE to start honing your entrepreneurial skills? Ever wanted to publish a book without the stress of contracts and editorial deadlines? Why not try your hand at publishing an eBook? “Sister” Diane Gilleland, editor-in-chief of Craftzine and CCE speaker, is running her next eBook publishing class beginning next Monday, June 6th. It’s all held online, so you can take it from anywhere in the world! See here for more info.
Kelly Wilkinson straddles craft and journalism in her somewhat bipolar career. Her craft book Weekend Handmade will be released by STC Craft in the fall, and her projects have been featured in Design*Sponge, Sunset magazine, Readymade, Country Living and The Washington Post. She blogs here. On the non-crafty side, you can hear her reporting work on NPR and its San Francisco affiliate, KQED.
I’ve worked with creative entrepreneurs for over 20 years and almost all come to me with a case of what I call mission creep.
Mission creep happens when you have a dream idea in mind for your career, but instead of truly focusing on the idea, you choose work around it and as a result make just enough money to survive. I recently had a client who told me her dream was to be a portrait artist. She said, “But being an artist doesn’t work for me. I have to make a living.” She then told me she designs graphics for websites, teaches art at night and paints in her spare time….
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CCE speakers Oliver Wise and Eleanor Hanson Wise are putting out a call for curators and artists through their projects, Art Micro-Patronage and The Present Group. If you’d like to learn more about alternative venues for artists, make sure to join the Sunday panel, “Off the Wall: Fine Artists’ Alternatives to the Gallery” with Kelly Jones of Little Paper Planes.
Danielle Maveal, Etsy’s Seller Education Manager, works to help artists, crafters and makers make a creative living selling their work. She shares tips on Etsy’s blog, in Etsy Success (a biweekly newsletter), and hosts live workshops through Etsy’s online classrooms. Danielle’s focus is to encourage, motivate, and educate anyone running a small, independent businesses.
Rena Tom is a retail strategist for creative business owners. She previously owned Rare Device, a boutique and art gallery with locations in New York and San Francisco that was renowned for its carefully edited collection of design objects, books and fashion, and for supporting small, innovative designers and artists whose work was not easily….
Hunter Wimmer has more than a decade of experience in translating strategic business objectives into innovative, relevant visual solutions and serves as the Associate Director for the School of Graphic Design at the Academy of Art University. Previously, as Marketing Design Director for the influential firm IDEO, he broadened his scope of traditional Graphic Design, bringing a unique perspective on user-centered research and….
Ted Hilliard has more than twenty years of financial accounting and cash flow management consulting experience in both the non‐profit and private sector. He received his Bachelorʹs degree in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley in 1992 and has taken extensive graduate courses in accounting and finance. Ted has been the managing consultant for Hilliard Management Group (HMG), www.hilliardmg.com for over….
Are you as surprised as we are that it’s May already? If so, you may not have taken advantage of our Early Bird registration yet, which gets you a fat 20% discount off the regular ticket price. The discount ends this Sunday, May 15th, so if you’re planning to attend but have been dragging your heels on registering, now’s the time to pick up those feet so you can get the best possible deal.
As an added bonus for busy parents, we offer on-site childcare provided by Caring Hands, available to all attendees for just $35 per day….
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Marlo Miyashiro has been in the retail and wholesale handmade craft industries for over 20 years. She is a jeweler by trade, crafter of sewn things, teacher of techniques and mentor / arts business consultant for emerging artists. As owner of Marlo M. Jewelry Design, she has exhibited her handmade work at numerous national wholesale trade shows and has sold to over 200 galleries across the country and abroad. She is the current organizer for EtsyRAIN.com (an active community…
Go on a guided tour of Etsy.com with Etsy’s Seller Education Coordinator, Daniellexo. Bring the the questions you’ve been itching to ask about selling your work online. We’ll discuss how to set up shop, photograph, describe, list and promote your first item listings in your new Etsy shop.
Read more »This session will explain the basic differences between the retail and wholesale markets for creative businesses to help attendees decide if the move from retail to wholesale is right for them. Presentation topics will include: wholesale pricing strategies, product development, communicating with wholesale buyers, marketing ideas and the wholesale trade show experience. With Marlo Miyashiro
Read more »Join Etsy’s Seller Education guru, Daniellexo, for a hands-on workshop. We’ll look at your shop and brainstorm ways to increase traffic, convert browsers into buyers and maintain a successful small business on Etsy. You’ll leave with homework, a list of resources and connected to a supportive team of other creative small business owners.
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This week’s East Bay Express newspaper, covering the eastern cities along San Francisco Bay, interviews CCE founder Lauren Venell for their feature, “The Recession-Era Entrepreneur.” The article, written by editor Kathleen Richards, explores the trend of Bay Area residents becoming entrepreneurs by necessity. According to Richards:
Due to the economy, slim job prospects, and skyrocketing education costs, more and more young people are finding their fairy-tale careers beyond reach, or simply not on the horizon. As a result, many are supplementing their incomes — or banking entirely on the do-it-yourself route — by starting their own businesses, many within niche or specialized fields.
Why did you decide to start a creative business? Was it a lifelong dream, an economic necessity, or a combination of both? Share your story in the comments.
