Dear Diary,
I apparently write science fiction, now. I woke up from my nap to 200 odd words on Koralee, and over the course of the evening, added 350 more to it. If I get close to 900, I’ll submit it somewhere as flash fiction. Just to see. I don’t know.
I’m on a poetry submission kick, on a run up to publishing my book of poetry. While I’m editing, I’m finding pieces I wouldn’t mind publishing here, or there. And I’m on a mailing list that sends out open/fee free submission calls every few days from national publications of varying stripes. So, I’ll be doing a lot of that in the next few days.
I couldn’t focus my eyes (double vision is a common problem for me) to bead today, so I closed one eye and drew some crude designs for what I want to make the next time I can. I want to get at least 20 listings on Etsy, they advise 10, to start, to instill confidence, but I have no reviews, so I REALLY need to instill confidence, plus I am charging a lot for some items. I think I have been fair. Nothing is over $25. When I start working with sterling silver, you’d better believe the prices will jump, that shit is expensive as hell.
Every week I get website traffic reports. And every week, they are dire. My SEO is great. Green lights on everything. Apparently no one searches for my keywords, because I rank well. For my traffic. And now we get to the dire part. My traffic. Four visitors per week, on average. Yes. You read that right. From all of my journal referrals from Twitter, FB, Tumblr, 4 per week. So every week I get this report with this nice analysis of my rankings and percentages and this big red exclamation point graphic with the warning that I need more traffic to my site. Yes. I see that. How do I do that, oh wonder program? Advertise. Well, I really don’t have the money or “brand” item to do that. Write guest blogs. You say that like it’s just that easy to post your URL to a high traffic blog and get traffic. No high traffic blog is going to let a no-traffic blog writer write for them. I promise you. Use other keywords, to draw them in! No, I will not lie. Find a target niche audience and write for them! I thought I was writing for me, and drawing an audience to me, for me, here, what is going on? Well, then, Advertise! I’m not selling anything! Then why do you want traffic?!?!
See, I am the artist that WILL take a job for the exposure. No one ever offers. People don’t even want my work for free. This is why I think I suck. 4 hits a week.
So, I made a lot of jewelry this week. I can’t believe the amount of old stuff that I managed to use. The room in my storage boxes I managed to clear out. It’s such a relief. Of course, I have to have Doc build some kind of long-term display/storage rack for the completed pieces. I think I will put them in sandwich bags, label them, then hang them on hooks. No dust, no tarnish, no tangling, no air. Ready to wrap and ship. After I finally get good pics of them this weekend. If my phone cam won’t work to do it, Doc’s will, and once mine is here, he will be less reluctant to let me use his for this one thing. It will make money if done right, that is solid incentive for him.
I have to run some experiments with polymer clay and the embossing powder I bought. It is NOT the same as the stuff I had. It goes on different, melts different, and has a much different finish. It also changes color and I have indication that I can monkey around with texture with it. If I can, I am very excited. If I can’t I am merely excited.
I have five bracelets and two necklaces to make tomorrow. I mean, that are ready to go. The components are out, the designs are done, the materials waiting and ready. And I have one necklace that I haven’t listed yet, so that’s 20 items. Way to go, Cyd. Goal reached before the weekend. A good week’s work, if I can get the poems submitted tomorrow, too.