Brides and Flowers

The first event presenting my French beaded flower bridal accessories to the world (well, the world of Prescott, Arizona, anyway) is over (it was yesterday) and today I’m sitting here in the glow of all the wonderful comments and appreciation of my work I received. I heard “gorgeous!” and “wow!” and “you made that by hand???” I really didn’t expect that. Which made it all the sweeter.

I went into A Bridal Affaire hosted by PrescottWeddings.com, run by my good friend Hazel Bowman, more as a challenge to myself to produce a product line. I created lots of samples, pushing myself to a self-imposed deadline, and looked forward to getting some feedback to determine if I was on the right track. I also wanted to see if I loved doing this enough that I would still love it when I was doing it every day, under pressure to meet deadlines. I did. I do! I also found that not only do I love making these beautiful things for people planning their special events, I like teaching other people how to do it, too!

I felt there might be a local market for my work, but I wasn’t really sure. Up until now I’ve really seen mine as a niche market I can best reach online mostly through Etsy. I still think it’s true, but if the response I got yesterday turns into actual orders I may have to rethink that a bit!

In fact, if those who said they wanted me to make them something special for their wedding actually follow through, along with my Etsy orders I will have my hands full for the rest of the year! This is both thrilling and a bit daunting.

Having been a freelance writer most of my adult life I am very familiar with peaks and valleys, feasts and famine, and I know how to budget my time and handle tight deadlines. Yet I think every artistic person has that “gulp” moment when they launch their creative output into the world wondering…will I be swamped? Or will I be sitting here twiddling my thumbs listening to crickets in the thicket? Hopefully it will be something in between.

What I love about what happened yesterday, and throughout the months leading up to the event, is how focused my creative direction has become. I know exactly what I want to do, have come up with a plan that I think will work well to make it happen, and it’s very clear to me what steps I need to take. Don’t you just love it when that happens?

I hope you’ll continue to follow along with me down this path. As I make new things I’ll be listing them on Etsy and I’ll explain more about how they are made and the story behind them here on the blog. I’ll also tell you about the custom pieces I’ll hopefully be making to order for my Prescott brides. I plan on picking up my series on how to do French beaded flowers starting this week or next, as well. Whew, lots to do. I’m excited! And I’m even more excited to have you by my side on this beautiful journey. Off we go…

 

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