Thursday, August 11, 2011

Friends and Mentors - First Round


When I first opened my shop I didn't know a great deal about Etsy.  I had only been a shopper for about 4 months when I decided I wanted to open my shop; so Etsy was very new to me.  I did all of the normal things, read the forums, checked the help files and tutorials, joined a few teams, faved others items.  In the teams I asked for critiques of my shop so that I could make changes to increase my views and get some sales.  Well, most people don't want to tell you the truth... you hear a lot of "your shop looks great!, wonderful items, you should do well"; all the while still not getting views or sales.

After a while I found someone whose work I really liked a lot who seemed to be doing pretty well so I sent her a convo asking for any help she could give me.  What I got back was a 2 or 3 page convo giving me line item by line item things that could be changed to make my shop work better for me.  Now bear in mind that all the while she was very humble and mentioned several times that she was no expert but that I asked for help and she would give me the best she could.  :)  It is a convo that I will never forget and a person to whom I will always owe a great deal!  (plus I still love her work )  I took every single suggestion she made and guess what....it helped!  She took to the time to take me seriously, give me the best info she could and didn't hold back on me.  HOW REFRESHING!  So...bet your wondering by now who this mentor of mine might be....

Let me introduce you to my mentor and my friend - Elizabeth Matlack - Oddballartco/TheNakedHippie


There will be no interview as I want you to see her as I do! (it is my blog after all! hehehe)
I was hooked on her ACEO's the first moment I saw them. She is multifaceted - some of her work is simply fun and funky and others have an intrique to them that will cause me to stare at it for long periods of time wondering if I am taking it all in.  She is a leader to many, a friend to all, an artist of absolute worth and a very humble person who I bet will blush when she reads this.  I will forever be grateful for the answers to all of the questions I have asked over the past few months and mostly for the honesty, sincerity and willingness to be helpful.

So Elizabeth - my hat is off to you -
Now, take a look at some of her work and I bet you will find you love her as much as I do....Enjoy!

True Blood - Lafayette Custom Portrait - Original One Of A Kind Acrylic Painting






Original Art Card 'Misty Butterfly' No. 9 in the Butterfly ACEO Series