The Woodworker's Journey » Design

Do You Have What it Takes to Sell Online?

Adam — Fri, 07 May 2010 15:27:29 +0000

The internet is truly magic. Where else can you accomplish so many things at once? It’s the only place that I know of where I can watch skaters getting hurt, check my email 15 times a minute, read my buddy’s blog posts, download the greatest obscure hits of the 80’s, play a never-ending game of Street Fighter, carry on micro conversations, and learn Scottish Gaelic. All while eating breakfast!

Ok, maybe I’m exaggerating a wee bit, but there’s no denying the amazing potential that exists for anyone looking to harness this instant portal to millions of eyes and minds. In the last few years, the internet has allowed a huge number of companies to take shape, when in the conventional real world, they would have never gotten off the ground. It’s this draw that has a lot of people seriously considering making a living using online resources. It’s also this draw that has my inbox seeing the same question on a regular basis:

“How do I get started selling my (woodwork) online?”

That’s a big question. There are a lot of factors to consider when taking your work online. Besides the product itself, there’s branding, the marketing plan, web presence, social platforms, payment and shopping cart integrations, shipping options, …hey, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. But, before your head starts swirling trying to contemplate all of that at once, you need to ask yourself the most important question that will determine the future of your online woodworking career.

Do I have what it takes to sell my work online?

What does it take, exactly? You hear all the time about passion, desire, determination, etc. Those are crucial, to your success. For sure. But, what’s at the level right above those things? What exactly does the passion and desire fuel? What’s next after you recognize your passion for woodworking and your desire to begin selling your work?

Self identity as a woodworker.

Throughout your lifetime as a woodworker, you will change directions, shift your focus, and reinvent yourself on numerous occasions. But, at the beginning it’s vital to get a realistic view of who you are as a maker and what you have to offer. This means sitting down, taking time to understand where you are now in the craft and getting a vision of where you really want to be down the road. Do you desire to work by yourself in a small shop creating one of a kind pieces? Is your vision of the future perhaps designing high end work that others than build for you in a shop of 10-15 employees? This vision of the future will help dictate the first moves you make in selling your work online.

This sense of identity also includes your designs. Take stock in what you design and how you design it. What are your influences? Why do they influence you? How is that showing in the work you do now? Will people resonate with those designs, or does it only appeal to you? Is there room for them to expand and evolve, or have you designed yourself into a proverbial corner?

Self identity is confidence in your abilities now and confidence in the abilities you will gain as you grow. This confidence is vital to carrying you through the process of learning to sell.

The ability to handle consistent rejection.

Guess what? The majority of people who see your product in the beginning are going to pass you by. Yep. It’s true. This is due to a number of factors, like not enough recognition, wrong product in front of the wrong audience, not being persuasive enough, etc. I’m not telling you you’ll never make a sale. What I’m telling you is that until you learn who needs your work and how to put it in front of them, you’re going to face some rejection. It won’t be mean, or hurtful. It will be a lot of nice compliments followed by, “No thanks.” It happens, and it will continue to happen throughout your career.

The first signs of rejection can send woodworkers crawling back into their shops vowing to never waste their precious time on the ungrateful general public again. It’s hard not to take it personally. I still struggle with it at times. You and your work are so intimately connected that if someone rejects your offer you really feel as though they flat out rejected you as a human being. Your subconscious is designed to defend you emotionally like that. Learning how to take rejection from the very start will really be a huge step in moving forward to selling online and in person.

It might seem like you need some thick skin to handle all of it, but I challenge you to shift your perspective on this. What if all of those “no thank you’s” ended up being a terrific source of marketing info? Think about it. With each rejection, you’re learning exactly who your work is not intended for, how not to present an offer, and how not to close a deal. Each rejection presents you with the opportunity to learn and grow with experience, and puts you one step closer to doing it right.

Patience to start slow and work up to where you really want to be.

How long did it take you to acquire the woodworking skills you use every day in your shop? How many of those skills allowed you to execute a brand new technique with absolute perfection the first time you tried it? I’m guessing that barring the rarest alignment of the planets, your answer is never. That’s because you need the trial and error experience of doing that skill in the precise manner that produces the desired result. Having never done that before, it’s very hard to visualize exactly what that perfect execution of skills looks like. Repetition of that skill produces the visual record of what works and what doesn’t. That’s why it’s so vital that you never give up until you learn to achieve the desired result.

The exact same formula of success is true when the skills being executed are sales, marketing, and relationship building. You need patience to start where you are now and move forward at the pace you can manage. Repetition is the key. You’ll fail at times and succeed at times. Take careful notes for both instances. Get that visual record of what works in your mind so you can repeat it over and over again with greater results.

It’s no easy task taking your personal woodworking pieces and placing them in front of a world wide audience. However, from my experience, if you possess the key foundation blocks that are necessary before attempting to sell online, then you stand a very good chance of continuing to sell and sell successfully when all others have given up. So, do you have what it takes to sell online? Only you know for sure.

What has been your experience with selling your woodworking online? Are there other qualities that you have found essential for starting this path?

I Might Just Get In Trouble For This…

Adam — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 10:39:40 +0000

2010 State of the Craft Address

2010 is your year!

This year more than any other, you have the power to transform your woodworking blog or website into whatever you want it to be!

You can become the go-to authority as this community grows. You do not need anyone’s permission or approval to sell your work, teach your methods of woodworking, or get in with the “big dogs” of woodworking. You have that power now!

You have all the tools right at your fingertips to make 2010 the Year of the Internet Woodworker!

If you agree with this video, please spread the word! Tell the world why you agree.

Post link to it.

Embed it to your blog. Just click on the embed button on the player.

Tweet This!

Share it.

If you disagree with this video, then by all means do the same thing. Share it and tell the world why you disagree with it.

Leave a comment telling why you agree or disagree.

If you want to make 2010 your year as a woodworker online, then sign up now for the advanced list. You’ll get first dibs on all the training and resources that are coming from the Woodworker’s Journey to make your pursuit of woodworking, a more passionate and fulfilling experience.

What are you drawing for the future

Adam — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:14:59 +0000

Image courtey of Sri Threads

I received a link to this story in my email the other day from Larry Marshall (@woodnbits).

You know how I’m always talking about the importance of keeping a sketchbook? Well, here’s proof, if you’ve ever needed any, of the value of recording your inspirations.

A very rare group of 19th century sketchbooks were found from a weaver/dyer from Omi, what is now the Shiga Prefecture in Japan. Some of the finest textiles came out of this area. Inside these books are notes, technical drawings, color samples, swatches, and future concepts. Talk about an amazing and valuable reference into the process of design and development.

So, are you still having second thoughts about keeping a sketchbook? Maybe the thought of what the future generations can glean from your ideas will help you get started on it today.

Check out the full story over at Sri Threads.

Huge thanks to Larry for finding and sharing this.

Two Resources to Help You Sketch Your Design Success for 2010

Adam — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:22:07 +0000

One of the things I love about community, is the ability to promote and share the work of others. When there is a resource that I feel can really benefit you, I’ll spread the word. It’s a big world, and we have a lot to learn from everyone. The only way to grow a community is for all involved to thrive.

Here at The Woodworker’s Journey, design is emphasized as part of the foundation to a passionate and fulfilling experience in woodworking. Without good design, you don’t have much of a foundation to build from. I wanted to pass along two resources that will help you with your new designs for this new year.

Design Really Does Matter

The first is George Walker’s new blog, Design Matters. It’s a wonderful exploration of the principles that guide design and often pulls references from history. The blog is an extension of George’s forthcoming design column over at Popular Woodworking due out in February. He’s also working on a series of furniture design DVD’s. (The first two are out now through Lie-Nielsen.)

George, a veteran woodworker for over 25 years, conveys his experience and research through well-thought and expertly crafted posts. No matter your level of experience in furniture design, you will walk away with a new perspective on…well, perspective. Head over there and join the conversation. Tell him Adam sent you!

Every Day Design

The second resource is a new project from friend and fellow furniture maker, Jamon Schlimgen. He’s committed to drawing one piece of furniture everyday, for the entire year. Each day he posts his sketch for all to see at The Drawing Boards, where he includes his inspirations and observations concerning each design.

I want to bring Jamon’s project to your attention because he’s putting in to practice the one key to ultimate design success – action! It’s daily action, even. A lot of you have expressed confusion and fear about learning to draw and sketch your ideas on paper. Well, today is your day! What better way to really cut those new design teeth, than with a 365 project of your own. Seriously.

I challenge you to join Jamon in his daily designing. Spend some time each day simply drawing a quick sketch of a piece that’s been on your mind, or perhaps it’s something that just come to you in a flash of inspiration. The key is to do it. I can hear you now already complaining about the quality of your drawing. Stop it! That’s no excuse and it never will be. These aren’t supposed to be miniature works of art. They’re quick representations of your inspirations. Got it? Good.

Now, the second part. After you draw them, post them on the web. Put it on your blog, link to them in the comments on Jamon’s site, post them on Twitter, or if you don’t have access to any of those, let me know and I’ll see about putting them up here. The point is to make it public! “But, that might open me up to criticism!” Yes, but it also opens you up to valuable feedback and it gets you designing. A pretty fair tradeoff in my book. So, now that we have your excuses out of the way, it’s time to get started.

Step 1: Read these posts from The Woodworker’s Journey and subscribe if you haven’t yet.

Step 2: Go see George Walker to find out why Design Matters.

Step 3: Head over to Jamon’s 365 project to see how it looks, leave a comment, and let him know you’re doing it too.

Step 4: Start drawing and post them to the web.

Step 5: Reap the rewards of a fresh perspective and renewed design inspiration!

Let me know how it’s going, in the comments, will you?

Does the World Really Need Your Furniture? Pt. 1

Adam — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 17:44:26 +0000

This topic was producing the longest post in the history of blogging, so I broke it up into a series.

Years ago, I was talked in to displaying and “selling” at a local art show. I thought it would be good chance to show the community that there was some quality woodworking happening around them. I spent several weeks toiling away on smaller items people could buy and carry around with ease. I wanted to make it as easy as possible for people to buy. I remember having visions of crowds backed up to my booth, and all the other vendors scratching their heads in amazement. I was so sure people would want what I was making because these were fresh designs, complimented by “expert” craftsmanship.

Finally the day came, and I set up my table with all of the beautiful items. I unfolded a couple of chairs for people to sit and talk if they like, and unlocked my money box. I was ready for the tidal wave of art patrons! One by one, people slowly started walking by,pointing and making comments to themselves. A few people grew to a small crowd after a couple of hours. Then, by midday I was immersed in folks standing around asking questions, discussing construction methods, and wood choices. I was thrilled! I talked to so many people that day, that I lost my voice.

The show ended, and I was beat. I had stood there all day talking, greeting, and telling my story to literally thousands of people. I finally sat down, and opened the money box to see how much I had made. Empty. What?!?! Nothing?! No sales? That’s right. No one bought anything. I was devastated. I spent the rest of the day putting everything back in the shop and feeling very worthless. One question kept running through my mind that evening; “Does the world really need my furniture?”

At some point in time, I’m sure this question has run through your mind. You work in your shop, alone, and wonder if what you’re doing really matters. You might ask yourself:

Does it really matter to anyone else but me whether I make furniture or not?

Who wants my work? (other than family being nice)

What good does it do to make things no one sees or cares about?

What good are you doing if your work isn’t being featured in the magazines, isn’t on display in prestigious galleries, or isn’t even being asked for by clients? Is there even a reason for you to keep working? There can be many reasons for giving up in your pursuits of mastering the craft, so why do you keep going?

The way of the craftsman can feel very lonely at times. Especially when there is no one waiting with open arms for your completed work. Before you throw in the proverbial shop towel and sell your tools on Ebay, I just want to tell you that there is hope. People do want what you make, and in fact they might just need it.

In part 2 we’ll look at what the world might be needing from you as a woodworker.

So, did you come up with any answers when you asked yourself those questions? Have you found a reason to keep making your furniture? Is there a bigger picture that you keep in mind while designing and building those precious objects of distinction?

Let’s talk about it in the comments.

Open the eyes of the world to your work by subscribing to The Woodworker’s Journey.

No related posts.

Merry Christmas…

Adam — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 14:18:57 +0000

I can’t say it enough – Thank You!

I’m grateful for all of you who have made The Woodworker’s Journey possible.

I wish all of you a Merry Christmas. I hope and pray that today is a time of peace and blessing. Whatever you do today, do it with gratitude, and enjoy every moment.

I can’t wait to see where this coming year will take us as we passionately pursue our journeys in woodworking.

Why’s, Wherefore’s, and The Microsoft of Woodworking.

Adam — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:41:54 +0000

I was recently a guest on the The Sawdust Chronicles. Rick, Pete, and I had a blast covering topics ranging from hand tools, furniture design, and even threw in a Donnie Darko reference or two. Yeah, it’s a pretty wide conversation. Believe it or not, I think you’ll enjoy it.

Part 1

Part 2

Video Comments, Collaborations, and Surfing?…

Adam — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:03:14 +0000

You’ll notice I disabled the video comments for Woodworker’s Journey. It was due to a lot of technical problems with them and no support. It seems the folks at Riffly don’t exist anymore, so tech support was nill. Also, none of the video comments could play in IE.

(NO ONE should be web browsing with Internet Explorer in the first place. Firefox is best for PC people.)

Also, it wasn’t quite the platform of connection I had hoped it would be. My vision for The Woodworker’s Journey is to have a meeting place for all of us to share, connect, and inspire each and every one of us on our personal Journey. Each post, each video (coming next week), each feature that appears here is for the sole purpose of arming you with the knowledge and tools to work with greater confidence, passion, and fulfillment than you were before. So, I thought small videos could strengthen the connection between us all. I think it could still work, but there were too many cons to keep going with it. So, I’ve updated the comment system with several plugins that will help us continue discussions and connect to each other easier.

Real time collaboration and feedback is crucial to your success in, well…anything you do, not just woodworking. But a problem that occurs in this age of internet woodworking is a lack of real time critique and support. (check out the comments here)

Enter Google Wave. A real time platform for collaboration from the folks at Google. It’s still being tested and it’s invite only. I think it gets more hype than it deserves right now, but a small group of us woodworkers have been testing it’s potential to connect, share, and create. It’s been interesting. Right now my evaluation is simply that it is working for what we want to do with it. The more we play with it the more abilities we discover within it. It’s got potential, and I can’t wait to see where Google will take it.

That being said, Google Wave is again, invite only and I happen to have 19 (14) invites to give away.

If you’re even remotely interested in trying this experiment with us, leave a comment below and say that you want an invite. I’ll email you an invitation and then, you’re in! I really want to help assemble a committed group of woodworking innovators on this platform. We should embrace new technology and adapt it to our needs as a community. Let’s see what we can do to further inspire your woodworking journey while riding the wave.

What do think? Is there room for this kind of innovation in woodworking or are we just distracting ourselves from the real work? Let’s keep talking.

Want to join in on the experiment? Leave a comment below and indicate that you want an invite.

Are You Really Designing or Just Being a Big Fat Copycat?

Adam — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 21:16:11 +0000

Let’s go visit a typical woodworking shop. It’s a two car garage in a residential neighborhood. Here we find a woodworker (let’s call him Jack) working away on another personal project. Looks like an ambitious one this time – a set of eight Arts and Crafts style dinning room chairs. He’s using some very nice quarter sawn White Oak. Jack is doing a fine a job. The joints look good, the pieces are milled perfectly, and the angled back rails are spot on.

As we strike up a conversation with Jack, we find out he’s using some published plans to make the chairs. They look like good plans. They’ve taken him this far at least. When we ask Jack why he didn’t design the chairs on his own, he gives us a funny look.

“Why would I do that and risk having them turn out ugly? Worse yet, what if the design was all wrong and the chairs failed? I’ll play it safe and use someone else’s plans.”

Sound familiar? It does to me. In the beginning, I wouldn’t build anything unless I had plans for it. I didn’t have the confidence to attempt designing my own work. Fear of failure came in to play as well. I was afraid of designing something ugly, or maybe it wouldn’t be structurally sound. Let someone else do the design work, and I’ll just build it from their plans.

I’m not harping on published plans. Using them is a terrific way to get familiar with the processes of woodworking and to build confidence along side a piece of furniture. However, a lot of woodworkers get stuck here. They never move past working from others plans, or if they do (and this is even worse) all of their “original” designs look just like everyone else’s originals.

If that’s you, there’s hope. It’s easy to get stuck in your cushy design zone, but with a few minor adjustments in thought and practice, you’ll quickly step out and be on your way to greater design success.

Realize there’s nothing new under the sun.

Design is borrowed from, well…other design. No matter how original a piece or style may seem, it came from a source of borrowed inspiration, whether it was nature, architecture, another piece of furniture, or even music. This is a good thing. It means you have a seemingly limitless archive of design resources to borrow from. This way you don’t put pressure on yourself to develop something new, ground-breaking, or dare I say – revolutionary. The idea is to have the end result simply be about who you are as a woodworker.

Start a picture file on your computer of all your sources of inspiration. If you see something that sparks your interest, grab it and come back later to examine why it inspires you. Take the time to analyze any details that really stand out to you and start sketching to see how you can incorporate those details in to your own work.

Stop copying and start adapting.

True originality in furniture design is all about how your inspirations are fleshed out. The key is to take what you know and learn to repurpose it into your own expression of style. In order to do this, though, you have to stop copying the design elements, and start adapting them. Change them up a bit to reflect your ideals and philosophies of what furniture design should be. Borrow them, and then make them your own.

Pick one design element that really speaks to you from someone else’s work. Now, with your sketchbook open, draw as many variations of that detail as you can come up with. The idea is to see what you would do with that design element if you had thought of it first. Make it your own.

As hard as it is to take, feedback and criticism are your allies.

The hardest part of my woodworking education were the group critiques. Everyone in the whole school would gather round and pick each other’s work apart. I always felt as if I had to defend my work, because clearly everyone was attacking it, right? Wrong.

Later on when I had my own shop, I really began to miss those critiques. I missed the feedback and interaction with people who had common goals but different perspectives. I began to see that no one was ever attacking my work. They were offering suggestions and presenting alternative perspectives that could really open my mind up further to greater success in my designs.

As hard as it is to take, criticism and critiques are necessary for growth as a woodworker. You need other viewpoints and perspectives to help move you from your cushy design zone. The best way to approach any critique is with an open and understanding mind. No one is there to rip you apart. People are there to help you and offer suggestions from experience. It’s like free schooling.

So, get a neighbor or family member to offer their viewpoint. Better yet, post pictures on a forum or Twitter for instant feedback and advice. It can be scary at first, but it’s an essential part of learning to do your best work.

Peter left a great suggestion in the comments about this one. He suggests sharing the initial designs on Twitter, forums, email, etc. That way you get insight before ever building the piece. Especially if you seek out people who work in different styles than you do.

Like everything worth doing, developing your designs is a process that takes time, patience, and effort. Also, it takes courage to step out and try something unproven to you. There is a lot of self-imposed fear when heading down this path, but if you don’t start stretching your limits in woodworking, you will never leave your comfort zone, and never see how far you can truly go.

Are you content as a big fat copycat, or are you striving for a personal expression in your design work?

Let’s keep the conversation going.

Ready to stop copying designs and start innovating your own? Subscribe to The Woodworker’s Journey.

Seriously, I Can’t Believe I Watched it Either, But…

Adam — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:10:06 +0000

Yesterday, as I was immersed in the usual mix of music, article writing, Twitter, and coffee, I saw this pop up on my screen:

Ok Marc, you caught me in a weak moment, and with a headline like that how could I NOT watch?! So I clicked on the link and it took me to a video episode of a Canadian HGTV design show, The Decorating Adventures of Ambrose Price (yeah I know).

Apparently Ambrose is on a mission to become a designer without the formal training, simply learning as he goes. In this episode he tackled the world of furniture design.

There wasn’t a way to embed the video and no other sites had it, so here’s the link to watch it for yourself.

(Granted, the show’s set up is clearly part of the hook to keep you watching, but despite all that, there were some really interesting takeaways for you.)

He starts out with this statement, “Is it really that hard to design a unique piece of furniture?”

So, he basically goes on a survey trip to high end furniture galleries, design schools, and even the shops of local woodworkers. What he encountered were very solid design principles that everyone had in common.

Everyone started with a source of inspiration.
Brainstorming through sketching was the next step.
After narrowing the design, then the drawings were scaled.
The function, size, and “role” of the piece helped guide the design.
Continuity between wood, function, and style.

In the end, he come to this conclusion,

“There is no easy way when it comes to designing furniture.”

Despite how this all sounds, I really encourage you to watch the video. It ends up presenting a bit of an inside look into what it really takes to design furniture from start to finish. A concept that truly escapes most people not involved in our craft.

I am really anxious for you to share your thoughts on this one.

Are there any lessons to take away from this? Or, is this simply undermining the amount of work, both physical and intellectual, that goes in to furniture design and construction?

Lets’ discuss below.

(This would be a great topic for video comments.)

PS. If you don’t know who Peter Fleming is, you really need to!