I suppose it is one of the fundamental pieces of common sense of life that you can't really solve the problem unless you fully understand the components and background of that problem.

I feel quite determined to solve my "problem" relating to online selling... having just come back from another event in which we did reasonably well, and once again having to face this conundrum that when I can get an Alchemy Stone in somebody's hands there's a good chance they will buy it, but when they only see a picture of it they have virtually no inclination to do so.

But what are the deeper aspects of this particular conundrum?

Here are some facts I have assembled over the years, and I'm hoping they will help me solve the problem:

#1. When we go to events — whether they are specialized niche events or just arts and crafts shows — we usually are able to come home from the weekend with somewhere between $1,000 and $2,500. Clearly, the art is well-liked enough... so how do we translate that into online sales?

#2. Something I have come to understand is that people are not actively searching for what I have to offer. They don't actually know that they "want what I have" until they see it, and beyond that they don't actually know that what I have even exists until they see it. In a sense you could say that the demand appears spontaneously.

#3. Because of #2, it is extremely difficult to use any kind of meaningful SEO or keywords to help draw people to the product. If you have a product that people aren't actively searching for how do you put the product in somebody's way in such a way that they would be interested enough to check it out, and subsequently make a purchase? The marketing proposition would then have to be to "piggyback" on other items that have a very high correlation with our typical buyer profile.

#4. The people who buy Alchemy Stones are generally not an arts and crafts buyer, but rather they belong to a broader class of consumers who are interested in metaphysics, UFOs, paranormal stuff, ghost hunting (what you might call the tinfoil hat brigade), Reiki practitioners, massage therapists, alternative healers and so forth. As such, trying to sell the stones as art is not really the best possible approach.

#5. Many of the online "art marketplaces" are as often not geared towards items that are not readily translatable into print on demand merchandise. That is to say, they are flat — whether it is photography or painting — which can be put on mouse pads, prints, greeting cards, pillows, mugs and a number of other things. Alchemy Stones don't have that particular benefit, being highly 3 dimensional in nature.

But they are also not "sculpture," or functional art like pottery, metalwork, woodwork or blown glass. Basically, they only fit into the "Misc. basket" of the art world.

So, there you have the fundamental challenges, which tend to make all the art marketers (that I have spoken to, anyway) roll their eyes and wish me good luck!

But I am not willing to take that for an answer, so onwards we go!

I appreciate you coming to visit and please do leave a comment if you feel so inclined!

Thank You!

If you enjoy painted rocks, do check out The Hive Rocks Project and help spread the word about Hive, while also being creative!

Because I am trying to make some semblance of income — a part time living, even — I now add this footer to all my posts, in the hope that someone, somewhere, might decide to take a further look at my work, and perhaps consider supporting independent art.

Thank you, in advance, for your consideration and support!

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Thank you for supporting independent art & creativity!

2024.06.27 AS-TXT-268/238