Be a weaver, they said. It'll be fun, they said.
What they didn't say was that a big part of succeeding at being a weaver in the 20th and 21st centuries was...self-promotion.
As an introvert, I wasn't very good at the 'self-promotion' part. I found it hard to try and convince people that they needed to spend their hard won dollars on my textiles. Or on me, teaching. I spent quite a few years twisting and twirling around the whole dance of 'marketing' myself and my weaving.
It was during a class on marketing that I finally found a way to do the kind of self-promotion that I could live with. One of the speakers explained that marketing is just sharing what you do. Advertising is purchasing space in the media (newspapers, magazines, radio, tv, etc. - this was pre-internet days).
Sharing what I do was pretty easy. I just found that place where my passion lived, and shared my excitement about doing what I do.
When I taught for Olds, some of the students found doing the verbal exercises very difficult because a lot of creative people are also introverts. So I explained to them that all they had to do was speak from their passion.
As the internet grew and changed and became more...commercial...I was able to 'speak' to people via groups. I've always loved words, and people have called me a storyteller, so it was an easy slide over into expressing myself through the written word.
Writing posts - on groups, or here, on this blog - means I can think through what I want to say. I can craft the message I want to express. Before I hit 'publish' I can edit, deleting awkward bits, or check for emotional trigger words, change what I'm saying so that I can provide the 'story' without the emotion (mostly). (Sometimes I leave the emotion in, because I *am* writing from my passion - and that is an emotion.)
The thing is, when you get good at marketing yourself, people assume you don't need any help. But the thing is, my voice (so to speak) can only reach so far. If my message is to go beyond my reality bubble (my followers), then others picking up the message and relaying it onwards is imperative. If my knowledge only ever reverberates inside my reality bubble, it's just an echo chamber.
For example, A Thread Runs Through It has sold a few copies. But that book has a limited appeal and I don't know everyone who might benefit from the lessons I've learned as a professional weaver. So if you, dear reader, know someone interested in making an income from their weaving (or other creative endeavours) let them know that the 'book' is available in my ko-fi store.
If you think what I have shared might be of value to others, you might consider recommending it in your guild newsletter. Or online, if you belong to weaving groups.
Back in the 90s, someone opened a business selling fibres from New Zealand. Since I knew her, I shared her business info on line. Later that day she emailed to say that she didn't realize that what she needed was a Laura Fry to help her business grow.
Helping other creatives expand their reach is easy-peasy. Extend a helping hand. Share a website. Recommend the book(s). Let people know that you think something is valuable.
That's marketing.
Books available here in both pdf and print
A Thread Runs Through It, Weave a V and tea towels here
Seminars/guild programs listed here (yes, I'm still taking bookings for 2024 - just booked Calgary Heritage Weavers guild for this spring)
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