I Figured Out the Purpose of My Blog! Hooray!

Mood Ring: Green 

Studio Noise: Vince Guaraldi

I finally figured out the purpose of my blog! And I feel so much better having done so...

So that I don't have to repeat myself, I will just re-post what I wrote to the Orchid list in response to a thread originated by fellow jeweler and PMC clay expert, Elaine Luther, of Creative Texture Tools.

Elaine's original post is here.

She basically wanted to know--where are the blogs of the metalsmiths and other jewelers? She noted, as have I, that there are tons of blogs sites for beaders, but seemingly precious few for the jewelers and metal artists.

My response:

I thought I’d jump into this for a minute too.

I have a blog, and at the moment it’s password protected. I recently came to the conclusion that its main purpose is to serve as a journal for me--a diary of sorts--as I learn and grow as a jewelry artist/metalsmith and business owner.   

It morphed a little from my original intent of being a vehicle through which I could promote and drive customers to my website, into something much more personal. After thinking about it based on some really good suggestions and tips I got from Elaine, I've determined that this blog is not necessarily supposed to be a “resource” covering a specific jewelry topic, or anything that I plan use to purposefully drive customer traffic to my website. It’s--well--my jewelry/life blog. 

Since I am primarily self taught, part of me believes that other people embarking on the same path might find some of my thoughts and processes helpful, enough that they can say, “Hey, ok, somebody else tried this too, so maybe I should (or not).” Or, “Wow, that happened to me—I’d like to know how somebody else handled it.” Or, “Dang, she taught herself to do that? I can do that too!” In that regard, I don't mind sharing. On the other hand, part of me wonders, “Well, who the heck really wants to read this???” 

Also on this blog, I keep a list of many of the resources I’ve stumbled across that I think are valuable to me as a jewelry artist and business owner, primarily for quick access—if I want to access something, I know exactly where to go on my blog.

Oh, and, I must list my studio noise. (Studio Noise is very important!)

Oh, and, I like to maintain a record of my general mood as I work. (Mood Ring is also important!) 

I will re-emphasize that my blog is pretty much a journal. My journal. I started out wanting to document my journey on paper via my little orange notebook, but blog format is SO much easier. Doing it in a bland word processing program just doesn’t cut it for me.   

Would I promote this particular blog to customers? I want them to see “behind the scenes,” sure; however, I’m not really sure this is the blog I want them to see (I definitely don’t want them to hear me whining about my bad year of jewelry sales—or about how much people not re-racking their weights at the gym annoys me). As such, I’m thinking about starting a second blog that is about a more specific aspect of jewelry as it relates to what I do (I’m doing different things with jewelry right now that are not shown on my website). With a whole lot less "other" stuff in it.

However, IMHO, I think it’s hard to strike the right balance in a blog that shows a little bit of both the personal and business—but people do it every day, so it's possible.

So, sure…I’ll pull the password protection for a day or two. If there are any thoughts or suggestions, I’d love to hear them. There’s a link on the blog where you can email me. And, if you want access after I restore password protection, let me know. 

http://gentrydesignco.typepad.com/jewelrydesignchronicles/ [Again, this is my jewelry AND life blog, so watch it!]

Tamra Gentry 

Oh, and in addition to Elaine's blog, one of my other favorites that I subscribe to is http://jewelryblogger.com. It’s a very nice and simple collection of jewelry news, who’s who, etc. They keep their summary posts short, sweet, straight to the point, and they refer you directly to the appropriate article link.

So, there. THAT's what THIS blog is about. It is a journal. A diary.

I don't care so much about "driving traffic" to it, busting my chops to get people to comment, or making money off of it (I am so not into putting ads on my blog). Although, I will happily accept comments...

(Mind you, yes, I am very much aware of everything I post--that is to say, I know how much information I reveal about myself. Think your information is safe??? I can point you to a few sites that will make you cringe, and I can almost assure you that you will be able to find your own name--I might do a post about that in a week or two).  

Comments

[a reader]

"(Mind you, yes, I am very much aware of everything I post--that is to say, I know how much information I reveal about myself. Think your information is safe??? I can point you to a few sites that will make you cringe, and I can almost assure you that you will be able to find your own name--I might do a post about that in a week or two). "

Jeeeeeeez.
Yes, please do.