Getting It Together for the BUILD A LINE Challenge from B'sue Boutiques

This is how many of us work.....madly, quickly, ideas flowing faster than our fingers can move.  

And I'll be the first to admit:   this is MY workspace down in the Messy Workshop, where our first videos were made, and a space we'll be using again before too long.

We may work in chaos, but chaos will not work for us where our finished jewelry is concerned.  It is time to concentrate, think deep, and discover simple truths about what is IS people want, and how we as handmade jewelry artists can give it to them at prices they will pay. 

That's a real challenge.....and WHY the BUILD A LINE CHALLENGE was born!

Here is my first post on it, you may want to review it:

The Ultimate Challenge

This amazing opportunity will be a challenge that will last three months.  Those who participate will need to be fully committed.   

You will ABSOLUTELY have to have a working blog.   Facebook Business pages used as a blog will not work for this challenge, because we will be having blog hops.

You ABSOLUTELY must be on Facebook, as most of the communication and business f this challenge will take place there.

You ABSOLUTELY must be a member of the B'sue Boutiques Creative Group  as some of our challenge discussion will take place there.

You will need 'pinning rights' to the special group board we will create for this challenge.    That means you must be following my boards at Pinterest:

B'sue Boutiques Pinterest Boards

You should send a friend request to Brenda Sue Lansdowne at Facebook so communication will be easy.

You  will  create a cohesive line of jewelry with five pieces.     They can be all the same piece with variations.    They can be a fashion line with necklace, earrings, bracelet, ring and brooch.  They can be a gift line focusing on a specific theme.   

That's the challenge:  YOU BRAINSTORM IT and YOU MAKE IT WORK.  Along the way we will be having blog hops to see your process as well as your PROGRESS.  

Don't tell anyone what you are doing prior to the reveal, please.  I am not accepting any submissions before the opening date.

Good to remember:    DON'T MAKE IT HARD.   Don't go for something too over the top, too fussy, too hard to recreate.   While this is a a PROTOTYPE line, meaning you will only be making ONE of each item in your line, you DO need to consider what it might be like to take it to the next level and reproduce and sell it, when the challenge is over.   In fact, that will be one of the judging features:   how easily and successfully could that be done.

So many of us are visual.   Besides my old catalog sheets, some of the best photos I can share with you are ones from Leila West of Leila Nicole Designs.   This is a line of bracelets she produces now and are her design.   Here they are in progress.  

As you can see, it's all the same component, but the color choice is the key.

 

Here are some that are finished:

I hope Leila will be with us for the challenge and I doubt this is what she would be doing as she has already done it....but since I have used this as an example, this line is TAKEN and will not be repeated by someone else during the challenge.  It's Leila's line.  The photos are for inspiration, only.   You could do birds and you could make bracelets, just do something else.   Thanks!

On JANUARY 8th. 2015 I will begin accept private messages at FACEBOOK  with your ideas for the challenge, rudimentary photos, sketches, or simply a short explanation of what you intend to do.  (Honestly, the short explanation is best).  You will also send me your blog link so we have it for the hops, and so that I can check it, see that you are using it and that it works.

Nothing is more irritating than a blog hop with dead links so we're checking ahead of time just to keep that to a minimum.

Everyone will have to have their messages to me by Monday, January 12th, 2015.

These dates are FINITE.   That means, no submissions prior to January 8, none will be accepted after Jan 12.      

You should be trying out your blogs and writing about your life, your process, your ideas about making jewelry, things you have collected, just ANYTHING but be writing!  And don't be writing about what you'll be doing for the challenge, I gotta repeat that.  You can shout the challenge out, THANKS!   We'll have a blog badge for you soon, too.   But shhhhhh don't tell your ideas and what you will do.

Try to narrow down your ideas to something specific.   Saying, I'm doing a Steampunk line isn't specific enough.   What SORT of steampunk line?    Or I'm doing a nature line will not be specific enough.   What sort?  Animals?   Birds?  Tropical foliage?   BEING SPECIFIC is one of the things that sets a line apart, people don't have to guess where you're going with it.   They will simply look, and know.

Once I have everyones' choices, I will go through looking for duplicates.   If there are duplicates, the first one to reach me with the choice gets it.  I will come back to you if someone else has your theme or idea, and you will need an alternate.

This truly is a master class, and it's FREE this time.   I have many years experience with actually DOING this (but not teaching it!) so I do not feel I can charge for it this time and I don't even want to.  BUT!  the rules will be firm because it will take a lot of time out of my packed life to do this challenge along with you.   Even though I have successfully built a line and sustained it for the better part of a decade, I have not taught a group how to do it.  

So we will all be learning together.

There will be a blog hop week of January 19th where you will tell about yourself as a mixed media jewelry artist, why you joined us, what you hope to get from the class/challenge, and you'll then tell us about your choice.  ALL BLOG POSTS IN THIS CHALLENGE MUST HAVE PHOTOS.

I will announce the blog hop date soon; as of today I'm thinking we'll probably do it that Friday which would be the 23rd.   That's still tentative, though.

One last thing to repeat:  visible pieces from the B'sue Boutiques line of findings and goodies must be present  in your designs.    This way I can freely promote your work, talk about your artistry, and allow you to pin to our challenge board and continue in the challenge.   This is only fair as this is a FREE, UNPAID master class and I am donating my time to guide it.

Another blog link you can refer to for more information is here:

MORE DETAILS ON THE BUILDING YOUR LINE CHALLENGE

SO.....

Think outside of the box.    Simple is best.  Be clever.   Think about WHY someone would buy your piece.   Just another pretty face is not enough.   There are reasons why people buy.  You might want to Google some articles on that and do some serious research.  

In the long run, it will refine your process, and probably help you be more successful in selling even more of your work.    I'm hoping to re-route my own brain that way! 

I did it once....

 

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Comments

[Jann Tague]

Getting excited for the next 3 month challenge in 2015 .. I have my jewelry line all figured out .. this is going to be so much fun ..

[Nike Bottalico]

great blog and my mind is a whirling! I hope I can figure out what to do!

[Marica Zammit]

Oh this is REALLY tempting me! lol Before you announced the challenge I had already made lots of plans for 2015.

This year I've really neglected my other online businesses (non-jewelry related) and I really need to revamp those in 2015 PLUS I was already thinking of opening 2 (yes 2 not 1) lol other shops on Etsy for my finished jewelry. One of these will have a line and I've already decided what it will be.

So not sure whether I'd have the time for this. I think what I'm going to do is on the 8th of Jan send you a message with details of the line that I've already decided on. But if someone messages you before me with the same idea, I will just have to follow the challenge and not participate.

Brenda I have two questions. About the blog, can I blog about this challenge on my artisan beads website? I really don't have time to start another blog just for this challenge. And another question ... What date do we need to start showing the B'Sue stampings/findings that we'll be using? Just asking because I need to make sure that I order them in time to arrive here - me being in Europe!

Either way I'm really looking forward to this and will be promoting the challenge as much as I can.

Thanks for doing this Brenda!

[Elizabeth Hildreth]

Whoa! I didn't realize that we needed to have a set thing in mind so early into the process. I was sort of hoping to get some more information and guidance before choosing a path. *runs off to look for thinking cap*

PS: Very excited to participate in this challenge. :-)

[Elizabeth Owens Dwy]

I have been so excited for this since you first announced the it! I have my line concept all set and cannot wait to start...I have to get going on re-vamping my blog... It is in the midst of remodeling now and this will be great for me because it will give me the push to start devoting the time to my blog that I truly want to... :)

[B'sue]

Marica, I responded to you by email but quickly, you just need to have a functioning blog that you can use for the challenge, so you do not need another one. What you have is fine! As per the blog post above, the 'reveal' of what you will be doing is the blog hop, so far tentative date of that is Jan 23, for now please mark your calendar for that. If you do not have everything you need just then, you may show photos which you have my permission to capture from the site or use a piece you already have even if you don't have enough to do your whole project. ARTISTS SKETCHES also work very well. It will mostly be YOU telling about YOUR IDEAS and what you will be doing, which as per the post here, will already be approved by me between Jan 8 and 12. The blog badge will be ready soon. Elizabeth: I am providing basic ideas everday at the creative group, but think about it: If I told everyone what they should do or how to craft their line, where's the challenge, right? This time, I want to see what YOU come up with and where YOU take it. I'm not going to tell anyone that they don't have a viable idea. ;-) Who am I to say, right? You may have something off the charts! During the rest of this month, however, I will be blogging more about it and I will have a list of basic things that I can think of that might be jumping off places for you. SO: 1. you do not need all your materials to brainstorm your line, just need to know you WILL be able to get them to do your prototype line sometime during the three month process 2. You can use the blogs you already have! No problem 3. Don't share your ideas with anyone yet but it's for YOU to brainstorm. Checking out currently successful lines at Etsy, in the stores, anywhere jewelry is sold may give you lots of inspiration. It's all about what YOU can come up with and where YOU can take it. And I KNOW you can do it....because I did, with no coaching, conception of the business world, training, and little mentoring. If I did it, others surely can because I'll be the first to say, I was clueless and am no genius! You girls are WAAAY beyond where I started out already. ;-)

[Marica Zammit]

Thanks Brenda - I just saw your email. Thanks for such a detailed reply here too.

OK then I think I'm ready for this :-)

Have already started to do some research. I think I'll create a WORD document with all these valuable nuggets of info that you're providing, just so I have everything in one place. (i.e. info from the Creative group and from your blog)

[Micheale Collie]

Thanks for all the information, Brenda! I have my blog up and am writing every couple of days, but have to say I'm feeling overwhelmed since I'm too much of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants jewelry "designer." I have a kernel of an idea for my line, hope I can develop it before Jan 8th!

[Dawn Gaye]

B'sue and all:
I normally do either OOAK pieces as the muse moves me, or I "take another's dream and make it real for them"; in other words, I do commission work with as much or little input from a customer as they wish. I have never had the discipline to create a "line" or any type of cohesive body of work. I am making a huge life change (at 62!!) and need to corral my art-work habits somewhat. okay. a lot. I am new to blogging, awful at websites, and depend on word-of-mouth for my business... all that must change. So i think this challenge will help mold me into shape for what my next steps must be to make a living! I am looking forward to the learning.
All input, feedback, suggestions appreciated.
DawnGaye

[Alexandra Sefton]

Brenda Sue--your post really helped me--I am unused to thinking about what people want the way you do. It's as if I have to unwrap and re-wrap my brain! But I'm very excited and love my last order from you tho it wasn't specifically for the Challenge, and fell in love with more stuff and will be placing another order tonite or Monday.
Anyway--I'm with DawnGaye--66 and not good at computer stuff but by hook or by crook, I will get there!!
Can't thank you enough for giving us this FANTASTIC chance! <3

[Catherine Shattuck]

Superb blog as usual! Thank you, Brenda!

[Handmade Jewelry]

Again great jewelry and stunning photos, I just adore your website !