Branding, finding your own style, and salt water etching

I've spent the last 2 months seriously researching marketing, branding and the like.  Up to this point I wasn't really doing much to promote my shop, nor was I really treating it like you would treat a business. But, when I reopened my shop last November, I decided that I really need to get myself together and start seriously working on the shop if I want anything to come of it.

One thing I always had problem with was defining my brand (and style). I still probably wouldn't be able to do this verbally if someone asked me to describe it, but after all that research, I have at least some visual idea as to what makes up my so-called "brand". I have a lot of figuring out still to do, but getting idea as to what, exactly I represent visually (or what do I want to represent) definitely was a huge help: I'm much more able to focus on developing a consistent collection. Before that, I was just kind of drawing ( and then making) any design that happened to pop into my head. I still do that  (drawing, that is) but I'm becoming more selective as to what I will put on sale. And I can't stress enough just how helpful that change was: I have some 24 designs drawn, and ready to be made (3 of those are actually already made, photographed, and in store, but more about it later :)

I decided that, for now, I want to focus on developing two separate lines, quite different, but each one cohesive, and there will be some overlapping, re-occurring motifs (because, well, both will be made by me ;P)

What really helped me with this, was a very simple exercise I came by on pinterest ( once I find it I will add the original source here).

somewhat visual representation of the light bulb moment I'm mentioning later on.

 It's ridiculously straightforward idea, and quite obvious once you read it. My first thought was: "why the hell didn't I think about this?!? " The idea is to write your name on a piece of paper, and then start adding to it things that define you. Anything that comes to mind when you think about yourself:interests, personality traits, favourite colours, and so on. Actually, it wasn't that exercise itself that brought my light bulb moment, but it was the exercise that led to it, because it put my mind on the right track (hope that makes sense ;P): I started out with that name-and-defining-charcteristics thing, and after I ran out of ideas, I started to look at all the designs I drew, and found reoccurring themes in many of them: moons, ravens, wolves, trees (if rather skeletal ones) and... how should I call them? Curvacious ornamental elements? I have no idea how do you call doodles like that in English (which, I suspect, is kind of evident from that description). But they are present on the three pieces I mentioned above, so you will be able to see what I mean ;P

I already knew that material I really want to work with is metal, so choosing medium and techniques wasn't difficult. Which brings us nicely to the salt water etching part of that post.

I always liked the look of etched jewellery, but I never got around to buying etching solution, and, quite frankly, wasn't very comfortable with using a rather strong acid at home ( I worked with strong acids before, but that was always in properly equipped lab, not home ) And then I stumbled upon a video showing salt water etching technique, and it's ridiculously easy to set up, and involves only non-iodised salt, water, metal you want to etch, a piece of scrap metal and a weak electric current. Perfect! No harmful chemicals ( though you still need to properly dispose of the copper-saturated solution, once it stopped working - you can't pour it down the drain, and the same goes for used, copper-saturated pickle, by the way. My solution is still going, though, after etching 2 pairs of earrings and two pendants) I won't be going into details here (because that post is already getting monstrously long), but check the link I provided - and make sure to check his first salt water etching video also. For my electricity source I used phone charger and two semi-insulated screwed-on alligator clips (thus eliminating need for soldering). It has lower output than recommended 9V, as it is just 5V. This may contribute to the speed with which the etching is done: it's sloooow. To get to the depth I like, I have to keep it going for three hours. But it's brilliant otherwise!

And I made those lovelies with it:

 

All three pieces (or five, if I would feel like nit-picking) are made of copper. The necklace chain is also handmade by me. And I also decided that I like photos on black background better than with white one (must have something to do with the fact that black is my favourite. And red. But mostly black) To block the areas I didn't want etched I used acrylic paint - painted on with... a toothpick. High-tech, I tell you. (Getting the paint off the pieces after etching was another matter: if I don't rub it off from still wet piece, it becomes really hard to get rid of. Like, combination of scrubbing, nail polish remover and baking soda hard )

 

 These are the first pieces of one of the lines I mentioned. The line is called The Wild Song, and the necklace and wolf earrings are Wolf Song core pieces, and raven earrings are part of Raven Song core pieces. There will be also matching necklace - I have the pendant etched already, but I need to add a bail, and make a chain (5 h for the wolf one, ugh ) And isn't the black background gorgeous? They look so... elegant with it :D Oh, and those doodles... the curvacious ornamental elements... how do you call something like that in English?

The other line I'm planning will be called Axis Mundi (world axis in Latin), which will consist of metal clay pieces, shaped like... that will be obvious to anyone with interest in ancient mythologies ( European mostly, but that's really common theme ) trees. So I can say that moon tree pendant was actually the first piece in that line. I just have to retake its pictures ;)

I hope that I will be able to work more efficiently and cohesively (and consistently )now that I somewhat know what look I'm aiming for. I just need to figure out effective marketing strategy ;)

Till the next time!
Kasia