Art that speaks to me...

As you can imagine, I am in front of A LOT of art and creative creations all the time. Yes, it is an integral part of my job but even beyond that, I am always on the hunt for something hand-crafted, WELL-CRAFTED and super cool. Believe me when I tell you, hand-crafted and well-crafted are very often NOT the same thing and don't always exist in the same piece of art. I am choosy and tend to be very picky about the level of quality and the overall feel of what I bring in for my clients to see. I think high standards are important and I believe my customers have come to expect and appreciate those standards.

Even after almost eight years of choosing art and interacting with artists, something will surprise me. This week's surprise came from an artist named Tracy Stannard from Georgia. My assistant recommended bringing in Tracy's work and I was on the fence but the jewelry was different than anything else we carry so I decided to give it a try. I am overwhelmingly pleased with the results of that decision. We brought in a small assortment, including a bracelet made from vintage tins. I posted the bracelet on our facebook page and got such a great reaction.

When the box arrived, I was helping a good customer select a birthday gift for a friend and happened to open the box and show her this cool new bracelet. And off the bracelet went-gift wrapped in our standard gift wrapping to it's new owner. Wonderful, I thought, I will definitely get in touch with Tracy and get a few more.  Yesterday, a few more arrived. I was showing them to a friend when another good customer saw them, checked them out and the next one went home, again out of the box, with it's new owner. Terrific! I still had one and figured I would get a few more in the next few weeks. A third good customer came in and asked to see "her bracelet", the one she had seen on facebook and wanted. And the last one went home with it's new owner! More are on the way...reserve yours today or it will end up going home with someone else--I can almost guarantee it at this point  :)

I was also fortunate enough yesterday to get in some new art blocks from one of my favorite local artists, who lives right around the corner from Creative Genius. Her name is Abbie Mylod Galie and her company name is Original Abbie Designs. I have helped her with growing her business from a wholesale standpoint and she continually helps me with technology and resource things. Truly a mutually beneficial working relationship...plus she is very cool!

Yesterday's new editions are wall art blocks with reproductions of her original art on them. Very well done and these new ones really speak to me. My favorite is the artist one but I also like the drummer one too. The art is whimsical and fun and would work for just about anyone, regardless of the type of home or display area they choose to put it in. At $ 20 per art block they are a great gift...thanks for the new ones, Abbie...I am sure they will be going to new homes really soon...maybe one might even be going to MY home!

One of the many fun parts of my job...

One of the best parts of my job is the process of finding cool new things that my clients get as excited about as I do. There is a plethora of hand-crafted work out there but not all of it is at a high standard and in many cases, the lack of a professional product is a hindrance. I mean, it is always great to create something and sell it but hand-crafted work still needs to meet a standard and should not look unprofessional, cheap or like it is going to fall apart as soon as it arrives home with you. Sadly, that is often the case and I always feel badly for those artists because sometimes they aren't even told how to improve their work to make it present better. I am never insulting towards someone's creation but I very often will give advice, when solicited, for how to improve an item's presentation or saleable. I certainly don't consider myself an expert but I HAVE been doing what I do for almost eight years so I might have something of value to add, if someone is open to the feedback.

For me, in finding new items for Creative Genius to represent, it can be very challenging to weed through the lower level items to come up with a product that meets my own internal standards for both creativity as well as something that looks professional and is well-made. I have encountered many people who think their creations are of a high level. Yet they have not even explored the industry further to gain a better understanding of what is out there, what the market will bear for their product and the level that others working in a similar medium might be creating at. All of these things are important to know. It is fine to create off your kitchen table if the products you are creating are professional, finished looking and sell at a level that is consistent for that medium.

Especially with the upsurge of upcycling that has become in vogue in recent years in the crafts community, it is even more important to seek a high standard of creativity as well as professionalism when I am adding art to the existing Creative Genius environment. Our latest artist addition has definitely found the right balance between creativity and a professional product that anyone would be proud to wear. There is nothing junky about her jewelry creations and we're excited to have her as a part of Creative Genius...welcome Tracy!