Back to the "WHY"

WHY - why do people buy what we make, why do they buy anything that is not useful and a necessity of life for that matter?

The simple and so obvious answer is: because we can.

We do it because we want the feelings that doing it gives us. We want to be told we made a good choice. That our aquisition is impressive. That we look trendy or our stuff is fabulous. That is why we will be discriminate shoppers for dish soap and toilet paper too, because one brand is marketed as a more impressive or elite than another.

How does toilet paper compare to art, and fine crafts like our jewelry? It does because in order to sell it we have to market it, and that means building brand recognition and finding a way to make our work more desirable than someone else's.

I'm going to refer you to this article from Guerrilla Marketing: Why_People_Buy that passed over my desk awhile back. It does a good job of explaining the whys for a multitude of product types. As I read through it I realized that certain things applied to our jewelry and could certainly be used to help market our work by reaching a potential client's real reasons for making a jewelry purchase.

Comfort - we try to make really comfortable jewelry. Not too heavy. Not to small. Shape the items using appropriate mandrels so that neck pieces and bracelets and rings all sit well on a person. Which leads me to the concept of FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) which would be a good topic for another time.

Getting Compliments - We know that what we make is one-of-a-kind and that is attractive and we know from talking to many of our clients that they often get compliments on the jewelry they have chosen from us. They sometimes buy an item because they know it will get attention and they want that. This can increase their enjoyment of life, afterall, for a moment it makes them the center of it.

Owning a thing of beauty - Which is subjective and always in the eye of the beholder. When we see something beautiful we often admire it and sometimes it speaks to our soul enough that we have to own it.

Keeping up with or surpassing the Joneses - Yes, it's not just you that has them, we do too and so do most other people. There is always someone who sets the standard and sometimes we buy so that we can meet that same standard and sometimes we buy items that they haven't yet aquired, like work from an emerging artist, so that we can say: I saw it first.

Opulence - We sometimes buy items because they are rich in texture or appearance and we want that opulent experience in our lives.

Youthfullness - Who isn't bombarded with anti-aging ads and the idea that 50 is the new 40, etc? We sometimes make the puchase of an item because it may appear youthfull in nature and we want to wear that idea in the hopes that we now appear more youthfull for it.

Friendship & Love - A reason for giving the item as a gift. We may also be making the purchase because we feel a kinship with an artist too and we want to befriend them and show them support, and this visceral support is always appreciated along with compliments and praise.

Pain and Trouble Avoidance - If you don't buy her a nice gift because... you went fishing, golfing, watching football with your buds, went on a business trip, etc... well guys, you know the rest of the story and you are just trying to avoid a potentially painful situation.

Stylish and Trendy - This is also a form of pain avoidance as few of us like being unstylish and we do want our frineds to notice that we are in touch in with the trends if not setting them already.

Acceptance - This comes back to the idea of fitting in, being stylish and keeping up with the Joneses.

The Power of Attraction - We want to attract attention, and love and friendship and sometimes we purchase items with the sole purpose of garnering this attraction, even though it may not be something that would typically fit with our lifestyle or personality.

Emulation - We sometimes buy items because someone we admire has one just like it and we want to be just like them.

Superiority and Status - Surpassing the Joneses and setting the standard is why status symbols of wealth or success are sought.

Excitement - For some people there is a real thrill in making puchases and in owning new items. This is a form of excitment with entertainment value.

Impulse - I read somewhere that 90% of jewelry is an impulse buy as are a lot of other things we bring home. Perhaps for some, other than being in that moment and capturing it in an object there is no other reason to own it.

Popularity - We all like to be included and sometimes owning the "IN-Thing" will allow is to feel that inclusion in the "IN-Clique", and we all know that high school was painful as hell and none of us were in the IN-Crowd but the desire is still there and it still drives us, even just a little.

Individualism - I still think that this is the finest reason to own a really unique piece of jewelry, but a person really has to want to show the world that they are a wonderful and strong individual. Not everyone is prepared to do that and not everyone is willing to be assured that they are an individual even though everyone is.

A Legacy - Collectors of bodies of art leave legacies. It is human nature to want to leave some kind of impression behind of ourself, whether it is through our children, our life's work, written word, recorded song, art that we make or items of value that we collect.

The next step for me is to examine these reasons for purchasing more closely and to develop our new marketing material with the idea of answering the why, as well as to observe our clients in action and to affirm their why and let them know that our work does answer it.

In the meantime, think about how the whys of the article apply to your product and as well examine the real reason behind some of your more recent purchases. It can be very surprising and even a little scary.

Cheers,
Cynthia

PS: a quick update on other things - Summer show season is underway and the studio is still under some reconstruction but I can get some work done in there now. Currently cleaning and checking all our jewelry over again in preparation for the NB Crafts Council Show this coming weekend.

WHY?

Why do I do this stuff?
Luann Udell asked why this past week in her blog and I now feel compelled to answer the question.

Sometimes we think that the obvious reason we do something is the potential for monetary gain, but I’ve already determined that money isn’t the real why, it’s a superficial why and besides, if that was the real reason for making art/jewelry then doing it is a really bad idea.

Other obvious answers are the ones about colour and fun; and it is colourful and it is fun and we do enjoy making it. This is still a truth but it is a shallow answer.

I frequently find myself asking why I do what I do, which is try to be an office manger, book-keeper and creative genius all in one and I frequently avoid answering the question. There is a truth in what Luann was saying; we are scared of our own reasons for doing some things.

We often try to make it sound like we are doing or art/craft for the benefit of others. I know that I am willing to tell you that we do it so that we can share the beauty of these stones, trapped in basaltic formations for millions of years, with the world. Isn’t that generous of us, but it’s not the real truth either.

Making art is not an altruistic activity. It is actually a very selfish act, which I think is why it is so hard to tell the real truth behind it.

The real truth is that I am not nearly as organized as an office manager needs to be, but I fake it real well and so long as you believe that I am capable, then there is no reason to replace me with a real one. I really don’t like bookwork, in fact I hate it but I do it because I am too cheap to hire it out. I do like making jewelry though, but not for money and not because I want to share it even though I like sharing and money.

No, the real reason I do this is selfish: I want to succeed.

I can hear you saying “Succeed, well duh, that’s a no-brainer! We all want to succeed.”

Yes, we are driven by our real needs and mine is wrapped up in the word “succeed”. Success is the word with as many meanings as there are people in the world. The real nature of success is as unique to me as I am as a person, which is why your definition is different from mine and as different from that of the CEO of a Fortune 500 as it is to a doctor, to a farmer, to a… I know you get the picture.

You can see that I am avoiding the “WHY” again already and went of on a little tangent. It is scary to have to tell the whole ugly, bare-naked truth.

I make jewelry because I want to prove that I am actually excellent at something. I don’t know what it will take for me to really believe that I am excellent or have achieved excellence. I don’t know how many awards I will need to win or what skills I will need to develop or how many top-notch shows I will need to be accepted to or how many compliments I will need to receive in order to believe that I am good enough at what I do to be considered excellent.

You are also starting to think that I am a few facets shy of a well-cut stone too… So let’s face-it, the truth is ugly, but the need for success is within each of us, and some deep-rooted childhood anxiety is likely what drives it.

As a child/teen/young adult I did a lot of things reasonably well but I never really worked at being excellent. I never went out of my way to strive for excellence. I have come to realize that for me, success equals excellence. Excellence can manifest itself in a lot of ways, awards, publication, money, various accolades, but it is a personal measure of my own insecurities. The more I deal with facing them, the less I have to do to be excellent.

Why do I make art jewelry? Because I want to be excellent. I want to tell the little voice inside of me that I am OK and actually have it shut up and believe it for good. I want to free myself of my own insecurities that keep me a wallflower and I do that by making bold jewelry that cannot possibly be worn by anyone who is looking to stay in the background and never get noticed. My day of success will be the day I wear my work without being scared of it and the attention it brings.

It’s a pretty selfish reason to make art but it’s the real reason. Besides, it’s colourful and fun to do, and I really like doing it and being able to show it to people and talk about the pretty rock and the techniques and I like becoming a more self-confident person who is becoming excellent.

Luann also asked why you should care. I guess I have to figure that out next.

Cheers,
Cynthia