Want to know what 1000 Markets is about? Check this byhand.me interview out!

I've been a member of 1000 Markets since mid-November and I'm totally passionate about it. I consider myself lucky to have been involved in this wonderful site while it's been developing in Sneak Preview and am very excited that we are moving towards our Grand Opening this spring. 

And so I was delighted to see that ByHand.me just did an extremely comprehensive interview with Matt, the CEO of 1000 Markets. Trust me, if you're one of the people wondering what this new venture called 1000 Markets is about, it's all right here in this article and is a must read for consumers, artisans and those in the Social Media arena that want to see what doing something the right way is all about.

As an artisan shopkeeper I have developed a huge respect for the whole 1000 Market team...I find not only does this site work for me in regards to quality, ease of use and support, it works for me because I also believe in the vision, quality and integrity of the concept, due to the people behind it. I do not give blind loyalty to anyone because, personally, I feel that people need to earn my trust. 

When Matt speaks for the 1000 Markets team and says "Ninety percent of what I do, I do because I love supporting artisan businesses." he is telling the truth...I have never seen a management group so willing to listen and implement ideas meant to help these selfsame artisans that have come together at 1000 Markets.

And I know, beyond a doubt, that when this site has its Grand Opening the trust of the buying public will also be earned...they will have a wonderful shopping experience, buying quality hand made products from a service oriented group of artisans backed by a trustworthy institution called 1000 Markets. 

If you are like me and like to make your own decisions based on integrity and trust, please take a moment to read this interview at ByHand.me and then come check out 1000 Markets . We're still in sneak preview and as Matt said, we're still rolling out some improvements like the category navigation system, but I know you'll be impressed. 

Sue
http://www.1000markets.com/shops/ninedragons

Notice about change of management at Peace and Love market

This is to serve as notice that I am no longer associated with, speak for or am in any way involved with the Peace & Love market. I have removed all accounts associated with this market under my personal and business name, but there may still be a few things out there where I have previously spoken on behalf of the market that could not be undone. 

I do wish all the merchants who are a part of this market much success in their endeavors. 

Sue
http://www.1000markets.com/shops/ninedragons

Exploring new Concepts leads to a new Series

Sometimes art is hard and you have to squeeze with all your might to find your voice. And sometimes it's a matter of wanting to just play...a sort of hmmmm, what if I did this moment. That's how I accidently fell into this new concept series called Negative Spaces - Meanings in Random Patterns. 

The photo above is called Raven Dance Pendant. I describe the process as follows: 

The method used is a reverse stamping process, in other words it's using the negative spaces formed in an already stamped or carved piece to create a new pattern. By only using a certain area of a stamped piece I create a random pattern to fit the shape of the pendant. But yet, not so random, as I find that each piece seems to call up something that has recent meaning for me. 

The carved piece I used for this and the other three pieces done so far are from a four sided dragon carving. I'm showing this one first, as it's actually the head of the dragon. It's not really identifiable here, and wasn't meant to be. I used Pearlex powders to darken the recesses and highlight the raised areas. 

As an artist I rarely see shapes as just shapes...they always bring something to mind...either because it looks like something or reminds me of something, at least in my own mind. And that is part of what being an artist is...you see something in your mind and set out to re-create it so that you can share it with others.

Usually that is done with a preconceived idea but in this case it was entirely random, sort of like a dream that is telling you something you already know but maybe weren't aware of. This concept is fascinating to me. Like reading tea leaves...messages in randomness, with meaning.

I'll reveal the other pieces in the next few days, meanwhile I'm taking this idea and running with it...creating patterns of my own to see if they also 'come out of the other side' when I put them into play. Heady stuff for an artist!

Sue
http://www.1000markets.com/shops/ninedragons

Looking for inspiration...

Well, it's actually been a productive day for me but even though I fired eight new pendants they weren't ready for finishing, so I decided to play around with a couple photos I took. The first photo is completely untouched, though I did crop the image. I went to fill a pot with water and noticed the water was neon blue. I realized that the cobalt pieces in the window were being reflected in the water stream and wanted to get a unique angle of it. I love how it so sharply focused in on the water.
I did a ton of effects on this next one...none of the colors are accurate since I boosted the heck out of them and then cooled the temperature. I took this photo of my pieces still in the dutch oven on a plate glass (it keeps them flat while they cool). I noticed the cool, barely there, reflection of the overhead chandelier and wanted to bring that out so it looked like a mirror reflection. 

I don't know why I do this stuff...I guess I just enjoy seeing unusual effects that I might use as inspiration down the road. No sense keeping them to myself :)

Sue
http://www.1000markets.com/shops/ninedragons

Finding my Tweet voice

Now that I'm firmly entrenched in the world of online marketing and social media I'm slowly learning that I need to find my own voice. Currently I'm managing two Twitter sites, one for our Peace & Love market http://twitter.com/peacelovemarket and one for my own work http://twitter.com/9dragonslady (feel free to follow either or both!).

Surprisingly I'm doing a bit better with the market blog than my own, though that may be because I have a stronger base to work with per demographics. It's a little easier to tie into other people's crossover interests too...like music...so far we have the Foo

Fighters http://twitter.com/foofighters following us plus a real rocking group I just got introduced to called Citizen Icon http://twitter.com/citizenicon . I think Twittering involves a lot of you scratch mine, I'll scratch yours, so I do a lot of re-tweeting followers' tweets. 

I also try to play up the market products with a bit of foreplay in the form of questions...hoping to perk a bit of interest in following the link. It's hard sometimes...I know we have some awesome products and a lot of fun, interesting blogs and forum topics to engage people but I've never liked or wanted to be the slick salesman. I figure quality sells itself...but only if people know where to find it.

As to my own work and tweeting it...well, I think I need to just talk it up a bit rather than hard sell. I don't want to bore people with an endless parade of product (why click when you know what it's for?) or a boring minute by minute update of my day. So I'm falling back on my old WIP habits..which is short for Work in Progress. I used to do threads and blog posts that went on for weeks and months, and now I have to do it in one short sentence. Well, I'm using a bit of foreplay there too...don't you want to see the head I just popped in my freezer??? lol...of course you do...and it's now a twitpic. 

Of course, I still haven't gotten any famous bands to follow me...I mean if you aren't Ozzy or Alice Cooper what use do you have for a head anyways???  :D

Sue
http://www.1000markets.com/shops/ninedragons