Finding Your Niche WHILE Expressing Your Creativity

I'm a firm believer than when you find your niche (no matter what type of product or widget you create) you will still have abundant creativity and great ideas.

I also believe that while we can enjoy lots of things, if you really, really want to succeed as a true business (not a hobby) you need to find your niche and become really, really good at what you create.  It's not to say you can't enjoy doing multiple things, because as creative artisans, we all have several joys.  But the true love of what we create... the piece that comes from our heart... the pieces that reveal our soul are where we are meant to be.

I bring this up after creating custom made jewelry with several styles over the years.  I've strung, wire wrapped, crocheted, embroidered and woven.  Now that's one heck of a varied list when you're talking about handmade jewelry.  But, I really, really LIKE each style for different reasons.  It wasn't until I made the Dancing in the Tide Necklace that I had considered which direction was calling me. 

Seed beads have become like crack for me... seriously, I think they talk (outloud) to me.  They tell me where they want to live and who they want as neighbors and I just take their orders and try to make everybody happy.  After all, I'm a Libra... and I like balance.  In working with seed beads for a while, I finally got enough GUTS to try bead embroidery.  What was I afraid of?  Who knows, but I'm so glad I did.  Each piece is different, all are special and when I finish a piece, even I'm surprised at the messages they reveal.

Well last week (or maybe the week before) when I created the Dancing in the Tide necklace, it was like a Nirvana for me.  Each piece starts with a OOAK focal bead.  I happen to LOVE the artist Juli Cannon so her lampwork focals are most often the WOW factor in my pieces.  Why?  Because I know she pours an infinite amount of love into each-and-every-single-bead she makes.  Yes, they are all born of her very talented hands and knowing I'm helping out a fellow artisan is really important to me.

So I start with an already special piece and I added more pizazz and "Dawn-a-size" it, creating an even more OOAK piece.  I pride myself in being able to bring personality to a piece.  If I'm designing a custom order for someone, I like to bring their personality into a piece.  But if it's not a custom order, I let the focal do the talking.

I think I'm closer to finding my niche with this design.  Similar, but completely unique, I've created another seed bead necklace - again, similar but OOAK.  My goal is to be able to create a style that when somebody sees the photo or the jewelry on someone, they KNOW it's a Designs By Dawn Marie original! 

This very well could be one of those designs.  Each one I've made, it's like I can't get enough.  It feeds my creativity.  It's a mix of funk and a whole lotta soul!  The design is the type of project that makes me giddy to get in the studio in the morning and makes me forget that I didn't eat lunch. Say what?  I know... me forgetting to eat is like snow in Mexico... or is it? 

Where does your creativity buffet come from?  What's THE thing that makes you giddy to create what you create?  Hope your day is terrific! 

{Hugs!}