How to build a clear, cohesive design story when you don’t know which direction is your favorite
Today’s column deals with a common artistic dilemma – how do you make your jewelry line make sense?
“Do you have tips on how to narrow down or focus on a jewelry line? My issue is that I like learning all different types of techniques and like a variety of styles. This then allows me to be more creative and flexible in the pieces I make, but then the pieces I offer to sell look like they’re all over the place. I’ve tried to focus on one or two design aesthetics that I know are popular and sell well, but then I feel like I get bored. I feel like I have ADHD when it comes to designing. Any advice?”
A real artistic dilemma! You like making a diverse collection because it keeps you engaged, interested and free. But to make sales, enter shows, or have a business, you could use a focused and cohesive collection.
A big part of the creative process is editing, evaluating and rearranging. Being able to step back and really SEE your work is a key part of it, but finding that internal objectivity is a challenge. Having an outside opinion could help you see what you haven’t been able to see on your own.
It could be that your work has a design focus that you haven’t noticed yet. Or it could be that you could cultivate an existing idea and iterate it. Repeat a pattern, shrink or enlarge a piece, try the same design idea across all categories – earrings, rings, necklaces and bracelets. If it’s popular in one piece, it could be popular as a whole line.
Ask for help from outside sources
If you feel ready to ask for outside help, you could ask friends and family (uh, now’s a good time to mention that some friends and family might also be less objective, or not your target audience. Proceed with caution), colleagues in the industry, or enroll in an incubator or mentorship program like The Jewelry Loupe, or the Ethical Metalsmiths mentorship. These programs give you a chance to gain feedback and suggestions from people who have experience in design, sales and marketing, and product development. A mentorship program might be the place to help you sort out what’s working and what isn’t from an outside perspective.
But you also like exploring different techniques and to that I say, never stop exploring.
Keep exploring different techniques
In my extremely humble, yet informed, opinion, techniques have only a little to do with whether or not a jewelry line or a series of collections look cohesive. Many designers combine casting, soldering, stone setting, engraving, forging and more across their entire line without much disruption to their aesthetic.
The design cohesion ultimately comes from your vision, and it sounds like you have it. You’ve actually done the harder part which is to look at your line objectively in terms of what’s bringing in the money. That’s good! Now is a good time to ask how you could do that, but do more of it. What else can you develop that will connect with people?
On both an artistic and a business level, you have figured out the pieces that connect. Making that kind of visceral connection is the most important step in designing. After all, you are making this jewelry for other people.
If you are getting bored, maybe it’s time to look at these collections and take them to another level. Could they be refined into something new, or could you add more stones, mix up the metals, or try the same design idea but in new colorways?
As a creative exercise, ask yourself how much more you can expand on those popular collections. Are there missing pieces? Or an audacious piece in the same aesthetic that you haven’t tried yet? You mentioned having a couple of collections that work. Two solid collections is good. Three or four would be better for branding and to show a larger collection. It could be time to create a third collection that is cohesive on it’s own.
Put your creativity to use in other ways
You mentioned getting bored with what you make. What about the rest of your practice and business?
Think about how your creativity and creative problem solving can be applied across your business to keep yourself interested. The actual making of jewelry is, generally speaking, a much smaller part of operating a jewelry business than you might think. I’ve often operated on the 80/20 rule – 20% of your time can and should be focused on making your product, while the remaining 80% is for admin, money management, marketing, sales, etc. That’s a lot of business time that isn’t spent on making jewelry at all.
How could you engage your creativity in other places in your business like social media posts, or website layout, or production practices, or email blasts? Maybe the creative engagement you desire needs to be found in other places so that you can stay entertained.
Keeping yourself interested and engaged is a truly vital component of running any art or maker-based business and a component that keeps burnout at bay, so finding more of it is important.
Time is on your side
Lastly, since you didn’t mention how long you’ve been at this, or what medium you work in to make jewelry, I’ll say that you might need to give yourself more time. Time to feel confident about what you create, time to understand why your audience is responding and to what. Time to explore more materials to find what speaks to you and to your customers.
Some designers start off knowing exactly how they’ll make work, others spend years exploring, and others will make design changes as they go along. Lots (and lots and lots) of designers start off in one vein, only to find that their work evolves over time. I would bet that if you looked at the total work of some of the most famous designers, you’ll find that their aesthetic changed over time.
The longer you stick with it, and the longer you hone in on what works for you and your customers, the more clear and cohesive your work will become.
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