Bigfork Art And Graphics Saved for the Future

Closing My Etsy Store: Bigfork Art N Graphics

Hello Everyone!

I hope you are all doing well. I have decided to close my Etsy store, Bigfork Art N Graphics, for now.

This is an adventure I still want to pursue, but I am saving it for some time in the future. Instead of launching my store on Etsy, I am going to design my own website and use Woo Commerce for the sales background.

What I’ve Learned On Etsy

I have learned a lot through this endeavor. I started my Etsy store because I wanted to build a business that uses both my art and graphic design skills. I thought it would be easier to begin on Etsy than start my own website because Etsy has built-in marketing services and buyers search Etsy for specially crafted products, especially design layouts. Unfortunately, the competition is highly thick and most competitive products are much cheaper than it would cost to create my products.

Woo Commerce Versus Etsy

Woo Commerce keeps track and reports sales tax for your transactions so you don’t have to worry about it. I would prefer the freedom to design my website and brand independently from Etsy’s platform and I can ditch the increasing sellers fees. Etsy also has poor seller support – they have no phone number you can call… just an email address that repeatedly changes its responders- which makes it difficult to get help if you have a problem with your account. While there were many bumps in the road, I thoroughly enjoyed creating products and listing them on the platform.

The Products I Created VS Competition

I started creating social media templates for different target audiences, including real estate brokers, online retailers, newly weds, and beauty and fashion influencers. I also designed cute holiday mugs. While social media templates and decorative mugs are popular on Etsy, there is an excess of similar designs with many businesses selling the same designs. I’ve learned that a lot of sellers download sellable images from other designers and sell them on Etsy, which is why a lot of sellers have the same designs. These products can be sold for cheaper prices because each design cost a dollar or two to purchase and not much time seems to go into making these products. I could not compete with this while making original designs.

My Original Vision for the Store

I wanted Bigfork Art and Graphics to include original graphic design templates and apparel, artwork, and photography. I have learned that Etsy is not necessarily the right platform for original designs that take a lot of time to complete and have a decent cost to design them. This is why I will be creating my own website with my own product listings. Plus, Bigfork Art and Graphics did not fit in the business name on Etsy, which is why I called my Etsy store Bigfork Art N Graphics, but my social media was the original name. By launching my own website, I can eliminate any confusion from this name change.

What I’ve Been up to These Past Months

Perpetually Learning

During the past several months, I have focused on learning as much as I can about design, art, and digital marketing. I have completed several certificates for LinkedIn Learning Paths, scoured countless online videos, and completed a certificate in digital marketing from Cornell University. I have learned a lot about digital marketing, social media content strategy, content writing, art, graphic design, website design, and photography.

Digital marketing is by far one of my favorite topics to learn! However, I have also been studying a lot about video editing and motion graphics, specifically the Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects programs. I have been learning new video editing techniques, styles, and history of films.

The learning doesn’t stop there! I am currently working on becoming certified by Adobe in the Adobe Creative Cloud programs and by Google and Hubspot for several digital marketing programs. I am perpetually searching for knowledge on my path to becoming a multimedia designer.

Hunting for Jobs

I have also been applying many, many jobs online, by email, and in-person. I had the blessing of being able attend a local job fair a couple of weeks ago. I am very excited to have been able to meet new people and have the possibilities of finding new employment. I am a very dedicated worker. If you are needing a graphic designer or digital marketer for a full-time, part-time or even freelance position, please consider contacting me!

Preparing For Freelancing

While attending the job fair, I had the pleasure to meet a really sweet woman who was in the graphic design field. She informed me that there is an abundance of people who need graphic design and digital marketing services across the valley, but they’re not necessarily hiring for a full-time position.

About seventy percent of the businesses in the Flathead Valley are mom-and-pop businesses. They may need posters, flyers, menus, napkins, and social media content created for them, but they don’t have the need or money to hire a full-time graphic designer. This confident designer inspired me to start freelancing around the valley.

I am still looking into any legal paperwork that I may need to do this, but this is definitely something I want to do. I have been putting off freelancing because I didn’t think I was completely ready. I doubted my capabilities and legal knowledge of how to get started. I thought I needed to finish my bachelors in graphic design or get more experience before anyone would want to hire me. This may be true for full-time graphic design positions, but I can simply offer local businesses my services for a single project and offer a discounted rate for a business’s first project with me.

I am very excited to begin this adventure in freelancing around the Flathead Valley! If you are local to the valley and need any marketing or brand collateral created, please feel free to contact me!

My Plans for the Future

With this knowledge from my experience of starting my own Etsy store and my research in these areas, I will develop and market my own business. In order to sell my best designs, I will be putting more effort into learning new design techniques and new artwork styles. I would like to sell T-shirts with my original graphics on them, some original abstract artwork, and my original photography from traveling around the valley. I want to make sure every product is perfect when I release it, but I also need to build a decent product base.

Experimenting With Photography and Content Writing: Bigflathead.com

I have taken what I have learned in photography and content writing and have been traveling around Flathead Valley taking photographs of the many beautiful areas. I have been developing a website that is mainly a blog with posts about the different parks, campgrounds, and lakes I have been to. I enjoy taking photos for the blog posts and researching the area so that I can write effective content about each place. I am also experimenting creating short videos of each place I visit. I like to combine good shots with text and voiceovers for interesting videos. I hope in the future to expand my topics to include local businesses. I think it would be fun to partner with the local mom-and-pop businesses and write a piece on how they started their business, what they do, and what they want their future to look like.

Starting Freelancing

I will be contacting local businesses to see if they need any graphic design or digital marketing services. I can create a suite of brand and marketing collateral including: posters, flyers, brochures, menus, napkins, coasters, brand apparel, and social media content. I can also design WordPress, Squarespace, and Wix websites and provide effective content writing and perfectly edited photos for individuals and businesses. I also have experience in video editing and can create some nice videos for social media marketing, video ads, and YouTube videos. I plan to take what I know how to do, build a network of people who would like these services, and design a name for myself in the valley. I will also be expanding my knowledge and portfolio as I freelance so that I continually better my craft.

Relaunching Bigfork Art And Graphics

So, I’m planning within a year or two, after I have improved my skills and knowledge of my trades, I will be announcing Bigfork Art and Graphics’ launch. I also need to make sure I get all of the correct business licenses in place. I am still learning more about the legal side of business, but I want to make sure I do everything correctly. I learned that you need to have a business license and a sellers permit, even to sell products online from your home. While Montana does not require a general business license, the state does require licenses in different business fields. I find the legal side of running a business daunting, but I will be seeking the help of professionals when I set Bigfork Art and Graphics up!

To conclude, I am closing my Etsy store, Bigfork Art N Graphics, but I will be launching my own brand in the near future with its own website, marketing strategy, social media content, and original products. So stay tuned in for future updates! Thank you!