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Posts: 22Just as the title says, Im curious how you all manage to part with your creations? When so much love and care goes into making them, and they 'come to life' before your eyes, how do you say goodbye?
How many bears to you have in your collection, of yours and other peoples?
Do you ever make bears that you just get too attached to and can't sell?
Once you start to sell bears do you have to detach yourself right from the start on the process? Does that change the way that your creations ultimately end up?
Do you just take lots and lots of photos, from a million different angles and a million different settings and different lighting before they are re-homed? Does it help??
As an absolute beginner I have joined a club (don't know if I can mention the name in the forum) where each month for a year I get a pattern and step by step guide, with a tutorial on a different technique each month. If I manage to make the bear each month then that is 12 bears! I have no idea where I would put them all, but I also don't know how I will bring myself to give them away after I put so much of me into them.
Interested to hear how other people get their heads around this.
Back Road BearsWelcome to TT and to bear making!!
Giving them away, even selling my creations was hard at first... for the first year or so I'd say. Though I'm not sure who got more attached to them... me or my husband! Between us both I think I kept every single one that first year. After a while it got so that I'd had enough of them and it was time for them to move on. Now I make so many that we simply can't keep them all though occasionally one has to stay here for a few weeks for me to enjoy before selling him. I do this for a business. I have to have money coming in. With that mindset it's easier to part with them.
The other thing that is equally important to the fact that this is my business is that I do this to share hugs, love and the childlike giddiness that wells up inside when we look into those soulful teddy eyes. That's the reason I started making bears in the first place, I loved how happy they made me feel. That's not something I want to keep all to myself! In this world we need all the good feelings we can get so I'm thrilled to be able to send my creations off into the world to make someone else smile!
Knowing from the start that I'm going to sell or give away the bear I'm making probably makes me work even harder than I would if I was planning to keep him because I would never dream of sending off anything less than the absolute best I can create... from the quality and originality to the character and look upon his face... it all has to be my best... all the time! It's the least my customers, friends and family deserve!
Have fun creating your first bears! You will find in time that you CAN part with them! But don't worry about that now. Focus on the process, the skill, the techniques, enjoy and learn all that you can.
Teddy Talk has a LIBRARY - look just above your first post here, on the left... next to the smiley face waving at you there is a drop down menu... select a topic you want to read up on and you'll be taken to previous discussions we've had on that particular subject! It's such a great resource for beginners!!!
Have fun!
Hugs,
Daphne
Welcome!
Sounds like the club you've joined will give you lots of experience. You may very well want to keep your first 12 bears. I think a lot of people assume that artists who sell bears started selling from the get go. Most of us did not. In fact, my first bears were not good enough to sell. Perfecting techniques takes time and patience. It took me over 1 year to make a bear that I felt was even worthy of selling. I gave the bears without hesitation to my family members. It was easy to do because I could see they really enjoyed them.
Also, bear making is very addicting and very expensive. Mohair, glass eyes, etc are not cheap. If I wanted to continue my bear making hobby, I needed to make some money to buy supplies. Once you get addicted to buying mohair, it's easier to sell the bears so that you can afford to buy more so you can make more. For me, the fun is in creating. I made 58 teddies and critters last year. I couldn't possibly keep them all nor would I want to. I want to sell them, so I can create more.
I'm looking forward to seeing your creations here on Teddy Talk.
Hugs,
Alison
