It's been a week or 2 since I last posted to this blog. I have been really busy. I spend most days customizing dolls and making clothing for them for my etsy store. Sometimes I am working from the time I get up until the time my head hits the pillow it seems like. I love it, but once in awhile it is a good idea to sit back and reflect. I can't believe I am on my 80-something-th Blythe custom doll! Where does the time go?! I raised my prices on etsy for my custom dolls recently, because the time and costs involved just seem overwhelming sometimes. What seems like it should be a decent profit, well, it turns out, ends up more on the loss side than the profit side, if you can believe.
For a long time I was figuring in mostly the costs, though often since I have had things on hand for years, I often would just add those in without charging for them. Charging for my time was a whole other story. That doesn't seem that wise after doing so many of them, as it turns out. Blythe dolls that are stock are creeping up pretty high and just obtaining them to do a custom if so pricey it is crazy. Factor in all the other things involved, eye chips, pull charms, clothing, fabrics and trims, shoes, mohair, paints and sprays, other art supplies, and the time it takes, the years I have spent outside of that just learning to do anything creative at all, and, well, it gets expensive.
These little Blythe dolls have become dolls for queens it seems. I love them. I love making them. I guess I have to charge for my time and talents and for what I spend to make them, and it feels painful sometimes to even speak the prices.
Business-wise, focusing on clothing mainly, is probably a wiser idea. But my personality dictates that I mix it up or I get bored, so I keep making the dolls. Sometimes I spend so much time on the dolls, I have little time for making the clothing. And then there is the time it takes for making photos. What a fun, crazy, time-consuming hobby, passion, whatever it is. If you are a Blythe fan, you know what I am talking about. It has a life of it's own. Mostly it feels like I have to do it. I am driven to create, so I am not complaining. It is the way I do things. I love it. I keep doing it. I can't imagine doing anything else at this moment. Being a better business person may just take a bit of getting used to, as it is not typically my strong point.
Spring is threatening to get here. I know it is. I hope to spend a whole day outside soon. Today, here, it is on the warm side, but quite miserable out with rain and wind. We on the east coast really need a sign that spring is on its lazy way. Hope wherever you are, you are warm and having fun.
