The White Tail Collective

My life long dream is self sufficiency.

I have been a traveling jewelry artist with a long term goal of self sustainability. I have been involved with many various communities throughout the years that hold this sentiment close to their hearts.


My Cooperative Roots Community,expressing passion for Kombucha.

 

During my travels, I found it difficult at times to have all my plush Libran needs met. I desire to be around good people in a warm and intimate atmosphere. I need my conversational needs met without the use of alcohol and the drunk culture. I need healthy food. I love access to the internet, arts, reading and I love to buy locally. I would rather spend the extra money buying from a small business rather than a giant corporation. There were also many times when I felt the need to just sit and be warm while eating a great bowl of soup, a hot cup of tea while checking my email without the fear of being shoed away.

High Protein intake on the road dreaming of a better way. 

 

This got me thinking about a multi faceted business and what that would look like.

Due to an amazing turn of the fates, I was reunited with a culinary artist and nutritionist friend named Marcella Silva.

After a week of eating amazing food, reminiscing over old friends and talking shop, we decided to dive into this multi faceted business endeavor together.

Henceforth White Tail Collective was born.

We are starting small with Art Fairs and Expos, collaborating our Artistic and Culinary skills. We are working towards a grander vision.

Our mission statement is:

To promote a healing marketplace for the community where whole body wellness, education and conservation are paramount.

Here is a bit of information about our business.
Think of it as a year round farmer's market.

Facet 1 and 2

Farm and Restaurant.

Farm-to-table: Farm-to-table refers to a movement concerned with producing food locally and delivering that food to local consumers. Linked to the local food movement, the movement is promoted by some in the agriculture, food service, and restaurant communities. It may also be associated with organic farming initiatives, sustainable agriculture, and community-supported agriculture.

 

 

Our Farm: This is our mother-ship, where 80% of our fruits and vegetables will come from for our table. This piece of land will have: A fresh water source, Flat areas for building/gardening, Zoning for both living for multiple families and farming, a house that is up to code on a minimum of 40 acres. Ideally this farm will be less than 30 miles away from the table its produce is being served.
Rachel Lupis's Production: A Mutual friend and long time co conspirator of ours, Rachel Lupis,  has taken the reins for our farm production and will be working to create a beautiful and dependable farm-scape. Rachel will not be alone in supplying the table with beautiful organic produce over 30 farms in the surrounding areas participate in our trade.
Our Table, Marc Silva's Restaurant: Ideally less than 30 miles away from the farm where its produce originates, this table will be what will make our farm a home. Over 80% of our produce will have come our farm or from local farms. Earnings will go towards equipment to upkeep agriculture and towards gasoline for transportation of our produce. Most importantly the table will support the table. A farm-to-table style Restaurant with a small seasonal menu specializing in world class pastured meats, local produce, hand-made cuisine, local craft beers and both local and world wines. Our menu clearly displays the different farms that provide their produce and meat to the restaurant including our own farm.

Facet 3 and 4

Classroom and Consignment Shop.

Self Sufficiency is our goal. We would like to weave this idea into all the corners of our lives. This facet has to do with sustainability on a community, independent and economic level.

Our Classroom: Students will be the seeds of the consignment shop. This is where we learn a multitude of new skills. From jewelry making to screen door making, metal work to business. We will have an artists studio, equipped with various tools, open to our students and to our community.
Sarah Caligiuri's Consignment Shop: As overseer of the consignment shop facet Sarah's desire is to supply the county with the most versatile and USA made shop to date. We are looking to line up artists and skill workers to fill this space with beautiful and functional supplies.
Beyond the Consignment Shop: The ultimate goal for this process is to scatter these seeds into the world. After learning new skills and attending the business classes, students will perfect their crafts, and at their choosing, become an asset to the shop and to their community and surrounding areas by supplying local goods.

 

We are also looking to potentially add to our table:

A Library or Used Book Store.
Out Door Garden.
Work for Food Program.
Full Bar.
Membership Options.


Thanks ALL for listening, if you have any questions or want to get involved please shoot us over an email.

sarahcreates@yahoo.com

Why do we feel the desire to GIVE our ART AWAY?

This post was inspired by an email I received from another jewelry artist, she brought up her fear of success. I hear her loud and clear.

I had my friend Vicky over the other week. She was visiting with her mother and her sweetheart Andy. They immediately wanted to bust into my jewelry stock and rummage. I was over joyed and pulled out my stash. I immediately told them that they should pick out their favorite Piece and take it home with them.

Jaws dropped.

I then received a firm talking to.

Vicky's mother has been an artist for many years, as has Vicky. Before they made their way into the house they were just having a discussion about how artists like to give their art away. And for why?
Do you know the answer to this question deep down in your heart?

Now, you know that I am not talking about the art of generosity here. Generosity is a wonderful thing, but this is not what I am talking about. I am talking about repetitious sales, giveaways, gifts, hand outs, etc...
Why do we do this?


Did I truly desire to give Vicky and her mother a beautiful gift? Yes. I do not receive visitors often and I want people to leave my house feeling well loved. But they taught me a valuable lesson.

In response to my offer to pick their favorite Pieces and bring them home- I was told that I should tell them how much their favorite Pieces cost at Retail. Not Wholesale, but Retail value. I told them the jewelry's monetary worth. They both proceeded to give me more than what I had quoted them.

I think that perhaps we may have many different reasons for giving our Art away...perhaps some of you do not have this nasty habit. You may be like my Aunt Mary (who teaches me a great deal of useful things)... She is a weaver of Willows. She picks, tends, strips, spikes, soaks and weaves her Baskets and Jewelry. She does NOT give things away...okay, she very RARELY give things away. She trades them or she keeps them. She is a great role model to me by the way that she bears the worth of her Art. She is not a greedy person, just understands the effort of her hard work and the worth of her time.

Those of you who are not like my Aunt Mary, perhaps you know the reason why you give your art away. For myself it has been superficially because: I want to give people a good deal, I fight the capitalistic system, whole sale is what I offer consignment shops, why not my customers?...

But deep down I know that it is none of these reasons. Deep down it is because: I do not think that I deserve success, my art is not worth the money, I am not worth the money. Why should I be paid to do something that I love when there are so many people who get paid to do things that they hate?

We all know what a Starving Artist is...we are plagued by the idea.

It is time that we toss this idea to the side. There are people who will pay top dollar for our talents. For many reasons.

1. They do not want to make it themselves.
2. They feel good when they buy...from artists, locally, for a cause, to stimulate the economy...
3. They WANT that beautiful item and it feels good for them to be wearing/hanging/experiencing something new.
4. It feels good to give.
5. It feels good to take.

Have you ever made a very special purchase? One that made your heart leap for joy? Remember unwrapping it and telling your friends about your new amazing treasure?

Why take that pleasure away from someone else?

Thanks for listening.

S.

Basics for Posting Online.

One day I was on my daily rounds on facebook and I noticed an advertisement that I hadn't noticed before. It read," Copious. It's better than Etsy." I clicked on the link and the rest is history. I went down the rabbit hole of creating an account and posting some of my jewelry for sale on the site. I have been a Copious member since August.
I was quickly accepted and was requested to become more involved with the community.
I think that there were a few good reasons why I was selected to become more involved with this online community.

1. Pictures.
I can not stress the importance of pictures. This is one of your most important marketing tools. Pictures reveal your product to the world. If your pictures are poor quality, you will have a very difficult time selling. Your quality of camera is important, but good lighting and photo editing can help fix some minor to moderate camera errors. Obviously a digital camera is going to be the most convenient if you are going to be continuously uploading pictures online. Editing pictures is so important and can be done with:
Picassa
http://picasa.google.com/
 or
PicMonkey
http://www.picmonkey.com/

2. Descriptions
In my previous post, "My Reflections on Advertising for the Day, Be Yourself" I mentioned the importance of descriptions. It is truly a way for you to divulge your personality to your customers. Customers want to buy from us because we are artists. If they were worried about saving money they would buy K-Mart product made in China. Since we can't sell our art for 10 dollars per Piece, we are selling our personalities in some respects. Be yourself, read the below article. If you are a humorous person, let that come out, if you are deep and introspective, bring that out. I think of description writing sometimes as my journal. My pieces often reflect different events in my life. I tell the story of my Piece and of myself.

3. Comments.
Be active in your online community. Comment on other people's Pieces. "Like" people's pages. Let people know that you stopped by. When you like what you see, say so. It is good to support our fellow artists. People will remember your kindness. Making friends on online communities is an important step. It means comparing notes, feeding one another's creativity and building a foundation for an online following.

Etsy Online Labs

This video was particularly inspirational. It immediately made me reconsider my pricing methods.

http://www.etsy.com/community/online-labs

When I first started selling my jewelry about 13 years ago, I was very confident about my prices. When I started bringing my jewelry to consignment shops, I was told by some that my jewelry was priced too high. Other shops told me, "Hey, don't worry about our prices, worry about your prices. Price your jewelry at what ever seems fair to you."

 I unfortunately only heard the shops who told me that my prices were too high. I think that when those shops told me that my prices were too high- is when I should have shook their hands, thanked then for their time and went about with my business. Instead, I let it shatter my confidence and I let myself lower my prices ridiculously. Never again.

If you are feeling conflicted about your price method, watch this video.

Learning is Fuel for the Artistic Spirit.

Sitting down this morning with a hot cup of Yerba Mate. MMmmmm.

I've had the feeling for a while that I needed to expand my jewelry art. This is the nature of being a One Of A Kind Jewelry Artist. I always need to create something new and different EVERY time I make something. It is good for the customer to have a one of a kind piece and it keeps me engaged. I am not entirely new to the world of metal, but it has been on the back burner for a while.

So- I have been blessed as a jewelry artist to study under the personal instruction of the fabulous Kate Richbourg for 2 whole years. I also worked in her beautiful classroom and shop, Beadissimo on Valencia St. in San Francisco.That was years ago and I have not done much metal work since then with the exception of fusing. (I love fusing)
Kate recently came out with a new book.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/95795958/simple-soldering-a-beginners-guide-to
These are the first 4 exercises that she presents in the book.
I had so much fun with this reintroduction.
This is just a gentle reminder to myself, the world and you- that learning new things is good for the artistic spirit and keeps things interesting.

Thank you for listening.
S.

My reflection on advertizing for the day. Be Yourself!

My reflection for advertising for the day is: Be Yourself!
It is what you are best at. We are strong when we are ourselves and can communicate with confidence.

Tell your story.

This is my newest Piece.
It is called Pieces of the Desert Sunset.
Something that I have been learning lately is how to advertise is a sincere way.
I have always been the type that just wanted to be myself...I never wanted to change for anyone else but me. This has made business life in continuous conflict with my life ethics. I am so tired of typical Advertising belittling the bodies of women and men creating an extremely self conscious generation.
Instead of having my new necklace on a sexy hot 18 year old, I am talking about a real experience in my life...my life last summer living in the desert.

Here is my item description.

This color combination is inspired from the Nevada Sunset. Last summer I lived off and with the Wassuk Desert Mountains near Bridgeport Ca. They are close to the Nevada/California Border, near the Paiute Reservation. I have never been so grateful for beauty as I was out there. Without the comforts of modern life, one must look toward one's self and nature to provide entertainment and fulfillment.
This is a picture of me returning to my Native Roots.
It is very special.
The stones that help to capture this sunset are:
Smokey Quartz, Chalcedony, Howlite, Rose Quartz, Citrine, Rutilated Quartz, Moonstone, Peach Moonstone, Carnelian, Peruvian Opal, Green Amethyst, Aquamarine and Tigers Eye.
Intricately placed upon a Gold Filled Chain and adorned with Vermeil (sterling Silver dipped in Gold) branches. A touch of Swarovski here and there for a bit of added sparkle.
The Chain in the back is made adjustable for a maximum length of 20 inches
Thank you for listening.

I have a new Blog and this is what it is about!

Hello World.

I am not sure how you found your way here, but here is a strong welcome with open arms for you to feel comfort in.

Thank you for finding your way here to this page.

Let me introduce my new blog.

This blog is for Artists, Fans of Art and Independent Business Enthusiasts who are wanting to be seen. In this age of internets, fast pace living, work, commuting...we forget to acknowledge one another as people. We forget to see one another.

This page is for us, you and me.

I am going to get personal and intimate at times on this page. I am going to talk about new creative insights, business, artistic techniques, color combinations, our successes, trials and errors...even my failures.

What do I want from you?  I want you to share your art, web pages, visions, questions, experience, expertise...your trials and errors and, if you so feel the warm embrace of human connection, also your failure.

This blog is going to be for a wide range of artists, from people who are considering becoming business artists, beginning business artists, and veteran business artists.

This blog is also for fans of the small business artists. This is a special insight for fans of artists to make real human connections with us, the "elusive" artists. Let's start leaving the idea of the elusive artist behind, shall we? Part of what makes art so amazing and special is the intention and personal philosophies that we weave into our craft. Let's share this.

Our common thread: we all want to support ourselves and/or one another with our art the best way possible, with artistic integrity.  Consider this both our training ground, and fuel for our inspiration. 

Thank you for listening.