Midwinter....The Battle between Social Media

Wow! It's been a month and half since my last post. I knew in the back of my mind that the blog was being neglected but there is only so much time in the day. It felt good to take a break from it. I've been fairly solid on writing a few times a month for years now. Some folks may not know this but for me I take a lot of time to write and re-write to get my point across, or at least try.

So here we go after a little break.

One of the things that I've had to come to terms with is the business side of things. Many people think that the life of a professional handicraftsman is a dream. Well, it is. I would not trade it for anything else, but it's still a grind. Work is work, whether you love it or hate it, and yes at times I do have a disdain for what I do. But such is life. There is always dark with light and vise versa. I've never tried to hide from that concept. Social media is one of those things that tests me.

I liken this new way of communicating (internet and social media) as the physical manifestation of our collective consciousness. Yes, that's pretty far out there, but I see it as that. As we learn to use the internet, as it shapes us and how we see the world, we are bound to it. What one generation sees in it is different to another generation. Reading blogs vs trade magazines is a great example. 

As a business person, I better do a great job at marketing. I can't expect my work to sell itself.  This is the business end of it. Internet presence.

How much time do I spend on any social media platform for it to pay off? What is a payoff? What type of folks am I writing to here on this blog vs. Facebook vs. Instagram vs. Twitter? What do I get out of it? Because in the end I still need to feed my family, pay my bills, fix my car, etc... I still need to make things to sell so that can happen. 

How much time? It's a nagging question. This is part of why I have not written anything in almost  2 months. When it comes down to it I have only time for so much. Thus the battle between social media and the pay offs.

I've talked with all my maker friends, we are in the same situation. We all struggle with this stuff. It's tough in some ways to be a crafts person in this era but it's also very exciting.

News travels fast, skills shared around the world, stories...exciting times I think.

I'll end there. I have some great news from within the green woodworking scene, more thoughts on this and that. But I'll save that for another day. I've got to go turn some wood!