November 19, 2011

1300 "sales" on etsy.com!

Today bethbee.etsy.com reached its "1300th sale"! In the past, etsy counted two or more of the same things together when ordered in multiples, so I probably passed 1300 already, but, still! Each 100th sale is a little milestone for my little shop.

Back in the 1990s I made zines and sent them for reviews and listings in bigger zines like Maximum Rock and Roll, HeartAttack, and even Punk Planet, and people (mostly my age) in other places would send me $1 or so in the mail to order a copy of my zine. Back then, it was an analog process, and on a smaller scale for me, but the excitement of sharing things I made with people in places outside my own circle of friends and connections was the same as I feel today. These kinds of connections are faster and simpler now with the help of the web.
I consistently marvel at the great tool that etsy.com is for independent artists to connect with others and share and sell their work. It has taken outreach and work and quality products to become successful on the site, but now, somewhat magically, almost every day I check my email and someone else from pretty much any state in the US, or Australia, Canada, the UK, or even Switzerland, Finland, Italy, et cetera has put through an order for one or more of my little books!

I've discovered a lot of great artists myself by browsing on etsy, and shared mutual appreciation for their work. I've found it helpful for connecting with local artists too, despite our busy schedules. I've figured out how to use the site to find great art and crafts through its various tools like favorites and treasuries. If you've never used the site before it can feel overwhelming to find the gems in the rough. The listings are not curated, so not every listing is of high quality or well photographed. I like to check the favorite items of artists whose work I respect, mark shops and items I like as favorites to find later when I run across them on the front page or in treasuries, and occasionally take some time to search for specific terms or items to find new artists I haven't discovered. I usually have to include in my search some subtractions such as "-angels, -anime, -fairy, -sports, -keep calm and carry on"...

November 9, 2011

New 3D art piece for the Art Center's winter auction and show

Fantasy Stapler Set
This month I've been working on a 3D art piece to contribute to the Corvallis Arts Center's Winter Show and Silent Auction, November 26th-December 23rd. This annual invitational show has a theme this year of "portals."

After mulling it over for a while, I chose not to follow the idea of a normal window or a door or a ship "portal" and instead took the direction of a fantasy portal to another place or dimension. The idea of a nondescript closet, train station locker, box, crystal ball, or wardrobe that is a portal to another place is a commonly occurring theme in fantasy fiction and legend. My non-descript secret fantasy portal is a regular ol' box set of staplers. Who would think to look in there? The design of the outside is in the theme of vintage packaging and office equipment, but it isn't an actual replica of a real Swingline stapler set (um, it's a fantasy stapler set). Inside is a portal to another place, the entrance covered with some overgrown fauna, but in the distance - a path, a valley, and mountains. Is it a short cut to a real place on earth, or another magical dimension entirely?

(Yes, I have been reading books like the Magicians and the Dresden Files series recently.)

November 7, 2011

Radio interview on KLCC's Food For Thought

The other day at my local author event, I was asked for a radio interview on the spot by Laura McCandlish, one of the hosts and contributors to KLCC's Food For Thought radio program. KLCC is Eugene, Oregon's local Public Radio/NPR station. I wasn't sure when it would air, but I discovered today that the program played on Sunday, November 6th, and it is now available to stream online from KLCC's site and it's available to download for free from iTunes. I show up in the program at about minute 11.
Also featured in the show were interviews with two guests at my event who had great contributions and perspectives of their own on choosing to follow a vegan diet and making plant-based choices, plus a quick mention of the cocktails at the new local restaurant and bar, Terminus, and an interview with local Corvallis chef Intaba Liff-Anderson! Great show!

November 3, 2011

Rabbit Food Cookbook - Book event and cornbread

Linked from http://finn-sapas.blogspot.com
Hop on over to my friend Marya's blog to see some photos of my book event last weekend at Grass Roots Books and Music in Corvallis, OR, and her pictures of the cornbread she made recently! mmmm.
Thanks, Marya :)

More Rabbit Food Cookbook blogging. weee!

Today I ran across Amanda's additional post on her blog inmyveganlife.blogspot.com with a lovely review of my combo meal recipe for "super breaded fried-chickeny dinner" which is super delicious, and she agreed. Thanks, Amanda!

linked from inmyveganlife.blogspot.com