Testing....

Call me crazy, but an idea has started snowballing down a hill in my head.

It started a month back as a small, flakey idea. What if I could paint again? What would I paint? And my brain took off!

Kids wooden desks, watercolor pictures, picture frames, pieces of furniture, 3d artwork. The brainstorm just wouldn't stop one night at 1am.

How do I market this? Just an Etsy shop or Ebay wasn't really going to do it for me. Rich being a software engineer could always build me a website.

How do I store the inventory? We have a large house, but no basement.

How much do I charge? The shipping on some items could be atrocious. Not to mention how to package a 3D piece of artwork or canvas and insure it for mailing.

Four fantastic weeks later I think the thought process has percolated enough to run with it.

The answer is: Consignment Stores.

There are handful of them surrounding our house. Some specialize in furnishings, some in kids items, and others are an eclectic smattering. In most cases, the house takes 50% and I would get 50% of the tag price. Not the best commission but it would guarantee getting my initial investment back and a little more.

The little more could be kept as credit in the store or given in a check. I buy the majority of our kids clothes and shoes at consignment stores. My credit would equal FREE clothes at the very least.

The consignment stores would allow me to test the market for my products in a very non-committal way. There is a minimal investment and risk involved.

One thing Ann and I have talked about is my need for anonymity behind the art. There is a lot of perfectionism behind my skill and criticism is a blow when I love something. If a person likes it, they buy it. If not, they don't.

Time. I'm going to need a while to work on stuff and not for just the initial items. Going back to that perfection, I dislike deadlines. This venture would allow me to work on a piece until it was to my liking. I am sure over time I'd figure out ways to streamline the process a bit.

True, my brain is a little overwhelmed, my senses on are an anxious but excited edge.

I will keep you posted.