Thursday, June 9, 2011

Making Friends at The Esty Craft Party

I'm happy to be back and writing this post as a married woman. I'm still getting used to using the word husband and I can't say that my day to day life really feels any different, but there is this new sense of future and possibility now, similar to what I feel on New Year's Day.

I'm still playing catch up so today's words will be brief, but hopefully none the less inspiring.

As you are almost certainly aware there's a big party happening tomorrow. A lot of crafty folk will be gathering to celebrate craft, share skills, and make new friends. I wanted to remind you of what a valuable opportunity this is for you, community is one of the key elements to any successful endeavor, business or otherwise.

I've talked about networking before and how it doesn't have to creepy and schmoozy. I've also talked about finding like minded folk to gather around you and support you on your journey. Who knows what you all can accomplish together. The Etsy Craft Party is a great place to meet them.

I want to encourage you to do three things tomorrow or at any event you have coming up.
  • Say hi to everyone you see who you've cross paths with before. A simple smile and hello is all you need, but a short conversation about what you're both up to never hurts.
  • Make a point to meet one person who you know through Facebook, Twitter or the blogosphere that you've never met in real life. Tell them you're going to be at the Craft Party and make an effort to find them.
  • Meet someone totally outside of your circle. This means making a new friend. You'd be surprised how easy conversation with strangers will flow over a craft table. Make sure to get their email address or Twitter name and follow up with a simple "Nice to meet you!"
You'll be surprised at how connected and sociable you feel. Remember these are your people, they will support you and sing your praises so reach out to them.

And just to make one of those steps easier I'll be at the welcome table from 6-7 pm. Come introduce yourself to me and you can cross number two off your list.



I encourage comments directly to this post, but also feel free to email me directly with questions, reactions, struggles, etc. genevieve@lightboxsf.com


If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Jen from Mama's Magic Studio about joining SFEtsy!

2 comments:

Jen (Mama's Magic Studio) said...

such great advice, as usual! and you're spot-on -- Craft Party tomorrow should be a great opportunity to have fun and also create and strengthen the kind of connections that make our crafting community so vibrant. That's what this is all about, after all!

Anonymous said...

Genevieve, congrats on getting married! And good advice. I was at one your networking events at Heart. It was well organized and easy to meet new people. Can't be at the craft party today but I'll be looking forward to talking to folks at future events. Have fun!

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