Melinda Steffy/ Super Stealthy Super Heroes

The lecture this week was really entertaining because everyone who has Nichola for 3D wore their superhero costumes! I wish we had been scattered throughout the room a little bit more, that would have been funnier. Justin, the giant squid, made quite the impression on the speaker! The "Illustrious Hole" was also super funny, he ran up in the middle of the lecture and put his mat in the middle of the floor, which was supposed to be a hole you'd find in a Bugs Bunny cartoon. Props to him, that was gutsy. It was also nice just to see everyone else's costumes, I only got to see the pieces that they were working on when we were in the studio on weekends. I was really impressed with how a lot of them turned out!

Anyways, the lecture was by Melinda Steffy and she spoke about the online store Etsy.com. It's a site that sells exclusively handmade goods and really encourages the restored relationship between buyer and seller (ironic, because there is no personal interaction through a website!) I had heard of Etsy before, but I really had always written it off as an arts and crafts place like the art shows that we have around my house. I really liked how Esty wasn't Melinda's sole occupation, she also had a job and was still practicing her art. (I loved how she used common spices to achieve such beautiful colors! That yellow was amazing! I'm pretty sure she said for the yellow she used turmeric) Because of the profits she generates from selling her goods on Etsy, she was really able to continue making art. Melinda really stressed that to be successful using an online vending site, you need to create a product that is both function and can replicated quickly and easily. If not, your prices should reflect your time and be really high, so no one would buy, or you would underprice your item and lose money in the deal. She also said maintaining an online store to the point where you are getting noticed and are generating sales, is a huge time commitment with all the upkeep. But if you can make something you enjoy quickly and cheaply, you might be able to make a bit of money on the side.