Create with Purpose Archives | Well Crafted Studio

Top Christmas 2020 Trends for Crafters to Know

October 20, 2020November 27, 2020Blog, Christmas Projects, Create with Purpose Jennifer Swift Leave a Comment

Know what to make for the holiday 2020 gift-giving season with this post that highlights the colors, materials, and crafts that are trending this holiday season. Whether you want to sell your crafts, or just want to make gifts that people will like, knowing what’s trending will help you decide how to spend your time and money this holiday crafting season! Knowledge is power. All you need is a little glimpse at what the 4 top Christmas 2020 trends for crafters to make are!

4 Top Christmas 2020 Trends for Crafters to Know and Make

Warm and Cozy Winter/Scandinavian Nordic
Starry Nights/ Northern Lights
Whimsical Nostalgia/ Handmade
Fresh and Free/Socially Conscious/ Urban + Trendy

4 Tips to Spot and Use Trends in Your Handmade Business

January 8, 2020February 24, 2020Blog, Create with Purpose Jennifer Swift 2 Comments

Answer: Farmhouse, Nordic Minimalism, Color Blocking, Rainbows. With Mid Century Modern coming up strong. It’s a quick answer to what’s trending this year, but there are reasons behind it that make those answers a pretty safe bet. Having this knowledge in advance is critical because, as a small maker, you need to sell what you make. You can’t afford to create products that no one wants. You need to know what’s on-trend, what’s trending a season in advance. Big businesses spend thousands on researching, marketing, and promoting seasonal campaigns. Being able to leverage that desire for your small business can make all the difference between a successful sales season and not. So how does a small maker do it without the resources and research dollars? After years of product development, I’ve learned there are ways to predict and know the lifespan of trends. So here are 4 tips for the small maker on how to spot and use trends, as well as the timeline of trends.

Create with Purpose by Knowing Your WHY

January 2, 2020November 5, 2020Blog, Create with Purpose, Inspiration Jennifer Swift 2 Comments

This is a post I wrote last year about this time. But many of my readers are new and I thought it would be helpful for those that are looking for a purpose in what they’re doing. And this article, Create with Purpose by Knowing your Why is a good read. 😉

I love books, and they seem to find me as if they were on their own special journey. One recent such book, that my husband literally dropped on my lap, is called Start with Why, by Simon Sinek. In it, Simon explains that much of the world starts with WHAT they’re going to do or make. End of story. Instead, what Simon is proposing is that we should start with WHY or the reason for doing or making what you’re making. Starting with WHY can bring forth purpose, which means you can create with purpose by knowing your WHY.

Move Away From Starting with WHAT

For instance, as someone with a handmade product to sell (the WHAT), we may stress that it’s one of a kind and only available for purchase through us. We appeal to the customer’s desire for trendy things because that’s fun and much more likely to sell. These are tried and true marketing techniques, and we should be aware of their importance, but if we focus on getting people to buy our WHAT, then we miss the opportunity to inspire them with our WHY.

Creative Practice Makes Purpose

September 6, 2019September 6, 2019Blog, Create with Purpose Jennifer Swift Leave a Comment

Practice does not make perfect, it makes purpose. So many of us have spent years pursuing our goals and dreams for “someday,” when we could be experiencing it in small amounts now. To practice your creativity means to set the intention of daily experiencing, and exploring what it means for you to be creative. Give yourself permission to follow your passions, if only for a little while. I also have four tips for your creative practice that will make it a positive experience that reinforces your purpose. And some ideas for how you can start a creative practice of your own!

Cheat Sheet for Imagining Creative Product Ideas

March 4, 2019January 14, 2020Blog, Create with Purpose Jennifer Swift Leave a Comment

So quick disclaimer: You may not be doing product development, so you may think these types of posts aren’t for you. BUT, if you think about thinking creatively (outside the box), it can be applied to any place or stage that you’re in. A lot of my early product development was something I fell into, because I wanted to make my house prettier and more huggable. We had little money, so I got creative with the materials and funds we had. Ta da! Enter product development! Coming up with the best ideas can be as simple as that, or you can ask yourself questions that will help you brainstorm. Here is a cheat sheet for imagining creative product ideas.

How to never run out of ideas again

“What if?” It’s truly the one question that has been responsible for the greatest innovations, the biggest discoveries, and the most impossible attainments throughout history. When we ask “What if?” we are opening ourselves up to inspiration, but don’t just leave it open ended. Instead, ask “What if I…” or “What if it…” When you ask these questions you are in the first phase of creation, so don’t let the thoughts of possible or impossible, the amount of work, the amount of time, or the amount of money constrain you at this stage. You’re just imagining. Author Anatole France said, “To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.” Too often we look for a solution before we fully ask a question. Dream often – ask “What if…”

Pursuing Your Purpose Daily

February 23, 2019August 30, 2019Blog, Create with Purpose, Inspiration Jennifer Swift 1 Comment

It’s always humbling to think you know something and then realize that you really don’t. This week I revisited the story of the potter and the clay in Jeremiah 18. I thought it was where God declared, I am the potter and you are the clay, as a way to illustrate our relationship to Him. It turns out this isn’t where that verse originated. There are actually several verses in the Bible that refer to God as the potter and us as the clay. The story in Jeremiah taught me a different lesson – the lesson of pursuing your purpose daily.

How to Create Products People Really Want

February 7, 2019January 14, 2020Blog, Create with Purpose Jennifer Swift 1 Comment

As makers, we want people to want what we make. We may be creating to sell, we may be creating to gift, or we may be creating for ourselves. Regardless, we want what we make to be desirable. So the question we can ask is what makes something desirable? Here are 5 reasons we want something. When we understand what creates that emotion in people then we can create products people really want.

Why We Want Something

It’s a necessity
It makes life better
It makes life easier
It makes me smile
It inspires you

Questions to Ask Before You Create to Sell

February 1, 2019January 14, 2020Blog, Create with Purpose Jennifer Swift 3 Comments

We’ve all been there. You come up with an AWESOME idea. You’re sure that it’ll sell like hot cakes, and so you make a TON of them. You unveil it with fan fare (at least in your mind) and then… nothing. There’s a simple process for product development that you can use to avoid the fizzled nothing. There are questions to ask before you create to sell that can save you a lot of time and investment cost.

It’s not a fool-proof way to determine success, but it may help you realize the current viability of your product before you start. And I say “current,” because timing plays a key roll, but before we consider that element let’s ask some questions.