Above, a snapshot into every Etsy activity and interest.

Yesterday I joined Etsy, an online community comprising of 100,000 “storefronts” where one can buy and sell all things handmade.  The site is bustling with informative discussion, creative energy, inspiring comraderie, and of course, a large selection of handcrafted items for sale (that’s interesting that the site uses “handmade” rather than “handcrafted.” Is this another case avoiding the use of the troublesome word “craft”?).  My initial intention was to plug the Short Interview section of my site, hoping to get the word out and see if there was any interest.  Under Etsy’s Forum tab I found an area where people can post Promotions, which I thought may be the best place to make the announcement. And so I did.  According to Google Analytics, though, one lone visitor clicked on the link, spending less time than a blink of an eye to read the form.  A 100% bounce rate (a term referring to the efficacy or lack thereof of a webpage’s ability to communicate) is the type of quantitative data you do not want anyone to know about.  Admittedly, I did sense a rather short-lived tingle of excitement that a human — even if only one — actually landed on something of my creation!

Below, the gateway into the Etsy community.

This morning, perhaps in an act of desperate curiosity, I revisited Etsy’s forums, this time sleuthing out another virtual venue to share my agenda.  The Business Topics forum looked ripe for a throw-up (a term in graffiti art in which aesthetics are often sacrificed for speed, producing a large number of tags in order to compete with rival artists) from thecluelesscrafter.  My renegade spirit incited some serious testy Etsy ire.  Withink minutes, I had ruffled the feathers of a couple of early morning message board participants.  Quickly I learned that there are rules to participating in this community, which I had sweepingly disobeyed when I did not do my due diligence to become versed on Etsy etiquette.  It was right to admonish my behavior, which in hindsight now appears 100% non professional and worth the tongue lashing.  Before retreating into my own shame, however, I did my best to mend the fences, aiming to rehabilitate my wounded ego and possibly tarnished image.  I will not make this mistake again.

Below, the transcript of an ill-conceived plan to communicate effectively with an audience.

Thankfully I had a doctor’s appointment this afternoon, a welcome opportunity to escape the computer, the locus of my very public embarrassment.  No, it was not a head doctor!  Anyways, in the waiting room I came across an article that put much of the day’s trauma into perspective.  The February 2009 issue of New York Family (hope that doesn’t give it away!) profiled a husband-and-wife team who founded Babble.com, a site and magazine dedicated to a new generation of parents.  In the course of the interview, I was able to see what mindset, what actions led them to the success in their professional venture.  What stands out most is that Rufus Criscom and Alisa Volkman are parents.  They know the ups and downs of parenthood, the isolation and frustration that stems from the experience of learning how to parent in today’s world.  However, they did and do not have the answers.  Whether they agree with the logic of what I am about to suggest, I do not know.  What I learned about my personal and professional quest by reading the article, though, is that my journey follows a similar path, fitting the same equation.  If they are immersed in the experience and lessons that come from parenting, I am equally immeresed in the experience and lessons that result from being a non-crafter.  I am aspirational, open to the process of growing!

As is my site and its mission, I too am a work in constant progress.  I am exploring the development of myself, my (hopefully your) understanding of craft, and this site within a context that on frequent occasion does not freely extend mercy.  It is not easy!  As the founders of Babble recognized, and which is something I am struggling to fulfill, is that establishing a voice is of primary import to thecluelesscrafter.com’s success.  keep with me, please…