It's taken me almost four years to create and find an inventory of products and learn what it takes to put up an on-line store and a professional website. That's not including the two years before of failed attempts with Wordpress and Drupal on two websites. Those were the years of customized websites, before the age of template platforms, when viewing on all devices had to be rendered well, to succeed in a launch. Yes, it was brutal losing the money on what never happened and probably worse in archiving the artwork of unusable web pages. To better illustrate this: imagine preparing a complex dish by shopping for the ingredients, chopping, blending, tasting and then...the oven doesn't work. But hey, I've only got one life to live and being that I'm not a quitter, the path to get here, to this very moment of completion, to this sweet side of "Yes!", means I'll never have to go through that again...whew! (big long sigh). Although, don't think for a second I'm not aware of the glitches going forward. Something to look forward to and be challenged by.
Here's the main thing about shopify and boxify, canva and campaign monitor and all the other programs and apps for making it all happen: we are living in a brand new constantly changing world of technology, both with milestones and limitations daily. Each day we can render something possible, that wasn't yesterday. When I close my computer at the end of the day....a day where I didn't have the pleasure of designing an interior project or stitch the trim on a bag or sand a wood surface smooth for painting or re-wiring a lamp.....I've gotta love fixing a program glitch. I find satisfaction in the help given to me by people smarter than me. They bend me and shape me into a tech savvy user. I read help pages and search forums as comfortably as making my morning coffee. Sometimes it's terribly boring and tedious to say the least, yet I know the reward in doing it, lies close behind. It's impossible to do what I have done without reaching in and appreciating the technology that is truly magical. I live in and around it everyday...especially the nerdy kids bopping along the streets of SF, clutching their phones, plopping their brains behind screens all day, making it possible for me to create a place to sell and teach and learn. They help me when I'm the only senior in the meetup with my hand up! How lucky to live in a place where I can keep building new things and stretching my brain. What one program can't do, another crew of brainy kids can. Whether it's configuring the size of a box to hold many boxes or attaching graphics to an instagram post or keeping track of who went where and what they found there. At the end of a frustrating day, when one small glitch takes me inside the maze and back, I stand awed by what is possible on a world wide stage. That I can take an old lamp, make a custom shade for it, photograph it, write a little story about it and show the world..... that is what I call remarkable.
Sometimes I miss my studio with visions of what I can transform in collaging old newspapers or cutting up an old motorcycle jacket. Perhaps like leaving a child at school for the first time, it hurts to leave my projects unfinished on my work bench, only to sit for hours tackling tech mazes. There are still things like snapchat and why we 'like' something on social media instead of writing a word or two, that I don't get and maybe never will. Yet with all of its challenges, I think I'm kind of a tech junkie with a message of saving resources by building cool stuff. I try to keep the website work balanced between the taste of a perfectly ripe avocado at the farmer's market or the hand stitching of lily petals or wandering the city for hidden treasures. Balance is the key when you aren't of the tech world, but then you are.
I could have been born in a covered wagon with my parents crossing the great plains. I could have scrubbed my fingers raw on a wash board, lost a child to typhoid fever or had to stoke the coals for a pot of tea....but life has been good to me. I've learned the techno two step while foaming my milk with the press of a button! Who can beat that?
Here's a big huge virtual hug of thanks to the people who made my new site, antaresfurnishings.com, come to life. Without them I could never have gotten here! They are:
Suzie Aguirre was a calming influence while moving a lot of inventory and entering data.
David Bishop enlightened me to exchange artificial lights in a studio shoot, for natural light.
Alexis Castro posted with patience and reassurance beyond her years.
Daniella Castro gave me the straight talk when I most needed it.
Jeanne Claus gave me design wisdom and gracious understanding while building my inventory.
Vianney Fernandez gave me inspiration in using hand made materials.
Lyle Fong who in his blunt force style, always made me nod my head in the affirmative.
Dolores Heeb edited my copy into the wee hours and made me look better.
Ashley Johnston in her infinitely patient way, worked with me side by side with everything.
Loel Mitchell conceptualized the unrealized custom website. She set me on my path.
Paul Perez at always the right moment, made development fixes no support staff could touch.
Rob Robbins dedicated his time making a workable shop and solving innumerable problems.
Michael Szymanski became my analytical mind when Ms. Carolyn Artist got a bit wacko.
And to all of my friends who offered many hours of consultation and support, thank you.