My blog is a series of journal entries, image illustrations and photographs from my experience in the Peace Corps in Macedonia and BEYOND. The contents of this page, and all links appearing on this page, do not represent the positions, views or intents of the U.S. Government, or the United States Peace Corps.
Mention Macedonia and I usually get a few puzzled faces or a "Now, where is Macedonia exactly?" "North of Greece" was my first reply. Now I add, " with Bulgaria to the East and Albania to the west". I am getting to know a bit more about where I will spend my next 27 months. And a funny thing is happening. I took photos of my summer hide out.... the forest of the high sierras near Lake Tahoe... looks like I was in Macedonia! take a look.
From the Brothers Vellies website: Velskoen, pronounced "fell-skoon" and known colloquially as "vellies," are the ancestor of the modern-day desert boot. Vellies were first made in the 1600s, inspired by the footwear of the Khoikhoi tribe and crafted using raw materials. Later, our vellies were adapted by British travellers, packaged and renamed to be what we now know as desert boots.
Velskoen are made in the coastal town of Swakopmund, Namibia. There, a small group of eight Damara gentlemen assemble every shoe by hand, turning out just 20 pairs an afternoon.
Vellies are made of vegetable-dyed Kudu leather. The Namibian government mandates the culling of these large native antelope to control their population. Kudu skin yields amazingly durable leather and suede that ages exceptionally well. Because these hides are taken from wild animals they often show scars or other "imperfections" that domesticated hides do not.
What Vellies have? A brand: steeped in local tradition with a global expressionist style, small batch and custom handmade, local paired with a global, custom design and distribution through likeminded OPENING CEREMONY and most recently the company went through a name change that raises the MAKERS to the top! (formerly known as the founder's last name, Schier Shoes)
One year later, I received a phone call to verify my mailing address. That's one year after my close of service in the U.S. Peace Corps. To commemorate, I went through my project notes, grant applications, photos, drawings and numbered them up under the heading "My Macedonia Timeline" over at the top left column.
While I served, I piled up quite a bit of images. Photos, drawings and AI files and put my personal blogs on hold per the Peace Corp rules. goAWAYgear and Travel Happy are up and running now and tablesetGO is in alpha 1 and forming. My portfolio is made up of direct draw and drawing until a composition appears images. The theme that most shines through? detours and the emotional cuts it takes to travel and create new connections.
Hello from the U.S.A., I crossed the pond after two years to get reacquainted with what matters in the U.S.A. And guess what? -Now I can say my products are "Made in the U.S.A" which is all the rage and first started as a push to bring back jobs to the U.S. of A. Now it is a full on media and marketing campaign to attract customers.
Having a tag like this whether it is "home grown" "handmade" "locally sourced" " insert your name . . . own creations" "upcycled" "recycled" "repurposed" "sustainably green" "artisanal" "small batch" " from scratch" "fair trade" "clean, natural, green and fresh" , you get it, - a tagline is a good start to positioning your products in the market.
So add what's true, what matters to you and what is timely. You will find a niche that is attracted to your handmade products.
In my work with cooperatives and artisan entrepreneurs, if I mention the word accounting, their attention wonders and eyes glaze over. So how do I address the need for a sound business model? -for costing concept and product development? for costing sourcing? costing supplies? costing market testing? costing marketing and merchandising? for pricing and linking to the market? Maybe a little piece of my CAKE, can do it! -along with your ipad.
The group at MYCAKE.ORG concepted and brought to the web the answer. My Cake is a financial toolkit that accounts for your actions as an artisan and serves as a base of knowledge on how best to cost and price your creations. It accounts for money flows, both in and out of your business. And we all know that a lack of cash flow can kill your business quickly, and poor profitability kills it slowly. Take a look at their 10 reason why My cake cuz MyCake has it all figured out!
The designer/makers over at Cockpit Arts, UK's only social enterprise creative incubator, uses my Cake... you should too. They offer 2 month free trail on the website.
Why ipad? Because the other thing that I notice is workshops full of produced products that were made in 2001. Front yards packed with carvings of stone and wood. Cupboards full of dust covered boxes, containing handcrafts. Meaning? Most of the items were produced, with no market in mind.
Remember the "signature sheep" blog post? A good business model with market tested prototypes is essential, before spending the time and money. So you ask... "what is a business model? I have a plan. What is a model?"
The Business Generator has an ipad app that combines the speed of a "napkin sketch" with the smarts of a spreadsheet. They say it enables you to map, build, test and iterate your business ideas fast. And these days that is the name of the game.
Stay tuned, as I will give you some insight into the variables of a good business model in artisan speak!
Aljawhara Alsanat introduced me to a family member's work by giving me this mug with illustrations inspired by traditional geometric embrodiery designs.
I turned the cup over to see the "Monsoojat Foundation" and that began my search into the embroidery designs of Saudi Arabia. . . and I erased my thought that the women only wore black.
Mansoojat Foundation forged a relationship with the Women's Welfare Center in Jeddah. Securing space to set up a workshop to preserve traditional Saudi Arabian embroidery.
"Capture a skill at its finest, elevate it with proper design and you get a luxury product."
MAIYET has the full story of Paul and Kristy's journey to bringing their ideas to real. They tell of starting a globally recognized luxury brand that sources from, and forges deep partnerships with, master craftsmen, mostly from developing economies. Their hope is that over time, there will be increased employment, profitability and peace.
Maiyet partnered with Nest to bring capacity building programs to selected cooperatives and artisans. Looks like a great business model for sustainability. First year revenue for the line -$3.5 million.
"putting ideas to work outside the box." Here is a story of Macedonian artisans, who want to demonstrate their skill, collaborate with others in adapting designs and get high on value too.
Ana is the president of a women's cooperative in the northeast region of Macedonia. Their raw material is wool. They spin it, color it and weave it into cloth. They felt it and make fine handcrafted purses, and slippers. And they make their "signature sheep." -an easy sale. I took a bag of sheep to a local festival attended by expats. and sold 50 in 10 minutes and by the time I got home all 100 were purchased.
Sheep are made by the women's cooperative on a daily basis to fill demand. Sheep don't showcase the handcrafter's skills, and for many, sheep are not their favorite. Sheep serve an important purpose, the meet a market demand. They create income to dabble in other creations, to buy needed supplies, or to attend a workshop on colorways for the coming year. Whether an artist, an artisan or a cooperative, everyone needs their "signature sheep." What is yours?
It was a pleasure to be a part of the EVAH workshop in Ohrid, Macedonia, a UNESCO Natural and Cultural Hertitage site ,where partners from Alabania, Kosovo, Greece and Macedonia discussed ways of supporting artisans in historic cities.
How do you spend money on the preservation of historic buildings to support artisan tradesmen? How do you bring historic buildings to life with culture? How do you demonstrate the tradional craft, when life has moved on to more economically sustainable activites?
Jasmina is in touch with her creative senses. She works with adobe illustrator to design her compositions, makes handmade paper, chooses wood or leather for laser cuts to make her creations. Jasmina has a sharp eye for the market and finishes off all her work with stylish logo packaging and marketing. She was a participant in the USAID creative business project and her business plan was selected for funding. Smart as she is, she took the funds and registered her business as a Macedonia Registered Artisan and is now eligible for government grants in the coming year. She is trained as an early archeologist and is called on often to set the period details in Macedonian movies. Take a look in the left column for some of her creations in Artisan Action Shots. Here she is on the set of The Third Half Time HD trailer.
Jasmina on the set of The Third Half Time
Jasmina and I have strategized a lot about what it takes to do business as an artisan in the Balkans. Sourcing material and equipement is difficult and positioning handmade products in the market is tricky. She found that by using technology with her hand skills, she can scale up production to meet the demand for corporate promotions bids. She found her sweet spot in the market and is a Macedonian success.
seeded handmade paper by Jasmina
P.S. I asked Jasmina what would make her business more cost effective and sustainable. She replied... "to take in house the laser cutting." -a capital purchase of a laser cutter. -that way she can make production cuts of her designs and packaging. . . . crowdfunding? might be for her!
For interest in wood, leather, paper handmade by Jasmina, visit her on her facebook page and write her a message of your special request. at WIZART
