***Chaosbandit:  You make some valid points but at the same time it seems to me your acting like we can wave a magic wand, a personal site appears

***Given the grinding labor I've expended in the last 8 years, I could hardly be accused of thinking or saying that somebody could wave a magic want to create a personal site, LOL.  I've created many of them and it was always a ton of work and a lot of commitment. 

I don't put much stock in magic, I've got a business that works, having started literally with nothing.  I have no idea why you would fantasize that I'm suggesting it's as simple as waving a magic wand.  That's tooooooo funneeeeee!  What I always suggest is that people invest in themselves and do whatever it takes to get the outcome they want.  If someone doesn't want to be a digital artist and make a living that way, they won't need a web presence or store of their own. 

At one time EVERYBODY starts by struggling to establish a website. I well know the cost.  But if a person aspires to create an income from creative work, the sooner they bite the bullet and create their own website/store, the better.  I had to learn everything from scratch myself, aquire programs and webdesign knowledge the old fashioned way. But the longer one is online, the more traffic and attention accrue, hence the value of starting sooner rather than later.  The fact that I started in the very bottom rung means I already KNOW what is required.  I sacrificed a lot and worked very hard to develop my own business, so I assume anybody else would have to do the same thing if they wanted ot invest in their own future.  If you don't want that, don't do it.  For sure, there's no magic about it.

Obviously I also sell through a brokerage, although my own site business brings me 3 times more than I earn from other markets.  And all the while I am cultivating my own presence online, not just building somebody else's business.  So, however hard and expensive and time consuming it is, it's been an invaluable anchor for me to have my own store.  Well worth every bit of the brainbusting work.  But I know about as well as anybody does, what it is to start on a shoestring and painstakingly  build a personal site and store online.  And yep, I still highly recommend making that commitment IF someone plans to develop a part time or full income from their own creative work.

There are no magic wands involved in ANYTHING.  Everybody starts pretty much as the same place. 

***Chaosbandit:  ome of us have a very small target audience with the items we produce.

***Well, I don't know what your goals are.  Given my goals, a small target audience is the last thing I would aim for.  But perhaps a small target audience fits your needs perfectly.  If you only want that, then you are probably right that it makes no sense for you to create your own online presence because you're not aiming to make a living from your creative work.  My remarks are obviously addressed to people who plan to make a living or at least a significant supplement to their income from their products.  So . . .people with extremely limited goals would naturally tailor their efforts accordingly.

 

 

 

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Dana Sitarzewski
Jaguarwoman Designs
http://www.jaguarwoman.com