If you will indulge me for a minute to stand on my soapbox and send out a gentle reminder that your past, current and potential customers are watching you so be wise in what you post….

I was recently messaged through the Its Better Handmade Facebook group by a woman that is not an artist herself but wholeheartedly LOVES handmade goodies and purchases them often.  When she is pleased with a product she goes above and beyond what most do and actually posts that artist’s work around her social media pages giving them some free and much loved exposure to others that may not have seen them before….oh how we all wish for more customers like this!

In addition to sharing the amazing handmade treasures she has found, she also is kind enough to comment on others items posted in the group, complimenting them on their work…..now comes the soapbox….there are members that seem to think it is okay to make comments calling her rude and such when she expresses an opinion about other matters.  Now, I get it, we all have a right to an opinion and I have been known to type…delete….type….delete when I run across certain people but as a handmade BUSINESS we have to keep in mind that others will see what we type!

There are artist who’s work I adore but would probably not purchase from because of comments I’ve seen made on social media.  This is my right as much as it is anyone elses but I often wonder if that artist realizes that he/she is alienating future customers by the public face she presents.  One of my favorite parts of buying and owning handmade is the fact that I know it is made by a real person and I feel like I have a piece of their heart and passion through their work; those that are rude, well, I don’t want a piece of them.

I’m sure there are many opinions about this topic from “never say anything but rainbows and sunshine” to “I’ll say what I want when I want to whom I want and you can’t stop me.”  That is fine and you are entitled to run your business your way, but I would ask artists to step back for a moment and take a look at their social profile through a customer’s eyes and make sure they are projecting the image that they want customers to see.