The Metal Ethos blog truly marks the end of an era at NiciArt. Selling on-line offers comfort to those who seek anonymity in cyberspace, but for a company like NiciArt that thrives on telephone support, interacting with customers and working in all three dimensions, cyberspace is a cold vast frontier. The first step in conquering that cold dark space is both members stepping out of cyberspace with separate blogs and social media presence to focus on a bit more on our individual thoughts and efforts. As such, we decided to go with the Metal Ethos as a logical addition to Nici’s Blog, The Metal Spot.
While the Metalspot is hosted on WordPress and offers full functionality for most bloggers, one of my goals was to test a custom template and eventually begin to offer our own WordPress and Active Blogger Templates as digital downloads in Etsy, so moving to a self hosted platform was necessary to use custom templates. The template chosen for the initial design is Morning Time by WP Look Studios which features a very clean and simple design. As a header banner, I chose a photo of Tom’s Thumb in Scottsdale, AZ for intrigue, fascination, and being inspired by the endless wonders of nature instead of strictly limiting the Metalethos to business, products, or just product promotion. After receiving our 100th Etsy order, we hiked to Tom’s Thumb and even discussed the possibilities of taking on NiciArt as a full-time business back in 2011. Never would I have even dreamed those first 100 orders were just a tiny step, therefore beginning the blog with Tom’s Thumb is actually far more appropriate than a flaming torch, polishing wheel, or some sort of trite marketing slogan.
NiciArt was never planned or discussed over coffee, rather NiciArt just happened and we knew exactly what we had to do without the need for a script. In so many ways, I am incredibly grateful for Etsy and that first Christmas in 2011, where our little shop was launched from page 254 in search right up to page 1 overnight. Today, Etsy continues to deliver steady traffic and orders even as election shock hangs on the horizon for many like an ominous rain cloud. For us, we only really worry when things start making sense and chaos becomes an orderly plan.
Once “the” meeting place after work, the Etsy forums have strayed a bit from good wholesome discussions and debates to repetitive post regarding SEO, low views and sales, or celebration milestones for that first sale. Don’t misunderstand, the Etsy forums are still a wonderful resource with many dedicated shop owners sparing their precious time to help others succeed. Unfortunately, many successful shops are experiencing a slowdown coming off the golden age of Etsy where sales were fast and easy and now time is such a limited resources, many faces are missing in action from the forums. Embracing the end of era with excitement about the future rather than lamenting the passage of time is a far more productive mindset. Starting the Metal Ethos in parallel to Nici’s efforts on the Metal Spot is just one more step forward for 2017.