Featured shop: Nix Creations

I am so very honored to introduce Nix Creations etsy shop (http://nixcreations.etsy.com), which features FANTASTIC wire wrap jewelry, mixed media pendants, tutorials and much more. I am a big fan of Matthew's work and LOVE every single piece in his creative shop! What is really amazing is his unique ability to work with many different mediums and techniques and to create beautiful one of a kind pieces that you won't find anywhere else! This is one of the BEST interviews on my blog! Matthew is sharing with us his secret of success on etsy! Hope you find this interview very interesting and informative and take some time to explore his amazing shop!

Thank you, Matthew, so very much for taking the time to share your experience and answer my questions!

Q. How did you hear about Etsy?
A. I saw Etsy mentioned from time to time on forums. I used to sell a lot on Ebay at one time and was looking for an alternative due to higher fees and the style of Ebay. Ebay is good for some things.

Q. What made you decide to sell on Etsy?
A. I wanted to reach a different market with my work and Etsy filled that. Etsy has low fees and great features that some other selling sites don't offer. I've seen Etsy grow a lot as well as my Etsy business. No matter how you sell... there are pros and cons. I didn't get serious with Etsy until I realized ONE major secret, which will be disclosed later in this interview.

Q. Which materials/process do you use to create your jewelry and mixed media pendants?
A. I started out making pendants from fried marbles, something my grandmother used to use to create brooches and hatpins and sell for extra money many years ago. She as since passed away. I thought they would make great pendants and got into wire wrapping. I will admit my current work has swayed from my humble beginnings. I now work with several mediums such as wire wrapping, fused glass, polymer clay, image transfers on several mediums, steampunk, resin, digital fractal art, metal stamping, and a bit of altered art. Many people have asked me how I learned all these mediums and techniques. Well... it is a combination of experimenting and coming up with ways to combine the mediums into unique pendants. It has also taken time and practice. I'm not the best at what I do and not the worst... I just do what I do. Most of my work is one of a kind. I also teach some of the techniques and mediums I work with.

Q. What motivates and inspires you to create?
A. COFFEE! Ok ok... it helps. I tend to be a night owl and do a bulk of my work at night. I enjoy the freedom of creating and like to tell people I do it because my wife snores and I cant sleep. I wont blame my wife because she puts up with me. I find inspiration from what I currently do and what I see. It's not just one thing. It comes from nature, other artists and imagination. I rarely draw out or think about what I'm going to make. For instance... when I wire wrap, I look at the object and try to think of what would work best. I will experiment and hope someone likes what I make. I will admit that I have had several favorites.

Q. What is your secret of success?
A. I mentioned earlier about the ONE thing that has helped me. What is it? PROMOTION! You must be seen to be heard! I have many ways I promote my etsy shop and website. I want to share my list of 50 free sites you can use to promote your Etsy shop. www.createapendant.com/etsypromote.htm This list will work differently for everyone due to what you sell and how much time you put into promoting. Take 15 minutes a day and promote, you will see a difference. I use social media sites like Twitter with over 46000 followers. http://twitter.com/jewelryguru. I use facebook, product related forums, and even do paid advertising. You can not sit idle and be found. Submit your etsy shop to Google and Yahoo search engines for free.

GOOGLE: http://www.google.com/submityourcontent/index.html
YAHOO: http://search.yahoo.com/info/submit.html

Here is my article on 12 ways to a better Etsy shop. I'm not a pro, but I do well.
http://www.createapendant.com/etsyhelp.htm

I want to thank Helen Janow Miqueo for featuring me on her blog. I love your work and wish you the best in your creative endeavors.

Matthew Nix
www.nixcreations.etsy.com
www.createapendant.com

Matthew, thank you so very much to you for sharing your experiences, creative process and promotional secrets with all of us! Your interview is very inspirational to me and, I am sure, to everyone who reads it! Thank you!