*Mona77401

At the end of January 2008, I started an online radio talk show for jewelry artists. It's been great! I've had so many different mediums respresented throught the guest artists and aside from some technical flukes from time to time, the show has been going well.
Now I'm facing June with not a single artist lined up as guest designer. I've sent out a number of invitations. Some say they don't speak enough English, some say their accents are terrible, some say they are'nt worthy of that much attention.
You could knock me over with a feather. What are the largest obstacles for quality independent designers today? Name recognition, product exposure, lack of engagement with the public, and expensive advertising!
The radio talk show is free. I create presentation videos of the guest artist's work with background music in an artful way...and that's free. I promote the guest artist in advance with the video presentation and formal invitations to the broadcast with announcements regarding who's coming and what the guest generally does!
I even have a professional musician who is contributing music to the site for broadcast entertainment and background sound for some of the videos. Why aren't designer's lining up to sign up.
You may be asking your self why I do this. Why would anyone offer so much of their time for no return. My answer to all of the above is this.
Designers around the world, who are contributing to our society with their inspired talents in wearable art deserve recognition. Someplace, someone, needs to archive their contributions, their thoughts, their personas. Languages and accents of any individual of this status can be thought of as nothing less than charming, exciting, interesting, and entertaining. I have been designing for a long time. I've shared dreams, ideals, ideas, and commissurations with many. It's my way of giving back to the designing community.
Creating a warm, happy, friendly, encouraging place where the public may meet a real artist and make discoveries of all sorts. Many people don't know what a jewelry artist is or does, or goes through to create inspired works of art.
My dream is to help the public meet as many designers of wearable art as possible. My dream is to move those jewelry lovers out of the mass market and to engage them with the idea of making one of a kind designs of all price ranges their goals in their wardrobes of jewelry. I believe that regardless of the potential client's amount of expendable income, all clients will enjoy and cherish the individual design, regardless of it's transacted value as more special than mass produced goods.
So where are all of those designers? Tell me what you think!