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The Crafts Report
November 2002 All material reproduced with permission from The Crafts Report Making a Living as a Kaleidoscope Artist Sheryl Koch - Kaleidoscope Artist - An Online Exclusive Interview |
 Debbie and David Rosenfeldt THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN SELLING OUR WORK has been knowing which shows to target so our buyers can find us. We have overcome this by showing our work in the "Kaleidoscope Aisle" of the Buyers Market of American Crafts. There, buyers for galleries and gift stores that are looking for our blown glass kaleidoscopes can easily find us. |
 Gregg Johnson THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE HAS BEEN CONVERTING the making of kaleidoscopes into a business. It was a hobby and I gave away hundreds. My kaleidoscope idea came because I wanted to impress a wonderful woman in my life who said she liked kaleidoscopes. I made one different from all the other kaleidoscopes, just for her. The easiest thing was envisioning its future as a great product; the hardest was actually convincing myself to produce it as a full-fledged commercial product. Step by step I overcame this. The BottleScope became worthy for production. I've made a few mistakes. But I keep changing it and adding new themes. Collectors like innovation. |
 Marc Tickle THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE HAS BEEN DECIDING where to market our work and to whom. Our price point varies from $29 up to $1,800 wholesale, therefore, we have many markets where we can present our work. The more expensive pieces represent our limited edition work and we designed a series of scopes that were high-quality, but could be made for considerably less than the others. We realized that we had already established a solid foundation for our higher-end work, and our energies were best spent researching our options on where to sell our new line. We traveled to Philadelphia in July 2001 to see if that particular show was the one for us. We found that by the end of our trip, we could predict who would be taking orders and who would not, merely by looking at their booth. We asked a lot of questions and knew that if we heeded the advice and drew upon what we observed, we could have a successful first show. And we did. We are trying to keep up with all of our orders ... running a little behind, but still running. |
 Lidia Anderson I HAVE BEEN CREATING STAINED GLASS for over 20 years. The inspiration for my kaleidoscope was bom from a fascination with astronomy. The "Astralscope" was created with the theme of the constellation of the Southern Cross which I would always see in the sky at my home in Sydney, Australia. Sandwiched between clear and colored glass are gold stars and a galaxy of Oitter against a background of black, marble blue, or iridized white. The silver finish and solder sculpting complement the overall design. Balance of color and design always plays an integral part of creating my art and I always welcome new ideas. I have employed many marketing strategies for selling my work including juried art shows, print advertising for wholesaling to galleries, and, most recently, the creation of my own Web site. This was the most challenging as it allowed me to reach a greater audience simply with the click of a mouse. |
 Joanne Flatow-Jacobs OUR GREATEST CHALLENGE HAS BEEN and continues to be constantly reinventing ourselves and keeping all of our designs fresh and innovative. It should be obvious to everyone that new creations must be original and optically outrageous. But it may not be so obvious that older designs, what we call old favorites, must also evolve. All artwork has a life cycle. When a design stops growing and evolving, it's time to move on. A moribund work excites no one and fails to captivate gallery owners and their customers. With all new creations we work hard to maintain the highest standards. And while new complex creations are very exciting, we must balance that aspect against the economic realities of the business of craft. Large and challenging designs are very stimulating but it's the production kaleidoscope that remains our bread and butter. This is another very important reason to make sure our old favorites continue to evolve. |
 Ken & Dore Wilhoite OUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE IS NOT TO FALL too much in love with our own creations. While we are proud of our work, we try to look at our kaleidoscopes not only as artists, but as collectors, and to objectively answer the questions, "Is this a kaleidoscope that I would like to own?" or "How many hours would I have to work to buy the scope and is it worth that effort?" Working in metal, our goal is to make a sleek, well-designed piece of art that does not look like a mass- produced appliance. Our strategy to overcoming this challenge is to continually improve the quality of our images, the fit and finish of the mechanical workings of our kaleidoscopes, and to incorporate our growth as artists into the creativity of our designs. We constantly draw inspiration from the world around us for unique designs and for ways to make our kaleidoscopes user-friendly to people of all ages. |
 Phil Coghill SINCE I STARTED MAKING KALEIDOSCOPES about 15 years ago, I've had many challenges. During the first few years I was just selling retail at arts and crafts shows, later switching to wholesaling. Each method of selling had different challenges. I suppose the biggest challenge was trying to sell a product that was not well-known. Many people didn't know what a kaleidoscope was. Some remembered them as toys they had when they were children and still considered them as toys. To overcome this challenge, I had to edu- cate the public on the values of a kaleidoscope. I showed them how to look through a scope and get the most enjoyment. I talked to them about using a scope as a decorative item for their home, and as a unique gift and collectable. At some shows, I gave demonstrations or had pictures and information about the scope-making process, but having a variety of scopes available for them to enjoy was probably the most helpful. |
 Steve Failows CREATING ONE-OF-A-KIND, UNIQUE large-scale kaleidoscopes has been a serious, ongoing challenge, especially in today's economy. For the last 25 years I've proven to myself time and time again that creating beautiful pieces of art or "candy for the eye" is exactly what I should be doing. I personalize each piece by hand-picking the wood for the pedestal, and by perfecting a three-mirror system and a four-inch-wide viewport for the body of the scope. Though it hasn't been easy, rather than "give in" and settle for making less expensive, mass-produced, "quick sell" scopes, I have tried to stay focused and true to my vision by investing my time searching for the right markets and/or buyers. Every day I try to "put myself out there" by making new contacts via the Internet, the phone book or sometimes even the local coffee shop hang-out in Sedona. Also, as often as possible, I try to hone my craft through contacts with other artists - those that inspire and encourage me with new ideas and concepts. |
 Pete and Skeeter De Mattia WE COULD SAY OUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE was giving up the security of a steady job and guaranteed income, free health insurance, getting our stores to see us as artists and not collectors, and the self discipline to make ourselves work and invent when there was a slow period between holidays and orders. After years of collecting kaleidoscopes, we overcame these obstacles with a lot of help from several galleries; namely Scherer Gallery, Catskill House, and After The Rain. They took the time to explain the ins and outs of net 30, packing, collections, advertising and promotion with a whole lot of encouragement and admiration for our totally new concepts in kaleidoscopes. Our self esteem was bolstered by the wonderful response we received from everyone, including other artists, who were our best critics! We have now been in business for over 11 years and are still going strong. |
 Rick and Robin Snyder CREATING USABLE ART IS WHAT WE DO. We stick to our motto "Handmade One At A Time" and then price our stained glass kaleidoscopes so that everyone, not only high-end collectors, can afford a one-of-a-kind signed piece of art. Kaleidoscopes are very unique in the art world as they are a visible medium - you really have to look through one to truly appreciate its beauty. So even if a new gallery is across the country, we take the chance and send a scope at our expense for a hands-on evaluation. To date, no one has ever ripped us off. I think that between our reasonable prices and quality craftsmanship we have found the perfect combination. The bottom line of our success is good old fashioned customer service and value for the dollar. We truly are not out to make a ton of money. We want to share our art with others, and, in turn, they allow us to live a life creating art that others just dream of doing. |
 Carolyn Bennett IN THE EARLY YEARS OF MY CAREER the biggest challenge was the perception that kaleidoscopes were only for children. Thousands of times at craft shows I heard people say, "I remember these from when I was a kid." My answer was, "I make these for us now that we are all grown up." By designing a wide range of scopes with a wide range of prices, I was able to appeal to all age groups. Early on there was only a handful of kaleidoscope makers. The scope community has grown and has become a close-knit group. I think the fact that we are very united in our goals of bringing beauty to people has raised the public awareness and acceptance of our art form. For nearly 30 years I have done extensive research and experimentation and have discovered an endless world of color, art, philosophy and beauty in scopes. Each of mine is designed to be an interesting piece of sculpture that is as intriguing outside as it is inside. |
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