How about a Recap
2022 was a wild ride to say the least.
There were all sorts of challenges that I should have expected, but still didn't. Everything from rising prices, to lower sales (for most of the year), to content slumps, and burnout.
2022 became one of the most intense yet rewarding years of my buisness! I started pushing my creativity in design, photography, and content creation. I kept coming up with new ideas and for half the year I was going strong before any touch of burnout hit, but content burnout is a real thing and over time you get tired of constantly trying to create content to stay relevant.
I started doing more stylized shoots and with my upgraded camera setup I could really get a better quality photo! I had the most fun learning new techniques and styles and I'm even more excited for some of the new upgrades I have for this year!
In 2022 I had created more than I ever have in the past. I had inspiration from everywhere and the time to pursue that creative spirit. I developed lots of new products and a whole ecelctic and esoteric line of tarto card holders, pendulum boards, and rune boxes. I loved pushing my creativity to new heights!
I also found immense success toward the end of the year with several wholesale orders and plenty of witchy ornaments being shipped out all over the USA.
What's Next in 2023?
This year I have some big plans and I will list some of them here as a way to hold myself accountable also!
I am going to intensely focus on content and marketing to expand the reach for my business. There is a lot of focus on video content and while it is much more difficult and time consuming to make, I need to get better at it to stay relevant. I do also enjoy crafting content especially now that the burnout has subsided.
I want to focus more on my youtube channel and now that my audience is growing I want to ensure I keep up with it and want to commit to two high quality videos a month! That should be 24 new vidoes at least this year and I feel as if sticking with that will truly help turn youtube into an amazing tool to share my work and hopefully provide everyone an insight into my world and how I do what I do.
You can follow me here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ_dHen_WTwHlhg6Eg_FPw
Another focus will be on my social medias. Right now I have Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Pinterest. Pinterest has been dying for me for a long time so I will only use that one if I have time to. My focus is going to be Instagram and TikTok as well as some YouTube Shorts since I want to improve my short form videos. Instagram I will probably do a bit less photography and try to spend more time filming the pieces I make out in nature!
You can follow me @CrystalForged on Instagram and Tiktok!
I will also be starting a wholesale account with Faire! I have a lot of plans to expand some products there, but that is still heavily in progress!
Another aspect of the business I would love to improve in is my packaging and branding so this year that will be a focus as well. I am going to design some all new thank you cards, care cards, and branded packaging for my jewelry! I want to have a more cohesive look so when someone buys something they know its coming from me!
One more aspect of the business is going to be a small foray into a new product category! I love drawing and artwork so I will prints to the shop in the coming months. I have an amazing high quality printer that is capable of getting the quality I am looking for, and I can't wait to be able to use it print my own artwork out!
So thank you to everyone who has followed the journey so far! Thank you for all the support over the years. Each purchase, share, and favorite means the world to me. I still can't believe that I have become successful enough to turn this small hobby into a small business and create an LLC for it. I am ever grateful to each of you magical souls who find the appreciate for handmade work like mine!