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The ART of Home Decor

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The ART of Home Decor

In a 'leap of faith' this past year, I dropped my several other POD artist sites to promote my work exclusively on Fine Art America/Pixels.com! I had good reason[s] to make such a drastic move, I thought. Not only did I want to downsize in order to give FAA my full attention, but it seemed that those in charge were on top of things, wanting what was best for both [their] members & customers, as well as the site itself, a win-win situation in my view. So, I placed all my 'art' eggs into one FAA basket...and here's why:
[1] It appeared to be a professionally-run, well-organized & presented site, easy-to-navigate. [2] Social/networking & community aspects were high on the list of perks. [3] FINE ART ONLY products were available, not cheesy home decor/design items, something I had not been happy with regarding [my] other on-line shops. [4] Scads of opportunities were/are available, like hosting contests, developing your own artist's website...or creating a blog. [5] We could set our own prices, which, crossing fingers, I hope continues!

Wow, SO refreshing, I thought. I even posted what became a super-popular thread in the community discussion forum, 'Thankful for FAA', inviting members to share their positive experiences & gratitude for the site. You can imagine my dismay, then, when FAA recently introduced a line of home decor products...and they keep coming! Uh oh, I thought, here we go...again. I swore I would not join the bandwagon heralding such things, as I was under the impression, due to past experience, that it would cheapen my work, as you can't always count on images to transfer to certain products well, like those made with certain fabric, including canvas or cotton. To get the best print results, a poly-cotton blend is the way to go, plus you'll have less wrinkling & longer wear!

Don't get me wrong, I realize POD sites need to be seen by the public, potential buyers, search engines & so on, as well as keep up with the latest trends and/or try to out-do their competitors. I also know that our soon-to-be main site Pixels.com was created to carry ALL print products available on site, including apparel & phone cases. At first, we were told by management that NO home decor products would be offered in our FAA galleries, but, for some reason, I'm seeing throw pillows, duvets & totes appearing alongside 'fine art' prints in my portfolio. If it's confusing to me, it just also might be to potential buyers?

I wondered if anyone else was concerned with these same issues...and began reading the discussion threads. Yes, yes, they were. Members were sharing their opinions, pro & con...and I added my two cents. After toying with the idea of offering my work on decor items, I decided I'd rather concentrate on the 'fine art prints' only. I wasn't saying 'no' forever, but would play the 'waiting game' for a spell, hoping the site would iron out its problems. It can happen! But, the pressure was on...and I was feeling it, plus I want to continue being successful just like the next artist-photographer! I LIKE my work & think it should sell well. It's true, we are encouraged to promote, promote, promote our work, to $ell anything & everything. And, a lot of members are eager to do just that, offer ALL their images on anything & everything...tacky, worthy, or not!

Hmm, I thought, I don't want to be a 'party pooper'? Maybe I could up my sales, as well, if I joined in the 'home decor fun'! After some discussion with my husband, and seeing several members whose work I admired offering such items, I thought, well, maybe it could work, maybe this will be different, maybe FAA/Pixels' products & printing will be fabulous and I can feel good about offering them to potential clients?

I created a 'Pillow Talk' gallery, w/select pieces of my work on throw pillows, and, then, one titled 'Totes-to-Go', offering, you guessed it, some of my images on tote bags! Wow, the more the merrier, right? In my usual helpful way, I went so far as to host scads of contests, some currently in-progress, just so we members could further showcase our [best] work-on-products. I even added an assortment of images on phone cases, as well as a select few on duvets! Cool...or so, I thought.

Checking the discussion forum for further updates, I saw new 'issues' being reported, and, once again, questioned whether this was such a great idea? And today, I'm seeing that shower curtains and, possibly, calendars might be added to the list of items for sale? I welcome the calendars, btw, but think that the issues surrounding other items should be addressed & resolved BEFORE adding more & more items for public consumption. If you're going to test a product, then, do it for free or offer a huge discount! Quality is so important. We NEED to be able to trust & depend on FAA/Pixels.com to provide that service for its members & buyers. I spend an enormous amount of time plugging the site, adding new work, creating & tending contests, joining groups & discussions and promoting my work. Quality control, dependability & good customer service should be the #1 priority...and not something members need worry about!

After ALL the hard work it takes to set up a gallery of images, including customizing products, uploading images, adding keywords & descriptions, setting prices, etc., it would be a shame to simply delete entire galleries of mine offering home decor products. I will wait to see what transpires before going that far. The products 'look' great, even sound great, but I don't want to 'hold my breath & cross my fingers' re what will turn up at the doorstep of a customer...or mine, as I'm patiently waiting to place a very large order, myself, to send to family, friends, clients, gallery spaces of my own, as well as to keep and/or send as gifts. Btw, this afternoon, I saw a couple of discussion threads praising the quality of totes, pillows and the like, which gives me HOPE! I thrive on h-o-p-e...hard work, organization & having a clear workable vision.

So, here's the deal, I'm going to place an order this evening to check things out for myself: a few totes, several pillow cases & a couple of phone cases just to see what I get for my money. Wish me luck! I'll report back via the community discussion forum & comments below as soon as I receive my order. Can't wait.

{Logo: A favorite abstract image on a throw pillow...the 'quilted' look.}