If you are hard on cash but are willing to spend the time and have a passion for something, then consider uniting with other artisans with your same passion.

For example, if you love animals or make accessories for animals (like Sue and I), then consider joining a cooperative of animal lovers. If you are an animal lover like Sue and I, and you are on Artfire, join Crafting for Animals; if you are on Etsy, join Etsy for Animals. I am the guildmaster and member of Crafting for Animals and Sue and I are both active members of Etsy for Animals so these groups come highly recommended. Of course there are many more groups out there but what comes to my attention (of course) are the animal friendly cooperatives

There are also geographic cooperatives that bring together people of the same continent, country, state, city, etc. I am based in California so it was natural for me to join CCCOE – California Crafters Club of Etsy. CCCOE is a very organized and active group of artisans that are dedicated to promoting handmade in California.

But lest you forget, joining is not enough. To get any benefit from these wonderful groups, you need to become active! What does that entail? Well, just about anything. First, find out what you are good at. I’m not much of a forum browser so, for me, trying to keep threads alive, is nearly impossible (Michele of EFA, on the other hand has a great knack for this!). I’ve found that making updates is my cup of tea so I’ve joined the CCCOE blog admins in updating the CCCOE blog.  

By doing something for the group, people get to know you and that’s the great thing about handmade. Your life is what adds to the story of your creations so its natural that sharing your passion with others will get people to love your creations.

This article is particularly aimed at cooperatives that unite like minded individuals for two reasons. First, you are sharing a little more about yourself to your customers and clients, which adds a piece to an ongoing puzzle that facinates customers of handmade items. Second, you are increasing your network of like minded individuals with varied crafts. This means they are your potential customers as well. I mean what better way to find people that are passionate for what you love! And better yet, they don’t make items like you do and many of them may not even have a clue about your type of craft.

Of course, you could also join cooperatives of individuals of the same craft but make sure you are going into the group for a slightly different reason. This type of marketing is a little different than the cooperatives uniting people of similar passion or geography. These types of cooperatives generally bring together people for mentorship and idea gathering (although several do actively market together). Of course, I also highly recommend them – the most active groups I see (related to my crafts, of course) are FAST: Fiber Arts Street Team and Etsy Greetings.

You can find a list of cooperatives on Etsy here. If you are on artfire and a verified member, consider some of the cooperatives listed here.

Tags: artists helping animals, cfa, co-op, cooperatives, crafting for animals, efa, etsy for animals, free, gorilla marketing, guilds, teams

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