Beginning workshop aimed at artists new to Etsy or looking to get started with program
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Johnson County Public Library, in partnership with the Kentucky Arts Council, will present “Getting Started with Etsy,” from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Dec. 1 at the library, 444 Main St., Paintsville.
Jennifer Reis, gallery director and art instructor at Morehead State University, will teach the two-hour course. The interactive workshop covers coming up with a shop name, understanding search engine optimization, and what a shop owner can do to create buyer confidence and make that first sale. Participants will leave with their shops started and the requisite skills to be successful.
Reis, who received an Al Smith Fellowship from the arts council in 2008, has been an Etsy shop owner since 2010. She said the introductory course is good for regional artists who have thought about selling on Etsy or for those who have set up an Etsy shop and have not yet found success with it.
“Looking through the curriculum, it deals with a lot of things that can make or break an Etsy shop,” Reis said. “How do you develop appropriate tags so your items can be found in searches? How do you sell the story of you and create a narrative of who you are so buyers can create a relationship with you? How do you take appropriate photography? We cover a lot of basics.”
Christy Terry, program director for Johnson County Public Library, said the Etsy workshop can have a regional impact.
“We have lots of craftspeople here, and the Appalachian League of Artists meets here at the library, as well as several other arts groups,” Terry said. “We have people who produce a high quality of work here in the community, and we felt this could be an outlet for them.”
The class is free, but the library requests all interested participants register by contacting Terry at 606-789-4355. Participants may bring laptops or other handheld devices, but the library will provide laptops for participants who do not bring one. Free Wi-Fi is provided.
For more information about bringing the Etsy training to your community, contact Emily B. Moses, arts council creative industry manager, at [email protected] or 502-564-3757 ext. 472.
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