sometimes you have to give up a project
paper flowers who will stay fresh forever.
I had plans. I had them for a time now. Bold and big flowers made of paper, printed on thick cardboard. You could place them in a vase and they would stay amazing and colorful.
I started by cutting my black paper, creating abstract flowers, cutting stems and leafs. I scanned them in my computer, add color and texture. And created a path around it where they should be cut. I had to figure that one out, not every printer works the same way. So it took some time to get that right. I’ve stopped twice, because I couldn’t figure it out but was determined to see the technical process through. So next day I began again, and I figured it out, eventually. I ordered 2 flowers to see how they would turn out. Not cheap, but I prefer this to be made in the Netherlands and not somewhere far away. Yesterday they arrived! And I was very happy with them. They turned out as I had in my mind. The color is right, they are bold and sturdy. And yet… I won’t continue the project. The cut out is not neat enough. A machine needs to cut them and there are too many marks in the corners. I whish It wouldn’t be so, but to make a profit, even a small one, the price needs to be around 15-17,50 euro’s. To pay that, it has to be better. So… I’ll leave this project as it is. It’s to expensive to make, and it will be hard to make a profit, I have decided to walk away. And it's oke, I have tried something new, I have 2 fabulous paper flowers I really like and will give color and joy to my home. I love them so large! But to order them and sell them in my etsy shop or any other shop? I find it a risk. I personally don’t mind a bit of damage/cut out roughness. But for a customer, it could be a reason not to buy it. Maybe I find a way someday to make it profitable, but now is not the time. I might turn the designs into a pattern or postcard, who knows? Did you ever walked away from a project you really liked but did not work commercially? Most creative entrepreneurs probably did.
