When you make a living off of your creativity, designing what you love is easy, but creating what will sell is a different story.
You need to focus on new and fresh and you need to stand out from the others. This means you need to tap into your creativity all the time. It doesnโt matter if youโre feelinโ it today or not.
But how do you keep going? How do you stand out from the others? You have to put forth all your passion, have a deep understanding of your niche, and balance creativity with business smarts.
Passion
Make sure that you are indeed in love with what youโre doing. Itโs the deep-rooted commitment to an industry that makes it possible to pull off the long hours, the ups and downs, and the constant effort that are necessary to create something unique.
Learn
Are you regularly reading a book about your field? Do you attend educational meetups or listen in on webinars daily? If not, you need to be if you want to stand out from the others. ย
Creativity
While understanding the consumer is necessary for success, embracing your creativity is what will make you stand out. Donโt follow trends to the point of being annoying. Figure out what the consumer wants and then create something unique.
Business smarts
Match your creativity with business smarts. Yes, creativity is essential, but not at the expense of business smarts. Be sure that the decisions you make in the design are grounded enough to make the sale.
The knitting business is hugely competitive. As a knit designer, itโs essential to find your place, your niche, and figure out how to dominate it. By making your business stand out from the others, youโre able to position yourself as something special, as something to keep an eye on.