Transitioning from Old to New
Hey guys. Today I bring thoughts on transition to the table.
History:
Somewhere around 2005-2006 I started out making jewelry. Yep, that's right! My business was called Waterstone Jewelry. It had a boho vibe - natural, organic, mostly made with gemstones. (If your curious, go to my Etsy shop and go WAY back in my "sold" folder.)
In late 2009 I switched from jewelry to recycled leather bags. Decided to stay familiar and morphed into Studio Waterstone.
2012 - I began to explore my roots - art. And when I say roots I mean since the time I could hold a pencil. (For more info, see my about page.)
Talk about transition.
Where am I going with this?
Fact is, Studio Waterstone is an obsolete name. It has absolutely nothing to do with art or bags. I've known this for some time and have been toying with the idea of switching. Then I typically panic and stick it on the back burner.
Now. It's time to begin the transition. Simply loriplyler.com. Specifically titled Lori Plyler Art & Design - a name which will encompass everything I create.
Now. It's time to begin the transition. Simply loriplyler.com. Specifically titled Lori Plyler Art & Design - a name which will encompass everything I create.
The first step was to secure my domain - something I did several years ago (and would highly recommend if you have a business). You can do this lots of ways. Originally I was with Go Daddy but have since switched to Bluehost for hosting my Wordpress based website.
As a heads up, it's time to slowly begin the transition. On the surface, I've changed my website name to LoriPlyler.com. It pulls up through StudioWaterstone.com but will eventually switch over to the new URL. My website still connects to all of my other accounts - this blog, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Tumblr, etc. All of these things will change over time as well.
To me, this process is a little scary, a lot exciting, and a huge transition!
Have you been through a transition? If so, tell me about it. If not, have you thought of making a big change? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Hi Lori,
ReplyDeleteI think that is a good idea. It will give you the freedom to express your art in any way you wish. I know it is scary to let go of Waterstone, but I have seen many other folks move on. There were a number of mom blogs/crafters that had names that were fairly narrow and they have outgrown therm. I don't think of Waterstone in the same way - it's a classic name. But I do think using your name sets you apart as a designer. I haven't made a name transition yet. I'm still happy with Maiden Jane and I know that people search on it, so I would like to keep it. I am in the process of switching to a website that will merge my site with my blog. I have a weebly website which is fine, but its blogging platform is not very good and I can't import my blogspot. I'm looking forward to being in one major place (and etsy.) Anyway, good luck! When you update your button, let me know because I have one on my blog.
Thanks, Jane. I agree. It will give me more freedom AND it's scary to let go of Waterstone. I will certainly let you know when the button changes.
DeleteI switched from Wordpress (.com), to using Bluehost, a couple of years ago, and never looked back. I just love Bluehost. They are amazing with technically challenged people like me! :-)
ReplyDeleteI agree, Lisa - LOVE Bluehost. Now that I'm past the learning curve, it's a wonderful option for website hosting.
DeleteI went through a transitition from Reluctant Quilter on Blogger to Hazelnut deux on Wordpress for similar reasons. It has been difficult. I lost so many followers but was slowly making some headway until recently. The reason I for that is (I am sure) the fact that I have been so busy with getting ready for the holiday season that I have nearly stopped posting. It does make a lot of sense and sometimes you just have to do what is sensible!
ReplyDeleteYep, Suzan, I know it'll hurt my readership. But, hey, now that Instagram and Pinterest are out there, readership has been damaged anyway.
DeleteI love the new name. Change is scary, but also invigorating and exciting. We're behind you 100 % my friend :) have a great weekend!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Keith. Right back at ya!
DeleteI think that it's a cool change to use your name, I will always keep up with you ... I also think I 'll be checking out this Bluehost to see what's up with that!
ReplyDeleteScary isn't it, as you know I switched to blogging under my own name earlier this year. My top tip ... be patient. My old site is 501 redirected to my new so it has inherited most of the Google juice but it's still taken months to get the traffic back to where it was.
ReplyDelete