Fast forward to about 1996 when "Tiny Computers" and other computer manufacturers advertised all in one packaged bundles of software with a printer and loads of other bits. I remember visiting the shop in Exeter and carrying all these boxes back to the car. The cost was over £1000 which seemed a huge amount to spend. The thing was I needed a new computer as the basic one I had was mono and unpredictable. We were going through a major legal situation at the time and needed a reliable machine.
With the package came a CD disc saying "internet" and I immediately wanted to try it out. I plugged it into the phone socket .....beep beep.......and hey presto.....internet live........it was a doddle. Email was set up with lineone and was touch and go whether a connection would fire...........remember those beeeep beeeep sounds.......Shortly afterwards my Dad followed the internet trend and somehow managed to upload the image on the right. I think he must have done it via a CD. I am wearing of one of my early chintz patchwork waistcoats. At the time it was a real performance trying to link it to an art website. Working on my own I persevered and learnt by trial and error. To think that the whole world could see my work by clicking a few letters on the keyboard, was sort of overwhelming. The search engine I used was AltaVista or Lycos, before Google was born.
Realising the potential to market/sell my work I
started by looking at Ebay. In those days the listings seem to consist of sunglasses and other items based in USA. Not much down in Devon.
I paid a professional to create my first website. It was rubbish and a waste of money, but at least I had a profile on the internet which unfortunately I could not update.
The next time I looked at Ebay was in 1993. Technology had moved a long way, digital cameras and scanners where almost common place. My first sale on Ebay was a book on Crewel Embroidery. It was a great thrill to see the item go green with a bid. From there I progressed to selling fabrics from my collection. In those days I remember selling vintage fabric packs for much more than they would achieve these days. From there I started selling patchwork paper templates and waistcoats, firstly on Ebay then creating my own websites with shopping carts.
Pre-internet most my sales were from galleries and exhibitions. These events were very enjoyable and profitable but extremely time consuming. Sometimes I think I should do a few shows here and there but then do I really need too. Not at this moment, No.
Life has been very busy and rewarding using the internet as a selling tool. Its wonderful to be able to read emails from happy customers and get to know people who buy frequently.
Yes, the internet has changed my creative life.
