Welcome to The Artisan Journey

If you’ve ever made something and thought, “Maybe I could sell this,” you’re already further along

than you might think.

Creating something with your hands takes time, patience, and a little courage. Whether it’s candles, pottery, jewelry, soap, art, baked goods, or something completely unique, the moment you decide you might want to share it with others is the beginning of a whole new adventure.

But if you’ve never run a business before, that next step can feel confusing.

Suddenly there are questions everywhere.

How do you price your products?

Do you need a business license?

How do you ship things?

What even is bookkeeping?

For someone who just wants to create, the business side can feel like an entirely different world.

That’s the reason The Artisan Journey exists.

This site is a growing collection of resources for makers who want to try selling the things they create. Instead of spending hours bouncing around the internet trying to piece together answers, my goal is to gather helpful information in one place so you can find what you need without burning yourself out along the way.

The site is organized around the topics most makers eventually run into — branding, marketing, pricing, storytelling, shipping, bookkeeping, and other small business basics. I’ll continue adding resources as the site grows, building a place where makers can explore and learn at their own pace.

Why I started this

My Kelska Blu Booth at St. Paul Event.

For the past 22 years I’ve worked in a small business that sells industrial parts. In a small company you quickly learn that everyone ends up wearing a lot of hats, and over the years I’ve had the chance to learn many different aspects of running a business.

Several years ago I decided to try something different and started my own online shop called Kelska Blu. I wanted to use everything I had learned about business and apply it to something I cared about. My store focused on vegan and cruelty-free products made by small businesses, and it introduced me to the world of makers.

I went to fairs, met artists and creators, and learned a lot along the way. One thing I noticed again and again was how many makers had incredible products, but struggled with the business side simply because there was so much to learn and no clear place to start.

While my own shop didn’t end up taking the path I originally planned, the experience led me somewhere else — building this site to help other makers navigate the same journey.

The journey

Trying something new always comes with uncertainty, but it’s also where some of the most interesting adventures begin.

If you’ve already made something you’re proud of and are thinking about selling it, you’ve already done one of the hardest parts.

You created something!

Everything else — the business pieces, the marketing, the logistics — can be learned step by step.

That’s what The Artisan Journey is here to help with.

Welcome to the journey.