Sign in

Taitaya Forge

@taitayaforge.bsky.social
38 followers 16 following 40 posts

Artist blacksmithing and silversmithing by Marleena and Luke Barran, based on the Isle of Wight, UK.

PostsRepliesMedia
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
I want to say to all of you in the USA, that I really appreciate you and the income you have provided my family over the years. Please don't give up on us & come back next year. I plan on steering Taitaya Forge through this storm and hope to see you on the other side. ❤️
000
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
I'm going through this incredibly inspired and creative phase at the moment. New ideas in everything! I wish it could be like this all the time.
000
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
000
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 04/04/2025
Hurrah! We can sell into the EU again! Thank you for all of you who have waited for me me to get my blue and gold ducks in a row for this. 🥳
000
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
I am proud to announce the release of my newest design. A Loki pendant. This one has a bit of a layered back story, so please be sure to check the origins blog on the website. You can find the link to it from the listing. www.taitaya.com/products/iro...
000
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
New blog post in the Origins series. I'm quite chuffed with the copious amount of alliteration in the title. My Finnish poet ancestors would be proud. 😁 www.taitaya.com/blogs/origin...
taitaya.com
Origins: Tale of Two Tapers, The Spiral Pendant
The spiral pendant is perhaps one of my oldest designs that I make. For my last year of my three year metal artisan course I worked for myself as work experience. I sold a variety of items I make from...
010
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 17/02/2025
... But the new on allows adding custom css without having to go to the editor. The only really useful case for AI has been getting shopify's assistant to write the code for even more customisations! I've also redone the Gallery pages using lots of meta fields. Go me.
000
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 17/02/2025
Our website... Taitaya.com, run through shopify, has been experiencing some updates. 😊 There was an update to the theme available. I normally avoid having to update, because I tend to have an insane amount of customisation to the theme....
taitaya.com
Taitaya Forge
Hand Forged Iron an Silver jewellery from the United Kingdom based Taitaya Forge. Inspired by nature, history and Vikings. In our shop you will find some of our latest work and popular classics.
100
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
The link is here. It's available on Etsy as well if you want to go give it some love. 😍
taitaya.com
Silver Viking Spear Head Pendant Necklace
Size: 7 cm x 1.8 cm (including ring).  Necklace Length: 22 inches.  Weight:  approximately 15 gm Materials: 925 Sterling Silver Images and video are of the Necklace Made by M. Barran Assayed and Hallm...
000
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
The forged silver Gungnir pendant has been sold out for quite a while now. I made another towards the end of last year and only just had an opportunity to get it photographed and listed. 🙂
100
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
January Newsletter now out. About annual price review and experimental customer referral / affiliate program. open.substack.com/pub/taitaya/...
open.substack.com
January 2025 Newsletter
Weathering the storm, moving away from Etsy, Rethinking advertising. February Price Review coming up and the reasons behind it. Introducing referral affiliate codes for customers at Taitaya.com and yo...
000
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
UK is trying to be a leader in the AI. This includes an overhaul of copyrights. There is a consultation about it. It is important to get the word out to all UK artists to voice their viewpoint on an exemption in copyright for use as data for training AI www.gov.uk/government/c... #art #artists
gov.uk
Copyright and Artificial Intelligence
This consultation seeks views on how the government can ensure the UK’s legal framework for AI and copyright supports the UK creative industries and AI sector together.
020
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 07/01/2025
It's like arriving at a concert venue too early. You are wondering if you are in the in the right place. Once more people start arriving, it will get busier. 🙂 Then the music starts!
000
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
I'm not really talking about a federated store front. The layout, look and feel if the store is done by the marketplace owner. The marketplace owner could be anyone. An author who sells merch by their fan base. I could sell clothing that compliments my work on my website. It could be an influencer.
000
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
For example, a marketplace could be as simple as a feed on Bluesky. That way those who want to follow a specific market can and those who don't, don't need to be inflicted by endless advertising. Call it a market-feed or something. It's a way to monetise social media without it being in your face.
110
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
I haven't thought that far. 🙂 Isn't that the problem I trying to launch any product or idea? Slow to start but once it gains momentum. There is of course a chance to integrate it initially with with an up and coming social media platform, who might be interested in branching out to ecommerce. 😉
100
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
If the n+100 marketplaces can be managed the same as n+1, then the benefit is exposure. It won't matter if they sell 1 item a year on one marketplace, they have 99 others. Back to chickens... But all the eggs are not in 1 basket. It's more secure.
100
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
They definitely won't integrate and they will likely penalise sellers, they already do. Sellers are stuck because there are no viable options to move to. If there would be one that opened the door to potentially n+100 small, targeted and curated marketplaces in one set up, then there is incentive.
000
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
Curation. You can choose not to have vendors with poorer customer service in the first place. The more curated you are the more valuable your marketplace and the more you can charge. Compare a wedding market to a Christmas fair. Or you can choose to go the other way. Less Curation... more sellers
210
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
In a weird way TikTok is closer to this than shopify. There you have a influencer (marketplace) that can choose to present merchandise from TikTok shops (sellers) on their "platform". They get a percentage of the sale. I suppose if Bluesky wanted to go ecommerce this could work for them too.
010
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
For you as the marketplace holder the benefit is that you are not responsible for customer service, payments. If a seller is not to your liking you can remove them as easily as they can move off. Each seller comes with their own reputation and reviews. You can quickly populate a marketplace.
110
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
Moving of platforms is hard because every time we join a new one we have to write descriptions, upload media and then simultaneously track inventory. Many if the things I make I only have one of. So if that sells I have to be super fast at removing it from other markets.
110
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
Say if you wanted to sell what I make. You could connect to my inventory, description, sales history, reviews through your marketplace. The customer can connect through the marketplace to my email for customer service. You would take a provision for finding the customer.
120
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
That's sort of it at least how far I've been able to get. I have very little understanding on what a protocol can or cannot do. With the last bit, payment could be through third party payment providers. Customer care can be done through email.
110
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
Yeah. Etsy has been building the system for nearly two decades and they still don't get it quite right. But the very reason etsy managed to get big is that Kalin saw that there was a need for it. I'm trying to point out there is a need for alternatives. The money is there. In each transaction.
000
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
There is a cooperatively owned platform being built as we speak. artisans.coop/pages/about-us
artisans.coop
About Us
We are building a better handmade marketplace. We are a member-owned, member-run and member-benefiting co-op. We promote creativity, support artist livelihoods, and connect people through an equitable...
100
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
😂 I like it, considering it took a lot out of the very introverted me to get this writing out. It seems like a cool coincidence. The picture depicts the three norns, fates, of Norse mythology. They weave the fates of people.
100
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
Hi! I'm the author and the person who drew the image. 🙂 I used one of my own images, so the space wouldn't be blank. I kept on looking at it wondering what you meant with a Hebrew message. And I think I see what you mean now. It's on the threads on the heddle rod on the warp weighted loom. Not AI
110
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
I'm hoping to change it so the biggest doesn't take all. 🙂 Lots of small entities can compete with a large one if they do it together. It's not about building the next big marketplace, more like building millions of small, well curated and niche markets. Tech could provide a solution here.
100
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
@edzitron.com Love your podcast. Mentioned it (and your accent 😜). Your episode on the origins of Bluesky with Mike Masnick inspired me to write this... open.substack.com/pub/taitaya/... I am hoping to get the idea out there so maybe someone could take the idea forward.
open.substack.com
Open Ecommerce Protocol? A way to give small businesses a fighting chance?
Could this be a solution in democratising the ecommerce away from the big platform sites like Etsy?
000
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
@mmasnick.bsky.social I wrote about an ecommerce protocol in more detail on my substack. I would really appreciate it if you could pass it along to someone who could possibly take this idea forward. The amount of people I know in techspace is very limited. 🙂 open.substack.com/pub/taitaya/...
open.substack.com
Open Ecommerce Protocol? A way to give small businesses a fighting chance?
Could this be a solution in democratising the ecommerce away from the big platform sites like Etsy?
6161
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 23/12/2024
open.substack.com
I like to write. Introducing Forgenomics
And now I am testing how having a blog on the side works.... So if you are getting this in your email and you have not specifically signed up to follow Forgenomics, then let me know.
000
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 23/12/2024
Asiasta kukkalaatikkoon. That's Finnish, incase you didn't figure it out. I used to say it when I would seemingly randomly jump between topics, sometimes mid conversation. I'm writing an introduction to my Forgenomics zine on substack & remembered it. It translates to: From the topic to a flower box
100
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 22/12/2024
Introduction to series.. www.taitaya.com/blogs/origin...
taitaya.com
Our New Blog Series: Origins. Design, Inspiration and Craft.
Introduction to my new blog series called "Origins". In this mini series I will do a deep dive into how some of the designs in my shop came to exist, the inspirations, the history. I will also look at...
000
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 22/12/2024
www.taitaya.com/blogs/origin... Episode 1, The Uppsala Amulet Ring Pendant.
taitaya.com
Origins: The Uppsala Amulet Ring Pendant
Creation story and origin of the Uppsala Amulet ring pendant, with Odins Gungnir, Thors hammer, Mjolnir and Freyrs sickle. Learn how the design got its name. Learn about accuracy and the challenges of...
000
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 22/12/2024
I've published the first episode and introduction to my new blog series called Origins. Each episode will be a deep dive in how a design was created from concept to design. Will put links to episodes on this post.
200
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
There are quite a few payment processors out there to choose from, without setting up a specific one. It's more so the listing's, photos, reviews, followers and sales data that needs to follow us from market to market. For example if an Etsy shop gets closed, we loose access to all of that. 🙂
110
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
@mmasnick.bsky.social would a protocol based system work for e-commerce? Small craft makers like myself are currently locked into market platforms that are slowly eroding our agency whilst increasing their cut. In a similar way to social media, it's difficult to move or find viable alternatives.
140
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 20/11/2024
New printed inserts have arrived! Looking very swish. 😍👌 Thank you to Westpack.com
Hand holding a black card jewellery box opened with a bronze coloured spiral pendant on a purple background, and a gold embossed logo saying made by Taitaya Forge inside the lid.
011
Taitaya Forge @taitayaforge.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
Hello Bluesky. 😊👋
040