My wife is thinking about starting an internet business in Japanese calligraphy

She's been studying the art for close to 30 years and has been giving calligraphy gifts to friends and family, generally for births, for the past few years. Usually she does a design of the person's name in Japanese along with the meaning of the name on homemade washi (rice paper--her hometown is famous for it in Japan) and then builds a frame and matte to display the work properly.

We just had our own first child in April, and she is beginning to get a little restless at home. She figures that there might be an interest in this kind of work and has started researching comparable sites, what they offer, etc.

Not much point to this, other than to ask if anyone has general advice about internet "presence" in doing something like this. She is not necessarily looking to make a living but more to have enough business to, well, pass the time during the week.

It may be the easiest way for her to get an internet business up and running.

www.etsy.com

Sometimes it is not so much about making money at something (though, it certainly doesn't take anything away from that ~) If she has been studying this for close to 30 years...it is something that is obviously close to her heart.

Please keep encouraging her to pursue this no matter what! Doesn't matter if it never "amounts to anything" - she is following her passion and sometimes...who knows (shrug) she just might stumble upon someone influential whom might be able to take it to the next level for her.

If that happens - fine. If not, just the pure joy she derives (either way) might be enough!

Sometimes our passions in and of itself is quite enough as is...however it might or might not all *shake out* to be ~ ya know?

I think that she has a very supportive spouse in you and I think that it is cool that you are interested in this ~

Throw on a few pics of samples with a price per and see what breaks.

Good luck, might be a goldmine!