August was a tough month, I underwent another surgery, broke up with my boyfriend, and finally felt the pinch of the dreaded "economic crisis" as my gallery checks from July were about 1/4 of what they were last year.... Its been hard to keep my chin up,especially seeing my bank account shrink by exponential amounts while I pray to God that I can make it through September, another traditionally dismal sales month. July was my busiest month in retail last year... I was really counting on seeing growth this year and wow, have I been confronted with some loss!
I have shows booked back to back through the beginning of the year, commissions to produce, I am running up against some tight deadlines, and then there's the fact that Christmas is getting closer and closer by the minute. I have to laugh at myself, because honestly, when I am freaking out is when I am the most focused. I have been so completely absorbed with making work and trying to get my jaw off the floor as quickly as possible after an emotional bump in the road that, who knows, some major artistic breakthroughs just might happen. I am happily back to working until I am falling down at the end of the day, but am trying to get back to reality, one that involves phone calls, emails and paper work. I am just a worker bee at heart, I savor getting lost in the physical part of my job, and love to avoid the rest. One day, I will hire someone to do all of that stuff for me, so I can just make things all day, but until then I guess I better get back on it before my business falls apart.
I am making a huge effort not to panic, and to just keep making work and doing what I did in the beginning: work my ass off! It kind of feels like the beginning again in a lot of ways, making work, listing stuff on etsy, promoting myself on social networking and ecommerce sites and praying alot, trying to keep believing that the money will come in and evrything will be okay. Its the same kind of leap of faith, except now, my overhead is exponentially higher and I have something to lose: a business that was barely an idea 2 years ago and the amazing life that I have built around it.
what are you waiting for? go over to my Etsy page and buy something so I can eat. : )
5 comments:
Your work is beautiful and photographed well. Have you thought of becoming an Artful Home/Guild artist? I am and love the professional sales and support they provide (this is not a spam plug!). Sorry, but I haven't done ETSY for a lot of reasons and I thought your larger wall tiles would be perfect for the higher end Guild/Artful Home clients...
Here is a link:
https://www.artfulhome.com/servlet/Guild/MarketYourArtwork.html
Yes-Keep your chin up! You have had quite a lot alone just with surgery and the breakup. It makes sense in the bigger picture that your energies have been elsewhere and that is reflected in your income. That's OK--it can turn around.
Sometimes as a working artist, it is hard to see the larger picture of the ups and downs...
PS--I think Cindy's right about your work for Artful Home!! But I also think it's great that you're doing well on Etsy already and that may be easier--I like Etsy too because it is so easy to adjust prices etc. as you need to.
Your story sounds very familiar to me! I, too seem to work better under pressure. I guess it's the challenge.
Your work is really beautiful and unique.I agree with Cindy that the Artful Home? Guild would be a great place for your beautiful work.
I also think Cindy and besides I have long thought when I saw your work.
Enfocate to industry, enterprises of tiles. Offer to interior designers. She goes to fairs in the sector. Talk to representatives who are entered in the field of tiles, etc and also offer them to show your work.
You may have to take a step forward and stop being a small craft to be more entrepreneurial.
If you do not have much time looking for an assistant to do your routine tasks and hours that are most valuable and which have cost more, dedicate to think of your business strategy and creating your pieces.
Maybe these suggestions do not serve, you may not understand my bad English but I leave them there for if you help.
Another yes to Artful Home. I resisted applying for a while because I thought it had a lot of work that didn't exactly fit with my aesthetic. But I did apply about a year and a half ago and I'm very very happy I did. I reach a lot of customers who I normally wouldn't. The Guild has been a constant source if income. Plus the staff is awesome.
Just wanted to add my two cents!
Hang in there....
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