This year, I want to do something different. No. I want to do a lot of things differently. I want to improve, as I think I do a little each year, but I also want to remember some really great things that worked for me. So, that's how I begin the year, with little posts about things that worked and how I plan to improve them!
Shop rags, freshly folded out the dryer. My trusty companions in the studio. They carry the stains of my efforts, the memories of every painting I've painted in the last 6 years since I began my career as an artist. It's pretty cool when I think about it, and really, it hadn't occurred to me until I began folding them just about 15 minutes ago, that they really do have the marks of all of my combined works since 2008.
The first major success I want to mention, one that has been steadily climbing the past three years in a row, are my custom painted pet ornaments. Yep, painting those cute little critters have REALLY worked for me. My customers even seem to enjoy the ordering process as well as receiving my work. They even enjoy sharing their little treasures with others, which has proved to be a wonderful referral business for me. The only downside to painting ornaments is handling the volume that comes in late in the year. I even had to extend the deadline from Halloween to November 15th in 2013 because people still weren't in the mood for Christmas shopping. But, then, the floodgates opened and wow, what a year I had. What a delight to paint so many sweet lovely little creatures, but I was so swamped that I hardly had time to enjoy my own holiday. I was also disappointed to have to turn away a large number of ornament orders, because many found me very late in the year and there just wasn't enough time to paint them all. Fortunately, there were a number of clients who opted to receive a gift certificate or who were willing to wait for delivery after Christmas. I learned that I need to better understand how to reach people year round so I can be painting these ornaments all the time. So, my goal for improvement is to reach my audience earlier, continue to deliver an outstanding product, delight my customer, and enjoy every part of my holiday to the max!
Thank you for giving me the joy of painting as I begin year 7 of my adventures in painting. If I could share with you how happy this makes me, it would be in the form of a gigantic smile and big hug.
Have a nice day,
Rebecca
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You are so thoughtful -- in every sense of the word. Loved your musings on the shop rags. And I will certainly testify to the fact that people love your pet ornaments. I gave them as gifts to my sisters-in-law (both are Boston Terrier owners) and they were totally thrilled with them. Those beautiful ornaments were some of the coolest gifts I've ever given!
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