From Canvas to Commerce
This blog was originally shared as an email to my beloved newsletter subscribers on January 2, 2024.
Happy New Year!
I hope your 2023 was an exciting one. If it wasn’t, I have great news for you - you have 365 days (well 363 days and some hourly change) to make it your best year yet!
In this email, I thought it would be a good opportunity to reflect on our journey together so far.
Whether you knew it or not, you’ve had a front row seat to my successes and failures, and watching an art business being built from scratch.
Before getting into it, in honor of you beginning the artsy part of your 2024 with me, I’m so glad to be offering you 24% OFF all of the prints on my website!
~Including the already framed ones too~
Use code NEWYEAR at checkout to bring home any of my prints that have caught your eye, but do it quickly! This code is only active until the end of January. This code is no longer valid
Now let’s get reflecting…
Big Wins:
Connecting with you through art! Whether we knew each other before, or just met this year, I’m grateful that you’re here.
Starting an art business from scratch - The last thing I expected from beginning my career as an artist was becoming an entrepreneur too!
(An Artrepreneur if you will)
Putting myself out there at tabling shows without having a clue what I was doing and successfully sold my artwork! We may have even met at one of them.
Lessons Learned:
When I heard stories about how when you start a business, those closest to you are the least likely to support you. I was surprised to find out that the stories are true!
That’s honestly why it means to much to me that you wanted to be a part of this journey.
I shouldn’t have rushed to begin a collection of artwork without planning ahead. There’s much more that goes into creating artwork and marketing it effectively, being strategic like any other business.
Thanks for being patient with me as I learn these lessons!
The business side of things is where I spend the majority of my time, and creating artwork is such a fraction of actually being a full-time artist.
I’m trying to get better at prioritizing time in the studio.
I’ve had to unlearn SO much of what I learned in the corporate world and being an engineer, transitioning from speaking analytically to speaking creatively.
The real reward is the journey and who you become along the way as opposed to how much artwork you sell!
I really appreciate when you collect my artwork but this person that I’m becoming is much more fulfilling.
There were many more lessons I learned this year, but the most important one has been building my relationship with God.
He gives me the strength to continue pursuing this path, and without Him I would not have had the courage to keep going as an artist.
Thank you so much for sticking around with me over these past few months, and get excited for the artwork, blog posts, and other inspiring content I have planned for you this year.
Would you enjoy personally addressed messages like these delivered straight to your inbox [once] every week?
Emails are my preferred form of communicating with you, where I can really let my personality shine and how I can connect with you authentically.
I also know my words are reaching you every time I type them (vs. the off-chance that the social media algorithms get me in front of you instead.)