Have you ever worked really hard on something, only to discover that you kind of want to be working on something else instead? Before this summer, my long-term goal was to become a surface pattern designer and make all my income from art licensing, and I didn’t even consider having a product-based business. I spent hours gathering company contacts and doing research, and spent even more hours making patterns and compiling a portfolio (which I am still very proud of). But this summer I started to pivot and my focus went from the virtual world of surface design to the material world of developing my own products. But for me, this…

I’m still floating around in a daze, five days after my first ever festival vending experience. I had set a low goal: break even with the cost of the booth. The morning of the festival I was terrified and suffering from a bad case of imposter syndrome, thinking, what if nobody buys my art? What if I don’t even make enough to cover my booth expense? I couldn’t have been more surprised when I not only broke even with the cost of the booth, but also all my other costs! The best thing about being at that festival, though, was getting to actually interact with people! It was so amazing to see your responses…

After my breakup with social media this summer, I have been left thinking about growing new branches. Ties, really. Expanding connections with real people, IRL. I want to grow my business in a sustainable, stress- and social media-free way. Maybe, to find the answer to the business-without-social-media-marketing conundrum, I have to go old-school. What if we pretended the internet, or at least social platforms, didn’t exist? Well, if that was my reality, to find my audience I would… -Be a vendor at events like festivals, farmers markets, and craft fairs -Sell my products to local shops -Exhibit at art galleries Guess what? The first one is already in motion. I signed up…

****UPDATE: I have now deleted social media from my phone.**** It’s been quite the couple of months. During June, I was just bumbling along working on my business when suddenly, I couldn’t work any more. It felt like I had nothing left to give. For the past 2 years, I have been trying to untangle the conundrum of how I should go about opening an online shop to sell my original art, art prints, and maybe stationary or stickers. I had a launch day set. I was laboring over my social media posts for sometimes an hour and a half a day, only to see it go nowhere. I was…

It’s been quite the couple of months. During June, I was just bumbling along working on my business when suddenly, I couldn’t work any more. It felt like I had nothing left to give. For the past 2 years, I have been trying to untangle the conundrum of how I should go about opening an online shop to sell my original art, art prints, and maybe stationary or stickers. I had a launch day set. I was laboring over my social media posts for sometimes an hour and a half a day, only to see it go nowhere. I was stressed and uninspired. My time felt wasted. So I stopped.…

1. On May 3rd, I had my first ever gallery opening, and it was so fun! I had such an incredible time talking to people and sharing about my work and process. It felt so vulnerable to put my soul out there for others to see, but so validating and motivating to hear from the guests that my work is appreciated and marketable. Thank you for being so supportive and sharing the excitement with me in this process, and especially thank you to those who were there on Friday and to those who stop in during the rest of the month. It means the world to me! 2. My recent…

1. It’s a wrap! For a long time I had been wishing for a custom standing desk to fit into my space perfectly, and we screwed in the last screw last week, much to my delight. I still have a list of accessories I need to get for it, such as stools, but I’m loving it so far! 2. Have you listened to the This is Love podcast? I love how it has all sorts of love stories, many of them not even romantic! I especially love the one about Gerald the gardener. 3. I heard of a new material so I thought I’d try it. It’s called Aquabord, and…

1. This week I made another mini collection, Savanna, prompted by Sketch Design Repeat’s 3×3 Challenge. It will soon be available on my Spoonflower shop and I think it would make great nursery decor! 2. Every year, planner company Golden Coil has a contest to find a new cover for their planners, and this year I entered! The company decides on their top 10 favorites, then the public gets to vote to find the winner on March 27. Find out more here. 3. My favorite season of the year has arrived! (Okay I say that about all the seasons. Maybe I should stop trying to pick a favorite) 4. I…

1. Hello friend! Last week I did something that felt vulnerable and exciting. I posted my new collection, Autumn Sunlight, on Instagram for the whole world to see! Fall is my favorite season, and I wanted these eleven patterns to resemble the nostalgic delight of crunching leaves, wide blue skies, and geese flying south. I hope this collection can convey that to everyone who sees it. It is now available on home decor, wallpaper, and fabric in my Spoonflower shop. I am excited to see where this collection goes! 2. I am trying a new (yet another) task and habit management system which has gotten some craze in the last…

Welcome to the new year! 1. In the first week of January, I got to go visit family in California. The trip was a whirlwind of fun times, and it gave me a chance to take a step back from my business and reflect on how it has grown and how I want to proceed. For the past ten months, I would say I have been working at least 40 hours a week on my business. More and more, I have found myself feeling burnt out and stressed, even though the only real deadlines I have in my business are sending the newsletter out once a month and occasional commission…