Turning My Attention to More Spinning Plates

So the big summer event participation has come to a close, and it's time to shift my efforts toward other facets of my art endeavors. I personally have a lot on my plate, and as the summer has progressed I've learned that it's not as easy to juggle everything I thought I could... hehe... So many spinning plates! 

So for my own mental framing, I thought I'd try articulating exactly what I'm going to be doing in the next few months (oy--weeks!!) before the holiday season hits at the end of November. I have a lot I want to do, and it's going to take me a bit to get it all done, and I'm not 100% sure I'll actually be able to get it all finished but at least I can try. 

First up: correcting listings on my website. I have a lot of listings that have the wrong product photos now that I can't print things at full bleed. Surprisingly, this has left me in a quandary: do I stop doing margin-less greeting cards or do I get them printed out-of-studio by someone else? 

And this sent me down a rabbit hole, because it made me ponder what it was I was making and how. And it forced me to come to some realizations about my work and what I wanted to do, which I've alluded to in previous blog postings but I can easily summarize here: I will always straddle the line between fine art and commercial art. And as such, I will continue to make work as much as I can by my own hand, which includes printing in my own studio by me. Not only does it create another distancing dimension between me and the digital work I make, the number of sales I've made doing wholesale and on my own website is negligible enough that fronting large amounts of money for pre-printed inventory isn't worth it. 

So weirdly, it is better for my art and my artistic journey if I continue to print things on my own, and accept the profit margin is going to be narrower than if I outsourced the printing. 

And, consequently, the images I have on my website that are all full-bleed greeting cards need to change because my current printer can't print those anymore. I am leaning into "museum cards" now, with margins, that retain the ratio I initially intended for the work when I was making it. 

Second is creating collections of holiday greeting cards featuring the birds I've painted over the last year. 

Third is creating a holiday calendar featuring those same birds, sans Santa hats. 

Fourth is fleshing out my newsletter and blog a bit more to make them more relevant to my subscribers. I have had a HUGE influx of subscribers to my newsletter, and I need to make sure that I'm giving them the value they deserve. And I want to push the RSS aspects of subscribing to my blog because I fear walled-garden social media platforms are starting to become unworkable, unreliable, and ineffective.

Fifth is to finish some of my traditional art. I have several "test pieces" that I've made that I want to finish up and experiment with, and I have plans for larger scale work that I want to make. I have much of the supplies required, but not everything and I now have the time to dedicate to making it happen a bit more. 

Sixth is to turn my attention to the volunteer endeavors I've committed to already. I am a volunteer co-coordinator for the Hagopian Gallery in the Eureka Branch of the Humboldt County Library, and my colleague and I have big plans for the space. They're going to take time and effort to manifest, but I think with a gentle guiding hand we'll be okay. I'm also involved in the Redwood Art Association (through whom I landed the Hagopian gig, as they're the official managers of that space) and we'll be starting work on the third iteration of their annual block party art fair. 

I have one more thing I want to do, but I can't jinx it by mentioning it yet. It would go a long way to elevating my caché as an artist, but a similar situation fell-through a while back and I don't want to get my hopes up too much. So I'll just vague-post about it, needlessly alluding to it without sharing any specificities, and when/if it happens I'll finally let the cat out of the bag. 

All of this is a LOT. I think I grew very fast, very quickly--well, faster than I had realistically let myself hope. As an artist, I found the paths of least resistance where I could sift into the cracks like sand, and now I'm learning how to be comfortable in those cracks. As I settle in, I'm learning what I can bring to the table and what my strengths are. And I'm trying to lean into those opportunities now, relishing them and enjoying the work it takes to make them happen. 

I think letting one's self enjoy the work is a huge freedom. Because I do enjoy it. And I wouldn't give it up now for the world. 

Onward!