So, the new year is being pretty kind to me really, I have been taking bookings for portraits steadily now since Christmas which is truly amazing! I never thought I'd be here and it just feels wonderful. It's taking a serious amount of work though (yeah, I hear you say, welcome to the world of being in business for yourself). I am no stranger to hard work, I had a very demanding career before this and now I have two gorgeous children and a house-hold to run. However, I just can't switch off from this work at all! I spend ALL day thinking about new products I could offer, shops I could try and sell work in, new features for my website, new items for posts and blogs, the list is endless. So I NEED to be more organised.
I have started a 'business diary' so every time I get a new idea that I could do, I just sit and write about it. Is this viable? Do I have the time for this? Would it sell? For some reason I find it clears my head to write it down on paper. The one thing it is teaching me is to be more focused and try to concentrate on what I CAN manage and what I really WANT to do. I have had some fine art prints of my originals and fine art cards made up too, but I think that's where my extra lines will have to end for now.
I see so many artists and crafters offering a huge range of products from their art/creations but in my opinion the most successful are the ones who have found what they are really good at and STICK to that. A few favourites I have found through facebook are Bagolo, PaperPanda, and Tim's Canvas Art. They just do what they do REALLY well and as a result are extremely popular and are doing very well for themselves. True artists in their own right, they have developed their own USP (look at me using business jargon!) and do not deviate from it, therefore creating a brand and something instantly recognisable. My mum tells me (who is an awesome artist) that my own style is really starting to show now (I can't see it mind you). I look forward to the day when somebody looks at my work and says straight away "Oh yes, that's a Clare Abbott"
For now though I must try to focus more, be happy to work hard on my craft, take the portrait orders in from my fab customers and find some time occasionally to maybe so some original stuff.
I have started a 'business diary' so every time I get a new idea that I could do, I just sit and write about it. Is this viable? Do I have the time for this? Would it sell? For some reason I find it clears my head to write it down on paper. The one thing it is teaching me is to be more focused and try to concentrate on what I CAN manage and what I really WANT to do. I have had some fine art prints of my originals and fine art cards made up too, but I think that's where my extra lines will have to end for now.
I see so many artists and crafters offering a huge range of products from their art/creations but in my opinion the most successful are the ones who have found what they are really good at and STICK to that. A few favourites I have found through facebook are Bagolo, PaperPanda, and Tim's Canvas Art. They just do what they do REALLY well and as a result are extremely popular and are doing very well for themselves. True artists in their own right, they have developed their own USP (look at me using business jargon!) and do not deviate from it, therefore creating a brand and something instantly recognisable. My mum tells me (who is an awesome artist) that my own style is really starting to show now (I can't see it mind you). I look forward to the day when somebody looks at my work and says straight away "Oh yes, that's a Clare Abbott"
For now though I must try to focus more, be happy to work hard on my craft, take the portrait orders in from my fab customers and find some time occasionally to maybe so some original stuff.