Practice makes progress - not perfection
Practice makes progress - not perfection
A one off discount, artist vs business and market prep. This one is a jam packed goodie!
First things first, as a huge thank you for your support this year, for a limited time (and something I never do) I’m offering 15% off all original paintings and prints.
Lovely souls deserve lovely things! Whether that lovely soul is you or a loved one. Each painting holds a very special place in my heart, but they need a special place to live. That’s where you come in. Apply code LOVELYSOUL15 at checkout to save lots of pennies.
We’re heading into a busy time, downtime becomes a bit of a luxury at this point… so I’ve split this post into segments so you can divvy up the reading and enjoy it at your own pace.
A master of none
I’m at a crossroads with being a business and an artist. What is often the beneficial choice for business growth isn’t necessarily the optimal option for the inner artist. Business and art butt heads. This year I’ve found myself constantly bickering with one or the other. The business woman in me is a driving force that holds me accountable. She’s logical, organised and determined. The arteeest in me, she’s free, open minded, excitable. I understand both are just as important but when they are both equally loud which should be listened to?
For a large portion of this year I didn’t allow myself to create freely because I didn’t see the value in it. I thought the only way to bring work in was spending endless hours emailing and stalking people on LinkedIn. Perhaps it’s because of the multitude of business do’s and don’ts we’re fed on social media. How can an art business grow without art? And how can an art business grow without business. Accepting that I will never be the best business owner nor will I ever be the best artist is the only way through. If you feel the same the following is nice wee reminder:
A lot can happen in a year
It’s not until someone makes it apparent to me that I realise how much I’ve grown in the past year. Have you ever scrolled back through your camera roll and gone…I can’t believe that was only a year ago? Well, this is what I see with my work, that’s how I know I’m progressing. Take my calendars for instance, to you they might just be a product but to me they’re a timely investment into portfolio development.
If I set myself a time consuming project it has to tick more than one box. In this case:
Does the end product have value and purpose for the customer?
Does it align with my creative values (inclusive, uplifting, considered)?
Does it showcase enough skills to potential clients?
Last year I thought I cracked it, I thought “this is it”. In actuality, whatever you do, whatever you make there will always be room for improvement. Practice makes progress - not perfection.
Last year I worked a lot on character development. This year my focus was to build full scenes and movement as it’s something my portfolio lacked. Although it quadrupled the time it took to create, I can happily say it feels like time well spent.
I wonder what next years will look like…? Shop 2024 calendars here.
Products in the pipeline
I’m currently prepping for 3 markets. Oooft where do I start. Markets are simultaneously exhilarating and exhausting. I want to share BTS of the prep…ahem…the mess that takes place in preparation for a market. We have t-shirt designs on the go, print collections, signing, trimming and organising original paintings, making freebies and all the shenanigans in between.
A new segment is about to emerge
In the spirit of embracing progress over perfection, I’m introducing a new segment - Noted. The more I share BTS on socials the more questions I recieve, from people looking for advice to reassurance, business strategies to painting processes.
With an underlying urge to help others (which is why I created this space in the first place) I wanna hear from you. Truth be told, I’m still learning, all-the-time, figuring it out as I go along. I think those that are still in the early days of their career shy away from sharing their experiences. I’m breaking that pattern, we all start somewhere and whilst it’s still fresh in my noggin let’s dive deep into the topics you want me to shed a light on.
Pop your question in the comments (or if you’re shy email/DM me anonymously).
Speak soon lovely souls. Chiara x