Event Season

Guess who is all vaccinated now?! This girl! I got my second dose of the Pfizer vaccine on the 28th last month. I know I still have to be cautious because the vaccine may not protect against new strains of coronavirus. Plus there's the risk of still passing coronavirus on to other people who are not vaccinated, but it feels so nice to know that I am at least better protected than I was before. I can at least have some sort of semblance of what I had before the pandemic, like going to events.

I am so freaking excited for event season! Due to the pandemic all of my events were canceled last year, which I completely understand. Nevertheless, it did leave me feeling pretty sad and lonely. Not only do I rely on events for the bulk of my income but it is so nice to be around people and to be able to see the people that really enjoy my work. I love meeting the other vendors and my husband and I love taking turns meandering through the events to see what others have to offer. I think the main reason he likes to come help out is the food and other items we bring back from events. 

Going to events also helps boost my confidence a bit. I know my artwork is good but there's always that self doubt, that imposter syndrome that sneaks in and whispers I'm not good enough. I know some of you know what I'm talking about. It's a daily struggle. When the pandemic started and my events were canceled I was devastated, but after a little pity party between me and some chocolate chip cookies I pulled on my big girl pants and decided to not let it get me down. I worked on trying to strengthen my presence on Facebook and Instagram and even started a Patreon and Pinterest. They haven't grown as much as I would have liked but I at least tried and I keep trying. The thing about social media though, is it doesn't convey emotions. Anyone can click that like button no matter what mood they're in. At events though, you see their smile when they look at your artwork, you can hear the glee in their voice when they talk about that card design they absolutely love. A person's emotions/expressions tell you so much more than a simple like on Facebook.

Usually I am a bit anti-social, I'm more of a listener than a talker. You give me a booth at an event though, and I become a completely different person. I actually put myself out there, I'm more confident and I'm striking up conversations left and right. I am so passionate about what I do, about everything I create and I want to share that passion with everyone. On social media it's hard, how the hell do I convey how emotional I am about my art? At events though, it's like freaking magic. Of course every person has their limits and has to rest at some point. End of the day I just flop over onto my couch and vegetate with my spoils from the event. I am so excited, and nervous to get back to doing events. :) It's been a while.

This last month has been a bit crazy, go figure, when is that different from any other month? I didn't get to create as much artwork as I would have liked but that's because the projects I was working on were a lot bigger. They are absolutely awesome though. :)

I created three awesome, new greeting cards. I'm getting into a floral/nature theme. I was thinking about maybe having some nice giclee prints made of the flowers too but I haven't fully decided yet.

I finally revealed my secret project that's been in the works forever. The project is a six piece soft enamel pin collection, and the pins are adorable. I absolutely love the art behind this entire project. I designed each of the pins as well as the art print, die cut sticker and thank you card myself. Only problem is I do not have the funds to create the pins myself so I need to rely on the help and interest of others to be able to fund these adorably, punny pins. I launched the campaign on the 28th and we're off to a good start but we've still got a long way to go. I launched the project on Kickstarter and if you haven't checked it out yet I highly suggest you do. The project goal only gets the first two pins funded so the higher we get the more pin designs we can produce. I would greatly appreciate any and all help in bringing this project to life. 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/alexandraartd...

I also finally finished my two nature pieces I had started working on in March. The first one was a small 5"x7" of Devil's Lake in Wisconsin and the second one was an 8"x10" of autumn in Minocqua. Both of them turned out absolutely awesome. I was super nervous about doing the water for both pictures but after finishing the Devil's Lake picture I wasn't too nervous anymore; that is, until I took a good, long look at the other nature piece. The leaves were tedious as hell to draw out and to color, each leaf had to be colored individually but thankfully in the end it was almost therapeutic. The water on the other hand, that was an interesting process. It was rough at times. I have spent a lot of time on projects before but that larger nature piece of Minocqua in autumn has required way more work than any other piece I have worked on. I put over fifty hours into it but it was so worth it. This piece, as well as any other nature pieces I create are available as giclee prints on the website.

The last piece I was able to create was the coloring page for my patrons on Patreon. A fellow business woman and friend of mine had suggested a creature that was part wolf, doberman, horse and dragon. She had dreamt about this creature and knowing I create fantasy themed coloring pages, she thought I could create an awesome image of it. Well, I think she was right because the coloring page turned out pretty awesome. I do feel bad for the poor creatures in the image though as it seems they are having a rough time right now.

This next month I have a lot planned but we'll have to wait and see how things go. I would like to create more nature scenes but I also need to get back on track with my portfolio art of the Three Billy Goats Gruff as well as continue the story of Reggie the racoon. Let's not forget there's also the Puns of Fun project still running and all the preparations to be done for events too. My first event is later this month and it's been over a year since I've been to events, I might be a little rusty. So, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the Gods or Universe are smiling down on me and sending good vibes.