Spring Buzz

I'm currently writing this on a train to La Crosse, Wisconsin as my husband and I decided to take a small belated anniversary trip. Things are getting busy again with the business, so we knew we couldn't go anywhere for too long and we couldn't go anywhere too far away. Neither of us has really spent any time in La Crosse, so it should be a nice little trip.

Now let's talk about April and everything that happened during the month! First off, mental health. I finally got in to see a psychiatrist and she was super nice. She brought up some concerns my therapist has so we might have an idea of what's going on. It's not all in my head! Well, let me clarify, it IS in my head but I'm not imagining that there's more at play than just anxiety and depression. We also discussed the medication my doctor gave me and how worried I was about taking it. She clarified everything and helped ease my worries about the medication, so now I'm taking it! Almost 3 weeks in and so far it's not been bad. The days have definitely been easier to handle lately. I'm not sure if that's just because business is picking up for me and making me happier or if it's the medication. Maybe a combo of the two. Only time will tell.

This last month I had 3 events and they were amazing! April 16th was the first day of the Dane County Farmers Market so I got to go and set up at the top of State Street with a bunch of other awesome artists and crafters. The next weekend I went to Springfest at Warner Park and Femmestival at Garver Feed Mill. All 3 events were awesome. It's so nice to be out and about and selling at events again. I get to see my vendor friends and make new friends, so I'm excited for events this month.

Now let's talk business. I am but one person and I seem to forget that a lot. I want to do all of these things, all of these projects, but there is so much more to a business than just creating. I spend probably half my time every day, sometimes more, just working on the non-art side of things. Other businesses will be cranking out new stuff left and right and sometimes I wonder, "what am I doing wrong?" Or "am I just not working hard enough?" Nope. A lot of the businesses I compare myself too (I know, bad habit) have more than one person at the wheel. While one person creates artwork, the other person is handling the other side of the business and vice versa. I don't have that. It's just me. My husband helps out where and when he can but there's a lot he can't do. This last month I had grand plans of making great progress in some projects or even completely finishing some projects. That just wasn't the case. I'm always too hard on myself and I have to work to remind myself that it's not because I don't work enough, it's because I'm just one person. So yea, I didn't get any of my biggest projects/goals done this last month because I just didn't have the time for everything.

So what did I get done? Well, I created 2 new cards, plus an extra card for my patrons on Patreon. I know these cards aren't for everyone but honestly, I don't care. I think they're cute and adorable as hell!

In all seriousness, our bodies are amazing. No two people have the same combination of gorgeous body features. We are works of art and I think that should be celebrated.

I also created 3 new stickers, with an extra one created just for my patrons. I honestly don't know which design I like more because they're all beautiful. I thought the flying fuck design would be my favorite, but there's just something about the flower people that I just absolutely adore.

I also created some new illustrations. I know I say this about all of my work, but oh my god they're gorgeous!

On top of my usual illustration work, I also did a ton of work on my website and I started making new products. I screen printed and painted on a bunch of journals and they turned out so cool! I only made a small number of these because I wasn't sure how they'd sell but they're already gone. When I get home from this mini vacation, I'm going to have to hustle my ass to get more of them made.

As mentioned above, I started experimenting with screen printing. I'm not very good at it. It doesn't help that the whole process for putting your designs on screens is confusing as hell and unfortunately toxic. I'm trying very hard to be more sustainable, but when it comes to screen printing, it's really hard to be eco-friendly. You can use water based inks, but they'll soak up toxins from either the vinyl you use for your stencils or the chemicals you use for the stencils. Plus, if you don't dispose of inks and chemicals properly then it makes them even less eco-friendly. It's been quite the headache trying to figure it all out.

This month I have fewer goals. Event season is really picking up steam so I'm going to have even less time than last month to create. I'd like to figure out the screen printing process more as well as find a way to make it more sustainable. I'd also like to finish drawing out my final Fine Ass Animals piece that combines all the animals from my Dapper Bastards and Classy Bitches collections. If I could start the pen work too that'd be awesome, but I'm just one person and things are getting busy. I'm keeping my fingers crossed it'll be a good month with lots of progress both with the business AND my mental health. Talk to you all later! I've got a mini vacation to enjoy.