where to start?

Being a full time artist is more than getting paints, pencils, canvas and paper out sat in a creative trance banging out art. There may be a lucky few that do this but sadly not me. Being in that flow state is utterly wonderful but there is more that needs to be done to be seen and create art and an income.

You are an artist but also a business owner.

Being a business owner, especially a new business ultimately means wearing a LOT of hats, reducing time available for the act of creating. Of course depending on how much you have to invest in your business, depends on how much you can outsource which can make a huge difference.

Doing it all yourself

Marketing

Consider how will you get seen, hmmm? OK so now you'll need to be a marketer, web designer, social media manager, content creator, copywriter, a filmographer, a blogger... Most of us have some experience, albeit if only on our own curated personal social media pages. How much better does it need to be to make an impact on your business?

Legal

Then there's the legal side. Now you're an accountant, tax expert, pricing expert... Personally I hate numbers but rather sadly, quite like Excel so am reasonably diligent to keep the numbers up-to-date.

Packaging

Then how to package your goods? Will you have branded paper, branded stickers, thank you notes? First impressions count. Beautifully packaged items and personal thank you notes always win my heart.

The list is not exhaustive and am constantly learning better ways to do things. And things evolve and how people shop changes, what they want changes, seasons impact choices. So it's important to try to keep on top of current trends.

Done is better than perfect

My business cards need reprinting soon. The first version has a QR code on the back but it's too small to be scanned, so that'll be coming off on the next print run. When printed I didn't have my website up and running so that information can go on the next version too, along with the link to my Folksy account.

The website took me a while to learn how to build but perseverance and lots of Googling later I got there. Pretty sure it's far from perfect but it's a continual learning curve.

Social media seems to be an ever moving beast with new algorithms making posting more challenging day to day. Should you post reels, stories, carousels, posts? Post three times a day, week. Phew, that really is a full time skilled job. Learning how to make reels or stories more appealing (I can't remember which is which) was fun to learn from @misscarolineflett on IG and persevered to create something new. The reels looked fabulous but didn't get as many interactions as some of my basic posts but I guess it depends on what you're sharing and what your audience like.

To develop my skills I completed a free Digital Marketing course which was very useful and waaaaaay more work than anticipated.

AND then there's navigating the courses with claims you can have 10k a months, everything you need to know to do this will only cost £2,000 for the course. Hmmm . . . . They are very tempting with the promises they have but I am wary about spending that amount of money.

So far I have:

• built my website (in Wix)

• set up social media on Instagram and Facebook

• created my shop on Folksy

• posted on Pinterest (but not really sure that I've listed properly or if my stuff is being seen?)

• travelled the island, visiting shops to see if they'd like to stock my cards (one positive response)

• designed my business cards and logo (all done in Canva)

• have pictures hung in two establishments in Cowes

• have completed seven commissions

• have greetings cards printed of nine designs

• failed to finish the Isle of Wight Christmas card in time for printing and distribution

• have another octopus illustration underway

and many more ideas floating around in my mind.

Next

Learn Adobe Illustrator. So I can create patterns with my sea creatures. I'm thinking material for lampshades, wallpaper. Maybe cushions and tote bags. And then items such as mugs, plates and teapots. Would people like and want to buy is important to understand but difficult to find out.

And sometimes doing and learning all of the above can be totally overwhelming with a need to get away from it all.

In those instances I might just start to paint some sea glass, or pottery. Continue dotting a picture in progress. Or research a new idea. Hopefully something to get me in a flow state again so your reminded of the reason you decided to jack in your job and do this.