2023 Income Pie
Taxes prompted me to review my numbers for last year. I’m so grateful when other artists offer transparency in how they make their creative businesses work – so I’m sharing my breakdown for last year in case it is of interest.
2023 income 🥧✨ Each slice of the pie brings different levels of joy / risk / reward / stress / profit / creativity. Variety is the spice of life though, right? I think it is fun to keep exploring these different ways of reaching others with my work. Here is a little more info on the different income streams:
Murals 57% – I did three large scale outdoor murals last year. Big art, big(ger) budgets, physically taxing and can be stressful. Oh, and often weather dependant. But, with all that comes big rewards and artwork that lives in public spaces with lots of eyes!
Freelance Design 26% – The yin to the mural yang. Or yang to yin? I don't know. It's mostly a desk job that pays hourly and offers a level of stability. It is nice to do project work for fun clients and it helps me pay the bills and navigate the peaks and valleys of my art practice.
In Person Markets 9% – I did a lot more in person markets last year and was surprised at this number. At these events I sell mostly gift items (like what is available in my shop) and I've been able to connect with lots of new local customers and other small businesses as well. I have also sold some original artwork at these markets.
Online Sales 5% – Getting online orders and shipping happy packages is fun! I'm grateful to be able to share my artwork with others near and far in this outlet.
Wholesale 1% – This was new for me last year and I'm hoping to do more of this in 2024. Yay for me, the lovely local bookstore, Black Rock Books just added my postcard sets to her gifty offerings for Independent Bookstore Week this weekend.
Gallery sales 1% – Sold a few paintings through Hunt Gallery!
Art commissions 1% – Something that I enjoy, but don't do too often. I was able to work with Catbird Consulting to create a custom piece of artwork that celebrated WNY. Prints of the piece were than given as client gifts to the people she worked with last year. Such a sweet and thoughtful gift!
April Updates
Things have been busy and I got out of the rhythm of my regular updates. Since last we connected – The Easter Makers + Shakers Artisan Market! eclipse! spring flowers! taxes! new stockists!
Tackling things in order(ish) – the market was super fun. I got to meet a lot of new people, both shoppers and WNY area vendors. I got a great response to the new print – Maiden Veil, which features Niagara Falls and a tiny Maid of the Mist. I also created some new original artwork for the show that I'm slowly adding to the website. I'm hoping to get everything listed over the coming weeks. It is a joy to see people reacting to my art and wanting to live with my work ♥️
Also in the happy-making arena, the eclipse was awesome. Buffalo was in the path of totality and local kids had the day off from school. We headed to the park a few blocks away and watched in awe as darkness set in for a few minutes in the middle of the day. My pictures don't do it justice, but I made two #100daysofrainbowplay pieces to celebrate the event.
Image above by my talented pal Andrea Wenglowskyj
In between markets and life stuff I've been spending time in this sweet window and in the garden. It's still somewhat chilly in Buffalo, but the trees are flowering and the tulips and daffodils are popping and that is pretty great.
Yay for colorful art!
Yay for colorful art!
I read this sweet article about the impact of colorful art on our well-being. I was immediately pulled in to it because it featured artwork by Jessica Poundstone, whose colorful artwork I've long admired.
Colorful artwork can trigger the release of dopamine,
a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward,
leading to feelings of happiness and well-being
- Dr. Shivani Khetan
If you want to make some colorful art to improve your well-being… Come to my virtual art making session! Every Thursday I host a (free!) virtual art making session called Studio Time! If you're in need of accountability and creative community - this is a great place to find it. We are a friendly bunch and everyone is welcome! Drop a comment if you want to be added to the weekly reminder list, or visit this link for more info. It would be fun to see you there!
Workshop Recap
I had a ton of fun seeing familiar faces and meeting new friends at my Making Waves workshop earlier this month. I was so nervous leading up to it, but managed to power through and had a total blast. We experimented with mixed media on photographs and it was so neat to see what everyone created. I will definitely do more in person workshops in the future and hope to figure out a way to do virtual workshops as well.
New Mural in the Works
Hi friends, it has been a super busy few weeks in and out of the studio. I am about 75-80% finished on a giant interior mural in Buffalo, and painting indoors on a smooth wall has been a joy! I unlocked the next level in my mural painting world – utilizing scaffolding to reach awkward new heights. The project I'm working on has a stairwell at the center, and it is also an old building that can't support the weight of the large machinery I have used outdoors in the past. Each mural is a giant puzzle, from the logistics to the artwork. Keeps me on my toes. Good thing I like painting and puzzles.
Everyone (including me) seems super excited about how things are coming together. Here are a few photos of the work in progress…
