Making art, making money

{new dish design released this week – available over on Etsy}

So here is an interesting thing. I’m trying to make a living from making art. I don’t see many creatives talking about moolah, but I’m going to. I don’t want to keep money cloaked in mystery. Cash and consciousness, as Danielle Laporte says. I want to be transparent about my journey with art and cash, because I wish more people were talking openly about how to actually make of go of the money side of creativity.

I’ve cut down my day job to three days a week so officially, I need some profitable dosh to start flowing from my creations. I’ve really used this change to take stock of where I’m at financially in the business, and it’s been a really enlightening (if a bit brutally raw) process.

A few things have become very, painfully clear. First the good….

1. I’ve finally paid off my set up costs. My first 18 months in business have been about paying back a loan a took to set myself up. Loan now paid. Phew. (This was my only financial goal for my art, to pay off my set up costs. Now that’s done, it’s clearly time to think about some other money goals)

2. The quality of my work has increased. I LOVE the customers who supported me and bought stuff in the early days but goodness me, I’m a bit embarrassed about some of the early things I sold!

3. I have a steady flow of generous-hearted and repeat customers. My customers are lovely folk who share my work and keep this dream show on the road. I love them. I’m turning a profit every month and this is a flipping blessing.

 

Now for the bad, and the ugly, but the real

1. I’m making buttons per hour. I broke down my incoming/outgoing costs and hours worked. My hourly rate is frankly, pants.

2. Some of my products don’t stack up as profitable wholesale options. There just isn’t enough margin and I’m actually bringing home peanuts.

3. I’ve seriously miscalculated some of my costs and just down right not realised that I’m losing money  in some areas. Packing and posting is a big area I’ve miscalculated.

4. I’ve undersold myself in a few areas, especially around commissioned work and mostly, I’ve been really fearful of charging too much.

 

I’m not a greedy chops when it comes to dosh, I’m not looking to scoop millions with this gig but I believe it can pay a fair rate. If art could pay for part of our outgoings I would be gleefully ecstatic. There are some key lessons to take forward, some things need to shift if I am going to make money, making art.

I’ve got a little plan that I’m working on. Developing some new product ranges, looking at money honestly and with an open heart. Not burying my head in the sand.

I guess amongst this rambling what I’m trying to say is, being open and real about money is leading me closer to the path of creating a job I love, that pays a fair wage. That’s got to be worth doing the books for.

I’d love to know how you feel about money, creating, creative business and all that jazz. Have you learnt any raw money lessons on your journey? Does talking about money make you feel a bit icky? (it does me!) Do you find it hard to set prices? (I DO!!!)

Sending awesome bags of abundance your way.

Your work is important

 

 

This week I started a new day job with less hours and officially needed to start making an income from pottery. I’ve been worrying about it, lots. Then one night, a customer sent me a photo of my poppies, in a spice jar, on her window ledge looking out into the garden. And my heart popped. My work, in her home, bringing her joy and love. And I decided to stuff the worrying, I’m going for it.

Whatever you are making or creating in the world, please, please keep going. If you are sewing brooches, raising babies, growing seeds, or writing pure magical words.

Your work is important.

It is making someone, somewhere smile and filling up hearts with joy

Keep going.

January

{image from Emma Dime}

I just tried to write a peppy update of what I’ve been doing in January. A snazzy list of  how well my business is progressing. You want the truth?

I’ve been flailing about like a headless turkey. Yes a turkey, I feel a whole lot more gobbley than a chicken right now.

I have got good stuff done. I’ve made a boatload of bowls. Well maybe an inflatable dingy of bowls. I’ve sent off applications and booked events. I’ve made plans and thought about new designs. I’ve started ukulele class, gone back to work and managed to survived the first 20 days of the most depressing month of the year. I’ve booked tickets, had checks and wore my specs.

I have also done bad stuff. Fed the dog frozen peas and an oven chip. Sat catatonic on front of the TV. Felt clueless, headless and brainless.

January is touted as the month to change your life. Get thin, pack it in, start afresh.

January is actually about hanging onto your sanity and sense of hope, and making some good stuff happen amongst the chaos.

The week that was

{image from Pinterest}

 

Last weeks joy, bliss, love…

 

: my second waterfall for 2014

: my first ever shooting star

: a foot stomping ceidilh

: raw, smooth porcelain

: chatting to my sister

: tackled some nagging tasks

: cleaning schedule success

: sacred secret sharing

: chocolate walnut banana cake

: sunday morning sleep in

: a hot lavender bath with a cup of tea

: sloping easy sunday beach walk

: golden sunlight

: enormous love

 

 

The grit, numb, sadness,…

 

: scavenging dog

: pushing up against old bones of habits, thoughts, ways of being

: focus, lack thereof

: unworthy ripcurling through me

 

The anticipation… breaking out, free forming new flowing habits.

 

Love harder, be more open.

Breathe. Breathe.

Smile inside.

Hello 2014!

I’m waving a big hello to 2014 in my business today. I started at 9.10 am with a big mug of tea, rose incense and a huge heap of optimism, a rare commodity for me. I’ve been working my way through Leonie Dawson’s workbooks  to plan out my year, so no resolutions for me, just a diary chock full of actions that hopefully will help my dreams come to fruition.

In 2014 I’ll be

• refining and defining my product range, including a clear range of custom options
• restocking and brightening up my online shops
• working to open up a new online retail outlet
• on the lookout for lovely stockists
• aiming to do one or two bigger, regional or national size fairs or markets
• hoping to grow my lovely customer base as big as I can
• learning a whole heap more about pottering, being a teeny biz and living creatively

I’ve had a super festive time off and I’ll find some time to get my photos together to show you what I’ve been up to. I took two full weeks of from all forms of work and it was one of the best decisions I’ve made in a long time. I’m back to work feeling fresh and brimming with energy to get things done.

For now though, my Folksy and Etsy shops are back up and open for sales…

Hope that your new year got off to a cracking start

{Image from Flickr – a hand lettered beauty. The most magnificent Mary Oliver poet is my literary mascot for 2014}

November in photos

It’s a few days late but here is the photo round up of my November. It was abundant with joy and, well… life.

The dog ate a fish hook, there were busy market days, quiet nature filled Sunday’s, a few too many batches of cookies.

And the skies. Oh the skies of light and dark and shade and clouds, of stratus and cumulonimbus.

Give up the grind.

{image from Polina Green}

I want to change the way I work.

It’s dragging me down.

Late nights. Midnight finishes. And I know in my heart I don’t need to do it. I can be in bed by 9.30pm with a cup of tea and a film if I want. I can spend evenings on the sofa, snuggled with the dog, reading a book.

Screw the midnight oil. Fuck the grind, graft, pinch and strive of it all.

No striving. No striving. No striving.

I want Sundays in the woods. The real woods. Campfire stoves and hot soup. I want ease and bendability. Yoga and swimming. Snoring dog.

Heck, I want a life.

And in this way, the new way, wave that I’m craving, I’m not sure I’ve ever had that life. The real kind of life that fills up your soul until love comes gushing right out of you and you couldn’t stop it even if you tried.

Yeah, that kind of life.

No TV numbness. No Pinterest pain relief.

Wild, in the moment productivity.

Productivity is not a dirty word. Neither is profit. You need both to make this gig fly.

Productivity means having a life. A love. Time for sex and shenanigans.

Productivity means getting shit done.

I’m over not getting it done. I’m done with lingering to do lists, dusty old shit that follows me around, haunting my sleep, crapping on my relaxation and creeping into my down time.

No striving. Wild productivity. Pure shavasana in my jammies.

Here’s the go:

Bedtime. On time. 9pm is a self care deadline. Laptop off. Lights and whirring gadgets off. This is not the time to bake cookies, start a new web redesign. What you make a night is cloudy, fogged by a day of disappointment. What you make in the morning is fresh and clean and new and pure.

Make in the morning. Get up early. Get outside. Get home and make, goddamnit make. Before the day job takes over.

Let the artist start the day (care of Lu)

Make words, make clay, make plans, make courses make revolutions, solutions and invoices. Make baby, make.

When the day is done and you’ve done, made, got and created you will have time to email your sister, text your friend and go swimming.

Watch it.

A revol, evol – ution of time is coming.

Hello Sunrise.

Tempt me into the day.

Hold me to creation.

Recent happenings

Here is what I’ve been up to lately…

: working on a bigish batch of custom orders

: popping new product lines into online shops – check out bunting, christmas decorations

: looking at scary big events I could apply for next year

: getting a little bit christmassy

: getting my money and tax stuff organised and up to date

: planning a giveaway – keep your eyes peeled!

: saving up for a fancy camera all of my very own

: batch making popular product lines

: dreaming up new mixed media ideas

Off now to do a bauble stock check …

x

Upcoming markets…

Here is a wee list of where I’ll be in the next few months. I’m neatly booked up to Christmas, praying for good weather, happy customers and flowing vats of hot beverages.

I’m also working hard to give my super wonderful online customers a great offer for the upcoming festive season so keep your peepers on my Folksy and Etsy stores over the coming weeks.

Come say hello in person at……….

Gibside Farmers Markets – This Saturday 20th October 10am – 4pm

Make and Mend {in the Grainger Market} – Saturday 2nd November 9am – 5pm

There is a 50’s theme running through the market this week so I am going to try to give a polite nod to the era with some red lipstick.

Gibside Christmas Market – Saturday 7th December

Star and Shadow Christmas Market – 14th December

Gibside Christmas Market – Saturday 21st December

Hope to see you soon!

september : in pictures

I’m feeling thankful that I made it to the end of September.

It’s been a manic, take one day at a time, kind of month and I’ve made it to the end in one piece with a big smile and a few steps closer to some BIG dreams.

I used to take a lot of photos and I’m just getting back in the habit. I loved FMS photo a day as a way to get snapping. I’m rubbish at keeping up with the prompts but I try to take a photo most days.

Here are some of the more lovely photo highlights from my manic September:

Happy last day of September, don’t know bout you but I’ve got a good feeling in my bones about October….