Connection with Creations 🌹
Along with New Art and a Recipe for You!💕
Hello! I hope you are having a great February so far. Here in Indiana, we have been so grateful for a bit of a warm-up these past few days! My chickens have been back to laying lots of eggs, so much so that I was able to put a few dozen out in my farm stand for sale! They are so happy with the warm up!
Now, I know the last two emails have featured my Greeting Card Club Membership, but I thought I might share a bit more in-depth about why I decided to start offering this really fun way to collect art.
A few months back, about 6 months, after turning my wheels and getting stuck in the mud more than once, with some help, it finally came to me, my art isn’t just about selling/monetizing, you know, not in that way, it’s about connection! How does my art connect with my collector?
And I thought, well, what do I love to receive when I purchase something from a small business- let’s say a shop on Etsy. It’s just delightful when the seller wraps the items you’ve purchased like a gift or leaves a pretty note. Maybe an extra sticker or two!
It makes me feel like I am buying from a friend- or getting a gift from a friend. And I know that taking a few extra moments to make the purchase a special experience is really beautiful, especially nowadays. And I just love to make things. I try to imagine my Collector and what they’d like to get in the mail. What does my collector like to do for fun? Does she enjoy nature, maybe whimsical stories? Does she like gifting?
I have a name and a bit of a profile for my Collector. Her name is Maggie Rose, and she is a bit of a homebody and a bit wanderlust. She loves nature and hiking, and she collects art for herself and as gifts for her people. She enjoys hot coffee and quiet mornings and loves to help her garden grow.
But also, I wanted to make sure I was keeping things simple (KISS- “Keep It Simple Stupid”-Dwight Schrute). That’s where the greeting cards come in again. How can I offer a super fun snail mail membership without having to reinvent the wheel each month? The greeting cards seem to be well-loved, and they’re priced in a way that’s not a big commitment. And they double as a mini print, you can even frame them!
The help I received from two mentors these past few months really helped me. Julia helped me by reintroducing my prints, and Betsy helped me simplify my business and gain clarity about it and about myself as an artist. I was throwing myself in too many directions, as most artists do. There seem to be opportunities around every corner for artists, but that doesn’t mean those opportunities are the best fit for me. If I am trying to sell on my website, teach classes, write a book, sell on Redbubble, make YouTube videos, all while trying to market all of these different things- it’s a sure way to burn out. I have done it a number of times.
After figuring out that being authentic, simplifying, making connections, and handmade were the top things about me and my business. We knew what my offerings should be. The rest can come later- like licensing work, collaborations, teaching, and even art fairs and markets….maybe.
Here are just a few things I have learned with help in the recent months!
Simplify my offerings- Sell Originals, Prints, and Greeting Cards- Add on the rest later (like enamel pins, bookmarks, t-shirts, anything that was making my brain ping pong). Also, simplifying goes so deep and intertwines with everything here. I also find it important to simplify my personal life. I say NO a lot :) My time is very precious, and it’s really important to me to be mindful and prepared when approaching my practice.
Connections: Here on Substack, on Instagram, and in person are the top 3. The rest come later…maybe… (YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Art Fairs). The snail mail club greeting card club is a great way to connect! Truly conversing with others- even online, a comment, a share- can make a world of difference when you spread the love and kindness.
Handmade- Original Art/Handpainted, lots of learned practices with many media, intertwining my photography with paintings, In-house Printing on high-quality paper (that comes from another small business in Texas!)
Packaged with care and lots of thought.
Authenticity (aesthetic?)- Stay true to what I love and share that with others! The layout and look of my website- I use a lot of lush colors, and squiggly- hand-written fonts because I love them! I pay a little extra for MOO business cards because I love how they look and feel. I love animals and nature and teal and blue, and ribbons and old books with gold fonts, and I think I could paint a million forget-me-nots and luna moths!
Each of us has things we love that make us truly unique, and when we share these things about ourselves, it helps others feel more comfortable doing the same!
Thanks so much to Betsy Cordes for generously offering your mentorship! I really have her to thank for her brand strategy session-it was the clarity I needed as an artist and for my business! I am going to link her website if you are an artist and interested in working with her!
A little behind the scenes of packaging orders- this is not pretty….😂
Ok, maybe it is, like the tissue paper? Those feathers! Beautiful. But as far as organized, well, that is not my middle name. It’s sort of a compilation of organized chaos; I know where everything is, and that works for me. Though I imagine this may make some of you reading, twitch 😂
It’s important to share because a lot of times we only show the polished versions (or see the polished versions) online, and that’s just not real life. I am running a business, and with that, I wear many hats, the hats are crooked, and not always cute.
I typically take photos with my nails looking nice, but most of the paint is chipped, and the thumbnail shown may or may not be “touched up” with an extra coat of paint for the image. 😂 Smoke and Mirrors
New Art!🎨
New original paintings are in the works! Mostly finished and drying, but the blue jay in this image needs a few minor details. I finished them yesterday, but I didn’t grab any new photos yet. I also decided to add frames to the Blue Jay and Moon Tea Painting as a nice complementary add-on! The blue Jay will be featured at an exhibit in March!
Snowdrops Glowing on a Magical Night
I know many of you across the ocean have your snowdrops popping up! We still have maybe a month? This is my first time planting them in my yard, and I am excited to see them this spring!
Fire and Water
A true mixed media piece involving acrylic paint, acrylic gouache, traditional gouache, nail polish, oil pastes, and oil paints!
Renewal
Sweet little baby bunny. Bunnies represent renewal and new beginnings.
Moon Tea~ Te Della Luna
This painting will be featured in my book along with a “moon tea” recipe! I also painted a special frame for it that I can’t wait to share with you!
Blue Jays are one of my favorite birds! So bold, bright, and not afraid to take up space, which inspires me daily!💙
Every day I watch them from my window, flying into the feeders like wrecking balls, one after another, taking peanuts. If they run out of food, oh, do they let me know!
They are also great alerts to hawks. Hawks are one of the biggest predators for my chickens! So it’s great to have a lookout crew available in case I miss it.💙
New Greeting Cards🪻
While editing flower paintings for my upcoming book, I decided to print a couple to see how they would look on greeting cards! They printed so well- this paper is truly magical! It’s a matte paper that feels really smooth! Perfect for capturing the lush colors of the prints, and I like to say very true to the look of the original work of art!
Lupines represent Wild Imagition, and that’s very fitting as they do grow very wildly along the dunes at The Indiana Dunes National Park!
Might lilacs be the most deliciously scented flowers?
Rose Honey Sugar Scrub 💕
My book will feature a few DIY projects, which I am excited to share with readers! This rose honey sugar scrub is a recipe my daughter and I created, and it’s really great because it actually works! I deal with itchy skin that ends in raised marks, so it’s really important I keep my skin hydrated. And this mix does the trick!
Indulge in a self-care routine with flowers to accompany. This rose honey sugar scrub is sure to create a shower or bath routine to help ease the discomfort of dry skin. And it’s customizable! You can add in essential oils that you prefer! Just be sure every ingredient is safe for your skin.
You can check out the entire recipe here:
I hope you enjoyed this week’s newsletter. Let me know if you try out the sugar scrub. I thought it was something perfect to add to this week’s letter just in time for Valentine’s Day!
Have a great week and weekend!
~Maria