October!

As you may remember, I didn't post any specific goals for September other than dealing with some personal issues. Which I did! I cannot say that I am at 100% yet, but I am getting there. I was going through some situational depression, and with the help of my doctor and my acupuncturist (did you know that acupuncture can help with major life transitions?!? It really really can!) I am feeling SO much better. I am also exercising every day, eating better, and going to bed early enough to get 8 hours of sleep every night, the benefit of which cannot be underestimated. I am so truly and amazingly grateful for my acupuncturist, however, because that has been the most immediately and overwhelmingly helpful thing in getting me through this time. Also for my amazing friends who have been so incredibly helpful and supportive, as they always are :)

My sales in September were fantastic, including some art sales and some unexpected but much needed side jobs! So for October I am looking to more of the same. I am applying for some holiday sales, increasing my inventory, get back to creating art every day, and listing a lot of new artwork that is just sitting here waiting to get into my shop :) I am also posting more flyers for my portraits, applying for a part-time job (about 10 hours a week is what I'm looking for, just for some steady extra income), and getting ready for some holiday action in my supply shop. Sounds like a great month just waiting to happen!

September!

Wow, I know it sounds cliche to say this, but the months are flying by. What happened to August?!? Indigo is starting 3rd grade tomorrow! My poor little blog has been seriously neglected. Time for a review of my August goals:

ART
*I managed to stay calm during my show at the Show & Tell Gallery, despite a massive crowd! It was really fun, and I sold a couple of pieces at the closing reception at the end of the month.
*I also had a great attitude about the PDX Etsy show, and actually had better sales than any other fair so far this year!
*I worked on my grant application, but didn't finish it yet. I don't know what my block is--the application is not that complex >:(
*I also have not applied for more fine art shows yet--time to get on it!

SUPPLYRIOT
*Thanks to some of the amazing people in my life, I did find extra funding for supplies, as well as some great ideas on where to buy them!
*I created--and sold out!--shrinky-dink magnet diy kits, and created a bunch of great altered art kits as well!
*I destashed a number of my own supplies, and created a new section in my shop specifically for destash & limited items!


As for September, I am hesitant to post my goals for the month. I have been going through some personal issues that have distracted me from a lot of things, so my primary goal for the month is to deal with those issues. I have 2 shows this month (more to come on that!), so I need to increase my stock for the 2nd one. Beyond that, my goal is to prepare both of my shops for the holidays, increase my inventory in both, and go over my business finances to see where they can be tightened up. Which also means lots of blog posts to come! :)

August

"Quiet Strength" 2008 by Lea Keohane. All Rights Reserved.

We are already one week in to August, and I still can't believe it's already here. This year is passing quickly, and with an intensity that I could not possibly have planned for. My show is tonight--the first solo art show I've had in 2 years! I have been so focused on etsy during that time, that I have not even applied for shows, other than trade shows. I am ready to add more art shows to my agenda, though, and kick my art career into high gear.

Speaking of art career, I am past due in checking in on my goals for last month! I fell terribly short in the sales side of my art goals, making only one sale in my LeaKarts shop (thank you Melissa--I still have to blog about your portrait!), and having terrible sales at both the Mississippi Street Fair and the PDX Etsy show. I did, however, update my website while I was on vacation, adding a whole new page with custom work, and I created and listed several new drawings.

As for SupplyRiot, I added a couple of new washi papers to my shop, and found lots of new things to list, but I need to raise the money to purchase all of the new supplies first! My sales decreased rather than increased as well, perhaps just because it was July and people tend to be off their computers and on vacations. I also couldn't do nearly as much marketing as usual as I was on vacation for nearly half the month. BUT I did bring all of my supplies with me and managed to take care of all of my shipping while I was gone!

Goals for August:
ART
*relax & enjoy tonight's show, talking to people freely and hopefully getting a couple of new shows out of it!
*maintain a positive attitude about Saturday's PDX Etsy show despite poor sales at prior craft shows.
*finish and send in my grant application to Mercy Corps
*apply for show at 3-5 more venues
SUPPLYRIOT
*find the funding for new supplies, in addition to paying my bills :) Hopefully this will come from lots of sales in my shop!
*create and list new diy kits that have been running around in my brain for some time
*destash supplies from my studio that I won't use

Happy August everybody! I'm so exited, I can already feel Autumn on it's way :)

Tiny Fig & Baby Hoot!

I must be one lucky girl, because in June I won 2 blog drawings!!! The first to arrive was about the cutest pair of earrings & stickers I've ever seen in my life from The Tiny Fig. Those little apples on the earrings are made completely out of polymer clay! I've already been getting so many great comments on them, I just love showing them off :)

Just yesterday my 2nd wonderful prize showed up, this adorable sushi bib from BabyHoot:
Isn't it the sweetest? My own baby is 8 years old now, thankfully way beyond bibs, so I am sending it along as a gift to my godson Ashton in Baltimore. I hope he gets it really messy! (love you Alisha!)

Be sure to check out both of these wonderful etsy shops the next time you need some extra cuteness in your life!

Before I sign off for the day, I am taking a note from my good friend Melissa and writing my goals for July here. Every month she writes her goals on her blog, and at the end of the month she compares notes with how the month actually went. What a great idea! So here goes, for July, starting with my artwork and my LeaKarts shop:
*finish updating my website, which still needs a page showing off my custom work
*make 10 sales in my etsy shop
*create and list at least 5 new original works of art
*have really successful sales at the Mississippi Street Fair & PDX Etsy shows! I would like to make at LEAST $200 at each of them!

And for SupplyRiot:
*Find 10 new items to list in my shop. My eventual goal is to consistently have 100 items in my shop at all times. Right now there are between 60 and 70.
*increase my sales by an average of $10/day
*make it through vacation at the end of the month without stressing out about shipping! :D

Happy 4th of July everyone!

Balance

Sometimes I wonder if I am being a responsible parent by trying to run my own business. I mean, let's get serious here, despite my feelings for the current president, I am desperately waiting for my kicker check to be deposited into my bank account this Friday. Business has slowed WAY down this week after Etsy overhauled their search function (I am hoping that is just due to a learning curve, and it will pick right back up again). Then there are the comments my daughter makes sometimes, "You are always working!!" It's true, I have several ventures going on right now, and I have a difficult time focusing on any of them--my brain is often scattered, and as a result I am always busy. Even when I'm sleeping.

Indigo is eight years old, beginning to show her independence (no grownups allowed!), but still at such a sweet and darling age. She wants me all of the time, despite the sign posted on her door, and sometimes I feel overwhelmed by her demands for attention. At the same time, I am acutely aware that someday in the next several years she is going to want me much less. I do not want her memories of growing up to be "my mom was always on the computer" or "my mom is always saying 'just a second' before she can get to me." On the other hand, if I had an office job she would be in daycare all of the time, and what time would we have together then?

So I have to ask myself, what are my primary goals and responsibilities as a parent? The most obvious, of course, is putting food on the table. I also consider it my responsibility to foster her self-confidence. I want her to know that she is loved and supported no matter what choices she makes in her life. That she is allowed to make any choices she wants, that she can follow her dreams. I can only hope to convey, somewhere amidst my busy (sometimes frantic) schedule, that I am working this hard not to ignore her, but to finally realize my own dreams.

I guess in writing this, I am also trying to convey that notion to myself. To remind myself what I am doing, and why I am here.

Week 1 Check-In

Well, I said a week ago that I would check back in to see if I met my goals for the week, and here I am, so that's a good start, right? I blogged 3 times, finished a painting and built a canvas for a new one, and was all set for Crafty Wonderland yesterday. Yay me! Here's what my booth looked like:
Very cute, don't you think? But it was painfully slow yesterday, and the things that I sell, people don't need, so I had very few sales. Then again, my neighbors, Mugwump (awesome purses), and Frosty Petals (cute fingerless gloves), seemed a bit slow as well, although they have really great stuff and people need purses and gloves more than art.

You know, it is really okay though! Maybe right now is a good time to take a hiatus from crafty shows, from all shows, while I focus and build up my body of work. My supply shop did amazingly well this weekend, which takes a lot of pressure off of my art sales too. I need that right now.

Okay, so this week's goals: Blog 3 times again, promote SupplyRiot, paint a painting. Oh! And the Guerilla Exhibitor class starts this weekend! I can't wait!

A time for change

Things are really stirring around in the land of LeaKarts lately. I have been working for LittlePutBooks for several months now as her etsy shop has really grown. But as the "slow season" overtakes us, she just doesn't need me as much. Which is scary, because I am now forced to depend mostly on myself for income, but it's also very exiting as I am honing in on what I really want to be doing, and finding ways to actually do it.

My main obstacle is my own brain, which has the amazing ability to come up with a gazillion ideas all at once, only to sideswipe itself in a paralyzing panic as it gropes for a way to implement all of it's ideas at the same time. NOT helpful. So, in an attempt to calm my anxiety and find focus, I am going to try to think of the littler picture and put my weekly goals here in my blog. I think this will give me some accountability as well, no matter how small my readership may be :)

This week I would like to: Blog at least three times, make my first supply purchase for my new shop (announcement coming soon!), paint one painting, and get prepared for Crafty Wonderland, which is coming up on the 10th. And I'm off! Oh, one more goal--check back in here to see how well I did this week!