Prosperous soul embraces creativity & mortgage neutrality

savingholmes

sabsob said:

Hi savingholmes, just catching up with your diary - love your creativity. I was self-employed as an artist for about 4 years, following redundancy. I'm now back in a job, but am eyeing the craft supplies as a means to supplement income. I have also written a book, but not dared to go down the self-publishing route - instead, it sits in a drawer...well, folder on my laptop Looking forward to following your journey some more.

Welcome @sabsob
Do you have any tips on how to make money from art? What worked well or what didn't? With regards to your book - have you had it professionally edited / or let anyone read it? Can't improve sat in a drawer. I need to start writing again - but no head space currently - so using art as my outlet for creativity instead (and here obvs).

lucielle said:

Would staying at your sisters be cheaper?  If so I'd go down that route.  
L

Having looked at B&B prices - which appear to have doubled - I think you're right. Sis is still keen for me to go - so need to decide when would be the best time to travel and what we'd do when I got there. 

jwil said:

You are making loads of progress, so much going on!

Thanks for the encouragement @jwil . I too easily beat myself up for what I haven't done rather than what I have. I made myself walk to the park, around and back mid afternoon - so have done over 4500 steps outside the house. I then finished work later. Naturally the kitchen is still waiting for me!!

I've found a place closer to home where I can try glass fusing again and it's cheaper. So I hope to book in a session one day soon. Will see how much going to see my sis & associated entertainment costs first. I get paid Friday so that should help.

Have fun y'all

sabsob

When I relied on income as an artist full-time, a "portfolio approach" definitely worked best. I made money from:

- selling work directly to consumers/people, online (both via Etsy and my own website)
- selling things as kits/components for other artists or end consumers
- selling work through galleries (they take varying %, so needs to be thought about carefully, because they don't want to see you selling directly if you undercut them)
- doing fairs
- teaching (requires insurance/additional kit), both in my own studio and in other people's (nice to do internationally, when people pay for your travel, food, board, plus pay you for teaching)
- writing tutorials for magazines

I worked all these streams simultaneously, with seasonal variety (more fairs before Christmas, and people bought gift vouchers for teaching, so I typically spent a fair amount of time January-March "working off" those gift vouchers). A lot of what you can do depends on the craft/art, and, unfortunately, how well known you are. I got an Arts Council grant for a project, and won several awards, which helped with getting a "name", and more/better-paid work.

What I hated most was the tax return  

Yes, the book has been read by somebody who knows what they are doing, and a couple of "critical friends", but I'm still chicken, lol. Maybe this year, I'll dust it off

doingitanyway

Come on @sabsob dust off the book and release it into the universe!

savingholmes

Thanks for sharing. I may PM you at some point if that's okay. I think - send your book out to lots of places. If I'd realised how hard self-publishing was - I would have persisted more with sending it out to agents. I gave up after about 4 which was daft in hindsight. I having written the start of a book in another series / standalone - so think that one I would try traditional on again. But plan to persist with self-publishing for this series.  Hopefully it will work out long term - I was doing alright until something happened to derail me about 10  months ago. Need to get back on the proverbial horse... 

doingitanyway

Just catching up with your diary. You are doing really well. I read 'packed dishwasher' and thought you were moving house for a moment. it is great that you continue to keep up with some form of creativity even though things are difficult.
Well done on the decluttering too.

Blackcats

SH - your summary a few post ago for a new reader was great but I think you neglected to mention writing and publishing a brilliant book, supporting your son in the early stages of his career, supporting DD through school, COVID fears and into her apprenticeship.
I agree that little and often with de-cluttering helps massively.  I'm doing a drawer a day in January and a folder a day in February .... that's my plan anyway.

sabsob

savingholmes said:

Thanks for sharing. I may PM you at some point if that's okay. I think - send your book out to lots of places. If I'd realised how hard self-publishing was - I would have persisted more with sending it out to agents. I gave up after about 4 which was daft in hindsight. I having written the start of a book in another series / standalone - so think that one I would try traditional on again. But plan to persist with self-publishing for this series.  Hopefully it will work out long term - I was doing alright until something happened to derail me about 10  months ago. Need to get back on the proverbial horse... 

I'll gladly help if I can. I had sent the book to a few agents. Retrospectively, I think it could have been better, lol. I shall ponder Thanks for the encouragement, to @doingitanyway too

savingholmes

Blackcats said:

SH - your summary a few post ago for a new reader was great but I think you neglected to mention writing and publishing a brilliant book, supporting your son in the early stages of his career, supporting DD through school, COVID fears and into her apprenticeship.
I agree that little and often with de-cluttering helps massively.  I'm doing a drawer a day in January and a folder a day in February .... that's my plan anyway.

There's a reason I love you guys! You really made me smile. Thank You! Good luck with your drawer a day - even that is quite challenging!! However, I've realised I don't have a lot of drawers in my house - more like open cubes with baskets / boxes... but I could apply a similar principle... My problem currently is all the things that should be in a container that aren't... That's the real challenge. I have 8 pretty much empty slots in the cubes in my study - and 3 in a cupboard in my study - but because I haven't decided what to put in them yet... I'll get there - one stone at a time... I could however start by putting my paints back in the 3 drawer unit I have for them...

doingitanyway said:

Just catching up with your diary. You are doing really well. I read 'packed dishwasher' and thought you were moving house for a moment. it is great that you continue to keep up with some form of creativity even though things are difficult.
Well done on the decluttering too.

Hi DIA - you are doing well in very difficult circumstances too. LOL at packed dishwasher = moving... I hope you are managing some creative stuff too. I'm in awe of you shifting something like 19 bags of stuff this week. Amazing!

Cheery_Daff

I've been reading through your diary too - excellent progress! Also enjoying your decluttering enthusiasm 😁

DancingInTheRain

The change in tone in your posts recently is lovely to hear & even though you're juggling lots of things you're sounding so positive and motivated, really lovely to read. Would also echo @Blackcats post, you've done so much these last 2 years!

Definitely have a break despite the ballet being cancelled, you've earned it!

On the decluttering front, when DH & I moved in together 9 years ago we went from having a 3 bed house & 2 bed flat between us to a 3 bed house with minimal storage so we did quite a big declutter then... Followed by another big declutter when on maternity leave after DS1 was born 6 years ago... Followed by another big declutter after DS2 was born 3 years ago... Followed by another big declutter when lockdown started 2 years ago... Followed by another 1 I've started this year 😳😳 definitely a work in progress 🤣

I will say that each big declutter has just helped to get rid of or repurpose items as life changes so by the time this declutter is completed,  most things will have a purpose and their own 'home' and then there'll just be our loft to sort (which is mainly DH's stuff). As you're the main occupier of your house & with your children now being adults I think you'll get your house in order a lot quicker than me.

Just keep going 1 thing at a time x