Spring Has Sprung Updates
I’ve done an incredibly bad job of delivering updates this year. There, I said it before anyone else had a chance. It’s one of those classic stories of having the best of intentions. Every so often I would think, gosh, I should tell everyone about insert cool news here. On the bad side, there’s probably plenty of really cool stuff I’ll forget to tell, but that likely means a shorter update! See, I knew there was a positive spin in there somewhere. You all know how long-winded I can be.
Update: Art Print Site Re-Born
Look Kids, Big Ben, Parliament, New Work to share! Okay, so that wasn’t really my news, but this new London print gives me a good excuse to show off something else. If you were to click the picture below, it would take you to a page on Beautiful World Art, my new art print gallery!
This re-branding of my print gallery had been under consideration for awhile. But I had a hard time deciding on a new site address. I can’t tell you how many times I discovered someone else had already had my really cool idea for an art-related domain name. In the end, I am glad I kept having to don my thinking cap as the new domain name is very much a description of my mission statement, to find and present our beautiful world through my art. And from the search engine perspective, I think my new domain will have more prominence than it did as a sub-domain of my main site. That last part of this update is still a test in progress.
I hope you’ll take the opportunity to kick the tires a little on the new site and share it with your friends. I’m really proud of the general presentation of it and this change has given me the impetus to begin re-thinking the presentation of some of my larger galleries. For instance, my Mexico galleries were previously divided by location. Now you’ll see they are thematic or subject based. I’m certain there are a couple of other large collections that I’ll take a similar approach with in the future.
Update: New Design Project
In the past month, I’ve also had the opportunity to work with someone who was decorating a large new office space in the Atlanta area. I can’t provide a lot of details about their project but they did discover my Atlanta prints because they had seen my work at Jack’s New Yorker Deli. A tad ironic considering I still haven’t seen that in person! I’m quite glad that my artwork was ultimately selected as it was a fun experience and the largest one-time purchase to date for my art prints! The experience also led me to add a new page to my site to make interior designers aware that I’m willing and eager to work with them on their projects.
Just so you all know, I’m willing to work with any individual who has something custom in mind. I’ve just found it more common that designers buying multiple prints are more likely to have specific requirements for their job. Nonetheless the welcome mat is always out for your questions and ideas.
Four Years of Life Lessons
You know that adage about life being what happens while you’re making other plans? It’s amazing how much truth there is to that. It’s now right at four years since I left my job as a project manager. At the time, my main plan was to take a career break and travel. I wanted to see the world now rather than later. And I have traveled some, but in the midst of all that came the crazy dream to do something I love as my livelihood.
Like many big dreams, they tend to take on a life of their own. I’m happy to say it hasn’t evolved into a nightmare, but it’s quite true it’s never quite the same when you do something as a hobby versus doing it to pay the bills. The most challenging part for me personally is not that transition but getting used to the income roller coaster after years of steady paychecks. For anyone who dreams of doing this, let me tell you that staying motivated on the down months is an inevitable test of your character.
Your Support Is Valuable
I’m constantly exploring new ways to level off that roller coaster ride. It turns out that life is one large learning lab as I get daily lessons in products and marketing. That said, I’ve seen firsthand that there’s nothing quite so valuable as good word of mouth. I know many of you out there have helped spread my message, and I appreciate it greatly. For those who may wonder ‘what can I do?’ It’s truly as simple as telling your friends and family. You may have purchased a print in the past or simply enjoy what you’ve seen. Either way, you never know who among your friends may have a bare wall. Or it may be you are unaware you have a friend of a friend who is an interior designer. I know I have benefited from crazy chance associations more than once.
For everyone who has decided to join me on this trail from the outset or only recently, my most sincere thanks. Here’s hoping there’s plenty of road left ahead to report on later! I’ll do my best to get back to a more evenly spaced update cycle in the months ahead. Here’s hoping for more really cool news to report.
