It’s been 5 months since I became a mother, and I believe it's fair to say that I’ve been through the most life-changing 5 months in my life. My main role changed, my focus changed, and my routine changed, … Almost nothing is the same as it was. Yet my love for what I do remains strong which shows me that I made the right choice, two years ago.
But with all these changes, what will change in my business? Being a small, one-woman-show business, allows me to make some choices that otherwise would be impossible. That is not the only (or main) thing that allows me those changes but we will focus on that.
Shortly after my daughter was born I fell in love with the role of being a mother. I also decided early on, that I would delay putting her in any kind of child care, and that I would stay home taking care of her (this is the part where being my own boss is crucial). Because of this, my business would be run part-time, much around my daughter’s schedule. This created a new problem.
My main mediums were Watercolour and Acrylic paint. Both can be considered “time-sensitive” mediums. If I’m painting and all of a sudden my daughter cries, I need to be able to stop what I’m doing immediately. Yet if I do so, they will dry out and I would have to start over.
So what other mediums I can use? Graphite and Polychromo Pencils. These allow me to stop at any time, but they are also the mediums that take me longer to complete an artwork. It would take me months until I had new work, and that is not sustainable. So although this was a possible answer it does not work for the bulk of my business.
As some of you may know, digital is the medium I’m less comfortable with. But a good motivator is the fact that I would be able to draw and also tend to my daughter when she needed me. I started practising more and loving the freedom that the digital medium allows me. But I don’t want to quit on something I love like the traditional mediums, so I needed to find a way to have both, in a coherent matter.
So here is my (current) solution.
Graphite and Polychromos:
The work done with these mediums will no longer be turned into merchandise (in most cases). The original art pieces will be available for purchase and occasionally, a limited number of prints will be made.
The theme of this work will continue to be my birds that are now “Seni’s Birds”. And just as before, part of the sales will be donated.
Digital:
This will be the work turned into merchandise. Postcards, posters, pins, etc. These, however, will most likely NOT be birds. Many times before I have tried to do my birds in digital but I was never happy with the results. Instead, I will draw some of my artistic figures that before were just part of my sketchbook. I don’t have any ideas to limit the themes/subjects of this work, but for now, I will keep it simple.
I believe that these past few months have given me a lot of clarity. I feel free to work on what I want and how I want, without the limitation of labels. I also feel like I’m changing things often, but in this matter, I’m not afraid of change as much as I embrace it. I like to do what I feel is right for the moment, and for now, this is it. It may bring confusion or even some discontentment, but I want my daughter to see me be brave and honest with myself.
So I hope you enjoy the new work. Know that it was made with a continuous love for the craft and a lot of fun times with my five-month-old daughter. And I think this is the perfect recipe for success.