Planning for 2018

Posted on by Charlotte

This was part of my overall goals and priorities for 2018 (read the whole list here). I usually have some business goals and occasionally creative goals.

Creating

  • Continue to explore Art Resin
  • Watercolor portraiture

I don’t like setting hard numbers on creativity (ie. make 24 paintings this year) because, well, it stifles my creativity! Also I may work on a huge painting which takes much more time. Last year I set some rough ‘square inch’ goals but it really didn’t motivate me so I didn’t bother this year.

Exhibiting

  • 3 Exhibits
  • Gallery Space

I think this has been the same goal for as long as I can remember! The only time it changes is when I’m in a gallery.

Teaching

  • Create another Skillshare class

I’m setting just 1 as a goal but I hope that if I can get in the groove with video editing, I’ll be able to make more.

Connecting

  • Quarterly Newsletter (February, May, August, November)
  • Blog 26 times (every other week)
  • Post regularly on Facebook and Instagram

With the Facebook announcement about the changing News feed (read here), I may need to rethink Facebook. I’ve never had an ad (thought about it for 2018, we’ll see) or tried to openly sell artwork on my page. I use my page to interact with my fans. If you see less from me, it may be Facebook, not me. Follow me on Instagram and sign up for my newsletter to engage with me more fully.

Marketing

  • List ALL my artwork on my site (older work, bin work (aka small works), notecards and prints).
  • Set up a POD (print on demand) site.

With my new site being more ‘buyer friendly’ I want to get everyone in one place instead of going to other site like Etsy. I’ve researched making prints of my artwork for a while now and have decided a print on demand site will be much better than trying to print myself. They can offer more options and already have the equipment.

Business

  • Complete Art Inventory

I’ve been needing to do this for a while. I have a record of all of my art in a notebook, but if I ever lose that I’d be in trouble! I created a spreadsheet and have most of my art in it but I really need to do an actual physical inventory and make sure I know exactly where all my art is.

2017 Annual Report

Posted on by Charlotte

It’s that time of year to look over my business goals and accomplishment for the past year. I started off the year strong but adding a part-time job into my schedule in May slowed me down a bit. By fall I was back into full swing though!

2017 Charlotte B. DeMolay Artist Annual Report

Creating

  • Explored new techniques with mixed media and art resin.
  • Created 18 new painting (See most of them here).

Overall I spent a lot more time in the studio than I have in the past several years. When I’m teaching, a lot of the time the work I’m creating is examples for classes. It has been a long time since I’ve been able to focus exclusively on my own artwork.

Exhibiting

  • Participated in 2 local art exhibits.
  • Accepted in to local gallery (read more about that here).

I had hoped to get my art out in my new community more than I did this year. I was really, really excited about the gallery (and made quite a few sales in the 6 weeks I was there). Maybe the co-op will find a new location or I’ll keep looking for another opportunity.

Teaching

  • Created first online class. (check it out on Skillshare. 3 months for 99 cents for a limited time)

I wanted to create more but I had a huge learning curve with videoing. After my first class I realized I needed to update my software, so I did. Then I started my other job…before I really learned how to use the new software! I’m hoping to get a few more done this year. Skillshare has been a great platform for this (plus I watch classes myself all the time!).

Connecting

  • Sent 2 Newsletters
  • Wrote about 6 blog posts (I think more but I lost some in the new website design)
  • Posted irregularly on Facebook and Instagram

Overall this was my most lacking part of my year. I set a goal of a newsletter per month and a blog post per week. I obviously didn’t even come close. This is an area I have flagged for work on in 2018!

Marketing

  • Redesigned my webite, again! I think it is just my nature to have to change it every few years. Read about my other reasons why here.
  • Updated my ‘brand’ look on my business cards, website, etc., to reflect my more current work.

This was long overdue. I had a sentimental attachment to the Beach Bunny painting that has been my icon for years. But the painting is 13 years old and the subject is almost 17 years old!

Stay tuned…next post will be about my 2018 goals!