Time's Catching Up: making big changes

Everything has to change at some point. We rearrange furniture, move, meet new friends, watch old ones move away--even our bodies change, we grow, cells die, new ones are born. In the end, it's all the work of that ticking crocodile from Peter Pan as time catches up with us.

The Cardinal -- retiring on April 6th

 Time has caught up with my little business. Since beginning in May, 2010, I have made many changes to the way I present my work and sell it, but not much to the actual work itself. For the last year, things have been pretty static. I even sold most of the same designs I have been carrying from the beginning! Customers who had bought a cardinal necklace from me in November of 2010 could buy it from me again and it would look almost identical. Because every single one of my pieces is an original tiny painting this meant I was often painting the same things I had been painting for far too long. The feeling of stagnation was starting to creep in and get to me, but I didn't really do anything about it.

My husband and I in the Appalachians shortly before we moved to Asheville

Early this month, my husband--who had been a huge help in my business by keeping the books, shipping, and boosting the morale--left for basic training in the US Air Force. Before he left, I thought, "No big deal, I can handle this--easy." Once he was gone, though, it hit me like a bomb had gone off in my life. It didn't help that our lease had ended and I was having to leave beautiful Asheville, North Carolina at the same time. I was a mushy mess for about a week.

When the dust settled, however, I was left reflecting on how I had gotten here and where I wanted to go now. My husband's career would now occupy most of his time and though I can count on him in the future to help with little things, there's no knowing how much time he'll be able to devote--certainly not what he used to. I took a couple of days really thinking about what I wanted and where I saw my art going. I didn't think about it from a business standpoint, but from the standpoint of a creative person who was ready for the new and tired of the old.

Last week, I set to work picking out designs to retire. I began listing old designs with free shipping and prepared to get them out and make way for newer things. I began looking more thoroughly into precious metal options and I began to paint the more detailed pieces like I like even though I can't replicate them as well as the simpler pieces. This means that rather than being able to duplicate the majority of my work, most of it will now be one of a kind. I really like the thought of that and how much that uniqueness will enhance the pieces. To add to this, I've started to really focus on how my photographs are styled rather than just snapping a shot of the piece against white. I wanted to tell even more of a story with my images. 

Cherry Blossoms -- limited edition necklace with new photo styling

Have you taken a look at your work recently and felt like it's time for a change, or are you completely happy with where things are? I say, there's no better time than the present to shake off the old and look ahead. 

Good luck!