Artist new year reflections
Happy New Year!… Its been a while since my last blog post.. I’ve been busy with life but thought now is a good time to post by reflecting on the last year.
So let’s go back to the beginning, 2024 was an important year for me. It’s the year I decided to take my art practice seriously, not just a hobby anymore but a business that I could grow and possibly turn into a full time career. Long term of course, I know these things take time. First thing I did was think about exposure… how could I put myself out there? Build a following, get people interested in my work? Exposure became my word for the year, rather than a new years resolution. I actually stuck to it unlike failed resolutions I’ve left behind year after year!
So exposure… what does that mean. For me it meant more time on socials, a great way to market yourself but can be a negative place to be too (I’ll go into that bit more later). So I started regularly posting on Instagram and Facebook, did my first live stories which was terrifying… until you realise no one actually cares about it as much as you do! ha ha ha. Did I get the thousands of followers I expected to get… no… but I grew a little and made some nice connections with fellow artists which is always positive.
Another area I focused on was art events. Now that’s scary! can’t hide behind your phone like on socials. You are there in the flesh all smiles and ready to take whatever criticism comes your way.
I exhibited at 3 different events, all arts and crafts fairs local to me. They were all very different, different sizes, different demographic. The first one was very quiet and felt like a complete waste of time… I almost didn’t bother with the others but I’m glad I did. The second was a small fair but had an alternative vibe. I loved it, met some great people, got a lot of interest and made some sales! The last one was the biggest, a weekend show. It was very busy, made some sales but I’m not sure it was the right demographic. I know my work is a little dark and not for everyone so I expected some criticism, art is very personal after all.
Now, would I do more art fairs in the future? Yes I would, although they were very tiring and take a lot of effort they are the best place to meet people and build those relationships with people who love art. I signed up a lot of people to my newsletter at these events which have since brought me further sales. I will be more particular about which fairs I do in the future though. But lessons learned, you have to start somewhere!
I’ve already got my first art fair place for 2025, it’s in Harrogate in March. Here’s the link if you want to find out more.
This is the next step up for me, it’s a much larger event, the most expensive I’ve done so far so I’m hopeful it will do well!… Fingers crossed.
So onto the negatives I mentioned earlier about social media. Although socials are a great space, they are free after all and give us the ability to speak to a wide audience but they have their drawbacks.
Firstly, the pressure. The constant need to post more content becomes too much to bear… I feel like I can’t actually paint or do anything without filming it or taking pictures! Completely ruins the enjoyment for me and puts me off painting. Isn’t that the whole point… for me to paint!
Secondly, it’s terribly addictive, I tell myself I’m just going on to do a quick story or post and next thing I know it’s 3 hours later and I’ve been scrolling mindlessly through reels watching stupid, pointless videos that I don’t even remember! Definitely not good for my mental health… complete waste of time too.
Lastly, instagram I feel has become a very negative space, full of trolls and lies and people using it to get a rise out of you. It’s not the space it used to be. I want to feel that sense of community like the early days of instagram and Facebook. so i’m giving substack a go! I will still use instagram, it is still a useful tool, but I will make a conscious effort to use it much less this year.
So onto 2025…. what learnings will I take into the new year, has this journalling given me some ideas? Actually yeah! well that was a good idea wasn’t it! Might have to do this again…. ha ha
For sure my first learning is with social media and how I use it in the future, to be mindful of the time spent on it and not put so much pressure onto myself to constantly post things. I want to focus my time on more meaningful content, like substack and youtube. maybe focusing my time on a few longer videos a year rather than posting several quick reels a month will feel like a better use of my time. Managing all these different channels is a balancing act and can easily overwhelm you. So I need to be mindful of that. Balance… that’s a good word! Maybe that should be my word of the year for 2025!
I’ll also take my learnings from Art fairs into 2025, to try and remember how useful they are even if they are tiring and mean I have to be nice and smily and speak to people…. (I’ve realised I’m quite the introvert this past year… ha ha), they will be worth it and maybe in time I can build a relationship with a gallery who can do all the talking for me! Maybe that’s a goal for 2026.