Studio Notes 14 - This Month Didn’t Go How I Planned
A very full month that forced me to choose priorities and what I'm going to do differently in June.
Hello Lovely,
I hope you’re doing okay and enjoying what summer has to offer? With temperatures reaching over 30 degrees in the UK today AND me going on holiday1 it’s really starting to feel like summer here.
As always I just want to remind you of the intention of these Studio Notes. They’re here for us to gather together in a cosy virtual circle and check in with how we’re getting on, pause, reflect and then set our intentions for the month ahead. Here’s how May went for me…
How was May?
May has felt like it’s demanded a lot from me. My routine has been disturbed a lot and I just haven’t quite been able to really settle into my goals. May has felt like I’m only just keeping my head above the water and everything else has needed to take a back seat. There have been lots of fun things like holidays and evenings out with my friends but we also had Tilly spayed this month which has taken up a lot of time and emotional energy keeping her calm and comfortable.
What went well?
The very first few days of May I went away for a long weekend with my parents and Tilly to Dorset where we had a really lovely chilled weekend together.
Money has been flowing in this month which I’m quite relived about. May has been my best month financially, mostly because I’ve been really quite busy with scenic work.
Getting 8 new artworks listed in my store. I launched 8 new original pieces of art into my online store and promoted them for 2 weeks. As of today I still haven’t sold a piece but I am SO pleased that I followed through and got those artworks into my online store. It was a lot of work and it feels good to have given my online store an update.
I met my bursary mentor for the first time and we had a really lovely chat - I’m practicing talking about my work in real life and I’m proud of myself for that.
I’ve continued to apply to a variety of art opportunities and really put myself out there. I also got an acceptance into a local art gallery group show which is a big deal for me.
What stalled?
Making the art. I’ve made one small piece of art all month. I’m hoping that I’ll make 2 more small pieces over the next couple days before I go away2 but I feel really disconnected with my creativity at the moment which I’m kind of sad about.
I still haven’t spent or done much towards my big bursary project which is something I really need to prioritise once I’m back from my holiday.
I feel like I didn’t put my all into selling my 8 new artworks which I feel annoyed with myself about.
Did I do what I wanted in May
Get back to making painting a priority. - I would LOVE to get at least 6 sketchbook paintings made and to finish the big painting that I have on my easel.
Look how optimistic I was. I’ve barely created any art this month.3 I’m trying not to be too hard on myself about it and see this month as a season of selling but it’s a tough pill to swallow when you’ve done a fair amount of work but not actually sold anything either.
The rest of this post is for paying subscribers. For the cost of a coffee and a cake each month you could gain access to my full archive, most intimate behind the scenes moments and my biggest learnings from life as an artist.
