A review of 2023

The highs and lows of running an art business

Dear Reader

Hello and welcome to my first post of the year!

I thought this would be a good time to have a look back over 2023 and review what happened in my business; what worked and what didn’t and what I hope and plan to do in 2024.

If you're new here then this will give you a good overview of what I generally do and if you’re a regular reader then enjoy this refresher of what I got up to in 2023.

You may like to bookmark this one as it may be a long one to digest in one sitting!

January

First map of the year created for Ferment Mag

This was the month I launched my first course I had solely written, filmed and published - called The Joy of Sketching on location or JOS for short. I had started thinking about it in the previous May, having been let down by a large online learning provider earlier in the year.

Over the Summer I wrote a curriculum and copious notes, worked out my shots and filmed it on location Sept-November, I then edited and advertised it over December and January.

It was an exhilarating ride with lots of things I had to learn on the job, including writing a sales page and getting to grips with the Teachable platform.

As I had started taking sales before the course had been finished (my thinking was once someone bought it, I was locked in to finishing it) timing was quite tight to get the course ready for launch on the 9th. However knowing that I work best under deadlines it got me over the finish line.

I’m really happy with the final outcome and delighted to have had over 100 students participate in the course over the year. This may seem small in comparison to larger platforms but now it’s done I have something to build upon.

Hearing class feedback has also been invaluable and really encouraged me to work towards another course release for this year. (More on that later).

I also started back the Drink and Draw sessions this time at the Shipwrights Inn, a wonderful old thatched pub with views across the Helford River.

February

The majority of this month was spent running the JOS course and answering comments, welcoming students, running live components, doing podcast interviews and generally fielding questions.

I had a couple of client jobs to work on alongside which meant juggling a few plates at once. Perhaps in hindsight I should have just focused on onboarding students and fixing any course glitches. But as I wasn’t entirely sure how many students would enrol back in January I felt I should take on the work to cover my costs.

March

I started this Substack newsletter! I had been thinking about how better to communicate and connect with those interested in my work and was finding my current mailing setup clunky with no flexibility for sharing different media and having an easy read archive of what I get up to.

With Substack I’m able to share podcasts, videos, photos alongside text which keeps it interesting not just for my readers but also for me. I’ve also found that writing is something that I enjoy and when I make time for it helps me process what I do and allows me to share my experience with others.

Starting this newsletter also gave me an opportunity to reflect on what I like to focus on. Giving it the name Seasalt and Serpentine has really helped me to hone in on what I’m about and connected me to where I am geographically.

I’ve really enjoyed creating the Explore and Draw podcast episodes, where I bring listeners out on a sketch walk with me and also sharing my sketchbook pages to give you a closer look. I hope to continue these posts this year.

I would really like to make time to write more Sketchbook Surgery posts as I feel these would certainly be beneficial to others who sketch on location. If you have a burning topic or question you’d like me to explore please do send me a message.

Creative Catchup Podcast

Speaking of Podcasts we started back the Creative Catchup Podcast with myself, Natasha Newton and new addition Kristiāna Doroščonoka aka

Kriksis

. Our first episode of Season 3 went live on the 1st April.

April

Back in January my potter/painter friend Pippa invited me to share her space for Open Studios week together with textile artist Fiona Brown at the end of May. I jumped at the opportunity to be able to share my sketchbooks and run some workshops in her beautiful studio space at Lowenek. It also gave me the incentive to think about producing work from my sketchbook drawings.

So over the month I worked out what kind of card designs and giclee prints I could create from my work, bought a scanner, and sourced printers.

I also landed a new client which was nice and gave me to the opportunity work on some Cornwall based maps and imagery.

May

I wrapped up work on this client project and for the rest of the month prepared for Open Studios. Open Studios ran from the 27th May till the 4th June.

Pippa and Fiona relaxing at the end of the week!

It was a beautifully sunny week and such a lovely experience to be a part of. I really enjoyed having somewhere to go each day and chat with a variety of people who came through the door. I had all my sketchbooks on display and also the new range of greeting cards and prints I had planned in April.

I ran 2 workshops in person and had some lovely conversations with people from all over.

A highlight for me was meeting a couple from the states who were over on holiday and made a special trip to come down to the Lizard to see my work in person. They had discovered me through my Youtube Channel so had been following my art journey over there.

I’m looking forward to participating again this year and have put the date below if you plan to visit.

June

One of the many maps created for Glug Magazine this year

My 7-year old computer gradually came to a grinding halt. It had had enough of the massive strain I had been putting it under with all sorts of video and illustrator demands.

I knew it was time to streamline and clear out.

So a lot of time was spent organising, sifting through files, deleting, archiving, transferring.

It wasn’t enough.

I bit the bullet and finally upgraded making sure to buy separate storage for my video work.

Once that was sorted I was also able to take a look at my portfolio website which had slowly been degrading over the years and revamped it to include more recent work and bios.

I did manage to celebrate my Birthday and enjoyed part of the day sketching at Bonython Gardens.

July

This was the second year of running my sketchbook sessions at Roskorwell Lavender farm. The sessions run for 3 hours in either a morning or afternoon with 3 dates to choose from.

This year the weather was a little unpredictable but we still had some beautiful sunny spells.

Due to the farm being off the beaten track it can be a bit more of an adventure than some may want to navigate however anyone who does make it always says how much they have enjoyed the time.

All participants get a warm reception from Sam who provides plenty of tea and cake. I hope to continue running these again this year too.

Christmas in July

Alongside my regular clients I worked on an Advent calendar for Godventure. Quite a departure from my usual map work, I created an elaborate stage play house to tell the story that led up to the birth of Christ.

August

August was largely spent working on my 2024 Sketchbook Calendar scanning in all my sketches from the last year. I also incorporated prompts for each month along with colour palettes that would inspire and motivate.

This was the first year I decided to include lots of my sketchbook pieces rather than create one image per month and I’m so happy I decided to do this.

There was a lot of debate in my mind as to which direction to go, particularly as I hadn’t felt completely satisfied with last year’s calendar so when I chatted it over with my husband and he said I should definitely use my sketchbook drawings I knew that was the way to go!

Collaboration Plans

I met with Pippa to plan for our Autumn Creative Course and spent a fun afternoon translating my sketches on to clay.

September

In September a large chunk of time was spent getting things ready for our group exhibition in October. Along with artist friends Natasha Newton and

Kriksis

we decided to exhibit under the tile ‘Nature’s Palette’.

I thought this would be the perfect time to frame and display all my past calendar originals altogether. I also had the idea to create a sketchbook zine from the larger double page sketches I had been drawing and had them printed ready in time to sell.

A new batch of Physical Postcards was produced for repeating client Dance Centred.

October

At the beginning of October I met up with long-time Youtube friend and American artist

Sandi Hester

. My husband and I travelled up to meet her and her husband in Exeter and spent a really enjoyable day sketching, eating and chatting.

I first met Sandi online when we connected via our Youtube Channels, after a few conversations we both discovered we share a Christian faith and went on to do a few collaborative videos together. It’s been really encouraging to get to know Sandi over the years both artistically and spiritually. Never did I think we would meet in person with her living over the other side of the world but here we are!

Nature’s Palette

Another highlight and big event was my participation in the group exhibition ‘Nature’s Palette’ at Colour, Coast, Canvas Gallery with Natasha Newton and

Kriksis

.

Funnily enough these connections were also made through our Youtube channels.

I haven’t exhibited work in a gallery for years so when Kriksis suggested we do a show together I was both exhilarated and nervous. It was also a great opportunity to show our work together in person and invite people to an event.

I find being able to chat to people about my work in person is so much more fulfilling than just sharing online (although that is probably how many of you have found me and how I have found others) I feel it completes the circle of creating, to see and hear people’s reactions to what you make.

I did quite an honest write up of the event here if you want to read more.

November

Early November Pippa and I hosted our first Creative Autumn Course- a two day collaborative course combining sketching on paper and clay. We both took turns to lead each day in our respective fields.

We were pleasantly surprised at what was achieved in the time we had. Our small group of eager participants responded well to the challenges we set and we’ve had some lovely reviews so far.

We have organised some dates for Spring and hope to run again in Summer too, so take a look if you’re interested -links below.

Record Sales

This video combined with Sandi’s video sharing my calendar and zine together resulted in the busiest season of sales I have ever had.

I sold out of my original print run of 180 calendars and went on to reprint it twice again 65 and 75 respectively to keep up with the demand. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced this in the 10 years of selling online. Yes there’s usually more customers in the lead up to Christmas but over just a weekend I had accumulated more sales than I would usually do in 2 months.

This has obviously slowed now but it was such a massive amount to ship when you’re not expecting it! It was a great boost though and really encouraging. Hopefully I’ll be better prepared next year.

No breakages!

I also organised shipping my framed pieces both domestically and abroad to the states and was so relieved to hear that all packages arrived safe and sound.

Shipping

My steepest learning curve came with navigating shipping to the EU. Little did I know how much more paper work would be involved with this and how even after following all the guidelines a few packages still got returned or got stuck at customs.

I now only ship to the EU through my Folksy shop as they provide an IOSS number and manage the VAT for customers. Although it means there isn’t as much on offer if someone based in the EU did want to buy something they’ve seen in my shop then I’d be happy to organise a custom order through Folksy. Just get in touch directly.

December

The final month of the year was spent feeling quite run down (maybe not a surprise after the previous months work) so my work flow slowed, I still managed to fulfil orders, and repeating client work but anything extra was put on hold.

Last map of the year created for regular client Ferment Mag

Later in the month I started making plans for 2024 and am thrilled to be able announce a couple of things that I’m working on and they should be ready to launch for Springtime.

A New course

My second course Where the Wildflowers Grow will be ready for pre-sales mid February and will go live 1st March.

I’ve been filming this since the first wave of wildflowers appeared last year.

I’ll be introducing you to the wildflowers that grow on the Lizard, taking you on a few sketch walks and then back in the studio take a closer look at how to capture them on your pages with mixed media. We’ll be also have a good look at using a limited colour palette.

An Art retreat

I’ll be running a 2 night Art retreat here on the Lizard 24th-26th April at Penmenner House.

We’ll be filling our days with sketching, walking, eating and talking whilst taking in the sea views at the most southerly point on the Lizard. I’m in the midst of making the final arrangements as you read and bookings will be taken from mid January.

If you’re subscribed to this newsletter you’ll be sent all the details when it’s ready to book. Any questions just send me a message or reply to this email.

And that’s it. 2023 has been an interesting year and definitely stretched me in new and unexpected ways. I have seen growth in my own art practice and online art sales. I’ve seen a drop in the number of businesses I’ve worked with but more repeating clients and higher paying jobs which has meant more time to develop my own products and offerings.

I’m excited to finish my Wildflower course, work collaboratively with others and see what happens with my first art retreat.

I hope you enjoyed this overview and has given you some insight into what it’s like to run an art and illustration business.

Significant Dates for 2024

Wildflower Online Course -Opens March 1st - Registration from mid Feb-make sure you are signed up to receive emails if you are interested here.

Spring Creative Course at Lowenek Art studio 5th-6th April

2-Night Lizard Sketch walk Art Retreat at Penmenner House 24th-26th April - bookings taken from mid January-email will be sent when booking opens.

Open Studios at Lowenek Art Studio May 25th -June 2nd

Summer Creative Course at Lowenek Art studio 12th -13th July

Joint Exhibition at Colour, Coast, Canvas Gallery, Roskilly 5th October