Whew!  Emily Jeffords’ Share the Work challenge has been a great ride!  We’ve plumbed the depths of meaning in art, unraveled the mystery of the collector, and quelled the chaos of my brain to come up with a brand board.

The final day asked us to do something very simple, but also difficult.  Do something bold!  After much inner turmoil, I’ve decided my bold action would be to start a new Instagram account!  This has been weighing on me for a long time because I already curate several IG accounts and didn’t want to do more work, but honestly, after deep thought spurred on by this course, I realize the folks who like my fine art work definitely are not the same folks who like my illustration and geeky character art.  It was time to give both of these bodies of work the space they need to breathe!  Meanwhile, I’ll sort out the other IG accounts to see if I could lessen my workload.

So with that in mind, I’ve created AngelicShadesArt, the new space for my Fine Art and Art Nouveau identity!  It feels so good to know I won’t scare off Fine Art collectors with art of the dumb thing my D&D character I did smattered between my Birthstone Goddesses pieces on AngelaSasserArt.  While I’m certain there are some art collectors out there who might love my geekery, I don’t think this different mood elevates my fine art pieces in the way that I’d like, while also sending a confused branding message to my Followers.  

Feel free to give my brand new IG account some love if you like my Birthstone Goddesses and other Fine Art work!  I’ll be cleaning up my AngelaSasserArt account and moving all of that Fine Art work to the new account, instead.

 

In the five days I’ve been working through Emily’s prompts, I’ve learned so much about myself and my own vision.  I’ve decided to make the big investment into her Making Art Work course which is focused on the kinds of things I feel I’m lacking in my current business, clear branding, reaching collectors, etc.  After 2020 threw a huge wrench into my plans by canceling all of my shows where I planned to debut all the art I’ve been making in the past 5 years, my strategy needs to shift! 

 

Here’s a peek at all the modules of MAW that I’m SUPER STOKED to dive into in March:

 

I hope you enjoyed this look into the thought processes of a creative entrepreneur!  It’s a business like no other and I’m excited to dive even deeper to what this means for me in the coming year that’s presented such a different landscape for me as an art biz.  I leave you with the empowering mantra that Emily prompted us to write for ourselves:

Like my Goddesses, I will be powerful, balanced, and beautiful.  I will believe in my workings and share my blessings.

Today was the dreaded evaluation where we take a look at ourselves and our biz and decide what we’re doing well or not so well on.  Emily’s positivity carried me through this day with her insistence that this is a chance to grow and do something new and to make our biz meet our vision.  The worksheet asks us to rate ourselves on our performance in several sectors, from how we feel we’re reaching collectors, how we’re prospering, how consistent is our aesthetic, etc.

The Verdict?  I’m not as bad off as I thought.  My art is there and that’s the key, but I’m definitely struggling with presentation, branding, and feeling overwhelmed by my multi-faceted business.  If you’d like to get the full evaluation form, you can see it here before it disappears in a few days.   I’ve omitted including all of the questions here for brevity’s sake.

Have a look at some of the things I settled about my Birthstone Goddesses today.  It felt good to make them so concrete after a long time spent talking about them without a unifying intention beyond ‘because I like these things’.  There were also some unexpected questions about what my biz believes in and what brings me joy.  Joy really is key, huh?  Read on for more:

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Look Back, Move Forward
Make Something Remarkable
Evaluate where your heart, mind, & business is right now.

CORE VALUES:  Feminine empowerment, diverse beauty, inner peace, self-improvement, appreciate of art and nature.

HIGHEST WORK:  The main series of the Birthstone Goddesses (and the upcoming additional paintings of them that I’m planning).

TASKS THAT BRING ME THE MOST JOY & HELP ME REACH MY BUSINESS GOALS:

• Creating interesting paintings that make people feel awed and inspired
• Creating a book for this series that allows me to indulge my love of writing and fantastical stories
• Making wearable designs that make people feel beautiful and empowered.

WHAT OPINIONS DOES YOUR BUSINESS HOLD?

Diversity is beautiful.  Feminine aspects and stories should be celebrated.

WHAT DOES YOUR BRAND STAND AGAINST? 

Racism, the loss of fine art techniques like leathercrafting, and the loss of appreciation for beauty in vintage movements like Art Nouveau.

WHICH AREAS NEED YOUR ENERGY THE MOST RIGHT NOW

1. Finding collectors and building sustainability.
2. Clarifying my “highest art”.
3. Better product photos and clearer aesthetic.
4. Refining the Birthstone Goddesses website’s shopping experience.