A challenging but rewarding month
September felt like a significant month and something of a proper start as a full-time artist. Although I went full-time in July, I had only just completed my A-levels, and in August I was away on holiday for a couple of weeks. They were still very busy months workwise, and I got lots done, but in terms of running my own business, September felt like the real beginning. I was excited to get going, but as it turned out, September was the hardest month yet.
First, I was ill, and when you are self-employed that means no income or not much progress. Thankfully, I made a quick recovery but had to work hard to catch up. Then, for each commission I had lined up there was a challenge of some sort to overcome, including sourcing some rare extra large pastel mat and finding and purchasing a bespoke frame. All were eventually overcome, and by the end of the month I had completed several drawings that I’m very proud of.
One of them was a large A2 pastel pet portrait of a cat. I really enjoyed working in pastels again and would love to do more. I also got my first 4x4 commission in September with a lovely reference photo so I’m really looking forward to starting on that soon.
There are lots of other highlights that I’m really thankful for, including being accepted for a business grant, creating a new and improved website, and a massive increase in the number of people following me on Instagram. Most of my commissions currently come through Instagram so that's a really encouraging sign for the future success of my business.
So that was September… and as I’m posting this, it’s halfway through October already! Time is going by really fast in the run up to Christmas, and there is lots still to do. I have several more commissions to complete including my biggest one yet. I'm also creating some prints and Christmas cards. Those that are following me on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook may already know about some exciting developments in October but I'll be sure to fill you in more fully in a future blog. If you have not subscribed yet, why not sign up now?