06.13.23
Reposting an Entry from my closed Patreon blog! ]
This past month has been a wild ride! I feel like I’ve stepped into a whole new world with a whole new perspective on my work, especially with the prepping and happening of my first art booth at Comicpalooza, over the weekend of May 26-28 !
I showcased my illustrations, my tarot deck, handmade jewelry, stationery, blind envelopes & more! I also got to demonstrate some live watercolor painting while my SO Daniel demonstrated his woodburning skills in our collab pieces!
A little booth tour Reel : here
My shop! : here
Since I booked for this huge event back in January, I spent February and onward doing everything: getting 58 different prints made, stickers, a pin and charm, and I definitely started creating a lot of different jewelry pieces like bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and keychains. This, all on top of creating and designing my website and shop, doing logistics and gathering supplies, was overwhelming of a start! But the prospects of getting to do events, seeing people enjoy my work, and making friends along the way, have kept me going through the many moments of self-doubt. Would anything sell? Am I delusional in thinking I could make a living doing this? I found peace in knowing that, succeed or fail, I have fun making different things, and I DO have the power to make anything I set my mind to.
Here I am, at comicpalooza, having met only 50% of my preparation goals — and I made over $2.2k during the weekend! I know there were several factors stacked against me already: the entry fee was high, the economy^tm, rent was due for most, many couldnt show because of other events going on. I was also wedged between 2 massive booths that hid me away a little, and most artists struggled to make booth fees.
But even so, it was very encouraging to know I could weather these factors all at once, and come out the other side with a new first achievement! ..and many new friends!
I lot of unexpected responses to my merch!
First off, a lot of my original art was at the forefront of attention, rather than fan art! My most expensive item, my Eternal Tarot card decks, were flying off the shelves fast! While i did have an array of jewelry that got positive comments, people went for surprise packages. Those sold out! And they were just a last minute afterthought! People were actually interested in getting tarot readings and learning about my work, and willing to buy my high end items like canvases as well. All my jewelry piece types had equal love across the board.
I experimented with selling matching bracelet that can be bought as only a pair. I had a matching set called Tears of Locke en Kea, where both bracelets were of the same style, but one white and the other black, one with a lock and the other with a key. Then, the perfect duo of elves, one a light elf and the other a dark elf, snatched it up and I felt so complete. 😌✨
I might not appeal to the masses with my lack of fan art so far, however, I was pleasantly surprised by how many people came and said I had exactly what they’ve been looking for. That warmed my heart. 🖤
Before and after Comicpalooza, I also made some online sales as well! I never knew how fun packaging orders would be until now! I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of making little handwritten notes to the recipients.~
Sure, there were plenty of bumps along the way, but this new journey of mine taught me that old hobbies, old dreams never die, no matter how impossible. Everything will have its day, as long as we don't give up on them! I still have a long way to go, but I've learned to take it all in, one day at a time, and to remember my mission of bringing more magic into the world through art. ~ 🌙✨
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