Keeping up with the times as a small creative business owner.
Do you like having a peek into behind the scenes of running a small creative business?
Well today’s your lucky day.
The next event on the retail calendar is Valentines Day. A big one for lots, a sad one for many, and probably a whole lot of indifference from others.
Personally I’m a sucker for a bit of romance and a love story. I’m not going to deny it, I love a good rom com. There I said it.
I also love giving and receiving small tokens of affection and love from friends, loved ones and my man. It warms me to know that I have been on someone’s mind.
Let’s face it, we all love to be thought of. It gives you a little feel good boosts and makes you feel loved and cared for. Of course we need to provide that for ourselves but its still good to receive it from others too.
Who’s to say that even if you don’t have a partner or companion at this time of the year that you can’t do this for your friends and loved ones.
As an artist and illustrator one of the goals I have in my business is to expand my greetings card designs and prints to help me build a catalogue for wholesale. This helps to diversify my income and take on a new revenue stream. It’s important as a small creative business to not solely rely on one source of income.
It can be a rocky road when running a small business and also comes with a level of risk. By putting all your focus on one source of income you open yourself up to more risk because if anything was to happen, you don’t have another income stream to fall back on.
It’s about setting yourself up in business the right way. That’s why I not only run an illustration side of my business which focuses on paper goods, I am also a Creative Virtual Assistant. This helps me to hone in my business strategy, content marketing and creative skills to be able to offer to other businesses which need support.
Let’s shift back to the new designs that I am launching for this Valentines Day.
I wanted to be more inclusive with my art and illustrations so decided to diversify. I have created four mandala inspired line work pieces that show appreciation for the LGBTQ+ and that love can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.
It feels good that my portrait skills over the last year have come on so much that I can actually draw people. There is still a whole lot of improvement to do but It feels good to see the progress I have made.
From someone who was never “naturally” talented with drawing when I was young and has committed and dedicated a lot to practice. I’d say I’m doing pretty well.
And with that I’d like to introduce you to the new care cards. These don’t just need to be for valentines day. They’re a great way to show your favourite people you’re thinking of them throughout the year.
One thing that is important to me is that my designs aren’t just one time cards. I have a passion for art and creativity but also want to play my part in looking after our beautiful planet too. The sentiment of each design means that they can be used as wall art after they have served their purpose as a greetings card. Plus they are also printed on recycled cardstock and come in a compostable sleeve.
