I wrote this post on Monday, got busy, and only realized on Tuesday that I’d never hit publish. Funny how that happens when you’re juggling more than you used to.
If you’ve followed this blog for a while, you’ve probably noticed I’m not posting with the same consistency I have for the previous 15 years. It wasn’t a plan. As the year went on, I kept dropping “write a blog post” further down my to-do list. Traffic and income from the blog have been tapering off (I go into that in detail https://missmustardseed.com/what-ive-been-up-to-lately/“>here), and when that happens, something else has to move up. I’m a creative type, sure. But I’m pragmatic enough to read the profit and loss report and follow the effort that’s actually paying.
Right now, that’s my art. It’s the most profitable branch of the business, the place where the interesting things are happening, and the reason I’ve had more work than a single day can hold. I never dreamed the oil painting hobby I picked up in 2017 would grow into a real business and then become the star of it. Close behind: my books. One just launched (https://missmustardseed.com/“>Move Slow & Make Things went live September 1), one is in layout, and one I’m still writing. I figure out the balance day by day, in small increments.
What’s been happening
The big surprise this month: my fine art prints are now available on https://www.faire.com/“>Faire, the wholesale platform where independent retailers buy from makers. If you run a shop and want to carry prints like mine, that’s the place to look. A friend of mine, Emily Lex, runs a similar creative business and pivoted to watercolor a few years back, so I tapped her when I was figuring my next move. Her advice: get the prints on Faire. I finally did.
The orders kept coming
The first few days were quiet. We were still setting up, polishing the listings, and I was bracing myself for a slow start that would need advertising to jump-start it. Then one morning there was an order. Then another. Then another. Now they’re coming in at 2-3 a day. That doesn’t sound like a lot on its own, but retailers are ordering dozens to over 100 prints at a time, so it adds up fast. I’ve been running out of packing and shipping supplies, and I’ve come to a simple conclusion: the current set-up won’t survive a bigger volume.
Here’s the part that makes it all worth it: selling prints is scalable. Eventually I won’t be the one boxing up orders — I can hire someone to handle that and get back to painting and writing. For now I’m the packing station, which means a lot of evenings and weekends. My partner Jeff helps when his schedule allows, but it’s still mostly on me. I’m refining the system as it runs, and it’s slow, but it’s working.
What’s next
With the prints taking off, I’m looking at what else could work. I’m ordering samples and testing ideas, and I’d like to have new products out before the holidays — though I’ll say “we’ll see” until I’ve seen them.
One unexpected bonus of listing on Faire: it’s reconnected me with people who once carried my old products or knew my furniture work, and who now stock my prints. I’ve had a lot of kind messages from folks who’d lost track of what I was up to. It’s a reminder that in a business like this, things don’t stay still for long.
So that’s where I’ve been. The blog gets a bit less of me for a while, the art gets a lot. I’ll be back posting more often once the packing system can run without me. If you want to see what’s actually shipping out of here, the https://www.faire.com/“>shop is on Faire — and I’ll have new things coming before the holidays.
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