Art & Creativity: Watching the "Season" Wind Down...

And so, another holiday "season" draws to a close.

I suppose that doesn't mean a whole lot for many artists, but because I make something generally small and "gifty," I tend to also experience some of the seasonality people in the regular retail business experience.

On the whole, it seems like 2019 was somewhat of a "down year."

A set of 7 matching mandala stones, decorated in colors matching the 7 Chakras

All the outside shows and events we went to — except for one — saw declining sales.

All three of our online stores experienced declining sales for the year.

We "lost" one wholesale account and "gained" a different one, resulting in a net decline, although that may change, in time.

Why Ask "Why?"

For the most part, I'm going to avoid engaging in endless microanalysis of whether or not something went "wrong," or we are just looking at general trends in the creative field.

I'm more interested in exploring what we might do differently in the year ahead.

In that area, one thing I am looking forward to is just being able to dedicate more time to develop Alchemy Stones and create new designs.

One of the positive lights for the year was creating a Patreon account and starting to build a support network there.

Perhaps a bit prosaic, but people really like hearts...

Perhaps the most important thing we'll be focusing on for 2020 is building a better social media presence. Of course, that's one of those things where we say "all you need is TIME!"

Thankfully, my wife is really good at social media... and she's quite happy to help out.

I am also looking forward to adding a couple more online sales venues, and to keeping the ones we already have more fully stocked. When your art endeavors are "VERY part time," there's definitely a limit to how impressive you can be!

And, of course, I am hoping we can continue to build support through the Patreon campaign... even though many tell me it is hard work to keep such a venue active, and a flow of Patrons going.

White stones are rarely smooth and crack-free enough to paint on

Of course, I'd also like to become a more regular poster with this blog here in the World of Steem.

In the meantime, I mostly wanted to say "thanks" to everyone who has followed and supported my creative efforts here, and to wish everyone a very happy Holiday Season!

I will be back with a new post after the New Year!

2019.12.27 AS-TXT-025