Blog
Monthly updates on what I'm doing and how I'm doing it.
Starting a side business #1
It's been exactly three weeks since my first post, and they've been pretty cool. I've made progress on my goals and learned a lot along the way. Overall, I feel like I'm moving in the right direction. I'm going to make three separate posts centered around the goals mentioned in the last post, starting with the first: selling at artist alleys.
I've been finding more artist alleys and art markets around Portugal. It's been quite a challenge—either my Googling skills are lacking, or there's a serious lack of information about these events online. I'd love to eventually create a resource page with comprehensive lists and links. For now, though, I'll mention a few at the bottom of this post. (provide links). In the future, if everything goes okay, I would enjoy experiencing these kinds of events abroad. Most European capitals have some sort of big event that covers art selling and connecting artists. For now, I crave connection with the local art community.
In preparation for the hypothetical art market I'm using to give myself a deadline, I've been doing a lot of research into business practices and marketing. Selling requires products, and products are something that I don't yet have. I've been wanting to get more products up online on my Etsy shop, but my attention has been elsewhere at the moment. I don't expect much income from this (it's mostly just exciting), and given the fact that I only have one product at the moment, I believe it’ll take me some time to turn that around. The idea is to have a variety of products that I could choose from if I ever wanted to print or make them in real life. People seem to be making stuff in three main ways: making them at home with printers and Cricut (which requires a significant upfront investment), ordering from manufacturers on sites like Alibaba or Vograce (which seems practical but raises sustainability concerns), or using a combination of both. The first option gets cheaper in the long run, while the second is just more practical. The balance perhaps lies in local companies, supporting small businesses, and forming new connections in the community. The downsides here are a slight increase in prices and a significant decrease in options.
Given the lack of resources on artists' experiences with markets, I’m thinking of asking around some artists and convention organizers about this and publishing it. I think it’s important to get some sort of written statements online on dealing with Portuguese art markets, where those markets and alleys are, the upfront costs, return on investment, and the feasibility of doing this full-time.
I'm still working on my website. Even though it might seem silly, I see it as a prerequisite to doing anything else career-wise. Right now, it's a bit chaotic—a place where I store my past and ongoing projects. I'm taking baby steps with the whole website design thing. It's probably the area I've dreaded the most in the arts.
I've learned a lot about business this past month, including many weird terms I'd never heard before. Even though I'm not fond of business talk, in today's world, it's necessary to know your stuff. I still have no idea what of I'm doing, but maybe by the next post I'll have some clue.
Less than a month to start college again. I’m definitely feeling a mix of excitement and anxiety. It's like 30/70 ratio. My expectations for this year are high but hopefully realistic. After a few floundered attempts at taking a degree, and two years trying to figure it out, I’m finally at a place where I feel it will be a success.
I'll be putting new-found knowledge on this page