welcome to this thursday’s #mythursdaythreads.

as an artist, you are the creative director, marketing department, web designer, and face of your own business.  you have to be on your game at all times to establish, promote, and maintain your client base.  thankfully, i have my husband of 12 years as my right-hand man; he’s recently become my official manager.  he still has his day job as a toxicologist, sure, but he’s also my compass, keeping me on track when i’m, you know, being all right-brained and shit.  he’s a saint.

still, it’s tiring.  even if you aren’t an artist, any entrepreneur or self-employed creator knows that this isn’t always a nine-to-five job (or, noon-to-midnight job, because i don’t really do mornings, tbh).  the struggles of working long hours and inevitable failures are intense, but the success… wow, there’s not much else that can rival that elation, that feeling of satisfaction and validity.

retail therapy:  scandinavian comfort

i recently had a “happy dance” moment in my budding career:  i managed to break into the retail scene!  a local modern furniture store, scandinavian comfort (at 59th and college in indy, http://www.scandinaviancomfort.com), is featuring (you know, selling!) many of my original paintings.  we drove by today (it’s seriously on my way to almost everything), and i saw one of my pieces hanging front and center in the store window.  oh-em-eff-gee.  it was surreal and squeal-worthy and all the good things.  marketing alert:  you should visit scandinavian comfort.  if you’re in the indy area, stop in and say “hi” to the fantastic owner, debbie turner, and see if anything happens to catch your eye.  or i’m sure we could work out a shipping deal if you’re not in the 317.

so, yeah, i am thrilled to be doing and sharing what i love with an ever-evolving audience.  that doesn’t mean there won’t be more valleys in the future (because, you know, #life), but i like to roll with the punches.  branching out feels good; there’s nothing quite as rewarding as stepping out of your comfort zone.  next stop:  vlogging?

cheers, y’all.
– stacey