here is number 6 out of 10 studio warm up paintings. its designy, not painterly. but i can't help it design is where my mind is now. when i can't think it's always about birds.
*little photochoppin' on the original*
a preview of the new business should clear up why. what i am developing is a line of christmas stuff, which includes ornaments like this bug, and one-sheet wrapping papers, boxes, gift tags and cards. i hope i will be ready for the international gift market in January 2009. i am having a mini-showroom opening this june with a few invited retailers to test market the line.
having been an illustrator that did mostly assigned work, meaning, other people's concepts, it is fun to create my own products. but then again, its not a sure thing as before (on the money front) and i never know whether or not others will like the stuff as much as i do. or like it enough to buy it. the ornaments are all hand made which means (relatively) expensive. however if they can sell as collectibles then i should be able to get some capital investment to manufacture...although more and more i am wondering how that would work.
i have settled on 8 out of 14 ornaments to start with. they are: the bug, a husky like dog, a flop earred hound-like dog, a cat, a mouse, an otter, a monkey, and a bear. i couldnt photograph the others it is too windy outside right now.
im a little scared. okay, a lot scared. i don't know if this will fly. by the time i take it live i will have invested almost a solid 9 months on the project. all my savings are in this. every chip i have has been pushed to the middle pile; betting everything on it.
last week i had a panic attack and started looking at craig's list for a job. im not qualified to do anything. im not joking. entrepreneurship is my only option. i recognize fear is what makes me look backwards; fear of failure, fear of loss, of ridicule, of disappointing others, of embarrassment, and all the usual interior threats. i have to press forward however it turns out. if theres one thing i really believe its that the best possible road to take is to think up your on gig and do it.
also mr. she announced to me a few weeks ago he would like to move to Chile, where he was born. so added to my day is 30 minutes of rosetta stone spanish class. which will come in quite handy whether we ever immigrate to south america or not. i love rosetta stone. its really really fun. and we are going to soon go to a spanish only policy in our household. won't that be fun?
obviously blogging is becoming a luxury of time i don't have. and, i think sparringk9 has about run it's course. im sure to reinvent myself again, but the next blog will be in service of the studio; an extension of the soon to finally be launched website. so that's my story for now. but there are still four more painting exercises to come.
* i will be at chickory for a while so no new paintings this week - no scanner in the woods*
Labels: art, birds, illustration, my new bidness, ornament, painting, preparing to exit
