Sign I made for the Palate 2 Palette Event
Ok, so maybe blogging isn’t my strongest skill. I want to work on that, I really do! But, I want to report that I didn’t give up, I have actually been earning some money through art.
I have always loved calligraphy. I started with a calligraphy set my parents gave me when I was nine, and never really stopped. A few years ago I started taking classes from Carol Gray in Atlanta (highly recommend her by the way!) As I addressed more envelopes for friends and family (and even for my own wedding), I thought more and more about lettering professionally. But wow, that seemed pretty scary. What if I messed up and my client was “real client” and not a friend?
Here’s the taking action part:
Last summer, I got the courage to deliver some samples and pricing sheet to two local Chattanooga shops, Shadow Box Paperie and Cynthia Howell. Just that seemingly small action got the ball rolling, and my business has increased steadily.
That seemed like a pretty easy thing to do, and it really was a small action. But, it was a big deal for me. I had plenty of people telling me my work was good, but it’s hard to believe sometimes. Oddly, it’s easier to believe from strangers – I figure that my friends are my friends and will always tell me nice things. But, taking one small action in the right direction propelled me pretty darned far toward my goal of supporting myself with my art. Now… if I can only apply this same idea for my paintings…
