At the studio:
I had been subletting part of my studio (hence the crowded busy mess) for the past few months to a former summer intern of mine while she prepared for an exhibition here in Vancouver, so things at the studio got pretty crazy crowded especially in the last month or so. Lots of work was made in this 340 sq ft space. So much work, so little space, but it all got made (more or less!) and fired and Kelly's show has been a near sell-out so I'm so pleased she was able to have a place to make.
As for the work that I make, I sent off about 5 early spring orders to shops and galleries, and am on another 3 that are estimated to be finished later this month and into May. My online sales have tapered off after I scrambled to keep up with teapot sales when my teapot was featured in Bon Appetit magazine. It's always a bit hard to predict how busy one will get with features. It feels really hit and miss these days so I try to keep my expectations pretty low-key and feel really blessed when something does turn into a sale after being featured. Anyone else feel the same way?
The website is getting an overhaul! Still in the initial stages, but I met with my friend and graphic designer, Tyler Payne a week ago and we got the ball rolling. It's hard to imagine that in 2007, we sat down to design my current site with my concept of what 'dahlhaus' would be, and 1 round of photography from work I made with the launch of dahlhaus in mind. So much has changed online in the last 6 years- how people use websites, what devices they are using to look stuff up online, and also the function of websites has really changed over the last few years. Initially we designed my website as a portfolio and now people have come to expect to be able to purchase the work from images that they see on a website, so it will have a shop focus, with a link to my portfolio. I'm really looking forward to a fresh look so stay tuned!!
Work/life balance, anyone? I think when you work for yourself, and you do something you truly do enjoy doing, a person can get really busy and wrapped up in making pretty much all the time. Or instagramming, twittering, facebooking, emailing, texting, pinteresting, and, oh, yeah, blogging. It's gotten a bit much and I was really starting to crave some real face-time with other artists, makers, friends and family, instead of just slaving away in the studio or being online. It's been really good to connect for real and there are still a few people I've been meaning to see. On that front, it has also been somewhat comforting to know that I'm not alone in some of the struggles I face as a full-time maker. There are a lot of us in the same boat, all trying to sort out a way to create viable and sustainable small businesses based on our creative endeavors and talents. It's not as easy as it sounds.
So I probably won't be here much in the next month or so, just piping in to let you know about a few up-coming events that will be happening in May. We are in open house mode at our house where our landlord is currently selling our place. We've been here for the past 7 years, so it has felt very much like home to us. It will be hard to leave, but we have had a good run of this house as renters. Can't complain too much.
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