If you haven’t read my full reflection of my transition out of the corporate world, I highly recommend checking it out! This post here, however, is a dedicated deep dive into the realities of running an art business and my biggest challenges from this past year.
Nothing is ever as shiny and exciting as what we present to the world on the internet. I believe it’s important to reflect on these challenges—not only to process what I’ve been through, but also to help others understand the reality of running a business on your own. I hope my readers gain a better appreciation for small business owners, especially creative entrepreneurs, and are more inclined to support me and others.
As I reflect on my first year in business, there are the three big challenges that have defined this past year, and I'm sure will continue to in years to come.
The Prolonged Slow Times
I quit my corporate job in the summer of 2023, just a few months before the holiday season. This gave me a huge boost and a rocket launch into sales for my new venture. But as the saying goes: what goes up, must come down. The post-holiday slump hit me hard. It was a major reality check and a reminder that small business growth follows seasons, and there will inevitably be long, drawn-out periods where you’ll make little to no money.
This was especially true from January through April 2024. When I set my goals for the new year, I naively predicted I could build an e-commerce function and generate art sales from home. Wrong! I failed to remember that I’d never worked in marketing, and it wasn’t as easy as it seemed. The reality is, about 80% of my income this year has come from in-person markets, which typically run from May to October, with another uptick for the holidays from late November to mid-December.
I suppose for anyone's first year in business, there are lessons we all learn the hard way, and this was one of mine. I was wrong in thinking, "If I build it, they will come." Marketing and showing up online is a full-time job in itself, but I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished so far. I’ve invested time in building an email list, posting consistently on Instagram and Pinterest, and I even started writing this blog—go me! I also have to give credit to my fiancé, Mark, who shared a mantra from his workplace that has really stuck with me: "Hope is not a plan." I’ve taken that to heart and now know that I need to take action if I want to see positive outcomes, especially during those slow periods throughout the year.
Good Art Days and Bad Art Days
It’s really as simple as that. Some days, I create something magnificent and feel like it’s my best work yet. Other days, it feels like I’ve never painted before in my life, and I question whether I even have the right to call myself an artist—hello, imposter syndrome, my old friend.
With this, I’m working on teaching myself that I’m not defined by my bad art days, and they don’t reflect who I am as an artist. A friend recently told me that it takes a long time to train your hand to create what your brain envisions. I find that so fascinating. Sure, some people have innate talent and an eye for art, but at the end of the day, we all need practice. We have to be patient while our hand learns to bring our dreams to life.
The Moving Target
As I hit the one-year mark in my business, I expected to feel jubilant, but instead, I felt a subtle disappointment. How could I still be this far behind after a year? Why haven’t I accomplished more? The tricky part about being your own boss is that the target is constantly moving, and it’s not natural to sit back and congratulate yourself. I recently went bowling with some old coworkers and found myself in conversations where they said things like, “Daphne, what you’re doing is so impressive—you’ve accomplished so much!” But when you’re in it, it doesn’t feel like that. There’s always someone doing better, accomplishing more, or moving faster.
The crazy thing is, if I could go back and tell my past self what I’m doing now, she would be so proud. So heading into year two, I’m going to make time to acknowledge and celebrate my accomplishments.
As I pull back the curtain on small business life, you can see it’s not all pretty paint palettes. However, after a year in, I’m finally starting to come to terms with the realities of running an art business. The challenges and struggles are unavoidable parts of the process, and no one has ever accomplished great things without encountering obstacles along the way. In fact, creating beautiful art and a sustainable business can only be achieved through perseverance. So, it’s about time I start rolling with the punches—because if I made it through year one, I believe I can make it through many more.
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