The Journey So Far.

As I said in my about information, I never set out to be an artist or create an art business. I worked in the holistic therapy field, and for many years I loved it. I loved being able to help people. I thought that was my life's purpose, and maybe, in some way, it still is. A combination of getting ill and itchy feet meant I wanted to do something new. So I put it out to the universe.

This is when life got a bit strange. I applied for a job I didn't want, and I got very upset over not even getting an interview for the job I didn't want. It was that day I saw an ad for a print-on-demand company, so I clicked on the ad and signed up.

At this point, I had no idea what I was doing. I hadn't even heard of print-on-demand. I am a creative person and was always doodling and drawing, but designing t-shirts? Putting artwork on products? I was clueless. But I trusted the universe was guiding me in some way. I trusted that for whatever reason, this was what I was meant to be doing.

I soon realised that traditional art wasn't going to show up as well on products. I had zero budget, so I went off and bought a little XP pen tablet. It had no screen, and I plugged it into my laptop and downloaded Krita. I spent weeks trying to work out how to use Krita, and even longer attempting to draw with the tablet. I didn't find the transition from traditional to digital easy. But I kept at it. For some reason, no matter how much I wanted to knock it on the head, I just wouldn't. I refused to quit. It became my life's mission to make the business a success, even though I wasn't entirely sure what business I was planning.

On the days people doubted me, and there were many, even though I was doubting myself, I still told them with conviction that I would make the business successful. They say fake it until you make it, and for a long time, I faked the belief that I could make it work. Even though I wasn't sure how, I just knew I could do it one day. I always had the words one day, or maybe in the back of my mind. Until recently.

I had to take some time out for personal issues, and then I was very ill. I had planned to do a lot more traditional artwork to sell alongside the digital. Then I started having hand tremors, and that made the traditional art a lot more problematic. But, and this is a big but, I set up my website, even though everything was up in the air and I still wasn't 100 percent sure what I was doing, or wanting to do, or where it was all going. I just knew I wanted it to go somewhere.

At this point, if you don't know me, you are probably thinking I am crazy and have lost my mind. And I sound it. I didn't care how crazy I sounded; I just knew that this was leading somewhere, and all I had to do was find the right path. And to be fair, everything so far has led me here, to what I am doing in the here and now. Without all the wrong paths, I don't think I would ever have got here, because me in 2022 didn't think I could knock up t-shirt designs, let alone set up an art business.

I want my business to be authentic, and authenticity isn't just about the wins, the successes, the things you get right. It's about the mistakes, the failures, the things you didn't get right. It is those things that often lead you to the right path and lead you to something successful and sustainable. Mistakes are just learning opportunities. And I have learned a lot. Not just about business, but about myself.

Where I am at the moment is putting together a portfolio, looking at art licensing, putting my artwork on products, not just here, but on my Contrado shop. I am looking at making tutorials and doing some cool art videos. I now have a clear vision, and if it wasn't for the journey to get here, I doubt I would be sitting here writing this blog post.

The moral here is never see mistakes and failures as a reason to quit. Keep plodding along, looking out for the signs, knowing where you need to be in your gut, even if you have no clue how to get there. Learn from the things that go wrong. But most of all, believe in yourself. When you stop saying can't it is amazing what you are able to achieve.