Running a small business is a difficult undertaking, especially when one is the the founder, sole employee, publicist, and production staff all in one. Especially when one is a natural creator rather than a natural businessperson.
I admit to myself that I am not a natural businessman or salesman and the joy of the creative process often has to wait in favor of the practical aspects of a business. And I say this to raise awareness of that fact. My natural inclination is to research subjects for new art projects, whether the gods and heroes of Ancient Greek mythology or another culture, a painting that depicts the need for climate action against the existential threat of global warming, fanciful works of art based in the natural world, art installations that toy with gender expectations, or whatever idea crosses this artist's mind.
Anybody who wants to try building a small business should understand going into it that it involves a steep learning curve, doing intensive research, constant questioning of one's own decisions, many mistakes, and long stretches of inactivity occasionally punctuated by a burst of activity and, with a bit of luck, a sale or two. Those little moments almost make the constant striving for uncertain reward seem worth the trouble.
Speaking for myself, I have had trouble with sales this past month and have questioned my own judgement in this whole endeavor when a family friend recently visited and voiced her obvious captivation with these two prints of Fall art.
One painting is inspired by Samhain, the original ancient Irish version of Halloween, and the other is inspired by Mexican culture's El Día de los Muertos. Both are meant to call attention to the similarities of these two feast days that developed independently of each other across an ocean, mainly that it's the one night of the year that the spirits of the dead can return to earth and that the living may reunite with departed loved ones.
This family friend was especially taken by the image of two parted couples briefly reunited for this one night, with the living opaque and solid and the departed transparent and ethereal but nonetheless together again for one night. And posed not unlike figures in works by Sandro Botticelli. Since her birthday is soon and I had an extra print of each of these paintings, I decided that this small business can do impromptu gifts according to circumstances.
While not economically profitable, these gifts were definitely worth the gesture and I even decided to sign the back of each print for her. She was effusive in her thanks and, since she was in some sense a happy customer, I doubt that I would trade that for anything! Thank you again for your good taste!
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