January Musings: Plans, Plans and More Plans!!!
Hello and welcome to any new readers, and thank you for coming back if you’ve been here before! A brief intro for the new year; I’m an artist living in London with my family which includes a husband, three children, one dog and two guinea pigs. I create art normally using watercolour and pen and I am a published book illustrator. I write these blogs of mine once a month and they talk about a variety of creative or art business topics that are usually relevant to me at that time. I write them as I think it’s good to share experiences and ideas with other artists and also because it gives a bit of an insight into my work, processes, business and me! If there is a subject you’d like me to write about please DM me and I’ll see what I can do!
This months blog has to cover plans for the year. I mean it really does right?!! I love reflecting which I already did in Decembers blog so January is the planning part (which I also love!)! So here goes…..
I have been really looking forward to this year as throughout 2025 we pretty much had builders living with us working on the next stage of our doer-upper! I have been very much enjoying a dust and mess free house! So far it’s been a pretty busy start to the year; getting everyone back to school and into a routine and I have been preparing and setting up my first collaborated exhibition in a gallery! WOOHOO!!!
I, along with artist, Tracy from Obsidian Lime, hired the Fountain gallery near Hampton Court to exhibit our work. It’s a new and exciting experience for both of us and so far it’s been really positive (More about this in next months blog;). It’s really given 2026 a focus as well as me the motivation.
I have really enjoyed having an event in the diary for January so I could start the year running. I have also booked in Art:Surrey in March (which is on my birthday - I really didn’t think about that did I?!!). Previously I have enjoyed this fair but I am thinking of exhibiting at Landmark Art Fair in Teddington, in the autumn. It’s a lovely venue and I have previously done well there. The stands are also a bit more reasonably priced and I am considering asking for a larger stand as my work is currently on the bigger side. Landmark also runs a Christmas fair which is another option I am mulling over….!
I also need to continue to promote the Neuron series which is such a big passion project. Books get published but it’s up to the authors and illustrators to get them out there in shops, libraries and schools. So, Marielle and I have been discussing attending Neurodiversity Shows as a way of making people, companies and charities within this area aware of these books! I will keep you posted but this is one of the plans for the Neurons!
I had a couple of tasks that I wanted to do last year that I simply ran out of time top resolve. I really need to be more pro active in asking people to sign up to my newsletter (which I actually haven’t set up yet!). So far I only have a few subscribers and that has been from them asking rather than me; I know, I know, thats not good! There is no excuse as I have sign up sheets, I just need to ask people and then I can work out how to send a newsletter out! Not difficult, but it’s time I would rather spend being creative which is what has been stopping me.
The other job is to have prints of my work made. I have done this previously and I currently have a selection of A3 Giclée prints for sale however, now I am working on a larger scale my scanner isn’t big enough. I had a lot of people interested in prints of the Seasons so this is something I really need to organise sooner rather than later! I have done a lot of research and have found a printers at Wimbledon Art Studios that photographs and produces Giclée prints. I just need to book an appointment and start the process whilst I source mounts and packaging! These two jobs are now at the top of my to-do list this year and both are ways to develop my business and potentially bring in funds!
I really have the need to ‘clear the decs’! I have older (and current;) work that I would love to find a new homes so I can then focus on creating new pieces. I have so many ideas that I am so excited about exploring and have been thinking about for months. They are normally places I’ve visited that have given life to that kernel of inspiration, photos have been taken, notes made….I now desperately want to turn them into physical pieces of art!
Creating new work is always the plans that I am most enthused about, which is why other tasks will fall by the wayside. But this is how it should be right?!
On a more personal note, I am very much looking forward to having a year where there is no building work; the house has evolved on to the next stage that fits our family and now we can enjoy it. There will be quite significant changes this year in that my twins will be joining their older brother and going to secondary school in September. It’s going to be bittersweet as I will miss taking them to school and picking them up but it will give me longer days to work. Maybe this year I might reach the bottom of my to-do list……..!
I would love to hear what your plans are for 2026? See you next month!