A Year of Changes
“We must use time as a tool, not as a couch.”
– John F. Kennedy
It’s a brand new year, and a year of changes. Late last year I sent out a survey to my newsletter subscribers. I asked a few questions about the potential of a traditional-style newsletter (snail mail) as opposed to my current digital platform. I received an overwhelming YES to a traditional newsletter, which I must admit I was both surprised and delighted about! I will share these findings in greater detail soon. The reason you may ask is why the switch? Well, there’s a few reasons…
My website plan doesn’t include a newsletter option, so I have to pay extra for this each year. My website plan has also recently increased in price, and I feel that I have to cut costs somewhere, and that will be with my newsletter.
I deeply value my newsletter subscribers which is why I would love an alternative option for sharing my studio news with them all. ‘Snail mail’ clubs have become popular again recently. As a one-time pen-pal writer throughout the 90s and early 2000s, this idea really resonates with me, as I love paper ephemera and material culture. Receiving ‘happy mail’ is a joy which is precious but unfortunately becoming rarer and rarer. I would like to keep the art of letter writing alive and kicking! It wouldn’t be a pen-pal club however, as unfortunately I wouldn’t have the time to respond to a lot of mail. But, I do want to respond in some way so I will be figuring that out in the coming months, and sharing more information and idea-exchanges with you all.
Digital communication is getting more lonely. As we all know from social media platforms especially; communication and social interaction is declining. People are watching but not interacting; leaving comments, liking, sharing etc. I have particularly become bewildered and exhausted with using social media. Time is precious, and I want to use it in a more fulfilling way.
So that’s some news about my newsletter ideas, let me share with you what else I’ve been up to…
January has been a busy month for me. I feel both exhausted and lucky at the same time! It’s so gratifying to be busy during a dark and gloomy month. The days go-by quicker, and you can create your own sense of cosiness and routine. I’m definitely not a morning morning person, but I’ve been starting work at 6am to make sure I can meet deadlines, and to diversify my day as much as possible so I can do a few hours on one project and then switch to another, and so on. I’ve been working on a new book since last October. I can’t say much about it yet, but it is a dream commission. One which is close to my heart, and one which my childhood self could only have dreamed of! It’s magical and highly detailed, therefore I haven’t had much time for social media lately. The book of course comes first!
In between illustrating book spreads, I’ve also been packing orders for my lovely wholesale stockists. I usually do a stock-take in January and begin working on new shop designs and plan my output for the year. However this year, I’ll have to stall the creations of any new designs for a few months to clear my schedule. But in the meantime, I’ve been keeping my printer busy, and re-stocking my stock shelves with my existing designs.
Big occasions like Valentine’s Day, St.Patrick’s Day and Easter are arriving very soon, so I make sure I have more of those designs printed and promoted. Running my particular small business (which is a mix of children’s book illustrator, shop owner, freelance illustrator, and other facets (!)) is indeed more than a full-time job. It can be difficult to stay ahead of things; and one of those things can be social media. I sacrifice that part of my job because it often has low rewards. But it is still important to post as regularly as I can and check-in with my followers. If only Billie the cat could step up to the mark and be my social media manager, but she’s not a morning person either.
As well as running a business, I also have to eat, right? It can be difficult to find the time to make delicious healthy meals. However with such a busy few months, I have been batch-cooking on a Sunday to make it easier for me during the week. This includes tasty homemade soups (I love lentil and mushroom, and then broccoli and pea soup at the moment, which I freeze in handy blocks to heat-up for lunch); yoghurt, fruit and oat breakfast pots; stewed cinnamon and vanilla apple; and homemade lentil bread and other small items. Maybe I will share these recipes on my YouTube channel in the future? As well as healthy foods, it’s also necessary to have a little treat; especially at the end of the week. A hot chocolate, along with little marzipan ‘veggies’ were one such treat I had recently - how cute are they?
And that’s about it for now. I hope you all are keeping safe, warm and happy in this ever-increasingly scary world. If you have any comments about my post, please let me know in the comments. Until next time, take care friends. ~ Rachel x