Friday Thoughts Ep.6

Hello hello Patrons and Friends!

As I’m writing this Pumpkin is very agitated because she sees another cat sitting outside, and there’s a teenage girl sitting and texting in her car who thinks I was looking at her because I was looking at the cat.

This is my week home after visiting Tulum and before visiting my sister in Denver. I of course meant for it to be very productive and busy but I got a HEAD COLD from the airport on the way back. It’s been interesting to see how I’m able to function as a self-employed person with a cold. Basically I’ve just been getting started later and working slower but longer. This week I’ve started working after breakfast at around 9 or 10 and working with a few breaks in between until about 7. The cold has left me an excuse to feel unfocused.

I have a few fun things that have started percolating these last two weeks. My largest yet commission mailed off and coming behind it another large commission starting, this time with more cats (!)A spot in a zine that I really admire (!!) A possible gallery show in the future (!!!)

It‘s exciting stuff in the moment and when I write it down, and I try to be very peppy when I write on here, but it’s been very easy to continue to feel intimidated. I’ve been so preoccupied with the number of people who follow me on social media that I think it literally takes time away from the reason that I do this, to make art. I’ve said it before but it’s truly a roller coaster of emotions. But maybe that’s life. I need to continue to dig deep into what I want to make and why, work hard, stay confident that I’m on the right path. 

I do feel very capable when I remind myself that this week I filed my first quarterly taxes for this business. Taxes and finances were some of the most powerful things that were preventing me from going in to freelance illustration. But I’m proud to say I got through it this week! I googled every other word, spent a few hours working with my numbers and see how I can do my filing more clearly in the future, but I really feel like I understand this state tax thing a little better. 

That is one of the benefits of slow and steady growth, I feel like I can learn at a comfortable rate to scale with my business. It’s not like I have to deal with the taxes of hundreds of thousands of dollars all at once. I don’t have to make every decision right away.

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If there’s any advice I can give to someone considering going in to business as an artist right now, I would say... YOU DONT HAVE TO DO IT ALL RIGHT AWAY. 

You don’t have to have a full set of prismacolors if you’ve never even used your crayolas. You don’t have to order bulk packaging if you don’t have the sales for it yet. You don’t have to figure out how to print labels if you have few enough orders to write them by hand. You don’t have to start with a youtube channel, a million followers, a store stocked with 50 products, a table at a convention, a book deal, a gallery show, any of those things.

Just do one thing at a time. One day at a time. One week. One month. Your achievements will build. Just start!

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I hope that made sense, or was helpful. It of course can apply to any goals! I don’t have huge success yet, but I’m just proud that I started. And I’m going to PERSERVERE, with YOUR HELP, PATRONS!

Anyway another update that I have (which I mentioned in the previous post) is that I’ll be putting stickers up for sale this month.

AND anyone who joins my Patreon this month will get TWO FREE STICKERS of their choice mailed to them in June! If you were already a patron you’re of course part of the fun too, just message me your address and sticker choices! Or, email me at ragondickard@gmail.com!

Non-Art Life has been: 

watching Jane the Virgin

reading ‘Me Talk Pretty One Day‘ by David Sedaris

following along with Adrienne’s WONDERFUL Yoga for When You’re Sick video

making 12 vegan berry muffins and eating them all within two days

blowing my nose every 15 seconds

Okay I think that’s enough for me today! I’m headed to a nearby neighborhood (Tissues in pocket) to work on that zine piece I mentioned and to go to my first Seattle Art Walk!! I’m very excited, I’ll take pictures for you guys!

Thanks as always for your support here, y’all are the best! 

Xoxo,

Ragon

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