Irons in the Fire

I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed lately. There’s so much going on in my life right now, that something is going to have to give. My to-do list is growing rather than shrinking, and I’m both excited and daunted by it.
It’s my own fault. Too many projects, too many ideas and different things I want to do. So what’s keeping me so busy? What am I working on, and what have I got coming up? Here’s a run down of my life, currently.

The Fairies and Fantasy Business

This is my main bread and butter. The majority of my income is from sales from my store www.fairiesandfantasy.com so it’s a major part of my life. Things slowed down back when the whole global financial crisis first hit, but have been really picking up again and it feels great that so many people are enjoying the products I make! I’m still heavily involved with all parts of the work for F&F, making products and shipping orders.
Unfortunately, I lost my assistant a while ago who used to do the product updates on the site. So I’m sitting on all this new art from myself and my other artists, and just haven’t been able to find the time to get it online and available as products. It’s high on my priorities right now though, so expect to see some new releases soon.
I’m also working with programmers to make some changes to the store to allow more digital download products, which will be a whole new adventure to get started in.
And I’ve started running an Etsy store as well for the dolls and other one of a kind items and close outs, and also been poking around with Zazzle lately too.

And talking about new art, what about painting?

I have both real life and digital folders overflowing with unfinished works that I want to complete. I counted over 200 unfinished works. I was all keen to get stuck into finishing some when my Cinitq up and died on me unexpectedly (my Cintiq is the pressure sensitive screen that I draw on). It’s been off getting repaired and I’m expecting it back any moment now. Once it’s back, I’ll be trying to fit in some more digital painting, and need to do some concept art for an animation project my husband and I are planning to collaborate on. On top of that, I also bought some cute little canvases to do some traditional painting on again, and also have a bug in me to try a bit of photomanipulation art as well. Muse, give me a break!

I also want to paint more dolls.

My DIY Darlings have been so much fun to create. I’ve got a huge list of more designs I want to create for these patterns. More minis sets, more fairies, more mixed race
dolls, more fantasy creatures. I really think that if given the time and energy to promote them, they could be really big! But where do I find the time?

 

And then on the other end of the creative wheel I’ve got my writing.

It’s like a whole second (or third?) job in terms of time. Even my longest artworks take only a week or two to finish. To write a novel takes months and months, or even years. I have mixed feelings about my writing. I love it and love telling a story, but I worry that exploring a writing career is taking too much time away from my art. But I’m committed now to at the very least complete the Memory’s Wake trilogy. I’ve got one last novel to write for it, then illustrate it too, and that trilogy will be finished. I also have plans to continue the Empath Chronicles series after that is done, but it will be much easier to write for a number of reasons (shorter, not illustrated, simpler storylines, modern world so less world building required, etc).  After those series are complete… I don’t know. I might call it quits and focus on my art again, but I’ve got a few other really cool story concepts that I’d love to write as well. It just takes SO MUCH TIME.

And I only have three days a week.

Thanks to this cheeky little monkey.

Persephone is my main project and where most of my time goes. She’s in daycare three days a week now. And on those three days a week I scramble like crazy to get work done, but it’s hardly enough time for everything. Sephy loves daycare, but I’m not ready to send her for more days yet. She sleeps well, but I barely get through emails in her daytime nap, and in the evenings I try and spend time with my husband since we’re both workaholics and need to just stop and be together sometimes.
Three days a week, and so much to do. No wonder I’m feeling scattered!