I’m back! Again!

Well, folks, this is your first update from me in over nine months – I don’t have a good excuse, but I do have a fair bit to share!  

The biggest life change is that I went from part time to full time at my “day job.” I’ve been part-time for a long time and was getting by just fine, but I have a lot of ideas about what my life will look like in the future, and I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to grow Fairy Tree Studios faster than was possible to meet that future sooner. Despite FTS having another “best year to date” in 2024, overall growth was slow, and many of the factors involved in that (including a somewhat uncertain economy and some hotter-than-usual market days that kept folks inside) are out of my control.

On the positive side, having an expanded range of note cards and journals in a few sizes kept sales consistent – my pocket journals were my best-selling item in 2024 and I’m excited to keep making more for 2025. Plus, without that extra time pressure, I have more room to let FTS grow organically and to allow more long-term plans and ideas to take shape. 

I admit I also have a fair bit of resentment about trying to play the algorithm game with Meta to grow my IG and FB followers, so I’ve really been letting my online presence languish. I’m sure I’ve complained about it before, but I’m also recognizing that there are some other online communities I’ve been ignoring to focus on in-person events – including all of you who are still reading here. Thank you for sticking around! 

Moving up to full time has obviously meant less free time, and I pretty quickly recognized that I would need to be more deliberate about how I spend the time I do have. I already had some good processes in place for making my journals and note cards, which means adding new designs takes less time and effort. I’ve developed a good circuit of in-person markets that I like to attend, so I can add them to my calendar early and plan my offerings well in advance. I’ve also homed in on the supplies I like best (paper, paints, brushes, etc.) so I can just order more when I need to rather than shopping around for better options. That’s not to say I don’t still experiment and play and explore new ideas & tools, but rather that the foundation is set so I can do the extra stuff for fun.  

I’m also starting to see the benefits of planning projects and series further in advance and honestly, it’s thanks in part to my day job that I’ve figured out some strategies to make that happen. I bought a PDF copy of The Maker’s Yearbook which has helped me break down and keep track of my longer-term goals/ideas. It’s formatted for listing three things daily that you want to accomplish; batch planning those lists a few days in advance makes it a lot easier to get right to work on the assigned day (as opposed to spending time deciding what to do before I get to work). I have to say, I really underestimated the advantage of that. (I’ve tried to do time blocking in the past, but it’s just not super compatible with how I function. This is a nice compromise.)  

So here’s sort of a sneak peak at some of the plans I have for 2025:  

• Return to several of my favorite markets in the Central Illinois area (and maybe even branch out to Chicago if I find a good fit) 
• Create a new painting series focused on the idea of “Dwellings” 
• Expand my range of designs and sizes for note cards and journals 
• Create a stronger online presence – focusing mainly on revamping this website and sharing more updates, but also posting more of my 2024 work 

I’m hoping that listing these here will also help keep me more accountable. And again, if you’re still here reading this update, thank you for sticking around – I hope this year I can make it worth your time!