2014 Year in Review

whitneyheavey.com 2014 A few of the highlights

I looked back at what I wrote last year at this time, and I am happy with how I handled the list...with the number one goal being "paint more".  Of course, there is significant room to grow and learn in the year ahead.

Some highlights from this year

• I did paint more...LOTS more
• My show in February at On The Mat Yoga in Concord got me starting the year off with tons of painting time (deadlines are good for that).  Fortunately, my car handled the snow and I was able to get to my studio on days when, in the past, my old minivan would have never made it.  
• Several commissions in the Spring.
• I managed to paint more in the summer despite kids' schedule...though there is LOTS of room for improvement and I have ideas for summer 2015 (see upcoming post: "2015 Looking Ahead")
• October was a fun* month (*loose use of the word "fun")with my #30paintingsin30days challenge.  It got me painting everyday, often at home instead of my studio.  I managed to link up with a daily painting auction website www.dailypaintworks.com and was fortunate enough to sell most of these daily paintings through this new source.  
• I participated in three holiday sales which definitely helped with the cash flow at a normally slow time for larger work sales.
• I finally managed to tackle some things that have been on my list for awhile: getting a Square account, hiring a bookkeeper, opening an online store on my website.
• I did a demo at Melrose Arts Association
• By the seat of my pants I ran a 12 day give away at the holidays to thank my FB fans and collectors. 
• I finally ventured into the world of printing art into calendars and cards and found a great local printer to help me with the cards (Ink Etc in Acton).

Some things I learned:

• Even if I'm having fun, spreading myself too thin doesn't really work in terms of family and getting time for my larger paintings 
• Painting daily creates a great environment for stretching and growing (just need to figure out how to limit the time these little ones take so I can get to the big work)
• Time management and how I schedule my day are super important in terms of productivity
• Facebook is a great marketing tool
• doing things that scare me is good (ie #30paintingsin30days)
• Time moves fast (at a blur really) when you love what you do.
• I need to set time limits when it comes to work on the computer (blogs, image management, research, marketing, website, social media, etc) or you will never get to the painting. 
• Nothing can be perfect...but just keep moving forward and most importantly, KEEP PAINTING! 

Happy New Year!

FYI: My next #30Paintingsin30Days starts TOMORROW!