Can Rejection Bring Growth?

Hi there. How are you?
I had quite a disappointment this weekend. I received the word that my applications to three different July art fairs were rejected. That means I've got a large hole in my summer schedule. I have to admit, I was upset. Rejection hurts.

Luckily, after just a little bit of pouting, I changed up my mindset.
My parents were in town this weekend and we brought them to this great high end gift store at a local winery.  Walking through the store seeing all of the pretty reminded me of one of my 2014 goals..... I want to build a wholesale business and have my goods at gift stores just like this.  I know my work would fit in well at this type of gift store and I have the means necessary to produce some very unique salable goods.

At my day job, we specialize in printing on fabric. I've been wanting to make pillows out of my bird illustrations for some time now,  and I can do that at work!  We also have a UV printer so that I could utilize to create nifty digital art prints of my work directly on cradled hardboard. I think these items would go over smashingly with retailers.

There is indeed a silver lining to this art fair rejection.  
I often complain about not having time to pursue my artistic goals.....Now I have it! This is a good thing! Having time this summer without shows will give me time to work on some other aspects of my business I've been wanting to tackle. I can get that new website up and running. I can work on product development and pursue wholesale accounts. Yes! Art fairs have been so hit or miss for me in the last few years. Having other avenues in which to distribute and sell my work is a good thing.

All of the snaps I've included here feature vegetable seedlings we have started in our window sill for our summer garden. All this new life is inspiring and seems apropos for this blog about my growing and changing business.

Stay tuned friends. I am excited for the future! Ta-Ta for now.

A Little About Me

I just got home from a fabulous yoga class! That is one of the many things I love to do during my summers of freedom. One of the joys of being a teacher is indeed June, July and August.

For 9 months out of the year, I am a high school art and art history teacher. I so love passing on my passion for art to the students! The highlight of my day has become my Advanced Placement Art History Class. I love talking about and looking at art and am so challenged by my students. Its a little unnerving when someone asks a question that I don't know the answer to, but I've learned that telling the class I don't know is OK. Sometimes I do a little research and report back the next day, sometimes I ask the students to do the research themselves. I'm learning right along with them! I've been teaching for eleven years now, and cannot believe how fast the time has gone.



A charcoal drawing from one of my graduated students, Cari Wayman.
She is an amazing artist and photographer. Check out her Flickr Photostream

During the summer, I get to catch up on all the parts of my life that get neglected during the school year. I spend a good deal of time working on my art that I sell in my Etsy shop. I'm also stockpiling work for a big art fair that happens in Chicago in September that I'm hoping to get into. I'll know in August if I'm accepted. Cross your fingers for me!




Though its easy for me to spend the entire day in the studio, I try to get out and enjoy the summer weather while working in my yard. This year I've expanded my vegetable garden and am just starting to reap some of the benefits of my work. I've eaten some of my lettuce and made pesto with my basil. I can't wait for those heirloom tomatoes and cucumbers to be ready to eat. I'm big into locally grown food and like to frequent the farmer's markets which are becoming bigger and better stocked every year. (More about that in another post.)

Well, I'm getting tired of writing about myself, but I swear there's more to me than art and gardening. More next time!