I am feeling blue in lots of respects. Feeling blue as I am loving painting with this fabulous combinations of blue acrylic paints and its working for me as I sold this one on Saturday.
But also feeling Blue as I am wondering if my time at Clevedon Craft Centre is coming to an end. :-(
Visitors numbers are very low and I am getting sales, but not really from being at the craft centre, I get sales through people who have bought from me before, students and online, but only a few small sales from actual visitors from the centre. My biggest sales were from Arts week a few weeks ago, but i probably would have got a lot of those regardless of where I was. So I am just having thought about what and more importantly where my future may lie. I do love being at the Centre, but is it at any cost?
The original plan when moving into the large studio was to teach all winter and to get sales from visitors all summer. But as the sales aren't coming in from the centre, then to pay the rent, I am having to teach all year. Teaching in the summer as I have discussed before is difficult as people go on holiday and have other priorities, so to make sure I covered my bills I have increased the amount of sessions I teach. This has a knock on effect of not allowing me any time to paint, so I am now locked in a vicious circle of teaching lots of hours just to stay at a place that should give me a relaxed studio space to paint in, but which provides me with no other income besides teaching!!
A dilema!!
I have had a lovely friend who has been costing out painting holidays for me and I am looking at whether I would be better off and have more free time, if I did my teaching less frequently but more productively. So rather than have weekly session, perhaps monthly longer sessions or more specific workshops and breaks away. But this is all in the early stages and I am not sure with all the costs and organisation involved that holidays are the way to go, but watch this space.
For the time being I am staying put but it is sad that I am considering leaving this wonderful place.
Janice x
Oh Janice I feel your pain. I do hope you can work it through and keep your dream...although dreams can change and running painting holidays would give you extra inspiration for your own work too. You could always hire a church hall (or similar) for your winter classes.
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