State of the Artist - May 2022

Here we are at the middle of May, and I still can't believe this year is nearly half over with. Where has the time gone?

I know for me this spring has been absolutely insane, and isn't about to let up anytime soon. Things are pretty crazy, so I figured it was time to give everyone an update on where I am at personally.

To recap:
The end of February was when I started the campaign for Volume 5 of my sketchbooks. 

I released the eBook and paperback versions of my novel "Heat" at the beginning of March. 

The funding campaign for the sketchbooks ended around mid-March, and then I began working on the illustrated hardcover for Heat. That funding campaign launched the middle of April, and I spent just about the rest of the month finishing the illustrations for Heat.

About this same time I did a sale of my adult art on Twitter, and was able to unload some stuff there (I typically do at least one drawing a month for that Patreon, so add that to my to-do list)

The Etsy strike in April caused both Sandra and I to realize we really need an independent online store, so we began revamping wolfsisters.com to be a one-stop shopping center for both of our products. This is a major undertaking, to set up an online store from scratch with as many items as we have, but we feel it will be worth it to have another selling location besides Etsy. We're hoping to be able to launch that in June or July.

The funding campaign for the illustrated hardcovers wrapped up last week, and (as you know) I have begun working on coloring the bookmark for Heat.

The sketchbooks have arrived, and right now I am working on getting all of the rewards from that campaign mailed out.

The latest Patreon rewards all came in so I will also be going through and packaging up and mailing anything I owe you guys.*

We also have a few mail-in art shows coming up at the end of this month, and into the rest of summer. Getting those together and shipped out is a task in and of themselves!

All of this plus all the posting, advertising, and product research, let alone just the day to day of Etsy orders, correspondence, shipping, errands, appointments, and the general running of the business. Then there are mundane chores that need doing, like yard work, household projects, cleaning, doing yoga, walking the dogs, etc. 

My hands are full every day. (I am actually planning on making a blog post about all that my job entails. It's not just about making pretty art, it's everything else that goes into it. It is literally a 24/7 job. I think you will find it interesting.)

Coming up, we will be getting ready to launch the Wuffies Pins campaign in June, which should be a fun project.

When the pins come in from Sandra's Norse Wolf Ravens campaign (looking like June?) and then the hardcovers of my books come in, we will be fulfilling those orders like mad.

We're also spitballing ideas for other Kickstarters later this year, as well as new products and such. We'll see how the rest of the summer pans out.

In other news, the beginning of April saw fires spring up here in New Mexico, driven by extreme drought and high winds which have not let up. 

While Santa Fe has not been threatened so far, the surrounding communities have been greatly affected, with mass evacuations with some people losing everything. We have red flag warnings just about every day with high winds and low humidity. That means another fire can break out anywhere at any time. The whole region we live in is under constant threat until the monsoons begin. We are all praying they come early (hopefully next month).

The stress and anxiety, as well as the constant dry wind and polluted air from dust and smoke have been taking their toll on everyone here. Please pray for rain in New Mexico <3

So yeah, beyond busy with all this craziness LOL, and the stress load can become insane, but I am breathing, eating right(ish), taking my medications and supplements, doing my yoga, getting outside, and aiming to, if not remain positive, at least remain neutral and zen about it all. I will keep everyone updated on further news and such. For now, back to the grind, and back to arting!

I hope you all stay safe and are looking forward to a great summer!

*(When I do get beyond busy like I am right now, shipping of rewards can get delayed. I try to not let this happen, but sometimes it is just easier for me to wait for the next month and combine shipping. Please don't worry that you won't get your items. I always make sure everyone gets the rewards they have paid for. Sometimes it just takes some time. Thanks for your understanding!)