Sooo….I’m a crazy person.
Remember how one of my 2017 goals was to finish the rebranding that I started debuting at the Gaslight Holiday Celebration in December? Well, I may be scratching most of that.
Let me give you some more background information: I’m completely and utterly overwhelmed with work lately. Between trying to get the business growing, illustrating, and wife/mom duties and life in general, I just can’t do it all. My business is growing, but I feel all over the place with it. While talking to other small business owners and listening to podcasts, I’ve realized I’m too branched out with what I’m doing. I need to focus on one theme, and branch out from there while staying with that theme.
And no, art in general can’t just be my theme 😉
While I was driving to pick my kids up from school one day, I was really thinking where I want the business to go, what makes me happiest with the business, and what changes need to be made to help it to flourish in that joyful happy place.
And it hit me: I love landscapes. And clouds!!!! Painting them, drawing them, even just sitting there and starting at them brings me such joy. I also love doing pet portraits, painting birds, and other animals as well.
Other things I’ve been spending my time on, not so much.
With that being said, I will be rebranding the business as mostly a landscape and natural artist.
What exactly does that mean? For the most part, I will not be doing human portraits, I will be discontinuing some of my product lines later this year, and I will be really focusing on my landscape oil paintings and drawings, really branching out and doing some more animal portraits (I’ll be starting those with the Drawing a Day Challenge!), and yes, the watercolor jewelry will mostly be staying! And I can’t forget my little buddy, Boathouse; I’m with him until the end!
It also means that a lot of the rebranding I just did doesn’t really fit with my new direction. I’ll still be able to use my banner (whew, cause those aren’t cheap!), but a lot of the new colors need to go, as well as some of the things I’ve been using since starting (here’s looking at you, tablecloths, print displays, etc.).
I’m a little frustrated with myself about the whole process. I tend to change my mind a lot, and it drives me nuts. As I told my husband when I was pitching my idea to him, it’s frustrating and hard now, but later on, it’s going to make the business a lot easier and more streamlined down the road.
I also find it funny. A lot of people question the ‘Back to the Drawing Board’ name, but that really is me in a nutshell: constantly going back and revamping things until it’s better! Such a perfect name!
So while this is going to be a long process, here is a teeny tiny preview of where the business designs are going:
I just ordered purple tablecloths, table runners, and a couple new wall displays today, and as soon as the snow melts, I’ll be heading outdoors to collect items for table displays.
It’s all crazy and wonderful, and I’m really looking forward to putting it all together soon! I hope you all will like the changes as well 🙂
Back to the Drawing Board 
Sounds scary, but interesting. Are you going to keep going with the birds too? I noticed Pat wearing her lovely cardinal necklace yesterday. :o)
Yes to the birds! I have plans for a couple more bird pictures, and then turning my other bird paintings into necklaces as well 🙂
Here’s another thought…do you ever consider consultant work? For example, I’ve been dying (I can’t figure out how to spell die-ing. Did I spell that right? Weird homophones!) to talk to you about colors for my living room. I know what I think I want, but I would love to have your input so I can move ahead with confidence. I know at one point you wanted to do interior design.