Creative and Business Resolutions for 2011

Winter Solstice is here, and the long nights are giving way to more and more daylight.   


Traditionally, winter was a time of going inside oneself, reflecting on and gathering all of the inner tools and resources needed to carry us into the active, expressive time at the summer solstice half a year away.


 
With that in mind, here's a sneak peak at some of the projects you can expect to see from Cara Mia Bella in the coming year....



Creatively, Cara Mia Bella will be focusing on the following: 

  • Plenty of painting and more mixed media works as I expand my skill and vision.  I have procured a plethora of canvases and boards that will become new experiments in color, texture, and composition.
  • I will be learning oil painting.  I first picked up acrylics about 10 years ago, and I have so enjoyed exploring their versatility and ease of use.  However, there is no denying the potential oils bring.  I am excited to finally master the medium that my Grandmother used, and create masterpieces that could last hundreds of years (that's motivation enough to create my best work yet!).
  •  I would like to participate more in the online art world by joining sketching, painting, portrait, and artist trading card groups.




Business will be the focus for 2011, as the much anticipated Grand Opening of Cara Mia Bella's Studio Shop will finally come to fruition.  For all of you who have been awaiting this special event, here are my business plans for the coming year:

  • December-March will be design time, as I prepare the Alphabet Card Games and Memory Games for  the publishers. I will also be working on such business basics as labeling. branding, business card design and marketing tools.
  • February-April will be focused on printing and publishing.  I will be choosing high quality, eco-friendly printing and paper options. 
  • April-May will see my first gallery shows locally in the Northern California area.  There are wonderful monthly arts events, and my target will be the spring shows when people emerge from their winter slumber eager for the beauty of nature and art.  The shows will feature my full line of poster prints, greeting cards and possibly games available for purchase.
  • April is my goal for the Grand Opening of Cara Mia Bella's Etsy Shop, slightly behind in schedule, but I promise it will be worth the wait!  I would like to offer a full range of high-quality products at the opening so that my customers will have a choice and be able to see my full product line and professionalism.  I will also include items for giveaways, such as Artist Trading Cards and other original art pieces for added incentive to shop at Cara Mia Bella.
  • June will hopefully see my first works published, as I await acceptance from an international publisher that is already in possession of several of my paintings.  If they do accept my submissions, my art will be part of a calendar that has been around for over 30 years and is the perfect genre for my art, in my opinion!  


 All of these plans allow space for family and life and all of the unexpectedness that they bring.  I am, after all, still a full-time mother and head of household, and must allow for flexibility.  Still, I feel confident in enacting these plans and getting my business to blossom next spring.   I feel blessed to have the opportunity to do what I love and use my skill to support my family.


One final thing that I would like to include is a big, warm THANK YOU to all of you out there who have been supporting my artistic and business journey.  Each and every one of you mean so much to me and have helped me take the leap from introverted artist to web-savvy creative business owner!  You are the wind beneath my wings! 
Wishing you joy and inspiration for the coming year.
See you in 2011!!

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