Remembering My First Art Sale

Exactly three years ago, I sold my very first painting on Etsy.  I still remember how excited I was!

This was back when I still had the shop Noisy Merriment.  I sold it to guest halfway across the country, who was a big fan of Breaking Bad.  The big surprise?  It had only been listed in my shop for a week before it sold!  I remember thinking, "Wow!  I'm totally gonna be successful!"  Ah, the dreamer's curse: wishful thinking.

What most people don't realize is that as much as artists work on new pieces, it doesn't always equal the sales made.  We go through highs and lows on our confidence levels.  We'll be proud of our work one day, and absolutely hate it the next day.  I will be the first to admit that my style changes frequently.  

Even my shop has changed in these three years!  Cozy Reverie used to be my fashion accessory shop, until I merged the art into it.  Now, most of my Etsy products are digital illustrations, especially instant downloads.  Art prints are popular, mainly via my shop on Society 6.  I rarely pick up a paint brush anymore, which is a bit of a bummer.  In fact, I'm working on a new product for the shop that may change how I work on my art all together!   
Still, the art is something I can't help but love.  Sure, I'll go a week or two without drawing anything, but the sketching bug always seems to come back.  There are so many ways to incorporate art in everyday life too!  Invitations, wall décor, shirts, gifts, etc.  I don't need to make 100 sales a day on Etsy; that's not why I do what I do (though since I'm being honest, that would be pretty nice).  Creativity is a way to express any and all imagination, and just letting that out is enough for me.  Maybe Watkinez Art will be incredibly successful in the future, or maybe not; either way is just fine by me.  I'm still finding my way around as a artist, and considering I'm self-taught, I'm pretty cool with where I'm at.