Hello and welcome to my new Blog!
2023 has been quite a challenging year so far for so many of us, particularly for small businesses as we have had to adapt in a time where people are feeling cautious about the cost of living. Shaking off the gloom of that last couple of years, I now have a spring in my step and a positive mindset for the summer months that have finally arrived, along with the sunshine, which makes us all feel that little bit brighter..
For myself, it has been a time to learn new things and to reflect on everything so far and what I can do to give my lovely loyal customers more of a personal experience and invite them to see behind the scenes. Whilst new products and plans have been on hold for financial reasons it leaves lots of scope to do things that don’t cost much, but just take time and consideration. So, this has been my focus the past year. Through social media I have been able to chat to my customers and see their reactions to new artwork, in particular the painting sneak peaks and videos are popular with requests to see more. I am starting a blog (you are reading the first one for 2023!) and I will be sharing a more in depth and personal journey here and sharing to those who subscribe to the newsletter and blog so it pops up in your email each month to read with a coffee or save for later. I follow fellow artists blogs, and find it so interesting and at times comforting, that we all face similar challenges and I love being inspired by what they are working on. It gives a great feeling of community and a glimpse into their world..
I have been wanting to update my website for some time and I thought it would be a great opportunity to incorporate the timelapse painting videos onto the site itself. So now on the home page of the new website you will have a new video each month to enjoy seeing a little character coming to life. I have also started a YouTube channel where all these videos will be available to watch whenever you wish once I have everything loaded up there. If you have ideas of something you would like to see on the website or through social media do let me know!
The stories that I write for each creation are just as special to me as the painting itself. I love the process and sometimes the story starts writing itself in my head and I have to scramble to start scribbling it down before it vanishes back into the magical place it came from…The stories and paintings are now very much intertwined and are the heartbeat of my artwork..the heartbeat of Love Country. These continue to be printed on the reverse of all my greeting cards and artwork prints for that extra touch. I will also be adding another area to the website for all the stories and poems to be in one place for those of you that like to read them. I am just deciding how to do this, I think all the magical Christmas stories will be together so you can snuggle up with a hot chocolate during the colder months and enjoy a tale or two whilst doing some online Christmas shopping.
I have a new collection of artwork to release shortly, the Cottage Core Collection…all about cottage life! I will be talking about that next week so keep an eye on my social media pages and newsletters.. for now, welcome to the new website and I hope you will follow me on my artistic journey as I endeavour to create new work, run a small business and manage a rather naughty 4 month old Bassett Hound puppy single handed.. she is such a little mischief maker!
Much love
Sarah x
