Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Digging out...

You would think, coming into another Maine winter, I'd be talking about snow!  But I'm not.  I have started the rather daunting task of digging out my workshop space, now that my busiest season yet has slowed down to a crawl.  Yes, it was a busy season.  You have no idea how grateful I am to be able to say that, after struggling through all this "poor economy" fearing for my financial security and desperately hoping to be able to continue to do what I love so much.  I have watched so many of my fellow artists & crafters struggle with poor sales, bad shows and the stress of it all.  Trust me, I've experienced my share as well.  I am just so very relieved to have made it through another season!  With the economical situation starting to sound a bit more positive, I'd like to think the hardest times are behind me now.  We'll see.  I have never taken my situation for granted and hope that as we enter a new year, my good fortune will continue.

In case you haven't noticed, the old website hosted through Hostway is no longer.  Thankfully, my site has been transferred over to PhotoShelter and I must say, I've been quite impressed with their capabilities.  If you go to www.LoriDavisPhotography.Com it will now bring you to the new site.  Some pages of the old website may still be found on the web floating around as saved pages or bookmarks.  However, if you attempt to make a purchase on that old site, I expect you will get an error.  If you have time, check  out the new website format and let me know what you think.  I still have to do some cropping on images, add file names and do some tweaking, but that will all get sorted out this winter.  Both positive and negative feedback are welcome.

The Maine Crafts Association Holiday Store at the Bangor Mall was a huge success!  I had more sales than I had expected and with my show season winding down, the extra money was a welcomed addition heading into another long, Maine winter.  Too bad it was probably only a one time thing, since the mall had a store front that they wanted to fill during the holiday season.  NICE JOB MCA.  Thank you!

Now, the 6x10 enclosed trailer that hauls all of my product to shows is protecting my lawnmower from snow.  All of the show merchandise, racks & tables that  filled my 10x10 craft tent now clutter my one car garage "workshop".  That clutter accompanies the merchandise I've taken back from shops & galleries that have closed for the season.  Add this, MORE clutter I've left behind while rushing to get out the door after working all night preparing for a show and I've got quite the cluster going on!  If there was room for a backhoe, that would probably be the most effective way to clear a path!  However, there certainly is not enough room for that!  One of my many winter projects, is to organize my workspace.  Its a much bigger task that you'd think.  Once I have found table tops again, I can then take on the next daunting task of taxes.  After that, mat cutting, printing and production getting ready for another season of art shows.  I certainly hope I can produce enough merchandise in the off season, so I can get out & "play" a bit more this upcoming season.  With shows every weekend and producing more merchandise during the weeks in between, there hasn't been much time to get out & photograph.  That needs to change this year.

Amongst the winter projects, I plan to enjoy a bit of quiet time unwinding in front of the cozy wood stove.  I've been on the go so much, its nice to have some quiet time to  myself to regroup and recharge for the upcoming season!

Belated Happy New Year to all!  Thanks for checking back!