Okay…so I am a day or two shy of a real midway point. But this is newsletter day, and I wanted to share in a broader way about how having an awesome studio is shaking out really to be more than just cleaning and organizing my room.

If you would have told me 10 years ago that I would become a online business master, I would have told you you were full of shit. Never say never. But getting versed in business to the point where the business things I do become second nature is key to being able to streamline business and get to making art I love love love. I have also had to really see the creative work in building a brand and a business.

When I formally started UrbanGypZ as a business, It was my intention to produce a sustainable income with my work. I am not gonna lie it has been one of the hardest things I have done EVER. I have spent an enormous amount of time studying the business side of art to get clear on how to be sustainable. Because let me tell you, there are a lot of practices out there in the fiber art community that makes business not sustainable at all. I am not surprised by the number of indie fiber businesses that have succumbed to stress related burnout. I have had to really turn the volume down on the industry norm and really look at my own situation and numbers. I have taken so many courses in business, have built a network of women to master mind with, and got real about what my goals were. Those goals have included who I would love to work with everyday and how I ideally would like to spend that day. And yes, that has totally impacted the way I set up my studio.

So in the last 2 weeks some of the things I have learned needed to happen beyond wrangling the stuff in order to make my studio awesome:

Find a better way to manage email. I get a lot of email. Much of it is to keep current on business trends. and notifications for my various automations. I have switched for the standard apple mail, to this. So far it has helped tremendously.

Revamp my bookkeeping system. Earlier this year I fired Go Daddy Bookkeeping( formerly known as Outright). I have since been on a search for something user friendly but thorough in helping me prepare it all for taxes and run reports to help me plan. I have settled on this. We’ will see how it goes.

Blog more. The truth is customers don’t buy stuff when they buys art, they buy the dream of the artist. Behind the scenes and in my head is like a living artist statement. And blogging more helps keep my content relevant and current.

Project management. Both on a business level and a studio art level. This will help keep me on deadline with the digital offerings as well as make sure I am making art with the supplies I have and that this craziness of art crap gets under control a little bit better. I have been using Asana, but I am leaning towards going back to Awesome Note 2.

Schedule more planning time/goal tracking. This is something I fell down hard on the last couple of years. Goals and focus can change, this is to make sure I am staying on task or to see if something needs to shift focus wise. I have been using this for several year and it has been INSANELY helpful for tracking my goals and progress.

Manage computer files. Yikes my computer is a hot mess of files and photos. I am usually hard pressed to find any image for my posts and emails. So this needs a system in a bad way.

Better Inventory Management. Mostly for tax purposes. But to also make sure I am not losing money on languishing supplies and am charging correctly based on my costs. I am currently using this. It is built with handmade in mind. I love the pricing calculator.

Better Time tracking. Again to make sure my costs are matching up with my prices. And to see if I am spending way to much time in certain areas.

Improved Email delivery. I have loved Mailchimp for a long time. I have also outgrown Mailchimp. I have been on a search for a new provider for a few months, and have tried out a few. Right now I am using this one. So far it has been good and fairly easy to transition, with WAY more reliable delivery and metrics.

Better SM and editorial calendar management. I have been doing this in fits and starts for the last year. Time to buckle down and stick with it.

So yeah. A lot goes on behind the scenes when it comes to making art a business. I have an intention for a super creative 2017 where I can really grow my body of work, dive deeper into some healing soul art projects, and continue to share what I know building a connection to other creatives (like you guys!) who are craving something deeper with their knitting, or weaving, or whatever their medium.

** Several of these links are affiliate links. I earn a small commission on items and services sold through these links. I would never promote anything I could not stand behind or have used myself.

Joining me in the 31 Day Studio Awesome Challenge?

I am posting progress and info on setting up my studio over the next 31 days. I will not be blitzing my main email list daily…but if you DO want an email notice when daily posts go live, sign up here: