End of something, start of something else
Hey - so I think this is my, like, 5th email that's been about starts and ends in some form. I didn't realise that I've been thinking about things in this way so much but here we are. I guess even I'm learning.
Here are some starts and ends.
I've started a new job. I've joined a University as a Student Success Coach. That means my job is to help students complete their studies in a good mood having learned plenty. It's a new role at the workplace and I've not really started yet (just induction). I'm glad to be out of Project Management and into something that's more people focused. Surprising everyone who knew me when I was 14, I've turned out to really enjoy working with people and helping them. Day one was Monday, so this is very fresh.
This means my period of holiday has ended. I managed to wrangle three weeks off between being a Project Manager and a Student Success Coach. It was great. I went bush, did some artist talks, absolutely SMASHED about 15 exhibition/festival/grant applications (let's hope one comes back positive) and pushed my publishing business' projects along. I also made a big collage and developed some new directions in my practice, that's sick. It was a waste of what a full time artist would be and it was great, but there are bills to pay.
The first financial year of treating art as a business has ended. My art brought in $25,458 over the year: sales, grants, artist fees and some commissions. My business expenses were $40,000 - which is quite high because I bought a fancy new camera, paid for a ton of printing (and books you pay for up front then they sell) and included in that is a bunch of car and home office expenses, so it's a bit misleading. The government is giving me back $5700 in tax, which is a nice donation - I'm treating it like a once-a-year artist grant. I can recommend that, if you're juggling a day job and multiple streams of income from another business an accountant really made things easier. First time I've used one!
The last book of 2022 that Tall Poppy Press is publishing is just about done. It's been a great project but the most circuitous one to make. Increasing costs, supply chain slow downs, scheduling complexities - you name it, we've been working through it. But the finished book should arrive this week or next and it's already a smash. So that project is coming to an end (sort of, still 2 launch events and selling it to go).
I've started making three new books with Tall Poppy Press for 2023. Each one is really different from the other and the business will have some really nice expansion in what it makes, shows and publishes, which feels great. The book I'm most able to share is a book that's an anthology of exhibitions/installations. It's a bit hard to describe but I think it'll be a complete smash hit. I'm enjoying emailing artists and asking 'hey, can I use your exhibition in my book?'. It's really nice to let people know their work means a lot.
I've ended some yo-yoing that was kicking my ass a few months ago. Like a lot of folks I've been guilty of pegging a lot of hopes on one specific thing, then it doesn't quite go to plan and I feel like shit. Earlier this year I was struggling immensely at work - I had a friendly but poor manager and was just feeling like a complete loser. I needed a job switch, but more than that I needed to work on bring a bit more accepting and go with the flow. It's a hard thing, sometimes, just to keep on trucking and not like, frantically apply for a zillion jobs or feel the only solution to discomfort is action. Ended is maybe a bit ambitious, but we're getting there.
Ta,
Matt