it’s been quite the ride so far.
We’re coming up on three years of this art business endeavor of mine. Three years of experimentation, creativity, creative burnout, excitement, hope, discouragement… there’s been a lot of all of it!
One thing about me is that I often feel sure of the right way to do something from the very start.
Another thing about me is that I seldom hang onto one way of doing something without completely changing it before too long.
Over these last three years, I’ve honed my skills around experimentation. I call experimentation a skill because, for those of us who are up to our noses in perfectionistic tendencies, experimenting is hard! It’s hard to begin without knowing what the end holds. It’s hard to bounce back from all the times that going in an unexpected direction felt like utter failure.
But I find myself here, easing slowly into this new year—it is still the season of hibernation, after all—and feeling a gentle tug toward switchin’ it up.
Because we’re leaning hard into the essence of experimentation, I have to warn you that these changes may or may not stick. But for the time being, this is what feels right:
ART RELEASES
Up to this point, I’ve mostly posted art to my online shop as I complete it, but I’m now going to try out larger monthly-ish(?) releases. That means that I will collect all the work I complete in a month, photograph it in one batch, and drop it all on my shop at once. Not only does this save me time on the administrative side of running an online business, but it also let’s me show you the bigger picture of what I’m working on each month. I’ll let you know via email and social media when you can expect each release!
LIMITED COMMISSIONS
I’ve also decided to limit my commissions, at least until Fall 2023. The big thing this affects is custom stole orders in the summer! The past few summers, I’ve worked pretty much exclusively on custom stoles. However, this summer, I have two pretty large in-person things coming up that will require me to build up a substantial inventory, so limiting commissions will give me the time and creative space to do that.
If you know you are interested in ordering a custom stole (for an ordination, seminary graduation, installation, treat for yourself, etc.), let me know early! I’ll most likely stop taking stole orders sometime in April if I don’t reach my order capacity before then. But I’ll keep y’all posted on the details. 😊
INSTAGRAM AS AN EDUCATIONAL PLATFORM
This is a change you may or may not notice, but I intend to incorporate more educational content on my instagram. I have felt kind of unfulfilled and uninspired when creating instagram content over the past few months. I’ve also had a video go mini-viral (at least for my standards), which has resulted in thousands of new followers over the past week (I’m still processing that, honestly). So this feels like an opportunity to post content with the intention of inspiring folks to create, showing some helpful tips and tricks along the way. I’ll still be documenting works in progress, sharing snippets of my creative practice, and posting updates about my shop and any relevant events!
If you don’t follow me on instagram, come on over! instagram.com/molliedonihe
COMING SOON
Does any of this sound interesting?
Upcycling old, boring, mass-produced stoles into new, artistic, pay-what-you-wish stoles?
In-person class opportunities?
Private individual/group lessons?
Contributing materials for a collaborative art installation?
Stay tuned for more updates! I’ve got some exciting things in the works that I can’t wait to share with you.
Happy 2023, y’all. I hope you are starting off this year with ease. I hope you’re setting down the strict resolutions of yesteryear in favor of more rest. I hope you’re creating something beautiful. <3