Restarting international shipping against the odds and other follies.
Creating opportunities, Take 2
I know, I know—terrible timing. But here we are.
After considering the folly of doing such a thing at a time where the world seems to have conspired to make shipping internationally impossible for artists and small makers, I reopened my minu online shop at Etsy. I’ll be shipping to six countries to start: Japan, the UK, Canada, Singapore, South Korea, and the US.
I am afraid shipping costs are high. As a small business in New Zealand, I only get access to expensive courier services at double and triple the rates bigger sellers get. After running a few scenarios through rate finders, I decided to start with a trial, shipping smaller artworks offering two flat-rate shipping profiles. Etsy will calculate the taxes and assign the shipping profiles for your order, and you can look up a shipping table on my website.
Art
Meanwhile in the studio, I love, love, love the new shelves. I line up the sculptures sorted by how far they have progressed, and each morning I can work through them and see what needs to be done next.
The third limited edition is out—meet Gio and the mask and find out how they met! Now that the paper mache tribes are all sorted, it is time to turn my creative energies to painting and printmaking so more exciting work to come.
Books and writing
After all the wallowing, I finally feel I am back on track with my writing projects. In my August Writing Update I explain how writing and illustrating sprints helped me to focus and talk about progress on Book Three’s scene skeleton as well as Book Two’s illustrations.
Renovations and the Forever House Project
We visited a few more open homes but haven’t found ours. Yet. It’s tricky—we haven’t committed to a location, teetering between three options; one halfway across the country. My little cottage is very comfy, but the need for street access, a decent-sized workshop, and a manageable section make the risk of moving worthwhile.
In case you missed it …
… a few updates on my blog you might not have caught:
- Why paper mache can be art in Why paper mache?
- My aforementioned August Writing update,
- The story of How Gio found his mask
Current Art Crush
- lemur._.lori’s reels on Instagram never cease to amaze me. A must-see for everyone working with fabrics or paper mache. Her patience and eye for detail are astonishing.
Current Book Crush
- I re-listened to Infinite Detail by Tim Maughan (still love it) and picked up the audiobook edition of Middle England by Jonathan Coe, which I unexpectedly—not my genre—utterly enjoyed.
Have an amazing rest of the month… and I am truly thankful to everybody who follows my creative adventures and signs up to my newsletter.
That’s about it for now (づ ᴗ _ᴗ)づ♡
#studiovisit #artistlife #artistinthestudio #artstudio #lifeupdate
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