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Kent, don't let your location confuse your goals.
A couple of years ago, my landlord sold my rental from under me. The new owners were quite disreputable, and in spite of jolly, friendly, happy assurances they had many properties and would put me off for renovation, they evicted me on Jan 10. A month of business in the busiest month down the drain and no place to stay in a pinch, so I was a roommate for a few months. The woman who came to install my phone, a little girl who worked for the phone company, saw my pictures on the wall (finding places for the art was the BEST part of this situation... possibly the ONLY good part) and wanted a watercolor. Although she did small and inexpensive pieces, during the course of that year she got over a thousand dollars in work! If a blue collar single mother will spend that sort of money, never decide in advance WHERE you business is coming from!
I too, found it to be an amazing year. I was never so booked that I felt like I had "arrived" but as I am totaling my income for taxes, I have exceeded the average income of five years ago in my day job!!! Still hanging on to that day job.
I did an 8 subject family for Christmas kicking me into the four digit norm, but I do most of my work in the $300 - $700 range. One or two of the big ones, which require selling your multi person or full figure skills, help your confidence and I swear, when I started BELIEVING I was worth it, I had no trouble finding people who agreed.
Confidence and seeing your successes not your defeats will actually make a difference in your approach to finding and keeping clients.
I am still very heavy in the donation field but have skipped one or two of my charities to see if they miss me, that way I will create a stir by my absence! I have found that NOT giving up is important. However, making a decision to change direction will leave a void that has resulted in a flurry of attention and appreciation!
AND of course, never for a day, do I stop marketing myself.
I am still intimate, in that I have face to face, no travel projects. I do over half my work in pet portraiture, which the forum does not support, but it is a very reputable foot in the door for less furry subjects.
I also do Trophy portraits for hunters. I am more and more active in the AKC and UKC dog shows, and I find most of my clients do repeat business. A PACK of dogs would keep me busy for a year, or the human pups! It is all paint an canvas.
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