On the 22nd of March I ordered a new printer.
I'd been keeping an eye on ebay for this specific make and model that I wanted, but couldn't really afford, incase it came up cheaper. And it did!
Honestly, I still couldn't really afford it, but I also couldn't afford to continue to order my stock online, with no control over the quality. I had a market booked for the first weekend of April, and a whole Spring release planned.
The printer never came, and the market got cancelled.
In some ways, it felt lucky that the market had been cancelled since I wouldn't have been able to make and take my new stock. Except that I had just spent a bunch of money on a new printer AND it's the Easter Holidays, which for me means a significantly reduced income for two weeks (outside of drawing, I'm a freelance music teacher, and there's no lessons over the hols!). I really could have done with the little smidge of income from the market to see me through.
I really really wanted to use this time to set my online shop, and sticker club. I really wanted to start getting people's email addresses at the market to start a newsletter. I had PLANS for this fortnight off folks! And instead, I've basically spent the Easter hols just hanging out in my house, with nothing "productive" to do, and no money to go out and do fun things with my family.
But. I. Have. Painted.
I genuinely don't remember the last time I felt this inspired. I have painted nearly every day of the easter holidays, and I have ideas coming out of my ears.
I've been working on these seasonal witchy girlies, who you can expect to see in some cute little planners I'm going to make over the next month or so. They should be available in plenty of time for the new academic year. And painting them made me reflect so much on my current wardrobe and how much I am longing to be lounging in summer dresses again (literally I do not know how to dress myself in the cold), so I'm thinking I might print some fabric? And make some dresses for the summer! Also I have an idea for a full-on witchy children's book.
I'm still really annoyed that I don't have this printer. I'm honestly starting to feel like the seller is messing me around and I'm going to have to get ebay involved and it's going to be a whole thing. BUT if I had been busy making test-prints and cutting paper, and packaging things, and taking pictures, and trying to a web shop together, I'm very very sure I wouldn't have done so much painting that I'm so pleased with.
I suppose I'm realising that productivity isn't always crossing off stuff on my tick-lists, and joy doesn't always have to cost money.
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