#also i wanted to have new clearance stickers/art prints up but i need to change the ink cartridges in my printer

[somelazyassartist]

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#i need to finish. these last couple things #gotta photograph shit and fill out the info #and then I'll be DONE and i can PASS THE FUCK OUT #gotta finish getting the plushies/paintings/hats ready to upload todayyyyy before like. idk noon i guess #also i wanted to have new clearance stickers/art prints up but i need to change the ink cartridges in my printer #so that will happen. later in the day today. or tomorrow. depends on if i sleep through my alarms to get up this afternoon #but at least the things i have ready will be up and posted and i will Not Have To Worry About It anymore #and i can go to bed until tonight/tomorrow (depending on how hard i pass out) and THEN get the stickers/art prints up #so.... we'll see #yeah #and then. whenever i wake up i will take a break from doing nothing but Etsy Shop Work for 8 Hours Straight #and i will eat an iced cream and plan DnD stuff for funsies. and then probably do more Etsy/commission stuff #because i don't have anything else to do with my life right now #so. sewing a bajillion tiny manta rays it is

[loverofpiggies]

I love when you get questions about more business things like how you have stock during cons. It's just so impressive to hear about how everything works.

:D!! Honestly?? I love it too!There is a LOT of background stuff that goes on, when you make conventions and art into a full time business. Most of the things I’ve learned sorta took about 3 years to actually settle into something reasonable.

A couple extra things you might find interesting:

-I have a google drive spreadsheet including all my charms. Whenever a certain charm gets under about 8 left in stock, that section of the spreadsheet lights up to let me know I need to restock. I have similar spreadsheets for my pencil bags, stickers, and my newer posters.

-I won’t show anything too personal involving stuff, but I will show you a print out spreadsheet I use at the cons themselves. This was from a very small local 18+ con in Denver. When something sells, I check it off this sheet. After the convention is done, I go into my digital spreadsheet and add them up, so I’m always on top of how much I have.

(Don’t let the sales of Eeveelutions fool you, those were clearance misprint designs so they were way cheaper than everything else here)

-As you can probably guess by now, my keychains are my biggest focus, and with over 120 designs, they’re the hardest to keep track of. I also have over 4000 keychains in my bedroom as I’m typing right now. Save me.

Anyway, this is how I have them organized in my closet:

This is how I have things set up. All my pencil bags, keychains, and a few of my books are stocked in here.

All the little white tabs on top, are taped on. They are whiteboard paper, and everything is written in sharpie. Good news, if you ever want to get sharpie off of something, you just use whiteboard marker on top of it, then wipe! So I can change these as needed.

The boxes by the way, are all little photoboxes you can get at Micheals or Hobby Lobby. Currently, I own probably about 200 of these boxes.

-On that same spreadsheet program, I have tabs that list all the conventions I’m currently applying to (I have attempted to apply to 60+ shows around the united states, Alaska and Hawaii) and how i have to apply. Some shows require you to follow them on twitter to see when its announced, it’s the only reason I have twitter on my phone at all, and the kinder shows just send out emails. Some do neither, for…. some reason I can’t explain- and you just have to check their website. Those shows? Psh, I ain’t got time for that.

When you have 200+ designs, across keychains, pencil bags, posters, stickers, ect ect, and you have to keep track of them all? This is how you do it. At least, this is how I do it. Saves me a LOT of headache, and gives me free time I need for when I’m stressin.

The only way to do this as full time work, is to be excessively organized. Also, you have to seriously plan ahead. For example, I make virtually zero money in the months of November, December, February, and July.  I do make some money on patreon of course! But patreon has become a secondary income, and I try to pretend it ‘doesnt exist’ when I’m setting up my finances. Back when patreon was my primary income, I actually used to have panic attacks at the beginning of each month, because I never knew how much I’d have that month to live off of. Running my own business like this, takes all that stress away, because I have more control over my monthly income. So at a really good show, I’ll take a good chunk of cash, and set it aside for the tough months, so I can essentially survive the winter. I’m constantly thinking months ahead with my planning, so when those months hit, I won’t have any major panics. Those months are still really tough, but they aren’t disastrous.

I laugh at anyone who thinks people who do this sorta thing full time don’t actually work. Because obviously, this all ignores all the art I draw, keeping updates on Gloomverse going, ect ect.

#cqchat #conventions #hope this was informative! #long post #thecronchgod