October in review...

[ellenmillion]

October was a good month, if insanely busy.

Art:

Several sketches, a few ACEOs (unscanned), finished a few Portrait Adoption pieces, one of which was snatched up within a day, started another I'm really happy with that I hope to ink tonight at gaming. Also inked and started painting a commission, and worked further on another.

Netted another nice commission... with the magic words 'no color, no shading, maybe by February.'

Closed commissions until further notice.

Writing:

HUGE breakthrough on one of the things that was bugging me, world-wise, with the Torn World sandbox. HUGE. Plot-saving. Very motivating, got me moving into NaNo mood in a big way. Also got me arranging things with my compatriot on the Torn World project, and digging up some old material that really doesn't suck.

Also wrote a short story for the Nov. EMG-Zine that I hope doesn't suck, though I'm not real pleased with it. It kind of drags, but it's something, anyway.

Started an article for EMG-Zine which I must finish today, so hopefully it will count for this month and also not suck.

Business:

I bought toys! *ahem* Seriously, though - I added two items to my product line (totes and buttons), am set up for another two (custom sets and keychains), and upgraded my laminator. Bookmarks are no longer the hassle that they were. I no longer dread bookmark orders.

I got two coloring books in for printing, one new, one for reprints. Another is basically done (waiting on back cover image) and a fourth... uh... isn't.

Orders are minor but steady, and the major t-shirt madness order of the end of September was an exercise in juggling. I think it's under control, though - I've gotten orders out like clockwork, and have managed to streamline the whole process pretty well. Definitely not a /normal/ month, but it does allay most of my 'I wouldn't be able to cope with the kind of growth I need to get truly solvent' fears. I can totally do this.

I got Submitted Descriptions up and running again at PA, with webmaster help, and artist prodding.

I got some advertising up. Commissioned ad is doing great. Epilogue ad tanked. Got ads coming out in two magazines over the next few months.

The EMG Printshop... eh. No sales through it yet, and *very* sluggish submissions, though the site is working great. I feel fairly lukewarm about it in general for some reason, and I'm not sure why. I'd like some more folks submitting work so I can see what a normal workload will be like before I put out expansion pricing... I wonder if they're waiting on me for some reason...

Other printing services are going well, though.

Emails are at a dull roar. Other stuff... mostly caught up on! Ready for the Christmas season, and a nice November sale to prod people to order early. Please, no December 23rd orders...

House:

Curtains! No water, but curtains! Okay, that's actually pretty pathetic progress, but I don't care.

Health:

Friday's fall has had remarkably little consequence. My hip and elbow are understandably tender to the touch, but no joint pain, and the aches in the arm went away pretty quickly. I can put weight on everything without any complaint again, and the bruises are still really disappointing. I've been eating well and not losing weight, sleeping well, and... okay, not exercising or staying in shape, but not, say, atrophying.

I had gawdawful pain early in the month, but a long, long overdue alignment took care of almost all of that.

Sanity levels remarkably steady for the time of year (increasing darkness), stress level (OMG, t-shirts!) and being a girl.

Comments

[laylalawlor.livejournal.com]

Have you had any offers for someone to take the laminator? 'cuz if you're looking for someone in town to take it, and you haven't given it away yet, I could probably get some use out of it.

[ellenmillion.livejournal.com]

Someone said they might take it - I will try to pin them down!

[laylalawlor.livejournal.com]

No rush, it's not something that I really *need* ... but if the other person falls through, I'd be interested in it.

[jeliza]

I've been having trouble getting EMG printshop to load, though I was certainly planning to sign up (probably *after* Orycon) eventually, 'cause I'm sick of cafepress.

Also, I got my t-shirts (and calendar) and they TOTALLY ROCK!

[ellenmillion.livejournal.com]

Right now, or all the time? My sites appeared to be down a bit today... *growls* Hopefully it's temporary.

Woo hoo!!

re: Printshop

[klawzie.livejournal.com]

I'm finishing up a commission (well, "finishing up" meaning "I'll ink it tonight and if I'm still feeling productive, perhaps I'll even color it") that I intend to put up in a Printshop gallery once it's given the thumbsup as a "successful commission" (ie: DUN). I suppose I could go ahead and sign up today though...

I've been holding off signing up to make sure the most major bugs got worked out. >_>

I think sales may be low (or, uh, none) at the moment because many artists just aren't used to doing their own advertising/promotion. I've had to bully aria01 into doing it at all (posting to her DA, linking from her LJ, mentioning in her LJ) and I will continue to do so as often as I can. Because she has the fanbase to support sales, she's just too... whatever. Shy? I suppose as a PR major (really, we're very nearly Advertising in many respects), I'm callous to that sort of 'shy'... :B