As I wrote yesterday, I decided to take a look back at 2019 and process some of what happened. I made some big moves in 2019 when it came to my art, and they involved investing in myself. Here is the second set of ways I “invested in myself.”
Investment Four: An Art Festival Vehicle
In the fall of 2019, I had to face facts: my trusty 2007 Saturn ION 2 was in dire need of replacing. Not only was it showing its age, but it was ill-equipped for art festival season. In fact, if Steph didn’t have her Equinox, we wouldn’t be able to do any art festivals.
Here was the choice to make: get something a little bigger like an Equinox, or go all in and get a vehicle designed for hauling cargo instead of people. A vehicle which could hold all of our art festival gear. Not having to Tetris everything between two cars would be a huge time and stress saver.
But, this meant my day to day vehicle would be a bit excessive for my day job’s short urban commute.
After a lot of thought, along with serious number crunching and budget adjusting, I decided to buy a 2019 Ford Transit Connect (the cargo van version).
At every art festival I always see several Ford Transits, either the smaller Connect or its larger siblings. I figured there is a reason for the Transit being such a common sight. Following a lot of research and a few test drives, I decided the Transit Connect cargo van was the right vehicle for us.
Our grid wall displays easily fit inside the Transit Connect.
The main sticking point was the interior cargo area had to fit the grid wall displays Steph and I currently use. Steph can fit the panels in her Equinox, but it requires the use of a custom built ramp to make them fit (her new lease was about six inches shorter than the previous model). Of course, even with the ramp fitting the grids in Steph’s care requires some Tetris skills when it comes to the rest of our gear.
Thankfully, as the photo above shows, the panels easily fit in the rear cargo compartment of the Transit Connect (the grids are approximately 2′ x 6 ‘).
My original plan was to lease a vehicle, but after doing my homework I decided buying one was the better way to go. This meant I could mod the inside however I wanted, and I wouldn’t have to worry about mileage. Most importantly, because I bought a 2019 model in December I got a good deal (I actually came in under my budget for a monthly payment).
While Steph and I haven’t had a show yet since getting the Transit (our first is in February), it has already proven its worth just with running errands around town. Our 2020 art festival season just got a heck of a lot easier and less stressful with this investment.
Investment Five: How to Spend my Time
2019 was my second year doing a combination of comic cons (and similar “pop culture” shows) along with art festivals. I learned a lot this season, and used all of the sales data I collected to decide how to invest my time in 2020. For those who don’t know, a lot of art festivals for the following summer open applications in the fall. This means I have to apply for 2020 summer events in the fall and winter of 2019.
There are only so many free weekends in the spring and summer for me to attend events. May, June, and July are my busiest months and I need to pick my events carefully.
In the fall and winter of 2019, I looked over my sales data for the season. I came to a quick conclusion.
I perform a lot better at art festivals than I do at comic cons and “pop culture” shows. The numbers don’t lie, it’s not even close when you compare my gross between the two types of events. The twist of the knife here is, I had a new graphic novel for sale this season (Foxes & Boxes Volume One), and I still did better at art festivals and the like.
I even had a couple of comic cons this season where I didn’t make my table money back.
Why is there such a difference between my sales at art festivals and comic cons? I chalk it up to several reasons I’ve noticed.
- There’s a lot of competition for dollars at comic cons: comics, toys, collectibles, games, autographs, etc.
- Tying in with above, not everyone at a comic con is there to buy original art. Which is fine!
- The big one: I don’t do fan art prints, etc. for comic cons. I made the choice to move away from fan art a few years ago, and I don’t regret it.
- People at art festivals are looking to spend money on unique, original art and prints.
- The X factor: a big part of success at any event is attendance. Some of my comic con events could have went better if attendance was higher. I can say the same of some of my art festivals too.
With all of this in mind, I had to make a difficult choice for 2020. How would I invest my limited time?
I decided I would scale back on comic cons for 2020 and put that time towards doing more art festivals. Now, this doesn’t mean I’m not doing any comic events. I am appearing at the Michigan State University Comics Forum in February, and I’m very much looking forward to being there (I still make weekly comics and I love being at comic events). I’m also open to attending other comic events if I have time.
If everything goes as planned, and I get another Foxes & Boxes book done for 2021, I will add a few comic cons to my schedule. 2020 is going to be another “test year.”
Looking Forward
2019 was a big year for me, art wise. With the investments I’ve made into myself, I’m hoping 2020 will be even bigger. I had some hard choices to make, but they had to be made.
