🔚 2023: A review of my first year as an artist
🔚 2023: A review of my first year as an artist
#48 Bite of Léa’s Life or how to fail properly
Dear little demon,
Welcome to the edition #48 of the Art Missive! We are 11,136 😈 in this newsletter. Thank you so much for reading ❤.
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In this Missive:
1/ 12 months where I messed up everything...
2/ … to succeed even more.
3/ Where I achieved my biggest dreams...
4/ …but also my worst nightmares.
5/ Moral: reconnect with my art.
1/ 12 months where I messed up everything...
12 months ago, I was announcing my decision to become a full-time artist.
Back then, I was publishing the 9th Art Missive and had set myself 4 main goals to reach within 12 months:
Leave my old business and live entirely off my art.
Launch a Patreon.
Reach 10k subscribers on YouTube.
Complete at least one art course per month.
Today, I can officially say things didn't go as planned. I haven't posted any YouTube videos, I gave up on Patreon, and I'm six months behind on my art training plan.
"What have I been doing?" That's what I ask myself looking at this list of objectives.
Welcome to edition #48 of the Art Missive, where I explain how I missed my goals to achieve something even better.
2/ … to succeed even more.
Without a network, mentor, or experience, I had no idea what it took to manage an art business. So, I tried to do what all my favorite artists did: launch a Patreon and promote it through YouTube.
However, the 2023 version of me quickly realized that everyone was doing that, and only the pioneering artists who had been around for decades had managed to carve out a place for themselves: something needed to change in the model.
And since I didn't know how to stand out, I turned to what truly made me unique: my community.
I stopped letting fear guide me and focused on the value I could bring to the people who had always supported me. And it paid off:
I found my own art style
I released a book for artists → 3000 euros of passive income every month;
I created and launched a drawing course → sold to several hundred students;
My community grew from 100k to 260k followers → +160% followers
I released 48 editions of the Art Missive → +11k members
I landed my first brand collaborations and partnerships.
3/ Where I achieved my biggest dreams...
Ultimately, even though I didn't follow my initial plan, I was able to quit my old job and live 100% off my art business in just two months.
And that's not the only dream I've been able to accomplish: after 6 months of developing my art business, I had gathered enough stable income to travel around the world.
In August, I share with you my plan to become a full-time traveling artist:
And in October, I left France to travel in East Asia, where I am currently writing from.
4/ …but also my worst nightmares.
But I don't want you to think that this year has been all sunshine and roses. Behind these goals, I made the mistake that many artists make: I experienced burnout.
And I'm a bit ashamed to admit it, but 2023 was probably the year when I felt the loneliest and most exhausted.
At certain times, I was working 12 hours a day, seven days a week. I was drawing under pressure and posting hastily. I didn't see my family for weeks. Worse yet... I wouldn't set foot outside for days.
Unfortunately, as much as I was able to grow my business and improve my portraits in 2023, it came at the cost of my mental and physical health.
And by the time December rolled around, I was so exhausted that I couldn't draw anymore. My creativity had vanished, and even today, I'm still in the process of rebuilding it.
Burnout never leaves without leaving some scars, so I decided to establish habits to protect my mental and physical health:
Every week, I set aside 1.5 days for rest and relaxation, without work or drawing.
I make sure to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night.
No phones are allowed in my bedroom.
I engage in at least one fun drawing session per week, without any expectations or recording.
I don’t look at social media before 2 PM or before going to bed.
5/ Moral: reconnect with my art.
What I've learned from this year is that nothing ever goes as planned.
If someone had told me a year ago that I would become a full-time artist, traveling throughout Asia, making a living by drawing badass demon girls... I wouldn't have believed it. That's why, for 2024, I want to keep growing my art business even more and reach €150,000 in revenue.
Most importantly, thanks to the Léa of 2023 who adjusted her goals to stabilize this precious business, the Léa of 2024 will be able to focus on what truly matters: drawing more.
So my main mission will be to take care of myself and you, with these new creative goals:
Drawing every day
Writing an Art Missive every week
Experimenting with a new art medium
Discovering a new drawing course every month
That's it. It's also what I wish for you in 2024. 1 year is enough to transform your art or your artist's life. No need for guilt-inducing goals or trying to have everything figured out from the start. What matters is making a resolution,and taking action!
That's all from me, see you next Monday! 😈
Léa
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