Coffee with Julie- 1-4-21

2021 arrived and passed and today we are all resuming our daily lives after the holidays. My shop sales came to a screeching halt on December 9th it seems and since this is my first real year of sustained growth and revenue from my online sales I don't have previous history to judge if that is normal.  I think it makes sense that all the online Christmas season shipping had been done and so I took the time to begin working on my new designs for the upcoming year.  

I received my new iPad Pro 12.9" and my first ever Apple Pencil around that same time as my sales slowed down so I stayed very busy learning how to use this amazing new tool.  I downloaded the app Procreate (seems anyone serious about drawing digitally on the iPad chooses that drawing app) and I have been having a blast ever since.  

I'm currently working on my second "Farmhouse Whimsy Coloring Book" and hope to have it published and available on Amazon by the end of the month.  I'm subtitling this one "All Critters Big and Small" so I can include my mice, bunnies and bees in the book too.  This project has me super excited because I LOVE the passive income that I think self publishing on KDP (Amazon) will eventually bring. 

My first book wasn't published until November 1, 2020 and so for those 2 months of 2020 my sales break down as follows:

Farmhouse Whimsy Coloring Book- A Coloring Book to Make You Smile - 62 copies  COLORING BOOK ON AMAZON

2021 Farmhouse Weekly/Monthly Planner- 21 copies  2021 PLANNER ON AMAZON

Little Farmers on the Go- A Traveling Game Book- 13 copies TRAVEL GAME BOOK ON AMAZON

Branding your business is so important and something that I really want to do this year is wrap most of my orders in cute wrapping paper.  Eventually, I will design my own and have that printed for me but in the mean time, I decided that I would use rubber stamps and both brown (the rolls that painters use to tape off windows) and a whole case of white packaging newsprint paper that someone gave me.  The beauty of having all your designs in a farmhouse/country theme is that you can easily upcycle items around your house and it adds to the homemade primitive charm of the farmhouse motif.  

I ordered this "Tim Holtz Collection- Funny Farm" cling stamps and a few colors of ink pads to get started.  We found some wood to glue the stamps too and Wallaaaah! I have cute farm themed wrapping paper with minimal investment.  I can't wait to start wrapping all my 2021 sales with them.

I will be sharing more about this in detail on my next VLOG- YOU HEARD ME CORRECTLY!  I have started my own YouTube Channel where I show off my new artwork or studio tips.  This will be expanding in 2021 and I'm super excited about growing this new social media connection.  Here is the link to my channel so please consider subscribing!  Julie Townsend Studio - YOUTUBE

There is DUST on my PAINTBRUSHES

 I have been so busy these past few weeks, that I haven't picked up a paintbrush or even a colored pencil.  Now don't be concerned that I may be giving up on my artwork!  It's far from it.  Rather, I have been working on a couple of new projects that I'm really excited about and that are dear to my heart.  The learning curve has been pretty steep but I feel as if I have climbed to the summit and now can see the possibilities on the other side.

What am I speaking of you ask?  Well, I will tell you.  I have been learning all about low content self publishing using KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) on Amazon.   I just published my first coloring book and it went live on Nov 1st.  "The Farmhouse Whimsy Coloring Book" contains 35 line drawings of my original artworks that you can color for yourself.  Many of the "Wash Tub" series are included in the book and priced at only $8.99, I think this coloring book will make a great gift option for the coming holiday season. Well that is at least my hope and that I receive passive income from here on out with continued book sales.   I'm already planning to create more coloring books in the coming year.

 My second project may not be as popular but I'm excited.  I'm almost ready to push the button to publish my first desk planner for 2021.  It's a large 8.5 x 11 inch paperback (just like the coloring book) and has both a monthly and weekly calendar and 142 pages filled with my artwork, digital designs, scriptures, prayer journal and a big "TODO" list page for each week.  I designed it with my needs in mind but I'm hoping a few others will also find that same appeal.  Because it had to be color print, I had to set my Amazon retail price at $21.99.  

Each of the 12 monthly pages has a full size image of the Wash Tub drawings that appears on my 2021 wall calendar that is available on my Etsy Shop.  The weekly calendar has also a combination of my original artwork and adorable clipart that I have arranged.  The thing that I am excited about is that each week there is included on the layout a large "for this week" page that allows you to prioritize your goals and consider your blessings and victories.  I'm a list girl and I have not found a planner that gives me the ability to organize my week like this one does.  

If my copy of this planner is the only one that sells, I think I will be okay with that.  I felt with the craziness of this past week and the uncertainty I feel about the coming year, along with the continued economic fall out caused by COVID, a happy planner full of funny farm animals and scriptures was exactly what I need to make it through.  Besides I learned a lot and at my age that is SOMETHING!

To find both of these books (hopefully the planner will go live on Amazon by tomorrow) you just search "JULIE TOWNSEND STUDIO".