Year end reflections and achievements.

Jan 06, 2021

One year ago today, I hopped online to tell my Facebook family about my first ever website. Selling coffee painted art!

Being an artist I often work in the gig economy, which required me to sell my time to create art for people. All of the BIG art projects I love doing, require me to be there and give my time, and this artist only has so much time in a day to give.

This little online business selling prints was created to share my art, and to allow me to make an income on art I have already created for myself. Time I have already spent. I wanted to create a passive income at the least.

I even set a goal to make my first sale by 2020, one year ago today. Which I achieved by midnight thanks to your support!

WELL IT'S BEEN A YEAR. Wendy of 2019 had no idea what was coming for 2020. Soon all of my regular gigs were postponed or cancelled due to a deadly virus. People had to isolate, and news of 2020 just kept sending people more and more into their safe places.

This new endeavor couldn't have happened at a more important time. Soon into 2020, the world had big issues to worry about. People, events, and the gig economy as a whole slowed down. Sometimes stopped all together.

Where The Coffee Things Are became a way for me to continue connecting with my community through lockdowns.

The Live Feeds !

My partner, Daniel, and I began recording facebook live feeds of our artist downtime; letting you into the intimate times I create, while Daniel plays improvised, unscripted piano. You joined, watched, listened, and we became close over the pandemic. Over this year we performed 37 Live Feed shows, you've kept us sane and I hope we contributed a little to your own sanity.

The Art!

Pre 2020, I worked strictly under comission. Meaning people and businesses would need me to paint what THEY wanted me to paint.

Now that I create for myself I have finally started to develop a style and grow with it. This usually ends up being a style that others like too! So deciding to sell the piece after making it, has really allowed me to free myself as an artist.

The Opportunities!

*I have been featured on TWO local news outlets! (The Telegram, and NTV News).

*I was asked to be featured in a book about COFFEE PAINTING around the world by a Russian author named Julia Latte!

*I created a painting for the Canadian Nurses Foundation to raise money and awareness. Several of my prints will now be publicly displayed and collected by CNF head office members!

*My CNF painting was copied by an artist in Delhi!

*I messaged and became friends with that artist who copied my work!

*I moved out of civilization for the summer.

*I managed to live-feed from satellite internet. Using a piano powered by car batteries.

*We grew vegetables (not really art related, but worth mentioning)

*We invited friends to live with us in the middle of the woods and turned our cabin lot into a trailer park filled with friends!

*We toured Newfoundland visiting coffee shops.

*I put my art into several stores and coffee shops across Newfoundland!

*We moved BACK to the city after the summer ended.

*I hosted my first online art auction for original paintings!

*I discovered the properties of Coffee On Canvas and developed the technique.

*I created my FIRST coffee on canvas painting! 41 hours total of painting coffee layers!

*I wrote my first City Of St John's ART GRANT. More grants to come.

*I submitted my work for community art procurment.

*Asked to teach a painting class for the LGBTQ Baristas of UK!

*I was accepted into a local gallery. My coffee on Canvas displays at Hunters Framing!

*My art was accepted to display at a New York City virtual exhibit!!

*I reached 2k likes on Facebook!

These are just SOME of the note-worthy achievements you've helped support me through this year. I could be missing a few.

I often say I wouldn't make art if I didn't have people constantly telling me "I'm an artist". So thank you for the motivation.

WHAT'S NEXT for Where The Coffee Things Are?

Grants!

I'm applying to Canadian Arts Council grants for 2022 this year. An intimidating feat. I will also be applying to many little mini-grants. Any grant mentors in this area would be appreciated! Reach out I'd love to see some examples from past recipients.

Content!

This year I want to share some techniques with the world! My live feeds are now on our YouTube channel. It makes a great Playlist instead of the aquarium channel! I will also be upping my video production to teach virtual classes in the spring.

New Customers!

I am grateful for my local support, and I know coffee art can go further out of Newfoundland. Here I've been blessed with a wide circle of friends, a supportive community, and returning local customers. To expand I have to invest a little. Facebook video ads will get me out into the world. It's time I invest in scaling my business this way. I actually devised a plan where loyal customers and coffee lovers can help if they want!

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