For the past few years I've noticed that my production and types of work that I do has settled into patterns that coincide with shifting seasons. The beginning of the year is for organizing and accounting, spring is for developing creatively, summer is for time off and mainly socializing. Fall and end of year is a very busy time. Preparing for shows - creating work - and a focus on sales.

Seeing this pattern has helped me to understand the flow of my work from conception, to production and from sales to accounting.

Working in seasons as an artist has many advantages. It can dispell the chaos of feeling like you need to wear all your hats at the same time! And by taking time to focus deeply on areas of your business you can create meaningful changes in each area that you wouldn't be able to see if you were rushing through the tasks.

Another aspect of working seasonally that can't be underated is that you can anticipate the needs of upcoming shifts in your work. Ie. If you like to make a push for sales in December then you can order promo materials like some special christmas cards for previous buyers. Advance planning like this adds much more time to promote.

One of my favourite things about working seasonally is that I can take time to relax in the summer because I know that business is pretty much taken care of the rest of the year!