Reflecting on 2025; Art Fairs, Etsy Success and plans for 2026💖

So...2025 is almost over. We're all about to see in another new year, whether it be spending it with friends and family, at the pub, abroad, or just at home in our PJs. A lot of people have found this year to be a struggle, which is fair as it's not been the best, but despite this, I feel mine's been alright. Throughout the gloom of world events and economic uncertainty, I find it's been a small miracle that I've been able to have some success in my little corner of the art world, and that's something to be proud of. So, for my final blog post of the year, I thought it'd be good to reflect on the positives, and throw in some big thanks as well.

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Looking back to January, I remember getting quite sick at the time, but it bizarrely managed to spark some creativity back into my life. I started up the website again, reopened my Etsy, and then found inspiration again in the fantasy RPGs I play with my friends. With one campaign lasting almost 8 years, playing as a druid, it's no wonder that I started drawing mushrooms! I don't think I'd have been able to create the art I did in the coming months if it weren't for those D&D sessions, so I certainly want to start in giving my thanks to the friends I still play D&D with. You know who you all are, and you're all amazing!

After this, going into February and March, I had created all those 'Fantasy Fungus' prints I pushed a lot on social media, but the next steps were to decide where to sell them. As I already had an account, I though it best to reopen the Etsy Store, which was always going to be tricky. I have to admit, I'm not the best at promoting myself, so having to do that on top of relearning how to make the listings, calculate profit and shipping costs and keep an eye on how much I earnt, in case I had to report it to the tax man....all at the same time? A bit overwhelming if you ask me!

Well, it turned out far more amazing than I ever expected. Not only did I sell art to friends and family, which is a standard affair for me, I was thrilled to see the listings get an even wider reach. Oh, and just for the hell of it, I even put up one of my pricier paintings I made over 10 years ago, just to show my other art styles, only for it to be bought by someone in Germany! At the time, I was in a state of shock, and I honestly couldn't believe it happened! So yeah, I want to thank everyone who took the time to visit my Etsy Store, give it a like/follow, and enjoyed my art enough to buy it. Whether it be the lady in Germany who bought my painting, or someone who just bought a card, every purchase, no matter how small, would have helped me be visible on the site, and the positive reviews means more potential sales in the future.

Going into the summer, I started to think of other ways to promote my art outside of the online channels, and it occurred to me that I had never taken my art to any craft fairs. Why not? Well, I was probably nervous to put my art to an audience that wasn't friends or family. Well, in July, I took the plunge and did my first ever art event, hosting my own stall at the Leeds Corn Exchange with Little Fox Charity Craft Fairs. Was I nervous? Absolutely! Did I know what was going to happen? Hell no! But y'know what, for my first one, I don't think it could have gone any better. I was so pleased to get to know other creatives, take in the vibe, and start networking. As a first timer, I even made a small profit, which was such a surprise! For complete strangers to show interest and buy my work! I've only ever been used to friends and family buying my stuff in the past, so it gave me a boost I needed to do a few more fairs throughout the year, and every other time, the profits went up bit by bit! For this, I really want to give big thanks to all the people who visited my stall, and whether you bought something, or just took my card to follow me on social media, it still meant a great deal to me! Also, big thanks to Shirralee of Little Fox Charity Craft Fairs, for organising it all and making sure I was set up and doing okay at every event!

As the year was starting to close out, less focus time could be spent on art as I was unbale to attend other fairs and events due to external day job/family commitments, oh, and we had a big house move AND I got sick again for most of October. Typical! I was still able to do the odd Etsy Sale though, and I managed to create some D&D themed Christmas cards for the festive season, which has seen some UK and European sales before Christmas Day, so I wanted to give a quick thanks to everyone who bought those cards. They are still available on Etsy as part of my End of Year Sale, so if you wanted to be super prepared and buy some for next Christmas, you're welcome to do so.

Finally, I want to close out this particular post by giving some of my biggest thanks to friends and family (you know who you are). They have supported me and my art for years, eager to see what I make next, and have encouraged me to keep going. Without that, I would probably just stick to the day job. However, more importantly, I want to give my biggest of thanks to the person who has gotten me to my art fairs, helped me get all my materials, supported all the art I do, loved me unconditionally, and believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. Yep, it's the big dog himself, the husband....Jake! Seriously, I don't think I could have gotten myself a better husband if I tried. Yeah, he gets proper irate when driving in Leeds and a bit cranky without his morning coffee, but those things are completely understandable, given Leeds is a nightmare to drive in! Thank you Jake, form the bottom of my heart!

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I think I'll leave it there for this post, as if I can on for much longer, it'll turn into an essay, and we don't want that! In short, the 'TLDR' of my 2025 is that I started my art practice again, re-opened my Etsy, had great success at the art fairs and Etsy, and I've thanked as many people as I can. Oh, and my husband is awesome.

As for 2026, I have 'some' plans, as I still want to focus on fantasy inspired pieces. I'll be leaving the mushroom art behind for the time being, and try to revisit my love of acrylic painting, while look at more 'adventure' themed illustrations. For now though, if you want to stay in the loop going into the new year, you can follow me on my Facebook page, Instagram, Etsy, or sign up to my mailing list via this website. I'd say the mailing list would be the first place you can find out about upcoming projects, with the others announcing them a day later, so it'll depend how early you want to hear about them.

Thanks again everyone for your support this year! Here's to the end of 2025, and I'll see you all again in 2026! As the Scots like to sing....

"For auld lang syne, my jo,

for auld lang syne,

we'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet,

for auld lang syne."

Best wishes to all from Laura, aka 'ThatHungryArtGirl' 🍄