Painting goals for 2016

I have a confession to make. I am a terrible sales person. One of my first jobs was as a photographer at JC Penney. I was okay (not great) at taking the photos. I was decidedly awful at selling them. Also, just a word to you parents out there. Please be nice to your photographer.  **Side note: two of my sisters also worked at the portrait studio and one of them is extremely talented and runs her own photography business. Find her work here!**  Many a parent made me cry with their harsh words when I was a teenage photographer. I decided that I would not go into a profession where I had to sell anything.

Ha. Hahahaha! My job after that was working as a waitress at Olive Garden. Of course, managers want you to sell more (more appetizers, more alcohol, more higher priced items). I did better with job here since it involved talking to people (no trouble there), but I was the least pushy person when it came to selling anything.

Throughout those Olive Garden years I was in school for teaching. Where I didn't have to sell anything.

So you can see how shocking it was to find myself owning a teeny tiny business. Where I sell things. I strive to let my products sell themselves. I hope you never find me a pushy salesperson. I doubt you will, since I tend to despise those people. (No offense to those of you who are "good" salespeople, it's just not my thing.)

However, one thing that I realized is that my signs can't sell themselves if you don't know they exist. Which brings us to the point of this post. 

Facebook has been key to the building of my business. However, this past year they made some changes, that, from a business aspect I get. They need to make money to run their business, so instead of allowing free advertising which is what they had done in the past, they now would like you to "boost" posts to get people who already like your page to see your posts. So if you have noticed that you see less and less of pages that you "like" this should not be surprising. But there's some good news! You can make some adjustments to change this.
1. You can "like" and comment on the pictures I post. This tells the Facebook algorithm that you want to continue seeing my page.
2. You can go to my Facebook page
Make sure you "Like" my page. Then under like, click "Get Notifications". Also from this screen you can select "See First" instead of "Default". This SHOULD allow you to see all my posts. (see photo for help)

I know not everyone is on Instagram, but this has quickly become a favorite for me. The feed is a lot cleaner than Facebook and you follow who you want to follow and you see the things they post. I just joined Instagram a few months into 2015 and it's been a slow-growth for me, but I really like it and see a lot of potential for MamaHessPainting here. Following me on Instagram is really simple.  <<------- a="" click="" there="">


And of course, there's my Etsy Shop.

Lots of ways to stay connected with Mama Hess Painting this year.  

Some goals for 2016:
1. Do 3 to 4 shows. (Last year I did two)
2. Build the wedding/vow renewal/love section of my Esty shop. I have SO many ideas for this section.
3. Take better photos of my signs
4. Stay joyful

Number four may seem silly, but when I'm really really really busy, painting can feel like a job. It's good for me to keep in mind that so often my signs bring joy on people's happiest days of their lives (weddings, babies, new homes, etc.) and bring comfort on their hardest days and provide inspiration on the days between.

Looking forward to a beautiful 2016 with you all! Thanks for coming along and enjoying the beautiful ride with me.


xoxo,
Mama Hess

A Book Review & Some Fun Year End Numbers

Everyone needs a break from time to time. Christmas is the busiest time of year for me as the owner, designer, and artist behind Mama Hess Painting. After I finish all my Christmas orders I force myself to take a break from all custom orders until late January. And an amazing thing happened. I read a book!

I know this is seems like a small thing. And in all honesty, I have read lots of books this year. However, most of them are children's books. Maybe sometime I'll blog on the best kid books I've read... but not today. Today is reserved for a special book. A book written for adults. Like actual grown-ups. And I read it silently, not aloud to sometimes squirmy kids.

The book is called: The Puzzle: Some Reassembly Required by the one and only Katherine Devlin Flood. (To purchase the book simply click on the link provided in the title.) A portion of the book's synopsis is provided below, then I will give my personal insights on the book.

"Life was set on a comfortable path, until an awful night in June, 1985. College was almost done. Kati had so many dreams, and aspirations for her future. Suddenly, all of these pieces of her life were trampled and crushed by an awful car accident. The Puzzle; Some Reassembly Required, covers the time from this awful event to her marriage - the incredible breakthroughs along with the heartbreaking setbacks. The pages of this book will renew your belief in hope. Miracles do still occur! Learn to believe in your capabilities, rather than predicted expectations."
Quote from lulu.com 

Without giving too much away, I want to share some of my personal reflections on Kati's book. **Spoiler: Kati survives the awful car accident.**  As previously mentioned, I haven't read a "real, grown up book" for quite awhile. The ones I have started haven't held my attention long enough to finish (or I got too busy). I couldn't put this book down. Kati writes with such honesty and humor. You will love her grit and determination to live her life as fully as possible despite her traumatic brain injury. She has a wonderful way with words that really make her story come alive. I am not a medical doctor. In general, I feel like when I'm at the doctor (even for simple things) the words go in one ear and out the other because I just don't have a frame of reference for the words they say. So it is with much appreciation that Kati does not dwell on medical terminology. She does give some really good information early on in the book, but she doesn't continually bring up words that only people who have been in her situation can understand. It makes her book accessible for all readers.  **Caution: the accident scene is very descriptive and hard to read.**

I had the great joy of meeting Kati, now 30 years after her accident, during a Bible study this past September. You notice Kati for several reasons. First, the obvious, physical reasons: she walks slowly with the aid of a cane. Then you notice Kati because, well, she's Kati. She has a great sense of humor and personality. Sometimes it requires a little more time to talk with Kati as her speech was affected as a result of her TBI. This doesn't mean she CAN'T talk! No, my friends, Kati talks. And I think in general, our culture (and me, personally) aren't good listeners. So I'm learning from Kati. I'm learning not to rush through things. I'm learning to listen. I'm learning to slow down. From reading her book I've learned the importance of being there (physically and emotionally) for people who are going through challenging circumstances.

There are really only two things I wish would have been included in Kati's book. First, her age at the time of various events. I know she does mention the years a few times and I know she listed her age at least one point in time, but for me I think it would have been a little helpful if her age was given right at the beginning, and then mentioned a couple more times just to keep me on track of where she's at. (The book covers the seven years following her accident.) And the second thing I would have liked to have seen are pictures of Kati at different stages following her accident and during her recovery. I've never published a book, so I'm not sure how complicated or expensive it is to add photos, but I think that it would be helpful for the readers to see Kati throughout her reassembly. Kati writes so well that it is really hard to picture her in those times where she is hooked to machinery, unable to talk, unable to walk, but able to hear and comprehend.

I highly recommend Kati's book. Kati is also currently in need of funds for a helper dog. I know Kati would appreciate any support. You can donate directly to that by visiting her GoFundMe account found here:
Helper Dog Support for Kati

Or you can purchase: The Puzzle : Some Reassembly Required.  

SOME FUN YEAR END NUMBERS from Mama Hess Painting.
If you like numbers, keep reading. If not, disregard the rest of this blog except the part where I say, "thank you, from the bottom of my heart!".
If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram you have already seen this picture, but I think it's worth sharing again.

This image shows the amount of views, favorites, and orders I received in my Etsy store this year, 2015. To put that into perspective, I will give you last year's numbers. On Etsy in 2014 I had 6,778 views, 232 favorites, and 53 orders.

The total number of signs I sold in 2015 were 342 (including Etsy, Facebook, and live events). Some numbers that I don't have tallied are other things I sold, such as mugs, coasters, and cords. (Some of those things ARE included in my Etsy orders, but I don't have exact figures on those other items.)

I can hardly even comprehend those numbers. Three hundred forty-two signs in 2015. I truly can't thank you all enough for your support. I am so excited for what 2016 will bring. I have so many ideas floating around while I'm on break. I'm not sure how many I will actually have time to do for you all, but I am really excited about the new year.

So I end the year saying, "Thank you!" Thank you all for your kindness, for your generosity, and for your support of my tiny but growing business. I joked at the end of 2014 about a ridiculous goal for 2015. The goal was completely smashed. I thank you all for that. Can't wait for 2016! Talk to you all in the new year!

XOXO,
Mama Hess

Checking off Goals

In January one of my stated goals for the year was to run a 5K.  I made it public (so had to follow through with it) HERE.

I've said before that I believe you can make the time for what is most important to you. I've certainly learned a fair amount since I started "training" to do this 5k. I think it's only fair to say that I was (from 2003-2005) a college athlete. My main thing was soccer. However, I did run cross country for one semester because they needed runners and they said they would pay for my books if I ran. Sort of a no-brainer there. I loved soccer, I hated running. So running that distance wasn't as huge of a deal for me as it is for other people. There are so many amazing people who really work hard to run this distance. Honestly, I think they are better people than I am for the amount of effort they put into their running.

Beauty all along the rail trail.

This winter seemed to really drag on for me this year, and I felt like I really needed an outlet. Hence, the desire to run a 5K. Since it has been ten years since I have done really any physical activity other than have four babies (and I'm pretty sure having babies doesn't help you run a 5K) I needed to train.

The nice flat rail trail where I run.

I made a serious effort to get out and run two to three times per week. This was not easy. Often I would wait until hubby got home from work, I would drive five minutes to the rail trail near our house, and run one mile. I could usually get there and run and get back in about 30-40 minutes. As it got closer to the date of my 5k I tried to run either Saturday or Sunday and do a longer two or three mile run.

Quiet place to be at 6 am

I'm not a morning person. At all. The race I signed up for was the 5K River Run in Wrightsville, PA (about 45 minutes from my home), and the race started at 8:30. So I needed to be leaving my house by 7 at the latest. So my dear husband suggests that I start running in the morning before he goes to work. That meant some mornings I was up and at the trail by 6 am. Honestly, I found myself enjoying it. I enjoyed the fresh feeling of the morning, the empty trail, and waking up in that way. I also saw a lot of animals at the trail, and the kids always enjoyed hearing what I saw each day. Sometimes a deer, groundhogs, indigo buntings, cardinals, rabbits, and once a turtle. So I did my best to train, but those morning runs left me exhausted for the rest of the day. I would usually end up super grumpy and need a nap.

Snapping turtle I saw during one of my runs.

The night before the race my stomach felt weird. Hubby thought I was just nervous. OR, I had a touch of stomach bug. The morning of the race I was a little bit sick in my stomach, but went out anyway. I am probably the only person left on the planet who doesn't have a GPS, so I used PRINTED MAPQUEST DIRECTIONS (I'm so stuck in 2004), which took me to Wrightsville. The only problem was they took me to cross the Wrightsville Bridge, which of course was CLOSED so that the runners can run across. I quick call my hubby in a panic, and I won't mention the unholy words I said, but it was not nice. I quick drove to a Turkey Hill, asked for directions, and thankfully, they got me there. I had to park far away because I was late, literally ran from my car to pick up a race bib, literally ran to the bathroom, waited impatiently, and ran to the start line holding my t-shirt. There was nobody there that I knew to hold my shirt while I ran, so I stuck the shirt in a little cleft in a tree. And the race started a few minutes later. It was not exactly how I envisioned this all happening.

The race starts downhill (which is sweet), then flattens out for about one mile across the bridge.

The Wrightsville Bridge: Photo from Civil War Album

(If you have time, you really should read about the Burning of the Wrightsville Bridge).

A really pretty photo of the bridge: Photo from Amtrack Vacations (of all places!!)

 Once you cross the bridge you loop around a little side street and then run back across the bridge. Now is the hardest part. I felt really good up until about mile two. I really slowed down for about 3/4 of a mile. Then I started to slowly pick back up the pace. The last four blocks is UP the steep hill that we lovingly ran down at the beginning of the race. Somehow I felt really good running up those last four blocks, maybe it was old soccer training coming back to me. I had really wanted to run in under 30 minutes, but I wasn't able to make it in that time. My official time was 30:37, which was still almost three minutes faster than any of my practice runs. I don't think being sick really made any difference in my time, although I did feel awful after I ran and most of the weekend. Somehow the adrenaline or something was able to keep me from not feeling bad while I ran.

My mom and nephew were there to cheer me through the finish line. Thanks for your support!!

I definitely learned a lot from my training/running experience. One thing I learned is that I CAN make time to run. However, I made time to run (often) at the expense of my family. To me, it isn't really worth it. I was often really grumpy and really tired on the days I ran, which of course affected my family. That doesn't necessarily mean that I will never run again. I think I'd like to keep up with running once or twice a month, but not much more than that. I would love to eventually run with my husband, but this will be years down the road since at the point someone needs to stay with our little kids while the other is running. 

And kudos to all the super-fast people out there. The first runner of this race came in at 18:24 and was just fifteen years old. There are a lot of really dedicate runners out there and I think that's awesome.

Now I can check that off my goals for the year!