[FREE] That Thing I Didn't Think I Would Do...

...and will probably explains why I haven't posted in August...

Don’t you hate it when you go to read someone’s blog update, who hasn’t posted for a couple of weeks, and all they tell you is they have been… busy. Busy? What does that even mean? Busy doing what? So busy you can’t even articulate what you’ve been doing? Well, my friend, all I have to tell you is… I’ve been busy.

Let me try and recall what I’ve been doing to deem myself busy. Or “vibrant” if you’re inclined to think busy means bad. I don’t particularly. Let’s go with busy, shall we? You may remember, a few posts ago, I shared a cryptic grid-like image. Well, I have been creating a lot more of those. It’s for a project I’m working on for the city of York. Yes, the city itself has requested me to do its bidding (…sort of). I’ll tell you a bit more about it in the next post, but for now I have something equally exciting to tell you about.

When I think back to the start of the year, this isn’t something that I imagined would be happening. Even as I’m about to type this, it’s not even something I thought would happen for at least another three years (or some other vague, ambiguous number that floats somewhere above my head). But, I’ve gone and done it. I have moved into a new studio space.

Me and my key

A few things brought me to this decision. If you didn’t know, MarcoLooks is based in my home studio. As the business has been growing, more and more stock has come in and taking over the house. Our spare bedroom is pretty much commandeered by MarcoLooks now. With this big project that landed on my desk, I now need a lot, lotttttt more space. And with Christmas on the way, making and fulfilling seasonal stock for the three shops I serve, as well as the wholesale area of the business, I just need more room. I spotted a studio become available in a business park in York and when I found out there was no lease to pay, but was in fact rentable on a month by month basis, I knew this was the safest way to explore growing into a new space.

I’m excited. Having a work space that isn’t at home, also allows me to close the door at the end of the day and not sneak back in to do “that other thing before Race Across the World starts in twenty minutes”. It also means that I can pay someone to come and help me in the studio, without the awkwardness of having them come to my home.

It’s only been a week so far, and I haven’t (technically speaking) done any work in there yet… but it will come. Slowly, slowly catch a monkey and all that.

So, in conclusion, I’m equally excited and daunted at the prospect of making this work. But making this work, I will. Who knows, I may rethink and tweak things again in the New Year, but for now, this is what MarcoLooks needs. Woohoo! There are still more things to share with you, but I’ll do that in the next couple of posts. Be sure to subscribe to join me on this weird and wonderful experience running my own creative illustration business.

Speak soon,

Marc

Instagram | Facebook | Shop | Get My Shop Offers and Discounts | Blog/Substack | Buy me a new pencil | Buy my cards on Thortful (aff link)