Another year behind and a whole new one in front of us! I thought it would be fun to take a look back at 2022 for Zinnia Sky Studio and look forward to what we hope 2023 will bring. I see lots of funny memes about slamming that 2022 door shut and opening the 2023 door. But in real life, we might as well just roll with the new year because we can’t stop it anyway!
The Year in Numbers
I love numbers – almost as much as I love art. In fact, many times when I’m over-arted, I’ll go play with numbers for a while.
So, with my love of numbers, I thought you’d like to see some of our 2022 numbers! As we close our year and look forward to the next, we’re catching up all our numbers so they were right there!
These were the ones I thought were not just most important, but the ones that defined 2022 for us the best. Ten art shows doesn’t sound like a lot until you realize those 10 shows are all done in 2 six week blocks of time. The 100+ products amused me because I always want to do more and Tim is always telling me he’s running out of room – he might win this one ….. eventually.
But by far my favorite numbers were noting that Zinnia Sky Studio just finished its ninth year in business and the last two with Tim by my side. For an accidental business, that’s pretty amazing! Thank YOU for all your incredible support and making us so successful!
Still a Challenging Year
Like probably most of us, we found 2022 to still have some pretty big challenges. We battled some significant paper shortages and you can imagine how stressful that was since we sell paper products!
At one point, we were down to our last box of envelopes with none to be found anywhere. Thankfully, Tim and our amazing printer, Eric at Betts Printing, rounded up a year’s supply for us. I’m not even going to ask how they did it, I just know I’m so thankful for them and all the efforts they put in. If you noticed our envelopes looked a little different at times, this is why! We finally have our usual style back in stock but you may still see some odd ones here and there.
Another typical challenge for us is weather. I know, who knew there was weather in Arizona?! But turns out, it’s true. Since everything we do is an outside venue, we’ve battled heat, cold, wind, and rain. While rain is frustrating when it affects a show or market, we can never complain about the desert getting rain!
Life is full of challenges so I’m not expecting 2023 to have fewer than 2022 but I sure hope they’re not as frustrating.
What Will 2023 Bring?
A new year for me always means new things coming! And 2023 is no different. I’ve got lots of ideas and plans swirling around in my head and you’ll see them soon.
When I first started building my inventory, I created all the time. Whatever I ended up with became something. I now create a bit more deliberately because I’m purposely adding to current collections. In 2023 you’ll see new cards – of course!, a new mix of box sets, more stickers, and various other items that will go well with these.
I’ve been exploring some new items but haven’t settled on any for sure yet. I get lots of suggestions from you and they are always appreciated. I can’t always do a suggestion but it helps me to hear what you’re looking for.
One of the challenges of 2022 that was very difficult for us was the increase in supply prices. I bet you noticed that too! Since we were as frustrated as everyone with higher prices everywhere we turned, we decided to pause discounts and sales in return for not increasing our prices with the exception of a couple products we couldn’t avoid. We can’t promise we won’t have to raise our prices in the future, but for now, we’re keeping them the same.
We still have calendars in stock and plan to have them available through January.
After a short break for the holidays, we’ll be back out and about soon. Below is our spring schedule.
You’ll find details on the website and you can always check our Facebook and Instagram pages for updates. We can’t wait to see you!
If you’re looking to start the new year with more mail to your favorite people, here are some suggestions to make it fun and easy for you to do!
Oh – and don’t forget to use that January coupon you just found above!
Check out our Birthday Perpetual Calendar for a great monthly listing to keep all your annual celebration dates all in one place.
Stock up on birthday cards and stickers so you can make those special dates even more special when you add your cheer to the day!
Send smiles to your favorite people without having to go shopping by keeping a supply of fun cards and stickers on hand. You’ll make them and YOU smile when you brighten their mailbox.
