Delays and Difficulties Wearing Me Down!

As most of you know, the past couple of months I have been actively working on getting an art and photography website up and running. I have recently had quite a few people express an interest in purchasing my art so I knew it was time to finally make that possible with a website. I always felt this was a good idea but I was focusing on building a portfolio first. I have built up my portfolio so now it is time to make some of my work available. Well, between my health issues and problems with actually implementing my plan, this is all really wearing me down. I can't help but wonder whether all this effort will be worth it in the end.

Let's start with my latest problems in implementing my plan. I think this latest problem is probably related to the current state of our economy. Some of the major vendors I had lined up are no longer providing the services I need. They seem to be streamlining their business for mainstream customers only. (Edit:  Mainstream customers = 'customers who prefer cheap prints rather than quality'.)

In order for me to sell prints, whether they be photographic prints or art prints, I need to have a professional printer/developer. This developer must be able to provide a few key elements for me. First and foremost, quality. Their reproductions must meet or exceed my standards of quality. Next, my developers must also provide an interface which is easy to use and allows drop shipments to my customers. Seems reasonable, doesn't it?

The professional printer/developer I had been using no longer provides printing on art papers which is critical for selling my art reproductions. The biggest problem with this is that I had already spent a lot of time and energy finding this printer and testing their quality. This new development put me back at square one.

In the quiet hours of the night, I spent hours upon hours searching the internet for the ideal printers/developers. I seem to get my best work done during these hours. It is much easier to stay focused (a problem as a result of my illness) and I tend to be more creative too. I love working on creative projects in the middle of the night. This is especially noticeable in piano. It would not be unusual to find me at my piano wearing headphones in the dark, except for the light on my piano, playing until I could no longer keep my eyes open. I keep telling myself I should just continually record those piano sessions but I never do. Maybe that will be my next big project. Anyway, these wee hours of the morning are my most creative, artistic, expressive and even productive moments. The same holds true for this website endeavor.

After a few nights of searching, I felt I found a printer who could be acceptable. I set up an account with them and started familiarizing myself with their interface and products. To make a long story short, it turns out that they will not work for my purposes. So, it was back to searching the internet. Eventually, I had a very good night of searching.

Not only did I find a professional printer/developer who can reproduce artwork on art papers and canvases, but I also found a second printer/developer who actually provides photographic developing that is almost unheard of in today's digital world. So, I set out to learn more about both of these vendors.

The vendor for the artwork provides five high quality papers for art reproductions. They use commercial printers utilizing 8 pigments. They also provide output on two types of canvas. They have the ability to provide framing as well. They are an established business with thousands of artists as satisfied customers. Of equal importance is that their interface is easy to use. As I write this blog entry, I am awaiting their sample paper kit and test prints. It does appear as though this vendor will solve my problems for artwork. Finally!

Now, let me tell you about the other printer/developer I found.

This printer actually uses a developing process which combines new digital technology with chemical emulsion darkroom techniques. They convert my digital photographic images exposing them onto light-sensitive silver halide papers. This process is so much better than inkjet printing that it is completely absurd to even call an inkjet print on inkjet paper a 'photograph'. This silver halide developing process produces high-quality, professional photographic prints that will truly last a lifetime. I am very excited to have found a printer of this caliber.

By the way, inkjet prints on inkjet paper start to dry out and fade immediately. I don't care what the documentation states. I have printed inkjet prints on photo inkjet paper and I can state with absolute certainty that these prints are 'low quality' at best. They are inferior prints that will be faded within a matter of a few short years. This does not meet my standards of quality control.

I ordered 28 proofs on four different types of silver halide paper. My test proofs should arrive this weekend. Once I have proofs in hand that meet or exceed my quality control standards, I can begin creating product lists and pricing lists. I am confident that these proofs will indeed exceed my quality control standards. Finding this printer/developer was an added bonus as a direct result of these problems I encountered so perhaps everything does happen for a reason.

While waiting to approve these proofs, I have started working on setting up the accounting side of the business. This required more internet searching... ugggg. Accounting is bad enough! This is one of those things I know how to do but I truly do hate doing. It turns my stomach just thinking about doing accounting and bookkeeping! It is, however, a necessary evil.

I have decided upon using Quickbooks Online for my accounting software. Quickbooks seems to be the best program out there for small business accounting and bookkeeping and I am already very familiar with the professional version of this software. The great thing about this online version is I don't need to worry about backing up my files. Better yet, I can stay up-to-date on all my bookkeeping and accounting from any location with my netbook. So, if I go on vacation, visit family, or head out-of-town for the weekend, I can still keep close tabs on the business and keep orders flowing with the use of a netbook and an internet connection.

I do still have quite a bit of work ahead of me. Compiling product lists and price lists will be tedious and time consuming. Most of my form letters are completed but I am sure they will require some editing once orders start flowing and I notice minor problems. At this stage of the game, things should progress very quickly though.

These problems and setbacks have really affected my health and, as a result, my health is now really slowing down progress! I only have the energy to work for an hour or two at a time then I need to nap. Even on a good day requiring no 'extra' energy for activities, I still sleep about 9-10 hours at night and then 2-3 hours in the afternoon. I actually NEED this sleep to function.

I can only accomplish one energy-consuming task per day. If I must do some food shopping... that is all I accomplish that day. If I must go to a medical appointment, that is my one task for the day. If I must do some yardwork, that is my one and only task for the day. If I must do laundry, that is my one task for the day. None of these tasks take up more than a couple of hours of my day but they all manage to wear me out for the day.

If I want to socialize and meet some friends in town, I must rest up all day so I have the energy to go out. Anything I do, no matter how mundane, requires much needed energy and I must plan my day or week accordingly. This website project is the same.

When I wear myself out, as I have been doing while trying to get this online business up and running, I require much more sleep. Even when well-rested, I have problems with focus and concentration but my cognitive abilities become increasingly impaired as I wear myself out. After the past week, I am awaking in the morning feeling worn out with over-whelming fatigue. By lunchtime I hardly have the energy to cook lunch. When I am feeling as though I am having cognitive issues, I must avoid doing any work because I make so many mistakes that it ends up being a complete waste of much-needed energy.

As I wear myself out with projects at home such as this one, my bone, joint and spinal pain becomes increasingly more unbearable. I start having more difficulties with my breathing. I can get tremors, numbness, weakness, tingling and even have problems with my vision. Actually, before we got a handle on my cocktail of medications, I would go through weeks at a time of severe vision problems, tremors, numbness, weakness, tingling and twitching. Even today, when I push my body too far, my body crashes into anaphylactic shock. This leads to terrible nausea, dizziness, stomach pain, diarrhea, vomiting and even more fatigue. Needless to say, every project becomes a long, drawn-out 'career' instead of just a small project. Because it takes so long for me to accomplish something, I feel as though I never accomplish a thing. Of course, feeling lousy is no picnic either.

Regardless, this online gallery and studio is coming along and, although you might not believe it, I should have it up and running within the next week or two. I can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel now. And, believe me, considering my health, I rarely see a light at the end of the tunnel anymore.

For those of you waiting to buy some artwork, hang in there and don't give up hope. I haven't. We are almost there!