08/22/2026
Good morning, everyone. ☀️
Unfortunately, I woke up this morning realizing another problem that I hadn't really thought about yet.
With me having to work full-time again and only getting a very limited amount of time in the studio each day, it's not just my current commissions that are going to take longer.
I'm also losing the time I would normally use to create my original paintings.
Those originals are incredibly important because I have collectors who wait for new pieces from me, and we're heading toward the holidays...the time of year when I would normally be creating new originals specifically for people to purchase.
And I've already made myself a promise:
There will NOT be a Christmas commission list this year.
I'm not doing what I've done in previous years, where I take on a mountain of Christmas commissions and spend weeks stressing myself out trying to get everything finished before Christmas morning. I simply can't do that while working full-time.
That means when we get closer to Christmas and people start asking me to paint Christmas gifts, unfortunately, I'm going to have to say no.
So between now and Christmas, my ability to actually sell artwork is eventually going to depend heavily on original paintings that I create and put up for sale.
But here's the problem...
I need studio time to create them.
That's why commissions right now actually help me tremendously. Every painting somebody orders gives me a little more breathing room financially and allows me to spend more time in the studio instead of being out working.
On a day when I have to work, I might only get an hour or so of painting done.
On a day when I can stay home and paint, I can accomplish five times as much..or more.
And if I ever get enough orders coming in at once that I can take an entire week off from working? Imagine how much of this list I could knock out.
If business ever picked up enough that I could take a month off again, I'd really start moving mountains.
That's ultimately what I'm trying to get back to.
I'm an artist. I want to paint. I want to finish the work people are waiting for, create new originals, and keep BTomak Art alive.
Until then, I'm just out here every morning doing what I have to do to take care of my family and squeezing in whatever studio time I can.
So if you've been thinking about commissioning a painting, now is genuinely one of the best times to do it. Not only are you getting a piece of my work...you are literally helping buy me time in the studio to keep all of this moving.
Thank you to everybody who continues to support me, purchase my work, share my posts, and stick with me through this difficult chapter.
Have a wonderful morning, everyone. ❤️🎨
