The holidays are my busiest time of year, because that’s when I sell the most work. Between that and any personal plans I have, it’s a whirlwind of a season.

Most people take time off over the holidays. My time to unwind is in January, after the holiday rush. I’m used to this schedule by now, since I’ve been through several holiday seasons already. At this point, I wouldn’t know any different.

Luckily, I’m no longer doing freelance design work, so I have more time to prepare this year. Below is everything I’m doing to be ready early. By mid-October, I know I need to be ready to rock and roll.

Working on my Holiday Collection

Usually, I’m rushing holiday pieces out the door when Christmas is already in the air. This year, I started in September. I know by retail standards, this is late. For me, it’s the earliest I’ve ever started, so I’m giving myself a pat on the back. If you don’t already have holiday art in your shop, I’d highly recommend it. Buyers love seasonal work, and these tend to be some of my bestsellers.

The holiday pieces I’m adding to my shop this year are:

• Gloria Portrait (already posted)

• Set of Black and White Nutcrackers

• Set of Falalala and Hohoho Calligraphy

• Ice Skating at Central Park

Etsying Up

This year, Etsy launched several videos and sessions to prep sellers for the holidays. They kicked off the season with an Etsy Up: Holiday Edition event. I decided to partake in as many seminars as I can. It’s been helpful to get insights on holiday trends for 2022.

Here’s a few art trends I picked up on, for anyone who’s interested:

• Jewel tones like emerald green and magenta are in. Citrine is a good pick as well.

• Decadence is in. Think velvet, satin, sequins, and pavé.

• People are back to hosting, so hostess gifts will be trending this year.

• There is a 68% YoY increase in searches on Etsy containing “mushroom decor.”

• There is a 719% YoY increase in searches on Etsy containing “eclectic home decor.”

• There is a 158% YoY increase in searches on Etsy containing “emerald green wall art.”

• There is a 16% YoY increase in searches on Etsy containing “antique decor.”

  *Info gathered from Marketplace Insights: 2022 Holiday Trends

Stocking up on Supplies

I’ve been doing this all year actually. With Covid shortages, my biggest fear is running out of supplies. From ink, to paper, packaging, and paints, I have a huge stockpile in my house. I just ordered some more packaging, and I’ll probably do another order before November hits. I know I can never have too many supplies. They tend to go much quicker than I think.

Prepping my Studio Space

Over the holidays, I need my studio to run like a well-oiled machine. As many of you know, I’ve been working on a new studio. I’m happy to report I’m putting my finishing touches on my space. I hope to share on my blog next week. This week, I’m making sure everything is perfectly organized. Because the space is small, I need to be able to easily navigate it while fulfilling holiday orders.

Since I spend so much time in my studio over the holidays, I’ve also been purchasing some holiday decor. Sadly, I’ve never done this before. This year, I think decorations will go a long way in keeping my spirits up when things get busy.

Planning Content Early

During the holidays, I don’t have as much time to think about blog posts and newsletters. Today, I created a content calendar for the rest of the year. It includes a weekly blog post for October, November, and December. Also weekly paintings I want to make. I’m hoping to include some short videos as well, since I now have a great space to film in.

Since I have my list of content to create, I can work on posts early. That way, I can focus on shipping later in the year. Because I’m planning early, I don’t need to worry about brainstorming fresh ideas when I’m at my worst.

Planning for Next Year

I hate that I’m already setting goals for next year, but I am. I kicked the last two years off with a 30 day painting series in January. I plan to do the same this year. In order to pull that off, I need to start planning now.

I’m also thinking about goals I want to accomplish this year, and ones I want to set aside for next year. I tend to do a lot of business planning around the New Year, so I spend the last few months of the year anticipating that.

How are you planning for the holidays? Let me know in the comments below.