Hello, and welcome to my online shop! I'm very excited to finally be able to open it. It has been a long time in the making and I have learned more than I ever thought I wanted to know about small businesses and tax law, haha. But I made it through! Now, Fire Ecology Press is a real thing, and this online store is proof!
I'm excited to have this little blog to go along with the shop too, because it will be a good place to leave my little updates about what I'm up to with my printmaking! Of course, since this is the first post, I have quite a lot of updates to report on today!
The big update is that I recently decided to take some time off from my old career in tech to focus more on art and printmaking. (Actually, I made the decision because the high-pressure startup environment in tech was affecting my health, but for me, prioritizing my health means making more time for art and printmaking, so it works out to about the same result in the end.) The first thing I did after getting out of tech, other than taking a little time to rest, was to get Fire Ecology Press up and running, so this website opening is the culmination of those efforts!
I'm also planning to do lots more in-person events, so if you live in the Western New York area, there will be plenty of opportunities to see me and my work!
First of all, art fairs and markets! My first big vending opportunity was this past weekend at BookFest, and it was a great success, so I'm looking forward to doing more vending in the future. I'm hoping to do a few shows in August, and the next one that I'm confirmed for is the Hazel & Ash Psychic Fair on August 13th, which I will share more details about closer to the date.
I'm also teaching a number of letterpress-themed classes at Book Arts over the next couple months! Here's my teaching schedule:
July 20th - Learn to Print! Letterpress Posters
August 10th - Learn to Print! Letterpress Stationery
August 12th - Letterpress Tarot Cards Workshop
August 8th, 15th & 22nd - Letterpress Basics Workshop
I'm particularly excited about this last class: it's a 3 week series that will teach enough about how to do letterpress that you'll be able to keep working on your own afterwards. It's actually the same class that I took several years ago to learn letterpress, and it's my first time teaching it! Also, I'm only taking on 2 students this time around, so there will be plenty of opportunity for one-on-one learning.
The last event I have planned is a fun tarot-themed "Meet the Artist" at Rising Goddess in Tonawanda! I'll be there in the afternoon on August 12th, chatting with folks about the Tarot of Sorts, doing readings and signing copies of the deck.
Thanks for being here to celebrate with me at the very beginning of Fire Ecology Press! Honestly, I'm still so new to being a small business owner that I'm still working out how I want to do things, but for the first time in a long time, I'm really excited about what the future will hold. Keep your eye on this space for more updates about what I'm working on!