This time, I’m all business.
In 2021, I moved from Madison, Wisconsin to North Carolina to be closer to family. For the first year or so, I did some caretaking for family and just enjoyed some well-deserved time away from work. There were some things I wanted to do, like cycle and travel, without having to work it into pre-planned vacation days. In 2022, I took on some consulting clients and was able to exercise those professional muscles again. At the same time, I thought it might be fun to restart an art business that I had in the early 2000s. In that former “life” I painted furniture and salt and pepper mill sets, which I sold at some fine art fairs and a couple of local galleries. I was successful at it, but just as I was gaining momentum, I decided to take a job offer that got me back into an office and on a nice management track. Corporate work held a lot of appeal, not least of which was a steady paycheck and professional growth. While I earned a few art commissions between 2007-2020, I didn’t pursue the business of art. Until now.
For the last two years, I’ve revisited my art business. Happily, there is still a strong market for hand-painted, functional art, like the salt and pepper sets, which I’ve been selling under my name Karen Hitchcock Art. I’ve exhibited at some very nice fine art fairs and markets, where’s I’ve received great feedback and sold plenty of sets. After the exposure at art fairs, however, sales were completely stalled. And it’s really no mystery why…this time around I’ve had an aversion to putting myself “out there” and promoting my work. While painting, cycling, cooking, working, I’d think, I really need to buy some ads, I really should work on my SEM, I really should post daily, create content, etc… I really had no excuse—I’ve had a 20-year career building/designing brands and successful marketing programs. I mean, what in the actual fuck?
Turns out, after some deep reflection (ok, let’s be honest, after listening to a few podcasts),
This shift came with challenges I didn’t expect. It wasn’t that I was embarrassed to share my work—far from it. I’ve always been proud of what I create. The real issue was that I wasn’t applying the same best practices to my art business as I would for a client. Through my marketing consultancy, Citrus Marketing, I’ve spent years advising others to show up boldly, share their stories, and ask for the business. But when it came to my own art, I wasn’t following that advice.
That’s why I decided to rebrand from Karen Hitchcock Art to Happy Artifacts. It was about more than just a name change; it was about shifting my mindset. By giving my business its own identity, I created the space to approach it with the same professionalism and intention I bring to my clients’ projects. Happy Artifacts feels like something bigger than myself—a brand I can market and grow with clarity and confidence.
Rebranding is just one part of this journey. It’s also a reminder to take my own advice: be present, be social, and treat this as the business it deserves to be. I’m excited to share this new chapter with you and hope it inspires anyone else balancing the line between passion and profession.
