Tag: EVENTS – Virtual Sale Online

Hey everyone, Rafi here! Brace yourselves, because I’m about to dive headfirst into the deep end of vulnerability.

So, gather ’round, because here comes the “Oh Crap” tale of Rafi and Klee’s Grand Adventure in Homeownership. A couple of years ago, we leapt into our dream house. It’s fabulous—really, it’s everything we wanted. But, as life loves to keep things spicy, it tossed us a few curveballs. And by curveballs, I mean unexpected repairs and a few… let’s call them ‘less-than-stellar’ decisions on our part, in a mad dash to reopen the studio.

One of those decisions involved a plumber who turned out to be more of a magic act—poof—and there went a good chunk of our money. I haven’t talked much about that episode because, well, embarrassment doesn’t even begin to cover it. One day you have a savings account, and the next, you’re staring at the financial equivalent of a black hole.

Yep, that’s right —the big goose egg. Our bank account decided to emulate my early art career: utterly, beautifully empty.

But hey, life’s a quirky little journey, isn’t it? Despite these hiccups, we’ve managed to claw our way back towards stability these past few years. Plus, we’ve had the immense joy of providing a safe haven for my daughter, turning our house into a family home. That’s been the silver lining amid the chaos of plumbing nightmares and fiscal vanishing acts.

But just as we were enjoying this new improving stability, the crap hit the fan last month. Now we find ourselves in this weird limbo where opportunities are on the horizon, but right now we are in a standstill.

As much as I’m not usually the “Sale! Sale! Sale!” kind of guy—seriously, I’m more the “Art! Art! Art!” type—these past weeks have been a crash course in the fine art of unpredictability. Being an artist, I’m no stranger to the rollercoaster ride of creative business: the thrilling highs, the nail-biting lows, and those weird loop-de-loops where you’re not sure if your coffee is still in the cup or if it’s actually paint water.

January through June? They’re our annual “Where did everyone go?” months. Normally, we’d have a nice cushy buffer saved up, built from the fat months to cushion the lean ones. Well, this year, our buffer decided to go on a vacation—without us. Yep, no buffer, no backup, just good ol’ fashioned winging it.

Introducing the “Oh Crap Sale”

In light of our current pickle, we’re kicking off the “Oh Crap Sale.” We’re offering a whopping 35%-40% off all original art and jewelry. Now, I know what some of you might be thinking — sales can sometimes feel a bit impersonal, right? But I want to assure you, this isn’t just about numbers for us. It’s about connection. Well, in this case, it is a little about the numbers. Something that is really important to us is that you purchase something that speaks to your heart and not just arbitrarily buy something. As much as we would appreciate it financially, we want you to enjoy the experience and walk away feeling fulfilled.

USE COUPON CODE: GET35 – for 35 percent off original art and jewelry.

USE COUPON CODE: GET40 – for 40 percent off original art and jewelry.

More Than Just a Sale

This sale is a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported us through the years. Whether you’ve followed our journey, shared your energy, or brought our work into your homes, you’ve been with us. This sale, albeit born from necessity, is another way of expressing our gratitude.

A Nudge for Dreamers

If there’s ever been a piece of art or a unique piece of jewelry you’ve eyed in our collection, this might be the perfect time. Maybe this sale is the nudge you need to finally own something that speaks to you, something made with passion and love.

Supporting Us Further

We’ve been touched by messages from fellow creatives and supporters who’ve asked how they can contribute financially beyond purchasing art. To make it easier, we’ve added a section on our website where you can directly support us. Every bit helps, and we are immensely grateful for your generosity and kindness.

On a Personal Note

Honestly, putting our work on sale due to financial stress brings up a lot of mixed feelings. Over the years, Klee and I have poured our hearts into creating inspirational and motivational content for artists. Facing financial instability triggers that imposter syndrome many of us are all too familiar with. The truth is, crap happens and sometimes you have to roll with the punches.

Here’s what I keep telling myself — reaching out isn’t a sign of failure; it’s a sign of strength. It’s about being real and embracing vulnerability as part of the creative journey. I’ve always tried to be as authentic as possible, but I also know I have a REALLY hard time asking for help. As you can imagine, I have deleted this message about 14 times, but I made a promise to be real. The truth is, Klee and I are having a difficult financial moment and selling some of the hundred works of art I have would help.

Thanks for listening, for supporting, and for being part of this adventure. If any of the pieces call out to you, or if you just want to share some love below in the comments, we’re here, and we’re grateful.

With all the creativity and love I can muster, Rafi

P.S. The “Oh Crap Sale” is on from now until the end of May 5/31/24. Again, thank you so much.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!! This is the day where Klee and I contemplate our year and appreciate where we are and who we are. This year has had a bunch of stupid challenges for us all, but there is so much to be grateful for. We are grateful for you reading this right now and so I give you a big turkey hug… or tofurkey hug, depending on your preference. Other than gratitude, I have had something else on my mind.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the holidays coming up and holiday sales. Things are actually changing a little due to the pandemic. Thanksgiving is two days away and the holiday shopping season officially starts the day after. Every year the sale has started earlier and earlier, I have some friends that pull an all-nighter on Thanksgiving every year for the Black Friday craziness. This is usually followed by Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and finally, the Holiday Shopping weeks leading up to Christmas.

Every year, Klee and I gear up for this season and prepare for the madness. Usually, we have a local face to face presentation at the market and put together an open holiday studio day where people can visit the studio and peruse the art and jewelry available. That is not going to happen this year. We pulled out of the market (which was canceled for most of the year due to the pandemic) and have to be careful about who we invite into our space. Luckily, some artists will be able to take advantage of little markets that are popping up now for the holidays, we however will not. Klee and I have been very careful this year since my father has all the conditions that the “RONA” loves.

Admittedly, the holidays are not big for art. Art is very personal and honestly what if you get someone a nice work of art and they don’t connect with it? So I usually focus on my calendars, special commissions, and my textured prints. Every year I try to focus on something new that I’ve never tried before to see if it meets the needs of the holiday shopping hoard, which makes it a fun social experiment. Klee on the other hand creates something that is personal, beautiful, unique, and much easier to gift. She’s usually the breadwinner during the holidays while I bring in little scraps of roadkill here and there, but we get by pretty well.

In 2020, however, we are completely reliant on the internet (which was out and spotty for 2 months after the hurricane) so that has changed everything. To say that it has been a year of challenges and having “make it work” moments is an understatement. So this year in lieu of an open holiday studio we are having a Virtual Open Studio live stream event on December 4th (More details soon). Our plan is to make it laid back, fun, and full of gifts for people who will actually take time out of their day to watch us.

We are also running various sales on things like the limited edition calendars and special items only created for the holidays. In the meantime, Klee and I are working on commissions, special art and jewelry for the live sale, and a book that will release early next year. One thing that I have learned from being a full-time artist for over a decade (Our Studio Anniversary is tomorrow November 25th, 2009) is that no matter what things look like financially, you have to keep moving forward and create your own opportunities. Sometimes those harebrained ideas pay off, sometimes it takes years, and sometimes they wither and die… but no matter what, you gotta keep creating.

No matter what, this holiday season is going to be different than pre-2020 with less in-store shopping. Looking back, I’ll be honest, Black Friday got a little ridiculous.

It started with opening 8 am Friday morning.

The next year being 5 am…

To the next year being 2 am…

To the next year being midnight…

Finally to last year when stores opened just after Thanksgiving dinner between 5 pm – 8 pm on Thursday evening.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t a big fan of employees having to go to work on Thanksgiving and deal with an extra day of Black Friday madness. If you have never worked retail, I can tell you that it is a nightmare scenario.

Because of the pandemic, store openings will look noticeably different this year. Stores, such as Walmart, BestBuy, and Target, that have been known to open on Thanksgiving day to begin their Black Friday sales early, are in fact closed on Thanksgiving day this year. The earliest opening I’ve come across for this year is 5 am on Friday, November 27th.

Honestly, Black Friday has begun much earlier this year online, with many companies doing either “Pre-Black Friday” online sales, or even simply starting their Black Friday promotions early. Although I’m sure you are disappointed that you will not have the bloodshot bleary eyes from staying up all night watching people rip apart dolls and fight over parking spots, you can find most sales online.

Cyber Monday sales will also probably continue the sales over a week past Thanksgiving.

For small business Saturday, I know small businesses could really use some love, so could the artists and vendors who are setting up for shows and markets… So support local, whether you do it online or in person, support those badasses.

We will most likely be doing a Small Business Saturday Sale as a thank you to our awesome collectors and friends out there who have helped us get through some tough times this year.

Either way, whatever you do, whether you are a shopper, a business, or an alien, be safe and smile. If you can support local businesses please do so. This year has been extremely challenging for a lot of us, and I want to just send you my love. My final thought is this, it is all just stuff, what REALLY matters here is the human connection we have with each other… that is why I am a big fan of these shops staying closed until it is ACTUALLY Black Friday… Families could take a day to eat good food and feel grateful without having to run out after dinner… Just my opinion.

We’d love to hear your thoughts! How will you be approaching holiday sales this year? Let us know in the comments.

Stay safe, and happy shopping!