End of an Era

Hello Arachnids,

I’ll start off by getting straight to the point. At the end of this year the Home of Arachne online store will be closing. Over the past few months, I’ve been sitting on the fence about this decision but have finally decided to go forward with it. There are many reasons why this decision has been made but rest assured, this won’t be the end of Home of Arachne as a whole or my art!

You may or may not have noticed but I have been very distant from my business and my art, almost completely dropping off socials all together. In all honesty, I haven’t had the energy to keep up with business promotion and content creation. At this point, my website is just sitting stagnant and collecting a subscription with no payback month to month. I’ve also felt at a stalemate with my art expression altogether. For transparency I’ll briefly breakdown each component of my decision to close.

Money
I’m not alone in the online business world when it comes to having a significant dry spell in sales. This however is only amplified by my lack of promotion and involvement in social media. As things are right now, I have made no sales over the past several months yet have a good chunk of change being spent on my website subscription. With a mortgage and other financial responsibilities, I just can’t afford this money to be going down the drain if I’m not at a place where I’m at the very least, putting in the work.

Disinterest/Lacking Passion 
I am no longer enjoying the things I am putting out there. I have been primarily a resin artist and I’ve honestly come to resent this medium. I don’t enjoy making these kinds of art pieces anymore and I’ve been struggling with the ethics of constantly making things in order to keep sales options and content going. I have a lot of demolding videos on backlog that just drain me to see. This all sounds very harsh but that’s because it is. I boxed myself into a place of dreading having to make things, and as an artist that is a terrible feeling.
There is only so much that can be done with this medium and I feel my use of it no longer reflects the art I want to be creating. I lack the tools needed to make things I would deem worth it, both physically and internally. I’m not shy or avoidant about admitting that I’ve reached my limit of capabilities here which is why it’s the most responsible decision to stop focus on this specific avenue.

Health, Time and Personal Priorities
I mentioned earlier that I did not have the energy for the constant promotion needed in order to have any success as an online business owner and the reason for that is primarily health related. While running Home of Arachne I’ve been dealing with adjusting to chronic conditions with my health care provider such as getting treatment for my ADHD and lifestyle changes for my Diverticular Disease. We’ve been able to discover chronic stress and very recently I’ve developed and been diagnosed with a mild form of Obstructive Sleep Apnea as well as Insomnia.
Although the sleep apnea is mild right now, it can easily worsen without proper care and still affects my day to day life. This is all to say that my focus has been on my health and my ability to function on a daily basis with little time or energy left over for anything else. I simply can’t commit to an online business.

Going forward, I plan to return to making art for my enjoyment. I want to make things I’m interested in, when I’m interested in making them. When I first started Home of Arachne, I completely jumped the gun and almost immediately plunged into starting up my website. It’s time I back-tracked and explore my developing skills as an artist and hone in on finding my voice and my niche.

I plan on attending local markets, including next year’s Fall Fair. I may possibly look into selling work when I’m ready or interested via something like paypal, and maybe, somewhere along the line, somewhere in my future I’ll try another swing at having an online business. As for now though, it doesn’t make sense to keep it going. It’s a little bitter-sweet on my end. Admittedly, I’ve hesitated for so long due to having an overwhelming feeling of failure but I’ve since come to terms with the reality of the situation I’m in and have decided to have a more amicable outlook on it.

I’m lucky enough to have the privilege of another business, locally and seasonally, to fall back on. Without it, Home of Arachne never would have started to begin with. I’m grateful for everything involved with Home of Arachne; the experience, the connections and community and the opportunity. This isn’t a sadness for me but a freedom to fall in love with art again.

As of right now, Home of Arachne is running a 50% off sale. All orders will be automatically discounted 50% off at checkout. Shipping will be an even $10. I plan on listing a lot of my molds and supplies so they hopefully go to another artist who will make great use of them. I would love for my remaining art pieces to find homes where people will love them and get great joy and use out of them.

A most sincere and heartfelt thank you to everyone who has been along for this ride. To those who have supported my shop and my work, given me advice, helped me build, and to all of the absolutely incredible, kind, talented and inspiring artists I have had the pleasure of meeting and engaging with. This community is truly a wonderful thing. I look forward to being able to find my footing again, be it at my own pace this time.

All of my love,
Saburn