I'm Quitting Artist Alley! 💖 Chatting about my plans for Ugly Plants and Mental Health

[@laurkupz]

ugly plants told me to quit my job bc it doesn’t serve me ☁️ 😇✨

[@stasiaholl]

I MEAN I'M NOT SAYING DONT 👀

[@spiceandrose]

I'm sitting in 2025, ready to start crying because you've said so much in your Artist Alley videos that resonated. I was so close to having enough small business income to leave my job in 2019. Everything with Artist Alley has just felt wrong since, but I feel like I have to keep trying. Everything else dried up, especially in my area. It's just not fun anymore

[@pinkkvoid]

As someone who is just starting out and doing small events this is really eye opening! I'm a new follower and honestly this give me a small look into how it feels to be doing artist alleys so i appreciate you so much for being so open with how you feel!! Also I love your stuff so much!!

[@stasiaholl]

Thank you so much!!! I hope it isn't discouraging, because I really loved doing Artist Alley for many years and in large part I think I just approached it in an unhealthy way and burned myself out!! I hope you have success and joy!

[@Alisadraws]

how are you so good at articulating all the things I've been feeling lately about artist alley and art biz in general. great video, thank you for talking about it! love you 4evaaaa

[@stasiaholl]

I LOVE YOUUUU!!! I didn't expect so many people were feeling the same way!

[@MsRinda]

You plucked the thoughts from my brain and put them in a video! I'm also moving away from AA for these exact reasons. Life happens, we change, and that's OK. Good luck with your business from here on out! We got this 💪

[@stasiaholl]

Thank you!!! And thank you for commenting, it means a lot to hear that people are feeling the same way. It's totally OK to go with the flow of life!!!!

[@pastel_keki]

This spoke to me so hard. I'm not nearly as successful as you are but I used to do conventions on the regular and then obviously stopped for the pandemic. I've only done 2 conventions I think since things have settled a bit and I like meeting people and doing the whole thing but I definitely am not as into it as I used to be. I feel like producing products to sell has become more of a chore and I am not prioritizing it because I feel like I don't have enough time for the things I actually want to do. I just want to make things once in a while and sell some stuff casually lol

[@stasiaholl]

Success is really relative!!! I think I'm good at putting on an illusion to a certain degree- 2022 was hard for Ugly Plants! And I've been feeling the same thing- we started doing this coz we love it so when it becomes a chore it's like "oh man what DO I love???" I'm trying to reel it back and make it more casual too! Good luck, I know the balance exists!! Thanks for sharing your experience it means a lot to me!!!

[@MakerFishmeal]

Thank you for sharing, and congratulations on the clarity!! I was so excited to meet you at A-Kon last year - I'm glad I caught ya before you pivoted

[@stasiaholl]

Thank you!!! Also I'm not doing A-kon this year coz of a family event but fwiw I think almost all Texas cons going forward will still be on the table haha so maybe we will meet again!!!

[@jinyjinjin]

very brave to take the next step! best wishes on your new adventures :)

[@stasiaholl]

Thank you so much!!

[@cottonbook9229]

I have always been the person who's like, "...but what about my downtime?" Certainly makes growth hard. XD I've been thinking about doing more events this year than before, but have lots of time between each one, but... Idk, it's hard to do a lot without traveling out of state, and I'm trying to keep my stress low, so those things are kind of at odds. I move the most items in person vs. online, but maybe I can just be okay with that. XD Like you said, I don't want to quit *every* event, but I want to have fun and have some breathing room in my schedule.

[@stasiaholl]

I feel you so hard! Events are such a big chunk of income it's really hard to reconcile. For me, I'm really looking around at other kinds of events and trying things just outside of the "anime" realm (and it def helps to be in Los Angeles where there's always something). Sometimes it's a bust, but the stress is much lower, so that's been kind of how I'm finding the balance! If we can't breathe and have fun what is it all for anyway 😵‍💫

[@cottonbook9229]

@@stasiaholl I've done like 3-4 outdoor markets that have been a bust, so that's been discouraging when I know I can make so much more at an anime con, but I do believe some good non-anime events are out there! Being in that in-between state of trying things out but not securing the events that would really be right for me is really what has pushed me back towards anime cons to try to even it out. Hoping to get settled with something that works for me soon! LA sounds like it would have a lot more stuff geared towards our niches, so I'm sure you'll be able to find some good ones!

[@Artsy_cosplay18_FanChannel]

I understand I am excited to one day table at a convention, though I do get nervous an have a lot of social anxiety but at a convention that changes it is something, I like so I feel less anxiety once I start chatting with people I definitely want to try conventions have helped me overcome a lot of my social anxiety it isn't perfect but I'm getting there.

[@stasiaholl]

Oh man I relate to this!! I actually feel the same way- I have REALLY bad social anxiety but doing conventions helped a lot and it's helped me learn to get into like a social-mode. It's actually one of my favorite parts of conventions! I love talking to new people, especially about fandom stuff. I think you'll do great and you'll feel the same way!!!!

[@Artsy_cosplay18_FanChannel]

@@stasiaholl I feel more reassured even more knowing that you feel the same and it has helped a lot. Thank you 😀taking to others about are fandoms is my favourite part to along side meeting new people, I will do my best

[@MrTachibana]

Happy to hear the positive shift for your brand! Will miss you at katsucon!

[@stasiaholl]

Thanks!!!! And to be totally fair, Katsucon is a convention I'd consider flying to even though it's so far now- it would really depend on if I had friends going and what my next year looks like!

[@1ivingdeadgr189]

Im starting out in artist alleys and was wondering whether you think positioning makes a difference?

[@stasiaholl]

It totally depends on the show but generally YES however, I would say overall layout makes an even bigger difference, which is the responsibility of the organizers- i have been to shows with no bad spots, and shows where there is an obvious and unreasonable dead zone due to traffic flow, fatigue, etc.