Spring Exhibitions, AI Art, and the Challenges of Selling

A Glimpse Into My Creative Journey

How have you been? For this newsletter, I’d like to keep things light and share a bit about what I’ve been working on—both in terms of my artwork and my product sales.

Until the end of last month, I participated in an exhibition in Seoul, Korea (Gallery Sun, presented by Kwak Jea-Sun Foundation for Cultures, Feb. 6–28). In East Asia, this year is known as the Year of the Snake, and naturally, several snake-themed art exhibitions have been held. Last year, I submitted a piece to a snake-themed art contest. While I didn’t win, I was invited to showcase my work at the Snake Sense exhibition. My piece, titled Unexpectedly Sweet, is a video featuring a serpent as a gentle, tree-like presence—unexpected yet endearing.

I have two exhibitions scheduled for April. If either of them happens to be near your city, I’d love for you to visit!

The first will take place in Daegu, Korea (Suseong Future Education Center, from Mar. 30 onward). Some institutions and companies seek collaborations with media or video artists, and there are organizations that help bridge the gap between the two. Recently, I submitted a simple application to one of these organizations and was offered an exhibition opportunity. Alongside other artists, I’ll be showcasing a video piece that aligns with the theme of the Future Education Center. I’ve never been to Daegu before, so I’d love to visit later and see how my work is displayed.

The second exhibition will be held in Barcelona, Spain (Palau Dalmases Exhibition Room, Apr. 17–22). This opportunity also arose through an international contest, where one of my short cloud videos received a Special Recognition award (On a Cloudy Day in Motion category). With a large number of selected works, I’m curious to see how the exhibition will unfold. Hopefully, the organizers will share plenty of updates on how the event comes together.

Balancing Art and Business

Reading this, it may seem like everything is going smoothly. But like many artists—especially those who also work as designers—steady product sales are essential to maintaining creative freedom. In reality, my Amazon sales have slowed down since the start of the year, which is typically considered a high season. While this downturn seems to be part of a broader trend, I need to remain patient while also reassessing what improvements need to be made to sustain and grow my business.

To start, I’ve updated and refined the Imagine frame’s art prints, and I hope to share them with you in the next newsletter. I’m also planning to add more AI artwork products to my Amazon store through POD platforms, much like the Printify mockups I created before. Although I’ve made a few sales in the past, I haven’t focused much on POD products until now. If I decide to expand in this area, I’ll also need to revamp my Shopify and Etsy stores, which have been somewhat neglected.

Spring, Creativity, and Moving Forward

Are you following me on Instagram? Until now, I wasn’t quite sure how to present my products there, so I’ve mainly posted artwork. But this week, for the first time, I uploaded a post featuring both my artwork and related products. I’m also experimenting with how these visuals could be used for Instagram ads. As I explore different approaches, I’ll be sure to share any insights that might be helpful to you.

Between managing product sales, working on daily artwork, and creating a new piece for the Daegu exhibition by the end of March, it looks like I’ll have a very busy spring. Still, the arrival of spring itself is enough to bring joy. At some point, the air stopped feeling cold, and suddenly, flowers appeared along my morning walk. This beautiful season reminds me to keep moving forward, even when things feel difficult. I hope you, too, take a moment to enjoy the fleeting beauty of spring.