The End (Has No End)

So I found out this past Saturday from Jim (owner) that my caricature job at the mall will be no more as of June 30th. It kind of came as a surprise, but at the same time, not really.

We've just fallen so behind on keeping up with rent, that it wasn't financially feasible anymore. I can't even count how many days I worked where I didn't make any sales (how many people want caricatures at a shopping mall in Fargo on, say, a Tuesday morning?). Plus, my commute is about 50 miles, one way, so that was a lot of gas to be guzzling for those days with $0.00 take-home. I mean it was costing me at least $10.00 a day for gas alone.

The other owner, Joe, also has a stand at Mall of America in the Twin Cities, which gets better business than here in Fargo. And I know he's kind of bummed that we're shutting it down, but happy that he can focus on other upcoming projects. In addition, Tom Richmond has a stand at the Mall of America (in the park formerly known as Camp Snoopy) as well as Valleyfair, so I know I have some guaranteed jobs around there.

But am I worried at the moment? Not at all! That's because we've got a whole bunch of fairs and festivals taking up a good chunk of the summer. I'm jacked. And festivals mean BIG BUCK$ for us drawin' folks. Thousands of potential customers. Jim, Joe, and I will be out and about and literally rolling in money!

Furthermore, we're gonna set up a caricature website, which was originally going to be an extension of the stand in the Fargo mall. It'll feature myself, along with Joe and Jim, and the caricature services we can offer! You'll definitely see a link posted here when it's up and running.

So I'll still be doing caricatures regularly, no doubt. It's a valuable skill that I've learned as an artist (even though I still suck at it), and it's been my main source of income for the past year. I should feel blessed and fortunate that I am able to make a living doing something that I absolutely love (even IF it's not all that much money at the moment). It's a bittersweet closing of our beloved caricature stand in Fargo, but we're moving on to better things.

I won't miss that commute, that's for sure.