CPiv's Blog

Back in Sept/Oct of this year, I ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund startup promotional expenses for Doggitude.

This past week, rewards were mailed to backers but I decided to personally deliver rewards packages to my many backers who live locally to me. After two days of cruising around in my Jeep stuffed to the roll bars with boxes full of books, original paintings, prints, and notecards, I am worn out but oh so happy.

There is nothing more gratifying as an artist and author than seeing firsthand the positive response to the book, the excitement of folks seeing their dogs in print, their tears when they are given the original portrait for their dog! People are truly in love with their dogs and it was just an awesome feeling to know that I made so many so happy by including their dogs in my book. It was also delightful to finally meet many of the dogs I knew only from the photos I had painted them from.

I certainly enjoyed the fairly solitary experience of making Doggitude, but now that it exists, interacting with people about the book is fast becoming one of my favorite things about the whole project!

I've kept my three terriers and the cat locked out of my art studio for a few days. Normally they are in here with me every day but right now, I'm in the final stages of packaging up rewards for backers of my recent Kickstarter campaign. There are boxes and books and and labels and post cards and ribbon book marks and art prints and note cards and more covering every surface and most of the floor. The last thing I need is a bunch of rowdy dogs in here adding to the confusion or the cat trying to flop down on my hand when I am signing books!

They are holding their banishment against me. When I came home earlier today from the post office, everyone ignored me. Good thing I was armed with biscuits. Funny how you can wave one biscuit in the air and suddenly be popular again.

Anyway, thank goodness the shipping tasks are nearly done. All the little four-foots will be allowed back into the studio tomorrow so that they can continue their Very Important Work there. Which primarily consists of keeping the chairs warm, distributing hair everywhere, and decorating the carpet with biscuit crumbs.