The Year 2024
Take a look back at the 2024 whirlwind
& some incredible statistics
The Beginning of the year
The start of the year is always a whirlwind, filled with new energy and fresh goals. I dedicated much of this time to focusing my art on breed-specific laws, raising awareness for a cause close to my heart. To make this journey even more special, I had my beautiful Roo tattooed on my leg by my favorite Instagram tattoo artist. A meaningful start
Health is Wealth
This year has been a challenging journey for me, both mentally and physically. Due to personal circumstances and the actions of one individual who seemed determined to undermine LadybugArt, I found myself on the brink of losing everything I’ve worked for due to become very poorly. As I navigate this tough landscape, slowly learning the importance of prioritizing myself, focusing on my recovery, and nurturing my health and well-being. It's a long road. Painting is my therapy. I am grateful.
A new studio
Life has thrown its challenges my way this past year. I faced health issues, felt overwhelmed, and ultimately reached a point where I had to give up my unit and pack my belongings. Thankfully, a heart-to-heart with my 12-year-old daughter inspired me to find my new studio. While working from home would be ideal, I don't have the luxury of space in a living room, So I need to ensure I earn enough each month to cover the rent, which adds its own stress. However, I hold onto the belief alongside passion that all of this will be worth it in the end.
The Collabs
This year marked my fourth attendance at the Dogstival festival, and it was truly unforgettable with the largest memorial garden yet. The event was a fantastic opportunity to connect with fellow dog lovers and industry professionals. I was also delighted to receive an invitation to the GoodWoof Dog Festival, which I absolutely loved. Networking with others has opened doors to exciting future events and collaborations. Watch this space!
Like Minded People
This year, I have had the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded businesses, commission private artwork while in meaningful discussions about pet loss. These appearances have allowed to address the importance of this topic and explore future plans aimed at raising awareness in society. I am committed to fostering open conversations about pet loss, to create a supportive environment for those affected. Together, we can bring this important to the forefront and promote understanding and compassion.
Signing off 2024
I'm excited to share that I’ve been featured in two newspapers—one local and another that covers the entire county! This beautiful opportunity allowed me to discuss my passion for Ladybug Art and the story behind it. I also had a TV appearance and am gearing up for a live radio show in early January. My hard work is truly paying off; painting is in my veins, but the passion behind it beats even stronger in my heart!
You can see all of this years appearances here
2024 In Numbers
16,205,308 people viewed LadybugArt on Facebook
5,704,643 people viewed LadybugArt on Instagram
127,310 people support LadybugArt on Facebook
81,197 people support LadybugArt on Instagram
66,418 people are part off the LadybugArt private pet loss group
26265 people visited the LadybugArt Website
10,577 people have signed up to mailing list
2362 orders made through the website
2278 have been delivered
1892 emails currently sat in my inbox
1511 miles driven to the studio & back
1116 days of missing Roo
824 people became site members to the website
185 pages & companies reported for copyright infringement
63 Original Paintings were created
19 days of I had through the year
16 hours of a day I spend working
3 minutes was the quickest time a painting sold
2 hands
1 breakdown that I am still mentally recovering from
1 really thankful artist
Thank You
I need to express to all the people that have been so kind and patient the last few months. I need you to know how much I appreciate you. Since starting LadybugArt 12 years ago the amount of hate and anger I have received this years has been nothing like I have ever dealt with.
Please know your kindness matters.
I have lost a lot of income due to delays, and having to remove the majority of my products from the website as I wasn't making enough money to cover the time I was spending posting and packing. I have had to get the police involved at a point which I will not deny was scary. I had to cancel certain appearances. I often receive 'trolling' messages about pet loss as well as battling pages and companies for copyright infringement. I have lost weeks of sleep staying up through the night to try and gain some more time to get what I wanted to get done during the day. I know its a minority but when its something so close t my heart it hurts.
Setbacks push everything back in any business. But once reviews start coming in, people are filled with doubt. Not only an influx of new enquiries but an influx of duplicate emails to which I am working around the clock to apologise, with over 2000 successful orders sent out this year alone and majority of happy customers its sad to see only a tiny amount of reviews left and are impacting LadybugArt.
So I am sorry to anybody who I have let down, I am a human and I am learning. I have been given a badge of the worlds leading pet loss artist and with that I need to give some responsibilities away to be able to paint.
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I am committed to learning and growing from these challenges, and I appreciate each and every one of you who has continued to believe in LadybugArt.
You can see from the numbers that LadybugArt is growing in popularity across the world but let me say this. if 20 million people walked in to my studio this year I think I would collapse with anxiety, social media following counts for a lot of things but it doesn't change my emotions, I understand the importance of what I do, I am an ordinary person. I understand frustration, emotions, sadness & joy.
When you purchase a piece of artwork you're purchasing a piece of me. That is something that behind closed doors I always find myself in disbelief.
In contrast to this I hate letting anyone down, I have many people who have been with me since the beginning to which I am now unable to communicate with the way that I used to. I have had returning customer have to wait lengthly times for their orders over the past few months.
But with all of this being said the amount of love, kindness understanding and support always gives me a happy heart.
With a manifestation diary, strict schedule and a lot of automated posts coming up I am able to bring everything back on track over the next few weeks and I cannot express how excited I am to have the majority of my ducks in a row again.
Let me show you how magical LadybugArt can be
Thank you for being a bright light in this journey.
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Jess x