A couple of weeks ago, I shared a review of my business for the start of 2026. You can read that HERE if you’re interested in getting into the nuts and bolts of a creative business. One section I skipped was Solving Problems, so I could share about it in a separate post. If you’re puzzling through some of your own in a creative business, you can find the Solving Problems Worksheet HERE.
I thought it was important to share my perspective on problems in my creative business first, though. When I’m referring to problems, I’m not necessarily talking about something negative, but about something that poses a challenge. Sometimes the challenge stems from rapid growth, new projects, exciting changes, and other positive events. Sometimes the problems are of my own making – I said yes to too many things, or I’m trying to implement too many ideas at one time. They are all just challenges that need to be thought through, considered, and weighed, for the benefit of myself as an entrepreneur as well as the business I’m running.
Utilizing this worksheet to work through these challenges helps me in several ways. First of all, it often helps just to acknowledge the problem. Sometimes the way I’m feeling doesn’t match reality, and when I can name the problem, I see that it’s not as big as it feels. Second, it’s very useful to think about the best and worst possible outcomes. Usually, the worst possible outcome isn’t that scary.
So, let’s work through one of the biggest challenges I’m facing as an old school blogger…
Solving Problems
Problem: The online landscape is changing, resulting in decreased blog traffic and earnings.
- Traffic is diffused over several large social media platforms rather than concentrated on the blog.
- People have shorter attention spans and are showing less interest in reading long-form articles.
- Ads have become increasingly aggressive as more people read blogs on smartphones. Smaller screen = less space for content and ads to share the space harmoniously. (I know it’s annoying, but the days of ads sitting quietly on the sidebar are long over. If I got rid of the ads, I would literally have to remove this website from the internet because it would cost thousands of dollars each year to host it.)
- AI summaries are answering questions, meaning fewer people are reaching reputable websites that used to answer those questions. Our articles have assisted in training AI, and now Google and other search engines use it to retain traffic.
Best possible outcome: I thought a lot about this because I think the best possible outcome can take many forms. I also believe that sometimes what we think is best for us actually isn’t. We can all be the kid in the candy store who doesn’t realize that an unlimited supply will make us ill. On its face, the best possible outcome would be that blog traffic and earnings inexplicably increase, and I carry on as is. But I’m also starting to feel the freedom of shifting gears, leaning into change that is different and feels scary, but might even be more fulfilling and profitable. In the end, I think the best possible outcome is that I can continue doing creative work I love and earn a living doing it.
Worst possible outcome: The blog becomes unsustainable/unprofitable, and I have to shut it down. As I considered the worst possible outcomes, it was hard to think of one that was truly the worst. Even the worst possible case I could think of for this blog isn’t that devastating. I realized this was my entire point of asking this specific question on the worksheet. Shining a light on the worst outcome usually reveals it as fairly benign in the grand scheme of things. As I’ve said several times when I’m making things, “No one is going to space in this thing.”
Dream solutions: I had to think a lot about this one, too. Again, the first thing that comes to mind is that I want everything to return to the golden age of blogging, before algorithms, the rise of social media, and smartphone use. When it was easy and felt fun. But the truth is, I’ve changed as well – my creative interests, my areas of strength, what I want to write about. Going back to things I’ve already done really isn’t a dream solution.
I think my dream solution is that an increase in other revenue streams makes the blog income less important. I didn’t start this business to be an influencer, a product affiliate, or a “content creator”. I started by making things. The thought of ramping up product pushing and affiliate marketing to increase online income doesn’t sound interesting to me. Making art, creating new products, forging new partnerships, exploring new ways to connect with my audience, and continuing to encourage and inspire those who find their way to my corner of the internet does sound exciting.
Potential solutions:
I started with this list and thought about it for a few weeks. The point of this section is to brainstorm. The ideas don’t necessarily have to be ideal or even good, but they get the wheels turning. Editing will happen later.
- Share in another format that is less expensive or free to maintain. (It costs a lot to host and maintain a website with over 4,300 blog posts and tens of thousands of photos.)
- Convert the blog to a paid subscription that is ad-free.
- Post less.
- Adjust the way I post/share here so it isn’t as time-consuming, and I can focus more time on other revenue streams.
- Put more time into growing online income through affiliate sales and sponsorships.
- Post more. Put more time into creating blog content, or adjust the content I’m sharing so it’s efficient to post more frequently.
After meeting with my assistant and exploring some other options, this is my new list…
- Make my posts smaller and easier to digest. (This isn’t one of those shorter posts!)
- This blog is my home on the internet, and I wholeheartedly believe it’s important to maintain and nurture it.
- Focus on content AI summaries can’t replace it. For example, I’ll share more snippets of what I’m working on and less on how-tos, tips, and content that can be harvested and easily replicated by AI.
- Cleaning up and compressing the blog to make the site more efficient, streamlined, and less bulky.
- Spend this year exploring and testing out other revenue streams like art prints, paint-alongs, more original art sales and commissions, etc.
Invalid solutions:
- Ignore the changes and sit around wishing for things go back to the way they were.
What actions need to be taken?
- I need to be unafraid to experiment and test things out. Change is inevitable, and I need to relax into it a bit more, even embrace it. As I’ve been planning for this year, it’s evolved into being pretty exciting instead of totally terrifying!
- Increase efforts focused on overall business profitability without sacrificing engaging, encouraging content here on the blog.
- I’m working on finding the best ways to spend my time and balance all of the projects on my plate.
- Make minor, low-risk adjustments to explore potentially bigger action items.
What actions need to be avoided?
- Knee-jerk reactions
- Making changes that don’t honor my creativity, audience, or my core values.
As I’ve thought through these challenges, stories of change keep popping up in articles I trip across, podcasts I’m listening to, and books I’m reading. I saw a couple of weeks ago that MTV aired its last music video on its 24-hour music channel. That channel has now been retired. As someone from the MTV generation, there is something sad about that, but it’s also a great reminder that all earthly things, even good things that were once very successful, come to an end or take a different form.
Photography changed art. The airplane changed travel. Streaming made video rental stores obsolete. To everything there is a season…