Hello everyone, welcome to Bay Muse Art! I am so excited to announce the rebranding of Katrina Brye Fine Art and the changes that have been made to improve my growing art business.
For those who don't know, I have two aspects to my art business. My fine art portraiture and my stylized drawings and crafts. For a while they've been sharing the same name and as they have been growing it has become clear to me that they need to be separated so as to better flourish. So, Bay Muse Art was created to take over the shop side of the business.
To best answer the questions you may have about this change, I've answered as many questions as I can in the FAQ below.
Why did you choose to separate Katrina Brye Fine Art and Bay Muse Art?
Having the two parts of my art business operating under the same name and website has gotten confusing for both me and my customers who are looking for a specific type of art/product I offer. By separating them I am able to give each their own attention and care without stepping on the toes of the others.
Why did you start your own website instead of remaining on Etsy? Will I still be able to shop on Etsy?
For the past several months I have been considering leaving Etsy and creating my own website for my shop. Using Shopify to set up my own website has given me more freedom to customize the appearance and options. Etsy has also increased their fees yet again,* making it difficult for me to offer my products at reasonable prices while still making a profit. By removing these fees, I can offer my products and more competitive prices.
My Etsy storefront will still be open for the time being. However, I will only be listing new products on my website, so be sure to come here if you're looking for the latest and greatest designs.
(*For those curious about Etsy's fees, here's a breakdown: Etsy charges $0.20 for each listing - think of this as an "advertising fee" to show your products to the world. When you sell something on Etsy, they will then charge you 6.5% of the amount collected - it is important to note that this includes shipping or gift wrapping charged to the customer. The listing fee is renewed each time your product sells, so if you sell 3 of your products you'll pay $0.60 (3 x $0.20). There is also a checkout fee of 3% of this amount, and an additional $0.25 fee. So, Etsy would charge $1.21 for a $3.00 sticker, and that doesn't include materials or labor. That's nearly half of the list price.)
Will shipping be affected by this change?
No, I will still be offering the same processing and shipping times as I did on Etsy, as well as the same methods of shipping. The only change is that I will now be offering free shipping on domestic orders over $49 and on international orders over $149. You will be able to select your preferred shipping method during checkout.
How did you come up with the new name?
Most of my art is inspired by my horse, Tucker, and the new name is no different. Tucker (who's silhouette was used for the logo) has a Bay coat color. A Muse is a person or personified force who is the source of inspiration for a creative artist. Put it all together and I got "Bay Muse Art."
If you have any other questions or comments about the rebranding, please reach out to me via social media or email at katrina@baymuseart.com.