I can’t tell you how many artists have come into my inbox to lament that they didn’t achieve their goal of finishing a calendar yet again! We ALL start out the year so well intentioned with a list full of quarterly and yearly goals, and then life happens and we finish another year without completing our big goals.
We all do it, me included, which is why I work on all art projects that are time sensitive at least 6 months in advance.
Today I want to share some reasons to start early, and show you my 2025 calendar revenue so you don’t have to wonder if it’s worth it to design a calendar!
Step 1: Motivation (my 2025 calendar season results)
In my Etsy shop I had six 2026 January-December calendars for sale, and here are my results:
- I sold over 1500 calendars on Etsy in 2025
- Total profit from calendars was $7,122
- Total hours spent on new calendar designs was about 150 hours
- So total profit per hour on calendars for 2025 $50
Every year my hourly profit goes up because as my shop inventory increases, so does my chance of locking in a sale!
step 2: let's admit our limitations
If you’re like me, you could make a huge list of the limitations that stop you from working on a calendar (especially during the end of the year when you’re in that “calendar mood”). Here are some of mine (go ahead and list your own!):
- Childcare seems to fall apart in the summer, then bam, it’s fall and I missed the calendar boat
- I think I can do 12 illustrations in one month, then I realize I’m a mom who has a hundred other things to worry about
- When I feel pressure to draw quickly, I draw poorly.
Are you seeing the writing on the wall here? Creating your calendar illustrations slowly and with intention (maybe two a month between now and September perhaps?) is a much better strategy than rushing at the last minute.
step 3: plan it out (this is what stops us)
If what is stopping you from starting that calendar is knowing what the theme should be, let’s kill that scary monster before it even gets to your closet.
I have a whole free series and guide called Calendar Bootcamp where I’ll take you through the process from determining a sellable theme to finishing a sellable calendar!
step 4: slow and steady wins the race
You know how terrible your art is when you feel rushed and pressured to finish quickly? Yep me too. That is why we should play the slow and steady game when it comes to calendars. Set a schedule you know you can stick to and keep it up until all 12 pages are finished.
When people ask me how long it takes to finish a calendar, I say about 1-2 audio books, because I don’t measure drawing time in hours, I measure it in stories I listen to while I draw.
Remember in the end that a calendar is just 12 illustrations with a similar style, so if you can draw anything on your iPad, you can create a calendar by the beginning of calendar season (if you start nowish)!
Step 5: consider academic season
In case you didn’t realize it, calendar season happens twice a year! I sell about 20% of my calendars in the academic season which runs from about May to August and comprises buyers like students, teachers, and other people who run their year by school-related schedules.
So let’s say you finish your calendar early and are ready to launch by May, then woo hoo you can sell the calendar both in academic season AND the regular January – December season. This is not required of course, but it is a great way to get your calendars in front of an audience that is hungry for calendars at a time of year when most calendar sellers are taking time off.
wait, when is calendar season exactly?
Come get on track for calendar season inside Calendar Bootcamp which takes you through the whole process from sellable idea to finished calendar in a free email series.
