Portugal: Two Week Update
Well I have been in Portugal for 16 days now and so much has happened. The day after my last post, my throat started to hurt, and by the next morning I had a terrible sore throat and felt like I had been hit by a bus. I slept the whole day, and the next day Mariana took me to a walk in clinic: 49 euros and 30 minutes later, I had a prescription for antibiotics (8 euros) and was on my way to feeling better. Of course I got laryngitis and it took two full weeks to be completely better. A setback for sure, but what can you do?
My mom was also here for about ten days and we spent some time looking at the sites. It was nice to have her here, but on top of the lost time from being so sick, I have been feeling so behind on all the things I am here to accomplish. Life is short though, and people keep telling me I need to relax more … it’s hard but I’m trying. I keep thinking I’m only here for 7 weeks and have so much I want to accomplish, I don’t want to miss any opportunities! It was fun to have mom here though, and experience her first trip outside of the US.
Mariana and I spent some time working on marketing tools for our event, Com-Fusion, on March 18 (we’ll be unveiling our collaborative work and talking about the ceramics community center we are building here). Mariana reached out to the Caldas da Rainha City Hall, to invite some of the local political figures. Not only did we get a response, but we were invited to attend BTL Bolsa Turismo Lisboa (it’s basically a giant international tourism event meant to promote the varioius regions and small businesses throughout Portugal). Last year, more than 45,000 people attended, so it’s a huge opportunity for us to be offered a space to share our creations and community vision for a few hours!
If you’re new to my little world, you may not know that last April, my Instagram account was hacked while I was here in Portugal. I lost the whole account, almost 8,000 followers, 3 weeks after I quit my job to become a full time artist (more on that here). It was beyond stressful, and I have spent the last 11 months working hard to rebuild my audience. It’s been slow going, until… I had my very first viral reel on Instagram, just after arriving in Portugal! It was just a short video I filmed before I left Portland. I potted up some Raphidophora Tetrasperma cuttings in one of my Pole Dancing Planters and OMG it’s reached almost 900,000 accounts! A few days later, I posted a reel of my Plant Shelfie Bookends, and I’ll be damned if that one didn’t go viral as well! Plus, it boosted my follower count like crazy. When I arrived on February 9, I had 5,400 followers, I think today, I’ll reach 9,000. I’m not sure what I did, but I’m so grateful it’s happening. I had hoped to boost my audience in the EU on this trip, but this has beyond exceeded my expectations!
All these new eyes (welcome if you’re one of them!), have really increased inquiries about acquiring my work, and I am so humbled. I’m working hard to figure out the shipping and tax system for selling work from Portugal to have a small shop update before I fly home in late March. Of course, the glazes I shipped from home on 1/14, to make some of my signature styles are still stuck in customs, despite paying a hefty tax AND completing numerous forms. They are just… in limbo now, and there’s no additional information or anyone to talk to, so I guess we just wait and hope for the best.
I also managed to look at a few houses last Friday, but let’s save that for my next post. Feel free to drop any questions or comments you may have below, or check out my Instagram page for more current info and convo. Thanks for reading!
Nicole