I brought together a group of artists to create and launch a collaborative 2026 calendar in 30 days, which sold over 70 copies.
I initiated and led the project, managing everything from art direction and recruitment to design, budgeting, manufacturing, marketing, fulfillment, and accounting.
This calendar was created in collaboration with the amazing artists @yyyinteresting @clovertownkid @meowthy_ @by.siece and @apocoleli (Instagram handles).
Project Proposal and Recruitment
I started by writing a project proposal outlining the vision, financial strategy, timeline, and key roles. I recruited five artists with extensive experience in cat-related illustrations. Each artist illustrated two months for the calendar, allowing their unique styles to shine while still feeling cohesive as a collection.
30-day launch plan
I set October 18 as our pre-order launch date after researching when other cat-themed calendars from popular Instagram artists were releasing. Working backward from that date helped me plan milestones for artwork completion, file formatting, and social media promotion.
Day 1
Shared project proposal with artist candidates for review
Day 2
Recruited all artists and assigned illustration months and additional tasks
Day 7
Finalized printing quotes with local printer
Social media campaign
To make the campaign feel cohesive and engaging, I designed a progressive artist reveal leading up to launch day. The cover post teased all six contributors, then revealed one artist each day to build anticipation and encourage followers to return daily for the next reveal.
(All art belongs to their respective artists as seen in the central column)
Marketing Photography & Reel
I monitored website analytics using Google Analytics to track shop traffic and conversion rates, and identified which social media posts drove the most engagement.
I also coordinated with the artists to schedule content and reels across social media platforms to maintain excitement throughout the pre-order period.
Reflection
In the end, we sold 70 calendars through pre-orders and in-person sales, reaching three U.S. states. I handled the final accounting and distributed the revenue to each artist.
This was the first time I created a calendar or led a physical product launch with a team of artists. I gained hands-on experience in project management, budgeting, and marketing. I learned how to make practical decisions to balance product quality with profit margin. That is to say, I learned that for a project involving this many artists, we would need to sell a lot more copies of the calendar, or choose more economical options of the product, to be profitable.
Overall, it was extremely fulfilling to create something with a tight-knit community. Organizing Cozy Cats Calendar definitely helped me strengthen my creative direction skills, and seeing all six artists’ work come together in one beautiful product made all the effort worth it.
