Toast changed the front page on artbytoast.com, to one of his paintings. Go check it out if youre interested.
Andy
People are visiting daddys website, which is good, but no ones bought anything yet. The whole thing is making us feel kind of overwhelmed. I want it to be done. I want it to be complete, and its going to take a long time before it is. There needs to be more designs (he has more designs up at Tattoo Johnny, than he does on his own website. Feel free to go check them out too), and adds, and t-shirts, and stickers, and hats, and prints of his paintings, and, and, and…
We have to keep reminding ourself that the website just being up and running is a huge accomplishment. Its been years in the making, and its finally up, but…
Im going to let you in on a little secret. Daddy doesnt like tattooing. Well, not so much tattooing, but being a tattoo artist. He doesnt make much money (especially in December and January, because of Christmas. And of course these months we could use some extra money, for Christmas, my birthday and our anniversary (14 years btw)).
He struggles with social anxiety. Youd never know it, if you didnt already know, hes very good at pretending. He has this way of getting along with anyone (which Im really jealous of), everyone likes him (hes all tattooed up, septum pierced, and yet he had made friendly acquaintances with most of the elderly people that frequented the restaurant next to the 36th street shop). All the same, working on random strangers all day, when you have social anxiety, isnt all that fun. And, he rarely gets to do anything fun for him. He does names and flowers, and crosses and… He did get to do a zombie the other day, he was excited about that, but stuff like that doesnt happen often.
The dream, would be for him to quit working at the shop, and paint and draw and sell his art. Then he could tattoo on the side, by appointment only. Only doing the tattoos that interest him, or working on friends and family. I know, were doing the best we currently can to get there. I just wish someone would buy something. You know, to reinforce some hope.
Charlie
Ugh, social anxiety and a people job doesn’t sound nice. I’d freak.
Maybe he can make some art and try to sell it on etsy or so to see if there’s an audience who’d want to buy. You never know. I really like the painting up there. Not in the way that it’s my style (kinda not enough hot pink in there 
), but I think if I were a guy I’d find it way awesome!
Yeah, I dont know how he does it. I couldnt do it.
I started an Etsy store for him a few years ago, but I got to overwhelmed trying to figure it out. He wants to eventually sell prints of his paintings on the website, along with t-shirts and stickers and hats. I told him that I still think Etsys a good idea, for in the mean time, but I would need him to help me set it up. So thats an option weve been thinking about, Im just not sure what he wants to do.