Taking a Step Back

Have you ever smushed your face so close to your paper or canvas or whatever, just focusing on one small detail? Ever had complete tunnel vision? This seems to be how I'm living my life, and it's VERY stressful! How can you see the world around you if you're only looking in one spot?

Sometimes it's better to take a big step back and just look at what's going on. Look at the bigger picture as it were... It's FRICKIN HARD!!!!! Take it from someone who is "focused" (it might not look like it from the outside), forcing yourself to take a BIG step back sucks!! I'm a doer, not a waiter. I HATE waiting!! I'm the type (as you can probably see now) who just blunders through no matter what, even if I'm not even enjoying it any more. Then I start to hate things, then I quit. Hence the taking the step back.

Taking a step back to think... Thinking is not my friend at the moment... Blundering is my forte. But I'm forcing the inhale and stepping back. What have I found? I'm tired of blundering... It's very exhausting... It's living by someone else's rules. Someone else'd deadlines. Putting undue pressure on myself to JUST FINISH, to make money, to make everything IMMACULATE!! 

...it's not possible! Perfection is a thing of the imagination. Perfection is the killer of dreams. Perfection is the illusion that causes nervous breakdowns, tears, panic attacks, depression, and quitting prematurely. It's an unreal standard that we set ourselves to, usually because we think that other people are making things perfectly (thank you Instagram and Social Media), so if we can't do it perfect we suck. We're useless. Even though we're just starting out and the person we're comparing ourselves to has been doing the same thing for a LONG TIME. It's not an easy pill to swallow.

As much as I love learning new things, I HATE learning new things because it shows that I'm not the best at something. It's like a thirst. An unquenchable thirst. Knowledge may be power, but if you're a competitive perfectionist, it kinda ends up burning you in the end. Brutal.

But I digress!! So now I'm taking a step back. I've been slowly moving in a backwards over the last little while, trying to see the forest through the trees. Inhale, exhale, one step at a time. It's hard, but apparently worth doing (I'm still getting there:P). Goooood times:P I guess my point is to breathe. Just take a step back and breathe. Enjoy life and see the forest!!

C'iao for now!!

And a mountain picture, just because:)

If you don't like it, CHANGE IT!!

The prime example of this is why I haven't posted on here in a while. I didn't like my job anymore, so I CHANGED IT!!! As a result, I've been very busy during the day, very tired, and have had a hacking cold/cough for almost a month now. 

BUT!! Let this be a shining example!! It applies to the creative world too!! We are so free to do whatever we want, whenever we want to! It's amazing! It's not the Dark Ages anymore, where we have to do what our Father's did, and their Father's before them, etc. etc. We can chose!

I, personally, have multiple diploma's (3 I think:P) and have taken many other types of courses on many types of things. And all of the thing's I there are multiple things that I self-study as well that have caught my fancy. This is probably why I'm having a hard time tacking down my branding... Hmm... Enlightenment!!

Anyways! It seems like all people talk about these days is how unhappy they are. How their life would be better if this or that was different, and in light of this, are hell-bent on making everyone else as miserable as they are! Ugh!! I'm getting unhappy just thinking about it.

But instead of throwing an adult-sized temper-tantrum, why not actually be an adult and look into other options! Don't like your job? Get a new one! Unhappy with where your life is going? Change the direction! CHANGE THE DIRECTION!! Life really is that simple! It's when we get bogged down in all of this worry and trying to "Keep up with the Jones's" as my mother would say. 

It all basically comes down to this new-age idea of simplifying. For example, I live in a 900ish square foot house. This is considered to be ridiculously small by today's standards. It's all about the big house and the nice things. How have I come to see this? More to clean, more to pay, and above all, more worry and less time to do what I want! I'm very happy in my little house. Hell, I would probably be just as happy as joining the Tiny House movement (would TOTALLY be for that). 

So basically do we really need all this crap? NO! It seems to be keeping us from truly enjoying life and cluttering us up. You can't follow your dreams if you have a million dollar mortgage (unless you want to get more into debt, UGH!).

Anyways, got a little off topic there... But anyways, if there's something you want to do, DO IT!! If there's somewhere you want to go, find a way to get there! You are never stuck!! You can always keep moving on any direction you want! Do it!! Let's get all excited and do this!! YEAH!!!

C'iao for now!!

Part of my personal Library (and funky hats!)!!

The More I Learn the Less I Know!!

Do you ever think you may have mastered something, just to find out you had NO CLUE what you were doing?? Happens to me all the time!! I think I'm understanding something and then BAM!!! Out of no where my mind is totally blown again!!

This seems to be especially true in my creative process. Or rather, in trying to plan out my business. I've tried to go back to basics and start from the ground up with branding... BUT I have so many ideas of where it could go, or where I want it to go, or colours, or themes, or... Well everything to be honest! I think I have it figured out, then I look at some old notes, or I get another idea from somewhere and I'm off again!!

Then there's all of the things that you're "supposed to know." I won't lie, I just learned what an SEO campaign was like two days ago, and that's because I googled it... And all the social media stuff!! I don't know about you all, but I get SO BORED on it!! Especially the comparing. I am a Type A to the core, and so if I see something that someone else has done (doesn't even have to be similar) and it looks better then something I've done I subconsciously give up. This is quickly followed by consciously giving up, and convincing myself that I don't like whatever it is I'm doing anymore.

Yup, I'm a balls to the wall, jump in with both feet kinda gal, who's quickly learning that this doesn't pair well with perfectionism. Nope, not at all. I'm learning though!

Last summer was a prime example of that. Was I ready for that Farmer's Market? Hell no!! Did I look like a complete and total amateur next to everyone else there? You bet!! But I showed the hell up every weekend, with my tiny little table and minimal stock. I would sit there and weave on my loom, or sew my stuff. I had two little signs (started with three but I got rid of one) that were obviously home made and looked kinda tacky (I'm working on it:P), a bright flowery tablecloth from Dollarama, and, by the end, two foam heads set up on a tub with some material thrown over it. The colour scheme was a mess, nothing matched, and I found out that I am worse at sales then I thought I was.

But I was there. I did it and I learned a lot. WITHOUT the internet and social media and etsy and all those other stores. SO! I'm doing a personal re-brand (we'll see how this works:P) and getting some professional looking stuff for my table. I haven't given up, but I will for sure be returning a few books to the library. You know why, because while they're interesting, I don't really need them. I've mastered the art of mailchimp, I'm blogging up a storm, I have an Etsy and Facebook page, and in the near(ish) future I plan on opening up a website.

So you know what!! Let's all take some risks here and git 'r done!! We don't need all these fancy courses or books or anything!! Just do the work!!

Well... That's my manifesto for the day...

Now it's time to get to work :P

C'iao for now!!!

Money for Money

Good morning!!! Or afternoon depending on when I actually am able to finish this post.

So lately I've been meditating a lot and working on self-improvement, chakra work, and all that fun stuff. Through all this I've found out that there's one thing that seems to be worrying me and holding me back. The big M word. MONEY!!!

I REALLY didn't realize how much money you have to fork out to actually make money in a small business. Ugh... I mean, I grew up on a farm, so I've always had a sense of it, but DAMN!! I've got my eye on 4 smallish craft sales in the near future and just to apply for them will cost me over $100 dollars... And I still need to get some sort of professional banner made.

So you know what?! I'm on a business hiatus for the winter!! I've found that I'm putting WAY too much pressure on myself to make money in this that I'm not even enjoying it any more. I mean I'll leave up my etsy shop and facebook page, but I'm really feeling that I need to make more products (like actually have a full table) before I do anymore shows or anything. I think I have a Farmer's Market all planned for next summer (less rural), so I may set my sights on that for the future and just save my money to buy more yarn (and maybe even local yarn) and work on my photography skills before I go all out again.

And I WILL go all out again!! I firmly do believe in jumping in with both feet, but I do think that I need to do a little more work before I jump in again. And get a more professional set-up. And I need to work on my sales pitch a lil bit...

BUT!!! I do still firmly believe in jumping in before you feel ready, because let's be honest, who's ever ACTUALLY ready. I've just realized that there's a lot of work to do in the meantime.

So, in the great words of Tiffany Han, DO THE WORK and then JUST SAY YES!!!

Ciao for now!!

Habits...

Habits... Hard to form easy to break... Kind of like trust:P

 

Anyways!! I say anyways too much:P I figured that I would touch on habits a lil bit here, because that is my current uphill slog... I recently got a job as a marketing admin (YAY:D), so now, not working ANY evenings or weekends, is the time to build up some good habits!

You never realize how long evenings are until you work an evening shift and go back to days. They just kind of yawn open before you, and usually I just end up going to bed early:P

Do I have things to be doing? You bet! But, being the procrastinator I am, I just piddle around with things and waste time until it truly is crunch time!

 

So I'm trying my very hardest to form some habits, and try to say no to things people ask me to do just because I don't have time, or if I do what they want I won't have time to do what I truly need or want to be doing! Wow that was a run-on sentence!! But anyways, I'm trying to form some habits to give some sense of calm to my life.

 

First off, I didn't sign up for a CIP (REALLY hard courses) class this year. At this point there are other things I would like to prioritize. I'm hoping to sign up for some Winter Craft Sales, so I need to start working on those applications, as well as making more product!! My loom has sat vacant for the last month:(

 

I'm also training for a marathon. Not to race in a marathon (not yet anyways), but to do it just for me! Just to prove that I can do it! And also in preparation for something called The Canadian Death Race. 125km through the Rockies. Oh yeah! Because that's totally happening!!!

 

So basically, the habits I'm working on right now are running and sewing/weaving. Is it going to be easy? HELL NO!!! Will it be worth it in the end? Only time will tell!!

Is there something that you're super passionate about but just can't find the time?! In the words of Nike, JUST DO IT!!!

 

Let it Go

CAN'T HOLD IT BACK ANYMORE!!!! ...ahem... Good day!!

Anyways, I have realized I say anyways a lot... Back to basics!!

I've been a lil bit absent on here lately, sorry about that! But I've been re-thinking and re-branding and trying to learn about them... That and introspection. LOTS of introspection. And playing with crystals and chakras and meditation. Good times!!!

But as for my business I've decided that I need to actually make a strong brand for myself! Now that the summer at the Farmer's Markets are over (financial tank, good experience), I can now sit back and REALLY look at things. I saw a lot of people this summer with a lot of great brands. They probably think I'm super creepy, I may have totally scoped out the joint, but got a lot of great ideas.

First off, I've been kinda all over the place about everything. Looking back at my first set-up I kinda cringe a lil bit. Enter "Branding for Dummies." Since I can't really afford an expensive business coach to walk me through it I'll just keep on doing what I've always done!! When in doubt, blunder through it until something works!!! Because eventually something will work!! And if I can't believe that, then what's the point right:P

If there's one thing all this introspection (and chapter 1 of my new book:P) has made me realize, it's that by playing on my loom at the market or sewing may not have have been displaying the big bold happy brand I'm trying to exude. I may or may not have been exuding cranky and not super excited about my products. Whereas all the other peeps who were there seemed pretty pumped and knowledgeable about their products. I was getting ok towards the end, but still not super great. May need to work on my pitch a lil bit... And take out some stuff... And add some more things to make it better... Like more professional...

LIKE MY NEW BUSINESS CARDS:D SUPER  excited about those! They're super cute!!! See below for pics! My goal is to get a matching sign. Yay:D I know what my colour palette I want is, just need to solidify a few things...

Gotta spend money to make money right?? Not that much, but yeah... Gotta save some of that for yarn... But yeah!!!

Letting go of some things feels good, gonna get a little more interesting around here!!! Back to the internet (and the loom)!!!! WOOT WOOT!!!

Ciao for now!!!!

Vanish into the Mist... NOT!!

I am still here!! I have not vanished into the misty morning, just, as I mentioned earlier, been very introspective, and I've realized that I have a lot of work to do on that too! Don't worry, I'm not going to go all hippy-dippy on you:P That's not really what this blog is about. But it will probably be mentioned from time to time because it's really inspiring me to do something creative (which has mostly been journaling up to this point).

Anyways!! Creative-wise, I'm still looking for my people and waiting to be discovered... I think I need to be more pushy maybe, but that annoys me SO MUCH when people do it to me I just can't bring myself to do it.

I have big plans for more products, and I FINALLY got a new needle for my sewing machine. Things are just kind of chugging along with the little funds that I have. This REALLY limits what Markets I can apply for, or the promotions that I can do.

Ugh... I hate money... So, my next big move is pretty much to just create as much as I can, and keep an eye on the horizon for other places that I can sell my product! Etsy isn't working out super great either...

So, instead of getting super down on myself I've ended my Farmer's Market year early, and have decided to really work on the basic bones of my business. I've realized (introspection!!) that I've been putting a lot of pressure on myself to make lots of money and stressing about it when I should just be focussing on enjoying my craft...

Something I really plan to work on this long weekend!! And I REALLY need to improve on my online/social media presence. It wasn't going too bad, bbbuuuttt summer has been a lil wild:P

Anyways, look for some awesome stuff from me in the near future!! Ciao for now!!!!