Well, no more! I'm back.
Last night, I did something just as terrifying but just as important to me as starting this blog... I finally, FINALLY opened my Etsy shop. I have been curious about the whole thing for a while and been pretty serious about wanting to have my own shop for a year now and actually planned on starting it on March of this year. Buuuutt, none of that happened.
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| Magazine bowl now available in my shop! |
I read every article, watched every video and even bought a book about how and what to sell, how to market, price and ship and all of that. But "over-analysis paralysis" took over (as one of the Etsy articles called it) and I was too petrified of the whole thing. Not only are there a lot of steps involved but there's also such a big risk for failure. And, just like with starting a blog, I think the biggest obstacle is that the whole thing feels a little... embarrassing.
I really wanted to blog in order to share my projects as well as my personal life and thoughts. Writing posts is so natural and fun for me and I want to share with those who want to read.
I really wanted to sell on Etsy because I love to make things and am completely enchanted by the idea of supporting myself- if only partially- by making things with my own hands.
But these both come with an underlying "look at me!" feeling that makes me uncomfortable I do want to share, I do want to be open about my life and thoughts. That is a very powerful driving force for me, especially living so far away from so many of my friends and family.
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| Beatles baby quilt also listed in my shop |
So, I've decided, both with the blog and with Etsy, to not be embarrassed and not hold back. These are things that are important to me that I want people I care about to be involved in. And I have to keep reminding myself that I am not forcing anyone to read my blog or shop in my store. If you really don't care about my thoughts or are annoyed by my sharing, fine by me. When I share something on Facebook or Twitter, it's an invitation, not an obligation.
Overcoming all of these ludicrous but overwhelming thoughts was one big hurdle. Talking to friends more about what I wanted to do helped a great deal as well. But the biggest motivation and "final push" (so to speak) was my friend having a baby two days ago.
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| My newest addition to the shop... |
My friends and I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of Irina's daughter Zoya for- obviously- several months now. When we found out she was being induced (that's how you spell that word, Irina. Just so you know), we all went in to panic mode and spent 10 hours doing anything we could to help. We even did a lot of things that probably didn't help. But it was a very happy and exciting time and going to visit mom and baby in the hospital was a beautiful and surreal experience to say the least. I mean, look at this face! So precious!
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| "Oh, don't mind me. I'm just gonna fall asleep in your arms and strike this adorable pose. No biggie" |
At some point during all freaking out, drinking energy drinks while scrubbing a kitchen floor with toothbrushes and waiting for when we could go see this baby, the thought occurred to me; if my friend can endure 9 months of uncomfortable pregnancy and create this beautiful little girl, I can press a button, deal with being uncomfortable for a bit and I'll probably be ok.
Talk about putting things in perspective!
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| This wall hanging was my first ever Etsy sale! |
You can find my Etsy shop here and I will (hopefully) have new products soon. I've already had a few sales and my tiny inventory is not gonna cut it. Be on the lookout for more!
THANKS FOR READING
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