Sale! (and a few honest words)

I just thought I should pop over here to announce a big sale I'm holding in my shops this weekend:

You can use the discount code in my big cartel shop as well as my Etsy shop.

This seems to be about the time of year I start thinking about getting a "real job". This is a struggle that is plagueing me often, though I always avoid talking about it on here...

Do I get a full-time suck-the-life-and-creativity-out-of-me job and put my art making on the back burner for a while? Or do I keep plowing ahead, struggling financially, but doing what I love? Becuase it feels like I would be wasting all these years I have put into my little company if I just dropped it for a steady paycheck. Though a steady paycheck could be so nice...

Things have been kind of tough lately and I think whenever this happens I feel this huge pressure to make a big decision about what I am doing with my life. A huge decision that I am obviously incapable of making. I keep holding on to these little side jobs to help out with bills when sales are slow, but then sometimes I feel like that is just a distraction, a low-paying distraction that isn't quite helpful enough. So would I be better off finding one full time job, ditching the side jobs, sew my own things less, but have a little money for once? Probably.

I was supposed to come on here and tell you all about my sale and act like it is purely a "celebrate the fall!" sale, but let's be honest: I love this time of the year (it's my very favorite!) and am happy today is the first day of fall, but I would be even more happy to sell a couple things this week. I am going to be totally straight forward and announce that my sales have been low and it is hurting. I know, I'm not supposed to say these things. But I need to be honest today. It feels good to put these things out there and not pretend like my life is super perfect all. the. time. Because things get hard and ugly sometimes and that is just how it is.

Alright... rambling done. Thank you for listening! I'll come back soon with cheerful news of a couple projects that I have in the works that really are terribly exciting (fern animals, quilts - - finally, almost - - and a pop-up shop!!)  Stay tuned, ok?

Comments

[Paula McGuire]

Have you thought about taking special orders again? That seems to push sales.

[Carrie B]

I don't think having a full time job is necessarily a creativity killer or that it's an either/or decision. My most active music year (2006) and art years (2004, 2007-2009) were while I had a full-time job (we won't mention 2005...that was my "anxiety year") that I often worked overtime at. At the time, I always felt like, "I could be doing MORE..." and maybe other folks would think that about my output, but looking back on it now, I'm actually pretty proud of myself.

I think my creativity goes way up when I have a sense of structure and security in my life because I feel more free to take creative risks and try new things that may not really work out so well. (I know that may not be true for a lot of people, though; some folks like pressure.)

I'm not saying that you *should* get a full-time job, because I certainly understand the very good reasons to not have one, but I guess I just don't want you to feel like you can only make ONE decision, or that one choice totally negates another or undoes what you've done so far...I dunno! You will always make beautiful and wonderful things because it's how you live.

[Ashley Anna Brown]

Paula - most of my sales actually come from custom orders for birds. Maybe I should take on orders for animals again? :)

Carrie - I have been thinking the same things... that having a steady full time job could cause me to be more productive creatively. At least it would allow me the freedom to work on projects that don't lead to sales, which I struggle finding the time for now. I just get nervous because I know quite a few people who don't make things anymore. I don't want that to happen! I know you have heard me talk about these things many times before - - thanks for being so supportive!