The creativity has done wonders for my soul as well as my battered self confidence. Battered due to this last semester of chemistry and stats. Two classes that i failed. BUT...the important thing is the things i learned about myself in failing those two classes. Or figured out about myself really. For one...I was meant to be an artist. It's something I've always been good at. Something I've always enjoyed. And something that has helped create the person i am today.
My fear when i was younger with getting a BFA was that artists don't make any money. Money has been a push for my career ever since i was young. Who wants to be a poor starving artist anyway? So i tried to go for a career that i wasn't 100% on because it would mean a better income. But here's the thing that i found along the way...money doesn't mean you'll love what you do. Period. Simple right? My advisor, who is one of my professors this semester, and i had a long talk about changing my major. She told me that she has 3 jobs and makes decent money. But if she only had the one job, she'd only be making 35K a year. If she was lucky maybe 38K. She said that she does enjoy her job most of the time because she's good at it, but it's not something she loves doing. Along with her advice, and several other people's advice, i decided i would change my major to do what i loved doing. So here i am. Working towards my bachelors in fine art.
At one point around that time i told Brooks i was thinking of starting up an Etsy (Here's my shop... www.etsy.com/shop/ladybugblvd) shop with handmade ornaments. I used to make stuff all the time! But i honestly wasn't sure where to start with my ideas, or if anyone would actually buy them. But i thought...what the hell! I'd give it a go and see what happened. I picked a name...(Ladybug Blvd is actually due to the ladybugs that have decided to nest in the house and they were everywhere that week. There's still a few and I've become a bit obsessed with them. I just love them!! The second thing i made after the first ornament was a ladybug pin cushion!) and away i went! Well 3 weeks later, I've shipped out dozens of orders across the US and even one in Canada!
My other fav is Santa. I think he's adorable!!
More importantly with this shop that I've gotten going, is how much fun I'm having with it!! Even when i stick my thumb with the needle 10 times a day, I'm still having a blast! And when the thread knots together a dozen times per ornament...i get flustered, but when it's finished, I'm happy. I may not be making a ton of money at it, and i don't think i've broken even quite yet with the supplies, but I'm having the best time!
Brooks is SO unbelievably supportive of this venture!! He set up a workshop space for me in the garage and drove with me up to Martinsville VA the other day to go to the JoAnn's store that i thought had my bacon colored felt. It's a different color than just regular red, and my customers would totally notice if i tried to pull off a red and cream colored bacon. Not to mention, I would know i tried to pull one over and i am just not ok with that!! So we drove a half hour and got to the store, only to find...that's not where i bought it. Sigh...but i refused to leave empty handed. So i bought my bacon thread. The bacon uses very particular colors of felt and embroidery floss, and because we live in a small town right now, it's hard to find all the stuff i need. The next day we went to Greensboro and found the rest of what i needed. Turns out i can get most of my materials at Michaels Craft Store and Hobby Lobby.
The amount of felt that i have is ridiculous!! I have a stack of colors about a foot high! On top of all the ribbon, beads, threads, and other items i use...it's surprising that i have space to sit when i work!
Along with my shop of handmade ornaments and gifts, I'm part of a Dare to DIY group. (Check out what others are doing here...http://www.twotwentyone.net/ ) Which has been very fun! This weeks theme is "Give Handmade". This one was easy for me. I wish i had all the items i plan to give this year, but since I've been processing all these orders, i haven't had time to work on them. And this week i had a nasty cold and got nothing done the day before yesterday. But they're in my head, just waiting to be made.
Here is a crazy ornament that i made for a friend of mine for her birthday. A flamingo (that is an inside joke with us) with a tutu, a few necklaces, a funny hippy hat and ribbons around it's ankles to fill in for shoes that she wears with awesome shoe laces. She loved it!! It was so much fun making this for her!! I just kept adding things until i had no more room! A very fancy flamingo!!
Giving handmade is going to be very fun this year! I'm really looking forward to getting all my other items finished!
I may not be a big business yet, but you have to start somewhere!! My ultimate dream with this is to be able to make a living doing what i love, and love what i do!
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