Why I Decided to Open Up a Shop
[one_third]For me, this past year (or two, but who's counting) has been perhaps the most volatile as far as life-changes go and there are many, many reasons both big and small that have lead me to where I am this very moment. This is a little summary for myself about why I decided to open an Etsy shop.[/one_third][two_third_last]In one statement, you can say that I was inspired by my son to want to make things that I felt were a representation of the love, time, and effort that I feel when I think about raising him. He's just this little ball of energy and through thick or thin, how could I not love him to bits?
Workplace Love
But of course, wanting to spend all my time raising him and REALITY are two very different things. I mean, other things in life need to be sorted and fall into priority order too, yuh know! My work, for example. My work as Senior UX at Pivot was my passion. Hey, I used to spend 10-12 hours a day either at, going to, or coming from work so if I didn't enjoy it I'd be crazy. Having been away from that atmosphere for over a year now, do I miss it? Absolutely. But I am optimistic that I can find a balance that will satisfy my need to be with Bobo and to be a productive and engaged member of my workplace. <-- Because today's new moms have to have both, yuh know.
A Maker Through and Through
And then there's my everlasting love of all things crafty. Truly, I am a serial maker. If I've never tried it, you can bet it's on my list to DIY my way through it. If I can't YouTube or Google-learn it, I'll find a course and learn it. I LOVE to try new things and to make things with my hands.In fact, I taught myself to crochet 10 years ago because I wanted to learn how to make amigurumi characters just for fun. Of course, the secret dream was always to get really good and to somehow set up a shop but that was a fool's dream, yo! Who has the time?
Finding the Balance
If I think back to the "old" me on the other side of having a baby, I was convinced that I'd be bored out of my mind just 3-months into mat-leave. But I guess having a little bundle of squish has flipped a switch in my brain. Along with raising this boy, everything in life has been reordered and redefined — and I'm really not exaggerating.
Just imagine spending all your time and energy constantly catering to the needs of a helpless but surprisingly persistent little bean and then taking everything you thought you knew about the world and about yourself and shoving it all into a blender and blitzing it on high with the lid off. Then spread that out over a year and day by day you find yourself trying to pick up the pieces and reorder the dust particles into something that makes sense to the "new" you.
Yah. That.Mat-leave has been that for me. Oh, but in the best possible way! No really, I mean it! Nothing like having a baby to help you reorder your brain. I have never been afraid of change — it's a wonderful thing that keeps you on your toes and helps make you stronger. Plus all the wonderful people I've met this year who have further helped me learn about myself... goodness gracious, it's been a helluva year!So here I am, 13-months on the other side of having a baby, and I'm feeling optimistic about this new life that I am making sense of and MAKING things is at the core of it all. I want to make things that make people happy. As happy as I am when I've settled down at the end of the day and Bobo is (finally) sleeping soundly in his crib, or when I wake in the morning and hubby has brought baby in and he says "mamma" and crawls over to me to give me a slobbery wet kiss and hug, or when a we launch a project at work and weeks of research and design have finally come to fruition and I can see how it's actually going to help people, OR when I crochet that last stitch and weave-in all the loose ends to finish a crochet project. And if I've learnt anything this year it's that life is an evolution of individuals as well as an evolution of communities.So I know that today it's an etsy shop and I'm making mom and baby accessories but next year it could evolve and become something else. But I am good with that. And as long as I work hard and continue to charge ahead through whatever changes life will throw my way, I know I can make things work and make things happen — here, right here.<3Link to the shop: http://etsy.com/shop/hererighthere[/two_third_last]