New Resolutions

Well it’s official. 2019 has arrived. Alright, I’m 3 months late, which is kind of funny and ironic given the subject and content of this post, but I digress.

Last January, I made a bunch of resolutions. Some went by the wayside. I definitely didn’t drink less coffee or more tea. I knew that one was unrealistic when I made it. But when I look back, I actually had more success than failure. Maybe it was the act of writing them down and publishing them for the whole world to see (or, more accurately, a few friends and my mom); but I did launch my business, I did run a half marathon, and while I probably didn’t “read” more books, I did get an audiobooks subscription and listened to a couple. That counts….right?

In 2019, I resolve to turn my attention back to my business. And more specifically; sales and marketing. I don’t enjoy it, so I will come up with every excuse in the book before I’ll finally take some time to stage and photograph my finished pieces, or edit and upload photos. Once that is done, it takes me months more to post them on sales sites or even my website. With a backlog of finished items that are sitting and waiting for the right person to see them and dwindling storage space, it is time to refocus and push myself back out of my comfort zone and into the realm of business promotion.

Wish me luck. I’ll need it.

The Struggle of Shifting Priorities

It’s hard to believe that two seasons have come and gone since my last blog entry. Time. Slow. Down. Please.

As I expected, as soon as it was nice enough to be out digging the dirt, it seems that is all I really wanted to do. Gardening offers me yet another opportunity to cultivate my creative skills. And living in a place with such harsh winters makes me appreciate the miracle of every sweet shoot that pokes out of the ground in my gardens each spring.

Then along came summer, glorious summer. With the kids out of school, I no longer had the dedicated time to devote to furniture or business promotion. Between pools and parks; festivals and vacations, time was just filled in other ways. Evening work and weekend hours produced a few new pieces but my time was suddenly much more divided.

I am fortunate in this regard. My family is not reliant on the success of this business to pay the bills or put food on the table. Of course, I want to be able to demonstrate success, I want to be able to sell my work and feel that my time and creative efforts are valued. But, the amount of time and effort I put into each element of business development is entirely driven my me and my motivation. That means that my other roles and interests often take priority. While business related tasks didn’t stop completely, they did slow down during that time.

I set up a new photography staging area in the shop. I started following a few different furniture painting and staging groups on Facebook and came to the conclusion that staging is key to selling. And, its not as easy as it looks. I started with a vengeance but, it turns out I enjoyed the shopping for staging materials much more than the actual staging, photographing, editing and uploading. Over the summer, I learned how to use the strobes and camera settings, I practiced my staging skills and studied the techniques and marketing tips of other very talented furniture artists. I got most of my inventory staged and photographed.

This inspired me to enter several of my pieces in the General Finishes Design Challenge. I had these lovely photos of my work and so I thought, why not give it a shot? And guess what. I won a two prizes! Runner Up in the decoupage category for my work on this dresser…

And, the real kicker, a prize for my staging!

I also held my first pop-up show. Each year, the park across the street from my home is host to a huge neighborhood music festival that draws hundreds of people from around the city. At the gentle urging of some friends, I decided to hold a pop-up sale to showcase my work during the festival. I pulled my finished pieces out of storage and into my driveway with informational flyers for each piece. It was a huge success. I had more people stop by to look at my work than I ever expected and I ended up selling 6 pieces of furniture in the two weeks after the sale.

So, despite the ongoing shuffling of priorities that pull me in all different directions, I continue to make progress in this fledgling business. And, right now, making progress, even if it is slow, is going to be my measure of success.

Spring: A Season of Potential

Wow, it is already mid-March! Where does the time go? So much is happening around here. We are entering my favorite time of year. It's like my annual awakening after hibernating all winter. Sunshine, longer days, fresh air. Spring holds so much potential. 

I launched my website on Facebook last week and have been overwhelmed with the response. My anxiety and insecurity around putting myself and my work in the public eye has provided me a lesson on the importance of vulnerabiltiy. With compliments and well wishes from friends far and near (and a number of strangers too), that fear and trepidation that I felt for so long practically vanished and has been replaced with gratitude and excitement about the possibilities ahead. I'm sure it will creep back from time to time, but I'll relish in this feeling now and try to remember it as I move forward. I stumbled on this quote by Brene' Brown this week. "Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change". It feels very true for me at this moment.  

The workshop is a-buzz with new projects. I'm nearing completion on several pieces that I am very excited to add to my shop. I'm also working on a couple of items to update our daughters' room. Out with the old, in with the "new old".  As the spring weather draws me outside to the yard and garden, I know my time and desire to work inside on furniture will wane, so I'm trying to use every available moment to finish what I've started and get things up and running. The change in season is inspiring major creativity and some bold new looks on my pieces, and I am enjoying experimenting with new techniques and products to broaden my experience.

Happy Spring!

Welcome 2018

Hello 2018! 

I've never been one to put much time or effort into New Years resolutions. Maybe its because I turned 40 this month, but this year, I've got a list of resolutions as long as my arm. Drink more tea (and less coffee), run a half marathon, read more books and perhaps the most daunting resolution...launch my business. 

I have very little excuses left. I have a wonderfully supportive, generous husband who has made it a priority to encourage and support my decision to stop working as a nurse and turn my energy to our home, our family, and my own creative pursuits. And I have a great big unfinished basement that has slowly become mine. My space to create. The lady cave as one friend calls it. I've been buying, refinishing, selling furniture and getting ready to "launch" in fits and starts for years. And each time I get close to putting it all out there, I freeze and then I come up with an excuse for why the timing is not quite right. 

I can give you plenty of legitimate excuses as to why I wasn't ready, I mean, raising little kids is time consuming, I needed time and practice to hone my skills; learn the craft.  The business needed a NAME (that one only took a year and a half), but if I'm painfully honest, the underlying reason I've waited, the reason only a few close friends and family are privy to my work is because I've been too afraid to put it out there. Self doubt. It creeps in; takes over for a time; and allows all kinds of excuses to be made.

But, it's time. I've got a name.  I've built a website. I've got so much stuff in my basement, I'm starting to look like a furniture hoarder. And I've had plenty of practice.  So 2018 it is. No more excuses.