I have been inspired lately by two very busy people who blog consistently, Thomas Nelson CEO Mike Hyatt and LifeWay CEO Thom Rainer. If these two have time to blog, I guess I should too. I started following them on Twitter and reading their blogs "for work." As the official blog and tweeter for my organization, I wanted to see some people who know what they're doing to get an idea for what I should be doing. Not only do I find them interesting but it's also an education experience. It's kind of this whole new world that sucks you in. You read one blog which leads you to another, the author of which you decide to follow on Twitter too, and before you know it you're following 36 people and reading most of their blogs--because everyone has a blog right? So, we'll see if this becomes something that I need to scale back and control or if it really is helpful.
Another thing I've been inspired by lately, and am embarrassed to admit, is a new venture I may undertake. Part of me thinks it's a total hair brained kind of thing and the other is just so too pleased to have something creative and that I'm excited about that it doesn't care how silly it is. I've been kicking around the idea of opening an Etsy store. For those of you not familiar with Etsy.com it is "your place to buy and sell things handmade." I found this website several weeks ago and have been enamered with it ever since. My initial thought was to sell my jewelry on Etsy but then I thought, why stop there? I could make everything from jewelry to baby items and household decor! Then it really starts running away with me as I start doing the math on capital, profit margins, and time committment for order fulfillment. My biggest hangup, of course, is the branding. I've probably spent more time thinking of the name, color scheme, advertising, and graphic design aspect of this store than on acutal products. Then again, that's why they pay me the big bucks (or the not so big bucks).
I've taken out all my beads and jewelry making tools, dusted off my notebooks with sketches and ideas, and done pages of brain storming maps (that's just how I think). The above is some of my early work, very early. It's amazing to look at my early pieces and look through my old notebooks, I just see things differently now. There are things that I never thought I would be able to do that are so easy to me now but there are also things I thought I would have all figured out and I still have no idea. I went to Portland over Christmas of my freshman year of college to visit my dear friend April. We went to these adorable stores in downtown Portland (one of my favorite cities in the world) and then we talked over dinner about the "design empire" I wanted to build. I found a notebook with some of the sketches and notes I made on the plane back from that trip. I have "believe in the empire" and "build your brand" written everywhere. I was just sure I would have my own company by now. Really, I had a very rough first semester and glad to latch onto anything that even remotely resembled hope that I wouldn't fail miserably at life. Maybe I'm there again. Not sure where I'm going or what I'm doing and very aware that success isn't easy. It's that place where you doubt yourself and everything that you do. You wonder if you really do have any useful talents or marketable skills and if so, are you using them well.It's hard to dream. It's hard to believe in yourself and to invest in your own ideas with such unwavering faith that nothing can knock you down or keep you from achieving that dream. I don't know if right now is the worst time or the best time to dream because I don't believe in myself but I also am looking for that glimmer of something creative and bright that I dig into and find that excitment for what I'm doing. We'll have to see. We will have to wait and see...
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