real talk

I spend a lot of time over on Instagram and if you follow me over there you will know that I like to pull back the curtain, the polish and pretty photos and talk about real life behind the scenes over here. I thought I would start sharing some this "real talk" over here on the blog once in a while with the hope that you find a little encouragement.

People always as me why I still make handmade goods. Why I don't mass produce things in a factory. Why don't you hire people to edit videos or run the blog or manage your social media? And the the list of questions (and unsolicited advice goes on and on).

My answer to most of these questions comes down to one thing & that is creativity. I didn't start a creative business for money, popularity or even the desire to grow big! My art & creativity comes down to the unbridled passion that I have for making stuff. Since I was a kid, all I ever wanted was to make art & that desire has always looked like pursuing any kind of creative job that I could find. I spent years chasing an art degree, countless creative jobs, side hustles & along the way carved out the business that I have today.

I've had moments of thinking things need to be bigger, mass production, employees, pivoting into something with less work/more money but those moments are fleeting because my soul needs to create more than it needs a bigger paycheck. You see, making art consumes me, it feels like breathing, I literally cannot go a day without creating & this where my all of my business decisions come from.

If I mass produced things, if I hired a videographer, photographer, an editor, etc, I would miss out on the joy and inspiration that happens when I do these tasks. The things that most people would hand off to someone else are the things that fuel my new ideas, strategy & my decisions. Sure I could grow bigger if I hired out but if I were chasing growth & money instead of creative passion, I would be really unhappy.

Don't get me wrong, there is nothing bad or shameful about chasing growth and money- it's just not the way that I've built my own business. I did (and still do) ALL the things that business experts tell you NOT TO DO & it worked! It worked so well that I am running a successful creative biz that supports our family. And I've learned that you don't always need to follow a formula or use a strategy based on growth, competition or money. Sometimes all you need is to silence the noise, put your head down & stop at nothing when it comes to following your heart.