As you may know, in late 2014, I finally bit the bullet and opened an Etsy store. It was something I had always wanted to do, but it was more of a vague "ya, I'll totally do that... eventually" goal. You know the ones - they always come with the ifs and whens. I'll open an Etsy store when I have enough inventory. I'll open an Etsy store if enough people seem interested. I'll open an Etsy store when I have nice enough product photos. Etc, etc. The kicker finally came when my work had a craft fair and I volunteered to be a vendor (thanks to the encouragement of my coworkers). It went well, and I decided to post everything online that hadn't sold at the fair - from there the Etsy shop was born.
I had read online that the key is to just do it. Don't wait for the ifs and whens. Don't wait for perfection. Just get it done. So I took some crappy pictures with my iphone, and I did it.
I was also motivated by this hashtag: #makeitpublicmakeithappen. So I began announcing on social media that I was going to open an etsy shop. I made cheap business cards and had the URL printed on it. I felt that by putting it out there, I was making it real, and holding myself accountable. And you know what? It totally worked. People were SO incredibly supportive. It really gave me the push I needed to just get it done.
Since I opened my shop on November 20th, 2014, it has only gotten better. The new photos, courtesy of my dear friend Kelly, made a world of difference. I've started promoting my listings to get more views. I work on "shop stuff" in the evenings and on the weekends and as a result, I feel more creatively fulfilled than I have in a long time. While I won't be quitting my day job anytime soon, nor do I want to, it's been such an exciting adventure that I'm thrilled to continue into 2015.
That being said, I thought it would be a fun idea to start a blog for a couple reasons.
1) First and foremost, the biggest reason is to help promote the shop. Along the same idea of "make it public, make it happen", I'm hoping to post about projects I'm currently working on, shop updates, things that inspire my creative process, my goals, and my accomplishments. It's a way for me to keep the process going, keep it fresh, and keep myself motivated to create new things.
2) For those interested that don't know me too well, it will give them insight into who I am - like an extension of the "About Me" section on Etsy. It makes my work more personal, which is so important when you're shopping small business. I'm also using this as justification to blog about other aspects of my life, since I'm an over sharer and I'm sure I'll be posting about more than what color yarn I'll be using next.
2) Even if nobody reads it but me, it's a fun way to document this process and whatever comes from it. So if all else fails, at least I'll have that!
So that's it, I've joined the blogosphere (again). This creative endeavor is my big, overarching, general New Year's Resolution. I have some more small and specific ones too, but that's for another post.
Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more!
xoxo,
Mellie
PS: Just a heads up that eventually this blog will be hosted under the domain www.mightymellie.com
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