(Or why I’m switching up the focus of this blog.)
Lately I’ve been in a contemplative mode with my business, thinking a lot about what I want from it – what I want to feel, what I want to contribute, and what I want to accomplish. It’s been going on too long to blame it on mercury being retrograde (though I am fully blaming that for failing to launch my new blog last month), but I do think it has a lot to do with the experiences of the last two years, from the daily reminders of the fragility of life, to the constant concern about the fragility of the economy and the pillars of our social structure.
My initial response two years ago was to hunker down and lean in to what I knew, and I abandoned my developing plans to explore some new markets and dabble in some different types of design. I knew I was one of the lucky ones who could continue working and worrying about my health from the confines of my own home. And sending out those daily stacks of fabric, much of it intended for mask-making, felt wonderful, both because I felt like I was contributing something, and also because of the glimmer of social interaction that each of those orders brought.
But then, in pandemic year two I started to slow down, and I began feeling aimless and depleted. I know I wasn’t the only one, because I was constantly seeing articles about the great resignation and how burnout really is real. Right? But I have always loved my job, and always felt lucky to be able to do this for a living, so what was lacking that I should suddenly feel so over it? I had started to feel stuck in my processes, and really overwhelmed by doing every. single. aspect. of this business alone. It became clear that I needed to change my approach, and be more intentional about refilling my creative well.
To that end, I’ve decided to start blogging again, with a renewed focus on creative business and creative living – prioritizing and sharing the projects that keep my curiosity fresh, that bring me joy, and that make me feel inspired and creative. These include daily (or, almost daily – I’m trying!) painting, gardening, making food and medicine from my garden, diy projects that have nothing to do with fabric, and celebrating other aspects of the art and design world. It’s a project that I’m doing mostly for myself, because I love to write, and because having a structure helps keep me on task, but I suspect that it might be helpful or inspiring to others as well. Even better. I’m changing some other aspects of my business as well, but that’s a story for another day.