Happy 1st Birthday, Mary & Luna!

One year… WOAH.  It’s hard to say what I’ve learned because it’s been just one-foot-in-front-of-the-other kind of work. It's been a bit of a blur. It has been an incredibly steep learning curve from the time I started dreaming this up to when I started to plan out specifics to when I launched it all. That was all during the year building the business. Since last May, I’ve spent as much time as my brain can handle reading business information and doing all of the list pictured below and trying to create new work so I stay motivated in WHY I’m doing this. It’s all for the art, and if I don’t let myself have time to create, I forget why I’m doing all the business details.

Creative business is so much more intense than I ever imagined (seriously, don't you feel exhausted & overwhelmed just reading that?). It’s its own little world. Some days I’m so hard on myself and I feel like it’s so much work that’s not paying off, but the more I do it, the more I realize I’m actually really suited for it. It just takes practice in many unfamiliar areas & tasks and some time to adjust to it and find my rhythm. I’m still working on that. I know I can do it, because some of it has gotten easier. And I see a lot of similarities between how I’ve developed past things in my life (my babysitting business, my personal blog, my internet friendships, etc.) and the things I need in order to successfully run this business. I have to remind myself that I’m capable of doing it, because I often forget. But I just keep working.

I’ve made good, albeit slow, progress so far in one year. At one point several months ago, I realized that no part of me wanted to give up (and I have a lifelong tendency to lose interest and not finish things I start). That surprised me, but then I realized it’s because I know this is what I’m supposed to be doing. It’s just a process, and I’m still learning.  This business has become an extension of my heart and my soul. I’ve lost track of the hours I’ve put into it. These are my ideas and my emotions and my ART. It’s a very vulnerable thing. That’s why I’m being so hard on myself to do it right. This is who I am, and I want to be good at what I do. It’s scary. But I know I feel so good when I create a piece I love, and when someone likes what I do and buys a piece. I know I'm proud of how much I've done so far. I can’t wait to see where I am in a year from now. The possibilities are endless, and “adventure is out there!”

xo, Michelle

P.S. To you reading this, thank you for supporting me & following my work. I’m very grateful for you.