STEPHIE'S BEADS AND BAUBLES

Creating is very important. I think creativity makes us whole. When we are not creating there is something missing in us that we just cannot put our finger on.

That being said, being creative is such a intrical part of us it can become an emotional thing too. When we create and work hard and nothing happens, we feel it so strongly. This could be writing, painting, design, jewelry, any kind of creating you can think of. Whatever creativity means to you !!

I know I have made everyone roll thier eyes a few times over my posts about quitting my jewelry and to sell or  not to sell, but I think that is what was going on. I was working hard. Very hard. A good 40 plus hours a week between designing, making, and listing jewelry. Not to mention the time I spend deciding what I need and ordering it, or going to the craft stores to look for needed items. I was very emotionally invested in my creations. When creative people say thier creations are kind of like children to them, in a way they are. You put a lot of love in the item you create and want it to be successful , you are emtionally invested in its future. I have kids, so I know the difference, but it is similar in a lot of ways.

When sales plummeted to basicly  nothing. I took it hard. I am proud of my items. I work hard to make good quality pieces and try very hard to make them one of a kind and unusual. After all the hours invested in my business, this was a hard blow.  Very hard. I did not know what to do with how I was feeling, so I got mad about it and was just going to stop. That was it, I am done.

The problem is, creative people  have to create. So, that was just not going to work for me. I had time to think about it.  Consider my options and what I wanted to do.

With thousands of dollars invested in my materials and inventory and  over 25 years spent at this. I am not walking away. I am still trying to figure it out, but at least understand why I responded in the way I did.

I love what I do. I enjoy the process of creating a piece of jewelry out of items I have on hand. Making something pretty out of some objects that are not that pretty on thier own. I just plain enjoy the creative process.

Have I figured out what to do to sell. No. Not  yet. I am still on Etsy and now on a friends website I have listed on the side of this page , Creative Artworks. I may add another one. Linda, who runs creative artworks has her work on four  sites, including her own and says the sales on all of them are slow, but between them all, she gets some sales. So, that gives me hope. I will do some exploring and see what is out there. I will do what I can to get my items seen and sold. I am not going to give up on something I love and I enjoy doing.

Being creative is not just something I do, it is who I am. Writing, drawing, beading, crocheting , painting, all kinds of creating. Creating to me, is life.

So, I have no idea what will happen for me with my jewelry, but I will keep working hard to get it sold. I cannot give up on myself or my business. I love it too much to just pack it up and walk away. I thought about that . Just packing up all my beads in boxes and putting them in storage and just putting it behind me. I really did. That thought sounded easy, less complicated and less stressful. In the end however, I kept coming back to my love of beads, and jewelry. My love of creating jewelry. I cannot just pack it up and walk away.

So, do not give up on yourself either. If you love to create, just get out there and do it. I figure I will create and make pretty things, and somehow I will figure the rest out. If others can be successful at selling jewelry, so can I !! I will figure it out . I do not know yet, but I will.

Thank you for being patient with me as I melted down a few times. I had a lot going on in my life besides the jewelry, just crazy family busyness, if that is a word, nothing is wrong, life is great, but just really crazy and busy.

Thanks for stopping by !!

Stephie