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So a couple weeks ago I wrote a post where I explained a bit of my creative journey, mainly where it all started. Now we have come to the part in the story where I took that creativity and wanted to do more with it. I wanted to have some sort of creative business. I wanted to share my talents while also being able to support myself. It’s been a long road, but I’m glad I went on the journey. If I hadn’t I wouldn’t have ended up here. So without further ado, here is part two of my creative journey.
MY FIRST BUSINESS VENTURE
When I was about fourteen, I decided that it might be a good idea to use the skills that I had to try and support myself. I knew I wanted to have my own business: something that was creative, that I was at least somewhat passionate about, and that would allow me to work from home.
At the time, I was really into making jewelry. I loved to make earrings, and I have to say, I was pretty good at it. I had made so many pairs, and so I decided, why not start selling them? So I opened up an Etsy shop.
Selling on Etsy wasn’t easy, but I did learn a lot from that experience. I set up shop with the name ToriByDesign, because I thought it was catchy and easy to remember. It’s hilarious to see that I’m still using that name for when I sell on other sites. I mean, I guess it was memorable after all 🙂 I took pictures of my products, wrote out the descriptions, and set my prices. I tried to promote them as much as I could, and had an instagram account set up for that purpose.
Yet, when you sell on a site like Etsy, you have a lot of competition. And if you are a new seller who hasn’t sold a lot, you aren’t going to get a lot of traffic or exposure. I think I sold three or four items total while selling on Etsy. Yeah, it kind of sucked. I felt like no matter how hard I worked to promote my products and make things to sell, it wasn’t paying off. At the same time, my interest in making jewelry was fading. I started taking guitar lessons, and fell in love with writing songs and playing music. I was also drawing more often, started thinking about writing a book. It was getting harder for me to make jewelry as well, since my vision was getting worse, and working with pliers was hurting my wrists.
It wasn’t easy to quit my jewelry business and pursue something new, but I’m glad that I did. Initially, I felt terrible. I had put so much time and energy into something that ultimately failed. I spent money on supplies that wouldn’t be used. But now, I realized that I learned a lot from that experience. I learned about pricing products, and how to photograph items you plan to sell. I learned about packaging handmade goods, and working with a customer to ensure the quality of a product. Those have all been skills that I still apply to some extent, and so even though the business itself didn’t work out, I still gained a lot from it.
SELLING PRINTS AND CARDS
Yet, I still needed to figure out if I should pursue something creative. Around seventeen I started shifting away from jewelry. At this point in time, I still had my shop up, but I was thinking about what else was out there. I had started drawing again, and had recently discovered brush lettering. I instantly loved it, and it didn’t take a huge chunk of time to create a piece. I thought that maybe there was something here. I had always hoped to sell my art, since I had a passion for drawing. I was making handmade cards, and thought that maybe I could even branch out into that.
So I set up a shop using Society6. I uploaded a few of the drawings that I had done and applied the designs to as many products as possible. I was getting a lot of feedback on my art, and it seemed that my lettering was most popular. So I uploaded my first lettered art print. And within a couple weeks, I had made three sales on that design. I was still figuring things out, but thought that this could maybe be something to continue pursuing. Of course, the name for my shop was still ToriByDesign (I told you it was memorable).
I was also getting asked about making cards and stationery sets. So I made a few that I was able to sell. I enjoyed making prints and designs, and loved to make a card that someone could fill with their words.
Unfortunately, the next year wasn’t pleasant. As I mentioned, my teenage years were filled with trials. And eighteen was the least fun. I had to take a break, and it wouldn’t be easy bouncing back. But I did.
NOW WE’RE BLOGGING!
(I just had to, I love puns too much)
I initially started a blog on blogger called Paleo’s Starving Artist. I was trying to eat a paleo diet, so I figured I’d use that in my name. Yeah looking back that name just makes me cringe. Why did I name it that?
Anyways, I initially started that blog. I would write about my experience with eating paleo friendly, my favorite restaurants, and traveling. I also would post DIYS and my favorite art supplies. I loved writing, and hadn’t done anything quite like this before. It was a new form of writing for me, since I normally stuck to fantasy stories and song lyrics. But with a blog, I got to share my thoughts and opinions, how I saw the world. I also was writing more descriptively and freeform. I didn’t have to worry about plot or worldbuilding. It was as if I was able to take the narrative style of writing a story, and the descriptive and poetic style of songwriting, and merge them into something new. I loved it, and wanted to make it into something more.
So I did my research. How did blogging work? Could you make an income with it? Was self hosting better than using a free site? I had a lot of questions to answer. And I still do, because you are always going to keep learning. I did find out the basics of a blog, that you could make an income with it through hard work, and that self hosting was a better option if you wanted to pursue making an income.
So I purchased my domain on Bluehost. I had to think of a domain name, something that would yet again be memorable, but that would fit the theme I wanted it to have. I’m sure you can take a guess at what I chose…
And thus, The Confused Craftgirl was born.
THE MANY STAGES OF THE CONFUSED CRAFTGIRL
Starting the blog was the easy part. I still wrote about travel, art, and recipes, and shared my experiences as a confused creative. I was happy with what I was writing, and thought it looked cool overall. It was definitely new to me, and it took me a while to find my footing. With any new adventure, you’re going to face some roadblocks.
I suffered a mini identity crisis here on the blog. I was reading articles about how you should stick to a specific niche, and that if you didn’t, you wouldn’t have success with your blog. So I decided to try and find that niche, and it resulted in a complete branding change. I was only going to focus on Self Care, and write poetry and quotes. The aesthetic changed from bright florals to dull greens and whites. I wasn’t happy with this change, but thought it was what would be best.
But that was actually the problem. I was writing about my life and creativity, and somehow I didn’t think that I could write the topics and posts I wanted while still having brand. PRO TIP: If you are a lifestyle blogger, you don’t have to have a niche. You can write about whatever you want and it can still be cohesive to your brand.
Once I learned that, I went back to the bright florals and blues I once used. I was writing about things that interested me, and was enjoying the creative process again. Things were starting to look up. Until I hit another road block.
THE YEAR OF STORMS
Oh 2018, how I loathe the. I remember that year vividly, and it was not pretty. In fact, it was a hellish nightmare of a year. I remember the last blog post I had written in December, about school and productivity. I loved the metaphors, and was proud of it. But at the same time I was severely struggling mentally. It took hard work to get through it. But I did. And now I’m stronger than ever. I had to take a break from writing, and remember uploading my first post in over a year. It honestly felt like it did when I uploaded the first post to The Confused Craftgirl. Because it was a new beginning. I was scared, but I put it up anyways. I wrote about “Why She Had To Disappear”. I came out of the storm with stronger roots, and have been writing more since. I’ve been able to do so much since, and can’t wait to continue with those thoughts in part three.
I have so many cool ideas and so many things I’m wanting to work on. But that’s a story for another post 🙂
Thank you so much for reading, I hope that you were able to be inspired by it. Or maybe you learned something. Either way, I hope you continue on your creative journey. Never stop making things, because it’s the best thing you could do.
If you would like to see some of the products that I am currently offering and promoting, you can visit my shop page here.
Until next time 🙂
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