05/31/2023
🤍 Five months ago, I closed up shop and said I was happy to be rid of the brand I dedicated so much time to over the past few years. I was burnt out, stressed, and just overwhelmed by all of the things I thought I was doing “wrong” as a business. I would spend all day working at my day job, and then start working on this shop, and I could only see all of the missed opportunities, the wrong decisions, and the mistakes that I made over time. I saw other brands, much newer than me, have overnight success, and it just made me feel bitter and sad whenever I would think about it. I would talk to my friends weekly about all that I wanted to do differently. I was totally focused on everything I was doing wrong.
But now, after taking a few months off, I can see that I was thinking about this brand in the completely wrong way. I was comparing myself to other shops, comparing my insecurities to their highlight reel. I was so focused on “doing branding correctly” that I lost all of the fun and creativity I started with originally. I used to make jewelry because I really loved it. I loved making things with my hands, and seeing other people wear them and love them. I let my insecurities about how I was being perceived as a business owner, and as a person, completely deplete my passion for crafting and making things. And after some time away, I really miss it.
I’ve been thinking for a while now about re-opening my shop. And with some encouragement, I have reopened my Etsy shop 🤍 this time, I don’t care about being “good” at marketing or branding. I’ve decided that this is my Etsy shop, and I need to stop overthinking everything, and just post and sell whatever I want to post and sell. I’ve always been a serious overthinker, and it really hinders me sometimes, and I don’t want to keep letting that happen.
Thank you again to everyone who has supported me in the past, and everyone who encouraged me to reopen, and to everyone who will continue to support me in the future. Y’all are seriously the best (and if you read this far, congrats, you’re one of the first to know that jewelry is returning in the near future 🤫)
