Mirror, Mirror

It’s been one of my goals to get a craft business going. I used to have one, several years ago. I’d crochet, paint stuff… did all kinds of different things that I would sell at craft shows or even on consignment occasionally. I loved doing it and it brought in a little extra money. (Is that ever a bad thing? I think not!) But as the years went on I seemed to work like a jillion hours a week. I’d get to my desk by 6:00 a.m. and at by 8:00 that night would stumble home, exhausted. Needless to say, I wasn’t doing much crafting in those days.

I finally “got it,” a few years ago, that work is just work and if you have a job that insists on 60 hours a week minimum, well you really need to figure something else out. So the last few years I have changed my focus. I got a life, and I’ve never regretted it.  I changed my hours to part time work, and decided to start a marketing consulting business on the side. To keep things interesting, I did freelance writing work on the side also. In those days I just called up every single person I used to do marketing work for and ask if I could do something freelance. It paid the bills.

What I realized in that part-time job, part-time writing, part-time marketing world is that I hated the marketing part. I hated being a marketing consultant. So I dropped it, and did a part-time job and freelanced part-time. I still recommend this as a great way to break into freelance writing. It takes the pressure off of you, and also helps you make better client choices. I’ve recently wrote an article that basically said having a part-time writing life is okay too. So many freelancers jump on each other if they do something different. Who cares? The reason we freelance is it gives us freedom. Why get bogged down with writing clients you hate if you’re okay working part-time and writing part-time? Do whatever feels right for you and your family.

As I’ve thought about my dream job(s) over the years, writing is obviously at the top of the list. But then again, creativity takes a close second. I am aiming toward a three-pronged career approach:

• To make a certain dollar amount from my residual and freelance writing jobs
• To make a certain dollar amount from my blogs
• To make a certain dollar amount from a craft/creative business

My goals are to be self-sufficient in my writing. I have regular jobs and clients that I have been trying to build up to a certain dollar amount per month. Some people complain about residual writing, but for me it’s worked. It’s added what I needed to my bottom line. Now, after three years, it’s more than worth it. I still average more per residual article than I make with a pay-up-front online article agreement. I see the benefits and want to continue to build on them.

I also want my blogs to help me be self-sufficient income-wise. Besides this blog I have four other (very different) sites and I have a monetary goal in mind for what I’d like to make per month on them. Since my blogs are still fairly new, this will take a while. Content first, then income. I’ve monetized them but my focus is on evergreen, quality content. After that, I’d like to see an increase in affiliate and Adsense income, and then of course, private affiliates. Until then, I keep posting.

I finally launched the third component of this grand master plan, my Etsy store (even though it has a lowly four pieces in it right now!), which is the first step in my craft/creative business. I’ve got some ideas on expanding it, but I’ve learned over the years not to take off more than I can chew. Etsy first, then onward.

So, to make a long story even longer, I’d really super love it if you visited my Etsy store! The first things I’m selling are some mirrors I’ve been working on. The mirrors have lines from my poetry, and are made from wooden frames, painted with acrylics and covered with craft paper and embellishments. Each one is different and original. Here are the three I have listed to start off with:

I liked the idea of doing mirrors that had some happy, positive, thoughtful words to give you when you looked into them. Instead of worrying about the lines of your face, read the words and know that you are loved and needed in the world. It may sound silly or even dramatic, but I believe in surrounding yourself with reminders of the good parts of the world. I did this when I first started to crawl out of that black hole of my childhood. I actually wrote positive things and pasted them up everywhere. I still do it. As I type this I have a note on my computer that says, “2010 is the best year of my life!” I have kept it up despite being let go from a major client (along with several hundred other writers), despite a slow economy, and despite that I don’t always feel like I’m having the best year. I remind myself that the bumps along the way are a momentary blip on the way to something great. I hope my mirrors remind people of this, too.