I think I can I think I can I think I can

I'm feeling excited, more like myself than I've felt in years. Yesterday I had a few inspirations that let me to what I'm about to start shooting for. And yep, this is another post about crochet. You can stop reading now if you were hoping for Aly and Lorelei updates/pictures :).

Everyone thinks the ennui-challenged are my biggest fear. While that and mental patients are my prominent corporeal terrors, fears of humiliation and rejection have been beating me down for years. They aren't unfounded; many times when I have become passionate about something, I became an object of slight derision and condescension, as if I am a child to be indulged, with behavior to be repeated to others with a bemused laugh. Others more confident than I shrug such reactions off, but of course I take it to heart, making me hesitant to share my fervor.

Now, about this, I don't care. Ok, ok... that's a lie. I do care, I'm just not going to let it beat me down and halt all creative process. 

A few months ago I had an idea to create a crocheted rose and attach it to a fine chain. I didn't know how to do the chain, so I focused on items I could make then. Another pitfall came when I searched Etsy and found a seller who had the same ideas I had, including the variations; except she had her idea a year earlier. I've quibbled that point for several weeks, wondering if I should even try. Her necklaces look great; I didn't want to create their poor cousin.

My beautiful sister quipped "There's nothing new under the sun" in relation to something completely different, but that thought stuck with me. There are definitely reasons why I shouldn't try to create something in a handmade market that already has something similar, but I decided to look at it positively. Her necklaces are beautiful, and have sold. So this isn't just another one of my ideas that look great in my imagination but flop in tangible reality.

Meanwhile, I have been selling a few custom crocheted items. Most of these are from another's patterns. Although permission had been given to sell items created from those patterns, I still didn't want to sell on Etsy items that weren't mine in conception. Then yesterday I had some inspiration on the Etsy/Bigcartel front, and I know what I'm going to do!

I am going to make an Etsy store, and create things to be sold "ready to ship" rather than made once orders are given. My products will be in the jewelry/accessory niche, with me creating those crocheted roses, motifs, flowers, etc to attach to variants of necklaces and headbands, as well as making a few scarves and jewelry frames. That way I won't feel rushed to make something in time, my paranoia over getting too many custom orders = too little time to finish unfounded. I'm still going to offer those custom orders on my blog, but now I'll just create a custom listing in my store to ease confusion. Once I can get enough customers and press, I'll move to Bigcartel, but that's another story.


I still have things to do, like finding packaging, tags, tinkering on the designs, but I feel that is attainable. I'm not going to let my doubts rule me. Wish me luck, and send your prayers.