A Landmark and a Challenge

YESSS!!!!  I've done it!  100 sales on etsy!  For the record, I understand how completely arbitrary a distinction this is, but it's been a goal of mine for 2 years.  I passed the $1,000 in sales this year mark in March, and now in April I've passed the 100 sales.  Triple digits!  WOOT!!!  I can't quite tell you why, but I feel like this gives me more legitimacy.  They like me!  They really like me!  (apologies to Sally Field for borrowing her oscar moment)...

I juggle Found Beauty Studio with a lot of other obligations.  I'm the director of an AmeriCorps VISTA program as my day job, a volunteer guardian ad litem in the VT family court system, a board member for a local arts organization, a mentor, a fundraising consultant, and I try to fit being a good friend, sister, daughter, aunt, and partner in there too.  I also aspire to be a counselor for children and adults with complex developmental trauma, and attend a lot of workshop and read a lot of books and research in that all too elusive spare time.  To sum up, I'm busy and pulled in different directions.  But the studio keeps me grounded.  In a fantastic workshop I attended today on Trauma Stewardship, I heard yet again - yet really heard for the first time - that when we "overdeploy" ourselves, creativity is the first thing to go.  This means that all creative thinking and problem solving, in addition to any sort of art, is beyond our capacity.  And hoo boy have I ever felt that lately.  But I'm trying hard to make this a continued priority in my life.  It keeps me sane.  It exercises a part of my brain I don't use enough.  And, most importantly, it makes me happy.  And for some reason, surpassing these sales goals has helped keep me motivated.  They may be small successes, but I'll take what I can get.

Now for the challenge... A few weeks ago I picked up this absolutely atrocious skirt at good will:

Um, yes.  It is indeed a full length heavily pleated rainbow wool skirt.  I was visually offended and drawn to it in the same breath.  It was my civic duty to make sure no one ever wore this again so I grabbed it off the rack and took it home.  And mere minutes ago I turned it into a sweet purse.  Photos to come :)