breathe baby, breathe

One of the most wonderful things about business today is the boundless support systems, encouraging and educating the small business owner on the path to success. An example of that is wix's suggestion that I create a catchy headline for my blog post. (Did I succeed?!)

Other instructive formats include directions for being noticed - being the shiniest star among a galaxy of really big, beautiful planets. I personally believe there is room in this big 'ol world for all of us to and that the time it takes to be a shiny overachiever allows the small business owner to learn HOW to be a small business owner. Too much, too soon, for me, and maybe just me, can lead to a bruising fall.

I experience falls in small doses. Crazed maniacal activity, like a hummingbird on crack, followed by an exhaustion that even the sunniest of days can't lure me away from my cozy nest.

Me, surrounded by the gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains

My entrance into the one-woman-with-two-kids-still-at-home-and-five-animals-that-think-I'm-God-business began innocently enough. It has quickly evolved in so many directions, owing to my creative exuberance and honestly, an inability to narrow my focus.

I am whimsical and childlike, reflected in my sculpted animal pillows.

I am modern and sassy, as witnessed by the lips pillows. ( I guess a lot of you are too. As of this writing, the lips are by far the biggest seller!)

I was swayed, twice, to move away from personal inspiration to what might sell. This worked with one design; failed with the other. I learned that I don't want to do that any more.

Being true to my art and expressing it in ways that I, as a consumer, would like to have, feels the best path for me. That's not to say I don't look for easier avenues to make money; I'm doing that right now! It's simply that I began this business with a desire to share my work with a broader audience - replicate the smiles and joy that others expressed when holding one of my pieces.

So, here I am with lots of love, lots of ideas, and a gazillion pillows for the loved ones who celebrate every single sale. (For some strange reason, I am also here with a diminished capacity for spelling and sleeping.)

Trying today to reign in my maniacal behavior to a balanced, focused, floral-lined, butterfly-flying path. It begins with these thoughts:

My Mission Statement: to provide crazy, personal customer service; beautiful product created with heart and soul; and to share the rewards of this endeavor philanthropically.

Part two of this statement is the commitment to authenticity, expressed in everything I create, my interactions with clients and partners, and my support of fellow artists, locally and globally.

I am grateful for the paths that are emerging and the paths I have crossed. I am grateful for the encouragement and patience of my family and friends.

I am grateful to live in one of the most beautiful places in the world and to somehow, feed and house the people closest to me!

It's all good.

Cheryl