Addressing the Silence

Alright, so by now you might actually be noticing the lack of social media postings.  It's called a creative slump ya'll.  I'm working on trying to break the slump.  I thought I would take this time and talk about a few things.  The struggles are real and I want to be transparent with you, my followers (hate that term, if you have a better one let me know). 

I'll be honest, I'm struggling with a little bit of the wind being sucked from my sails.  I have a lot of great cheerleaders in my camp, but there are still a lot of negative people out there.  Lately, I think I've let those negative people creep into my thoughts a bit too much.  I've also been really struggling with watching people succeed in the industry on lots of levels and feeling like I'm over here in my corner shouting with no one listening. 

I desperately want to write in this space, but I'm not a how-to writer.  That leaves me in a bit of a tangle.  What should I write and share in this space?  I've been writing what I think are posts that will encourage you to send more Happy Mail.  I'm working on a few other ideas, but I will no longer be forcing myself to write posts about how each card was created. 

I go through one or two of these creative slumps a year.  Hubby refers to them as burn out, but I'm not sure that fits since the focus has been on card making. I went back to my card making hobby in 2015, after playing with several other mediums, including sewing and knitting.  I don't feel like burnout applies to the card making.  It's more of a dry spell that happens because I always go back to making.

Over the last year, I've taken several steps into the unknown.  I started selling my cards on consignment at Smiling Moose, one of our local gift shops.  I started a Patreon for monthly card subscriptions, but that really hasn't worked in spite of people being interested in a subscription option.  I've started talking about what I do.  Giggle if you want, but this is a big deal.  I write and share online with ease, but when it comes to telling people in person what I do it's a real struggle for me.  It always comes out like I'm ashamed of what I do and I'm not.  I love being a card maker.  I've also stepped out and started selling my art again. 

No wonder I'm in a bit of a dry spell.  I've put this little introverted personality out there a lot in the last eight months.  I ask that you stick with me while I seek new inspiration and recharge my creative batteries.  If you're looking for cards, be sure to check out The Inked Inspirations Shop or if you're local stop by Smiling Moose.