there there kitten: Crushing Fear with Creation

2012 designs of Irish Linen or Marline beaded wrap bracelets

I love creating.
I love gluing, cutting, printing, designing, putting things together to make something completely new.

It's been a dream of mine to have my own table at a summer craft fair or market and after a few years of putting it off and letting fear get the better of me, I did it.
I plunged, headfirst into selling my own wares.

I've been beading and making trinkets and jewelry for a very long time.

I made plastic friendship bracelets in elementary school, which my friend and I secretly sold from our desks for 50 cents each in grade six. I made beaded necklaces and bracelets as a teenager, even learning how to use a bead loom with one of my best friends. I made woven jewelry out of one of my favourite mediums, a type of string called 'marline', after learning how when that same best pal came home from a S.A.L.T.S. trip one summer and she taught me. I've made earrings, styled with charms, re-purposed stones as pendants, and now forged into areas like chainmaille and wire-wrapping.

It's just in me to create.

I have plenty of other outlets to be creative, especially in my line of work which includes graphic design and a lot of work with Photoshop.

However, creating something tangible, with my hands, that is pretty and fun and interesting seems to be in my blood.

It's calming. It's relaxing, It's even sometimes energizing.

It takes focus and lets the world around me melt away as I work on a project.

Yes, it's tiring and quite often I stay up way too late once I get going. I get cramped hands from my chainmaille pliers and stiff shoulders or tired eyes from working on one thing for too long.

But it's all worth it.

To finish and hold up that thing, that special something, that I have created is worth every moment.

Some of the items I create are simple. Some are more detailed and take more time and effort. Yet, I still feel such satisfaction when each item is complete.

My 2013 tent at the James Bay Summer Market

The final step in this creative endeavor has been setting up my very own table and tent at a fair or market to sell my goods to others. It's like giving away a happy little piece of myself and making someone smile in the process that means so much to me.

It's always started with creating something I would like. Something I would wear or have or give to someone I loved. Then it grew. People began to ask where I got that certain necklace or bracelet and after so many of those questions I finally began creating some of those items in larger quantities to share them with others who appreciated their fun uniqueness.

For a long time fear held me back.
Fear that what I created wasn't really good enough.
I finally stepped over that fear-shaped hurdle and I thought, what have I got to lose? If they don't sell, at least I will know. At least I would have tried.

After several successful winter craft fairs...I was hooked!

Not only did my designs sell, I even had a few people ask me to design them custom pieces!
I tried to keep my jewelry and gifts fun, pretty, unique and most of all low-cost so if my customers had to decide on what they wanted to spend their money on, they could buy one of my pieces and a few other items at that fair.
I just wanted my creations to brighten someone's day.

After that first winter season, I put on my bravery shoes and had my jewelry 'juried' for a larger summer market. They gave me a chance and I began my introductory summer of Saturday Market Days!

I've learned so much this past year and I'm sure I will share my knowledge with you soon. For now, I want to encourage you...don't let fear or any other obstacle hold you back from stepping out and trying something new.
Create whatever it is you love to create! Don't stop! And for goodness sake, don't compare your work to someone else!

Enjoy the time you spend creating and use it as an outlet to relieve stress or to get you energized.