putting myself out there

One of the reasons I started this blog was to keep me me accountable and provide a venue for my thoughts and fears as I quit my job and tried to 'figure out who I want to be when I grow up'.

Dear God has it been scary.

I have things that I want to do, but almost all of them involve stepping out of my comfort zone, and putting myself 'out there'.  I've hemmed, I've hawed, I've talked a big game, but it's taken me some time to build up the confidence to really dive in.

But I've done it.

One of the avenues I've wanted to explore is jewelry making.  Not all that long ago, I became interested in the process of electroforming (read more here) and started making a few pieces for myself and family.  Well, it was quickly apparent that there was interest in my jewelry from people outside of my circle of friends and family, and since I enjoy the process I thought I'd try making some pieces to sell.  Farmers market was the obvious choice, as it's a really low upfront cost, and there is lots of exposure.

So I got to making jewelry...trying to decide how much I really needed to have on hand was hard, but I finally got to a place where I felt comfortable.  Then came the really hard part: Putting myself out there.

I did it.  I closed my eyes and dove in and I'm glad I did.  Last Tuesday was my first market (notice I say first, because there will be more).  It went well, I sold a few pieces and also made some connections.  I'm sure this isn't the path to fame and fortune, but it felt really good to make a few bucks entirely with my own hands.

Next up Etsy...then I conquer the world!!