Friday, May 4, 2012

A Blog About My Desperate Attempts to Leave the Grind Behind

So, I've had my Etsy shop, Earthknots, for some time now.  Since day one, I have hoped to find the time and the method necessary for making my business grow but lately, it's really lodged itself in the forefront of my brain.  I thought maybe it would be a good idea to make a space where I can post information about my projects, whims, whinges and obsessions on my journey through trying to become independently employed.

Right now, I work for someone else.  What I do is valued and I feel contributes to my community but it does not make me happy.  I do not like the confrontational aspect of being a manager.  I do not enjoy being the middle-man between a lot of frustrated people.  I have few opportunities to be creative or to challenge myself and many opportunities for way more stress than is healthy.  I have more work to do than one person can ever possibly finish and I am constantly having to choose between doing things well and doing things quickly.  It is a constant struggle to figure out whose issue I can push to the back burner so I can help three other people who need me as well.  I am not happy and it is time for me to fix that.

I know I face an uphill battle.  I have no start-up capital.  I have a family and a job and a house and pets and friends that all need some of my time. I lack discipline.  I have little support from friends and family.  Sure, they'd like to see me succeed; they just don't think I will.  I don't know if I will or not but I know that for my own dignity and self-respect, I have to try and I think I have the drive to do it.

I hope I can bring some of my friends and family along on my journey to shout encouragement and share in my successes and failures.  It's going to be a long, bumpy ride but I look forward to sharing it with you.