15 Seconds

It happened. It really happened, just like she said it would. Those are my booties up there pictured in this month's installment of Skirt! magazine in Richmond. YAY! A HUGE thank you to Constance and Jennifer at Skirt for their generosity.

I'm so excited and thankful to have the publicity but the thought does cross my mind...now what? And the answer is simply more of the same.

I see clearly how much hard work it takes for people to become aware of my products and what I do in my "spare" time. I've never considered myself a salesperson at all and think it's funny that I ended up here. In fact, after my first few sales I had the strange feeling that I should give the money back and I had to close my mouth to keep myself from uttering, "Are you sure you want to give me money for that? Wouldn't you rather spend it on something else?" Used car salesman I ain't.

Luckily, that phase passed and I realize how much some people really value and enjoy things that are made lovingly by hand. I also know full well that the addage is true, if you want to be in business for yourself, you need to love what you do. There are so many long hours involved that if I didn't really love what I'm doing and it wasn't fulfilling in the deepest sense, then my products wouldn't be all that appealing and I wouldn't be having any fun.

The other thing that surprised me about starting this business, and this was a big one, was that it took all the courage I had (and even some I didn't) to lug my things out into the public that first day and have them sit on display for people to look at. I'm quite a private person, happy behind the scenes and not the center of attention. So to be out there TO be looked at was very uncomfortable indeed. Thankfully, that's another hurdle behind me. I believe in what I'm selling and I'm emotionally attached to it so much so that I'm now happy to show people what I do.

In fact, it's as if I've opened the first page of the book about me that I never knew existed. So exciting.