Building Resources

Our weekend event went well as my handmade miniatures and my husband’s 3D designs flew off of our new shelves. We stood on our feet and behind our table with other crafters and artists with hopeful smiles at the start of a new location.

At the start of the year my husband and I made a plan to bring our handmade creations to least 1 event a month. We didn’t go easy because we spent the first 2 months building an inventory and then we jumped into 3 events in one month to make-up for January and February.

The thought of hauling totes back and forth is never that exciting to me but focusing on what’s inside always pushes me along. Being able to share what I’ve created with other people who appreciate handmade art is a dream I continue to build with my husband.

There’s a huge difference in working for your own business, rather than someone else’s. No matter where I’m at, I’ll try to do my best but my dream of making a living from my art and writing is something I’ll keep growing. I suppose it doesn’t help that my idea of living might be a little more luxury than other people.

I don’t want to have to starve or worry too much about checking prices. I’m not the kind who enjoys cutting out coffee to build my wealth. To be honest, I would rather just find ways to make an increase to include that coffee not cut it. I’ve seem people, including my own family without that cup of caffeine and some scary things can happen. My family used to avoid my sister in the morning unless she had at least 2 cups.

I know that it can hard to think about the money side of writing or whatever creative craft you do but it’s part of the growing process. Thinking about the business side of publishing a book means that you’ve made a serious commitment to what you love doing. I guess I’m trying to say that it’s time to get rid of that starving writer and artist perception.

It’s okay to think about money and writing. Should that be your only focus? No. The focus should be on creating a good story or a good piece of art. I’m just saying that about ways to market yourself doesn’t have to hide in the background. There will be a point when you have to get involved in the marketing, promotions, and business planning.

I don’t know of many writers who could hire an assistant when they started their first book. Many of us will opt to self-publish first because of the difficulty of being seen through traditional large publishers. Being good at the money part can only benefit you as a writer, so don’t be shy about it.

After a long weekend, I’m off to rest my brain for a few days and drown myself in videos by other authors who built their own online businesses. I’ll share any good links or books that are recommended. Your prompt for the next few days will be the same. Give your fingers a break and find new resources of your own. Find someone who inspires your online, takes notes from other writers who built up their own following.

My posts are Monday to Friday!

Imagine Inspire Create: 52 Weeks of action and gratitude is available at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09S6XCLFY/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_Q7MHM9CFBSASDG56YMJQ

Get closer to your writing goals with my Writer’s Journal filled with writing prompts and exercises. You can find a copy at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0931QRL7C/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_VTHN0QSHXRYK6RJ1XSWQ.

~Yoon Ju