Are you selling your work or is your work selling you? Wait, that doesn't make a ton of sense...I guess what I mean is that it is easy to get overwhelmed with feeling a bit too rushed to make money with your craft...I just taught a class, Crafting For Money, to a roomful of folks who want to turn their hobby into their job. Since I am kind of the poster child for doing just that I feel bad when I tell folks that sometimes, that is a tough trade. When they are sitting there in class, all sparkly with the idea of making their 'fun' thing make money, I don't want to distress them. It is true, though. If you start making your 'fun' thing into the thing you have to do all the time you suddenly might find it not being so much fun. Sometimes, I can focus on learning something new to keep me interested. New techniques, new beads and new tools can inspire me. Sometimes I will get inspired by pulling out an ancient craft book from the 60s or 70s (I snatch them up at yard sales and used book stores) and look at the projects and techniques. All that long hair, black-and-white photography and fringe usually either makes me laugh or gives me a new idea.
I need a bit of extra inspiration right now. I am taking a trip this week that I am only half-way excited about. It's work, a buying trip to get a huge lot of stones for fall and that should get me really, really excited, right? I get to fly on a plane, sleep in a nice cushy hotel room and watch cable TV so I should be thrilled. I know I will enjoy getting all the rocks and I'll meet with a friend and have a fancy dinner or two but I am still a bit blue about the whole thing. It is my job and it will be taking me away from my girls and husband for a few days. I haven't yet figured out what to do to re-excite myself about this trip.
So, what do you do to keep excited about your creative job? Send me a note or post a comment, I would love to know.
Here's an article that I think is worth reading if you are trying to keep from loosing your mojo.
sounds like you aren't having fun at your job anymore. I heard a sermon once, a wise old man, that I recall when I am frustrated with my store/job. If we like what we are doing, most of the time, then we are the lucky ones that "get" to go to work. There are soooo many people that don't have jobs, or hate their boss, or hate their jobs, that we are the lucky ones!
ReplyDeleteI know that you might need motivation now, but remember- you "get" to go to work...and your job sounds pretty darn cool to me!
good luck...
You know I go through the same thing - I teach scrapbook classes and am a designer for a couple of companies where I have to produce a certain number of projects per monht. Oh and let's not forget my etsy shop! LOL. I am in a lull like you are right now. Everyone is asking me if I am excited about the new stuff coming out at CHA and I am not. I am actually on the tail end of a 6 week "vacation/stepping back? just to get my house in order. Anyways, the way I have been finding inspiration and staying motivated is trying to make parts of my life completely NOT about scrapbooking. Which is hard when half my house is dedicated to it.
ReplyDeleteAt any rate, I think it is sometimes best to look outside of your craft for inspiration and to breathe a bit. I like to go to Anthropologie, go to flea markets and craft fairs, blog hop on blogs that have to do with design, just not scrapbooking. Plus sometimes I just go somewhere with my family, maybe the zoo, and something catches my eye and can be inspiring. So maybe stepping outside of your craft for a minute will help you get motivated. Go check out some touristy thing while you are on your buying trip. HTH