Holy wow. The path of least resistance really does exist. And mine has an art shop with a sign in the window: closed till further notice.
That’s right, friends; I’m closing the Etsy shop that has been my labor of love for the past five years. This would have sounded like failure to me five years ago; today, it sounds like freedom.
I still LOVE creating in my studio, but my worklife has shifted in ways I couldn’t have imagined back then. In 2010, I kept my intuitive skills under wraps and tightly sealed with duct tape. Calling myself an artist was scary, but calling myself an intuitive was out of the question. To have thought one day people would be booking sessions with me months in advance? Ridiculous!
I realize now that I needed that experience – of honoring the artist in me and letting words and art flow through me each day – to begin accepting and revealing the other messages coming through. It’s no coincidence that during the first two years of trying to make it as an artist, I started seeing more, hearing more, feeling more, receiving more.
While creating the art came easy, the business of being an artist did not.
I’d spend hours prepping booths for art fairs and events only to make half of what I paid to be there. I was thrilled when stores would ask to display my wares, but dreaded restocking their product each month only to receive a tiny commission check. I kept selling out of my necklaces online, but hated making them (I even hired an assistant to do it for me).
Eventually, as I gained the courage to publicly offer the intuitive and inspirational work that felt almost effortless for me, I began to scale back on the elements of my art biz that felt so hard. I stopped making things I didn’t like making. I stopped displaying my wares at stores and events. I stopped making art that I thought others would like, and settled on a sweet and simple style that I liked.
Art became my side business, not my main business, and a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. And that worked for quite a while.
As 2014 came to a close, I chose a new word of the year to be my guiding light in 2015: serenity. I committed to being present enough in my life to notice when something doesn’t feel good and do what it takes to shift into what does feel good. As I looked at all of the goodness on my plate for this year, one thing kept nagging at me: would the logistics of keeping my Etsy shop running feel more like a burden than a blessing?
I shut it down for a week over the holidays, intending to re-open in early January. But one week turned into two, and two turned into six, and not having the pressure of shipping and restocking cards and gifts felt so good. All I missed was creating the art. So I turned the divinely-inspired guidance I email weekly to subscribers into free printable art. No shipping, no strings, and a beautiful response.
It became crystal clear: I can be an artist without an art shop. Hello, path of least resistance.
So here’s the deal. I have re-opened the shop for just a few days. I announced this first to my newsletter subscribers yesterday, and they nearly (and awesomely) cleared me out! So I’ve added a few popular items in very limited quantities – and a couple of new ones (like the journal above) that I literally forgot I had created! Shop to your heart’s content; the store will close Sunday (unless it sells out before) and use the coupon code DIVINE at checkout to get 20% off your order.
I suspect that I’ll occasionally – maybe twice a year? – host a surprise pop-up shop of cards and gifts, but we’ll see what happens. I am so grateful to all who have embraced me on this creative adventure and helped me honor and delight my inner artist. Thank you for being so awesome.
Note: For free weekly printable art and updates on my work, subscribe to Divine Interventions here.
