“Drop the starving artist routine. Embrace the thriving artist routine.”

Me. Photo by Scott Haydon.

It was around 8:45 a.m.  I awoke to the sun shining and birds chirping (and not my bladder for once).  I have not woke up to an alarm on a daily basis for about a year and a half.  Noticing I was awake, Riley crawled up to greet me, like we do every morning.  We cuddled for a moment and I stretched, then he did.  While we cuddled I let the tasks of the day slowly enter my brain.

I climb down the stairs, Riley in tow. I slip on some yoga pants and a tank top and then fill the tea kettle and place it on the stove.  Putting on my flip-flops I shuffle outside into the beautiful morning. The chickens cluck a hello at me and I cluck back.  I grab the implements to clean up the poo in the yard (my ‘rental’ agreement is for me to clean up dog poop).  That doesn’t take too long.  I grab a piece of bread and split it up and toss it to the chickens. After that I do a few yoga stretches in the sunshine in my bare feet.  I can hear the kettle has started to boil and wander back to the house.

I prep some MarketSpice Tea in a Tea Ball.  While that steeps I turn on Spotify to listen to my Pure Moods blend of music. I stretch a little more.  Tea completed steeping, I grab my cup and sit down to blog.  I write best in the morning and dread best in the evening.

Life is a lot simpler now. I have such a slow pace to my days. I have time to think and not get anxious. I feel welcome and loved here.  It is a hugely inspiring thing. Business has been a little spotty as of late, so I find myself considering re-entering the work force as making ends meet is becoming a bit tougher. A part of me is hugely reluctant to do so, because I am afraid I will get caught up in the ‘treadmill of doom’ again.

I have recently been brushing up on my business information, photography skills, concepts and ideas, as I want to be wildly successful. There was a quote that struck home with me in an Etsy Online Lab called ‘The Art of Pricing for Profit’.  ”Drop the starving artist routine. Embrace the thriving artist routine.”  That is pretty sound advice. I realize I do not want my business to become a thing that I resent or (ha!) dread.  I want making money to be as joyful as my existence is.  It is also excellent advice to not undervalue your work so that you may have ‘competitive’ pricing. As that leaves many of us to be ‘starving artists,’ quite literally as it leaves no room for profit for your business to grow and thrive.

Me laughing at the shenanigans during a dread photo shoot. Photo by Scott Haydon.

I love to make dreads, dread falls and other hair accessories. I love the creativity I am allowed to express in doing so, I adore the fact that I can listen to didgeridoo inspired music while creating hair. I love the fact that I can choose my own hours and that I am my own boss.  Beyond that, my goal in this is to make you feel beautiful, classy, unique, or a tad eccentric. I offer my product because I delight in watching people light up when they put on dreads or braids and the delighted look that crosses their face when doing so.  This is what keeps me motivated!  The gifted wine and baked goods are pretty awesome perks too.

I want to take a moment to thank all of you, my readers, customers, friends and family for your support and encouragement as I have bumbled along trying to find my way. I have received so many positive words, gifts of insight and even forged some new friendships along the way.  I also want to thank you for being a part of my dreams. Without your support and continued patronage, I would not be as successful as I have been.

As always, I encourage you to look inside yourself to acquire a dream that you want to pursue.  What have you done this week to further your dream? If you have not done anything, consider this a call to action.  I draw inspiration from success of others, just as much as  my own.  Come back and let me know what you are up to!

~Kera