Hi, It's Me! Today I Just Want To Take A Moment To Chat

    My most recent pattern went up on March 17th. I am not expecting much to really happen, it was mostly an experiment to test the waters. I am relatively small as a creative still despite being online sharing stuff since I was thirteen. Being not well known online, I would like to take the time to talk about a few things in the hopes of building healthy trust during uncertain times.

     All my patterns are made in mind with monetary accessibility. This is because I am poor. I understand how important it is to have something you can make cheaply and still have quality, or to just a hobby that is accessible for mental health reasons. For me that temporary escape from politics, or life's stressors is important and I feel like most patterns or projects online are more about flexing complexity, how much money is spent, how epic they are- their largess, etc... And a lot of the craft community sadly over the years has drifted into what I like to call out of touch for the average person, especially during this current decade and economic period. I don't know about you but I don't have hundreds or thousands of dollars to shell out for building a cosplay these days.

    If it isn't supplies disruptions, corporate chains like JoAnn's going out of business (rest in peace JoAnn's I'll miss working for you,) or small businesses closing down or becoming inaccessible for a lot of us, it's cost. The cost of inflation. So even if I struggle much of the time to access resources, or find things, luckily and thankfully, when I was working in my 20's before everything got harder I accrued supplies through thrifting, gifting, scrimping and saving my meager minimum wages, sales, recycling, upcycling, inheriting things from neighbors or family, etc... I know that a lot of you out there are probably in a better position than I am and this blog welcomes you but my main aim is bring joy to people like me who experience poverty. So hopefully, with time I can share some awesome and reliable things that helped me gain access to crafting despite those circumstances, and maybe it'll help those who are in similar circumstances brighten their week a little more.

    I'm going to come out now in full transparency and honesty. This is something a lot of people probably won't want to hear, or definitely won't like hearing. I didn't build my craft box over night, it wasn't built in a year. Rome wasn't built in a day either, and so when you come from humble means, you need to approach things from a completely different lens and as debt free as possible. We don't use credit cards or loans here. I grew up watching my family deal with a lot of financial trauma because of it and have low opinions of usury. My projects in some cases have taken a decade to pull off. No joke. It sucks. It's depressing sometimes. But, things are slowly coming to fruition. 

    And patience and persistence pays off, it brings hope too. Slow is better than no... So yes, if you have to save for a project and piece meal it over the course of a year or two, look forward to the long pay off, even if it can be frustrating sometimes. It'll do all of us some good to learn or relearn that slow pay off dopamine reset that society some how forgot. (Slow gratification.)

    My patterns are mostly free on my blog as you can see. This is in a weird way for me, not only self-expression, but a way to lighten the world, spread a little joy, and not contribute to the misery we're constantly exposed to. My more recent ones will give you an idea of what to expect in terms of quality. I'm no professional, just a hobbyist. I try to keep things to a repetitive format standard to keep my patterns consistent. I work hard to make sure I don't have errors even despite my dyslexia, and other learning disabilities. I'm not claiming perfection, but I'm working hard to provide something that isn't subpar. If you need a recent example check out my Sweetroll pattern. 

    Many of my crafts can be made for as little as $20.00 with supplies most of the time. Even though I love Over The River Felt and suggest them periodically, everything can be bought cheaply from your local craft section at Walmart or craft store. (Not sponsored or endorsed just a personal favorite.) And While I can only speak from an American perspective and don't know what someone else's cultural and economic environment may look like, my wish, or my hope is that my low cost crafting here will still benefit my fellow brothers and sisters in other portions of the world.

    Well, I'm still in the middle of spring cleaning and inspection prep. I only have another day before inspection. I'm exhausted and I likely need a break because I've been long burned out. I've taken a break from crafting and pattern development. I miss doing art too. But I had to put this on priority first. My pattern launch proceeded despite this, I had it scheduled on my calendar before I found out about inspection, so for me I followed through with it, even if I wasn't able to get it the full attention is deserved "marketing wise." I'm not business savvy anyways... So while I flopped and nothing sold, I'm oddly okay with this failure. We learn and grow the most during failure. The pattern will continue to remain up for $7.00 until it's sold out and then I'll repost it on my Ko-fi for it's full sale price, and depending on it's future success may post up sales.

    Until then I hope everyone has a great spring. If you need Easter or Spring projects feel free to check out my carrot patterns.