Step Away From the Cake

 My computer at work kept crashing so I got a new one. I got it on Tuesday and decided to not load my personal Google account on it. I decided to keep it strictly work related. Well, can I tell you how much my scrolling has dropped? I used to sit at my desk and pretend to be working but really be scrolling on Facebook. Now I can't do that and so I am spending less time at my desk and more time actually with the students. I like it a lot. I can look at all this information on my phone, but I just don't do it that much. Now I'm thinking of removing my work stuff from my phone. Less crossover.  Graduation is today from the Illustrator course I am taking. I have fallen behind and need to find some time to finish it. But I have learned a whole lot and I'm so glad I spent the money on it. I already have some ideas for files that I want to create. I have found that I can sit and watch TV and create stuff on Illustrator. I like that.  Weight. I am currently down 12 pounds from ...

 I think I've done this before, but I really want to think it through and see what shakes out.  So the question at hand is, how much do I want to make from my business?  I keep saying that I want something to keep me busy and to make a little money, but let's really get down to it, how busy and how much money?  Let's look at the numbers first because they are pretty concrete and easy to track.  Mugs:  Assuming that I get my store up and running and am selling from there, mugs will sell for about $50/each. If I sell 10 a month, that would be $500/mo.  In a year, that would be $6,000. Not earth shattering, but a nice chunk of change. This of course is not accounting for all the expenses that go into making 120 cups in a year, namely cups and laser time.  Now let's look at time. Each cup takes roughly 1 hour. So that would be 10 hours a month. Not a lot of time.  If I wanted to make $10,000 in a year, that would be $850/mo or 17 cups per month. ...

 I did a brain dump of all the things I want to get done. Some of them are really big things and some are littler things while most fall somewhere in the middle. I think a large part of what's going on with me is that I'm feeling completely and totally overwhelmed. So getting things down on paper and organized into doable projects is definitely a step in the right direction. Next up would be a plan to attach these projects.  I do well with systems and procedures. I need to get systems and procedures in place for all the things I need to do. There are so many moving parts into selling things on Etsy, or anywhere. I have design/make the product. Assemble/finish/paint/resin/whatever. Take photos. Edit photos. Create listings. It's a process and I generally find myself liking one part and avoiding the others. I love making/painting/resining. I hate photos/listings. So I end up with a number of pieces done and waiting to be listed. Then I will get on a kick and take a bunch of p...

 I stopped saying "I don't care" this weekend and things are getting a little better. I have been making like crazy. I had some ideas for the tablet holders that I make and I took off with that. Friday and yesterday I think I made 3 holders - that's crazy. I had a couple of really good ideas that I'm testing out, we will see how it goes. Of course, I'm running into obstacles at every turn. I cut something out and it fits together nicely. Then I paint and nothing fits. As I glue, things shift around. I swear it's crazy annoying. I have become this huge problem solver. I guess that is what happens when you are trying to innovate. I've also been incorporating resin into the tablet holders and that is coming out really cool. Lots of work though.  In other news, I still can't quite shake this downish feeling. It's there all the time. Part of the feeling is that everyone is gearing up for Christmas and I'm doing nothing. I've sort of kind of ...