Where I've Been & What's Next For Me and My Business?

It's been months since I've updated my Etsy shop or posted on social media, and now, all of a sudden, I have my own website.

Back in March, I shared that things would be slowing down because of a big life change. That ended up being my last post before I disappeared for a while.

Since then, I've moved across the country from Wisconsin to California. Far away from friends and family to be with my significant other and pursue my dream of being a full-time artist!

It has been one of the biggest changes of my life, and it definitely hasn't been easy. Between settling into a new place, adjusting to a completely different environment, and figuring everything out on my own, my business naturally took a back seat. Finding the motivation to jump back into creating was way harder than I expected.

Shortly after moving, though, I reached 1,000 sales on Etsy.

One thousand sales in two years averages out to a little under three sales a day. To some people, that might not sound like much, but anyone who's been in this business knows that even getting one sale a day, let alone one sale a month, isn't easy.

I try not to compare myself to other shops because comparison really is the thief of joy. Still, I know how difficult it can be to reach a milestone like this. Every single order, favorite, follow, and kind message has helped me get here, and I'm incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported me along the way.

I'll be truly honest, though: after moving, I barely drew anything at all.

Every now and then, I get hit with anxious art blocks where I'm so worried something won't turn out the way I imagine that I end up not creating anything at all. I felt completely stuck. But even if I wasn't drawing, I knew I couldn't give up on my business. Over the past two years, it's become my baby, and I wasn't ready to walk away from something I've worked so hard to build.

One of the biggest reasons I've made it this far is that I genuinely love learning.

When I first opened my Etsy shop, I spent multiple hours every day researching how to run a small business, make my own products, and how to get people to discover my work online. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing—I just threw myself into it and figured things out as I went. 

Balancing the business side with actually making art has always been challenging. Both take so much time, and I'm doing it all on my own, with the encouragement and support of the people around me, of course. 

Since I wasn't able to bring myself to draw, I decided to focus on the next step for my business instead. If I couldn't create art, I could still keep building the business behind it.

So, I opened my own Shopify store.

In many ways, it felt like starting all over again—but in the best possible way. I dove headfirst into learning how to build a website, customize it, and create a space that truly felt like mine. It was extremely confusing at times, but watching everything slowly come together was incredibly rewarding.

I still don't have everything figured out, but that's okay. I trust myself to learn along the way, just like I did when I started Etsy.

From the very beginning, I always hoped Etsy would be the place where I could build my foundation before eventually creating a home of my own. My Etsy shop isn't going anywhere—it's still open for anyone who wants to browse and shop—but having my own website allows me to create a more personal experience for my community. It also gives me more freedom as my business continues to grow.

That said, Etsy will always have a special place in my heart. Without it, I never would have had the opportunity to take this next step.

Now that my website is finally live, I feel excited to create again.

I have a list full of ideas that have been waiting patiently in the back of my mind, and for the first time in months, I'm genuinely excited again to bring them to life.

This feels like the beginning of a brand-new chapter—not just for my business, but for me too. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me through all of the changes. I can't wait to share everything I've been working on, and I'm so excited to see where this next chapter takes us.