So, I’ll admit it: I took on way too much work last year. Particularly the fall/winter. There are huge chunks of time–weeks, literally–where I don’t really remember what I was doing because I was just working. I was neglecting everything else in my life and also becoming a highly-stressed-out bitch queen.
That is insane and I’m trying to make this year easier, but it’s a little more difficult than I thought it would be.
For the last few years I’ve owned another business besides the pottery. That was GREAT because it was the kind of steady thing that kept my head above water when my pottery sales were slow. But it also took up a lot of time and had a really low profit margin. But over the last year, I had basically reached a wall where (because of this other business) I couldn’t make pottery fast enough to keep up with demand. (Or, maybe I could make it but I couldn’t photograph/write copy/put together Etsy listings/ship stuff too.) So about 2 months ago I made the long-in-coming decision to close up shop on that business and finally start making pottery full-time, for realsies.
But there is literally bags and bags of inventory that need to be liquidated. And long-time customers I need to let down easy. And supplies to go through and pack up. And still-outstanding orders that need to be filled. Etc. etc. And that is dragging on forever.
And then, of course, all the time I was laboring over my unending mountain of work throughout December, I was motivating myself with the promise that as soon as Christmas was over, I would SLOW DOWN and take a break for a few weeks. I would clean my house, maybe go on some day trips with my husband (since the weather has been beautiful), work on my garden, and generally stop and smell the roses.
Instead I got a bunch of “late Christmas gift” custom orders, and simultaneously ALL of my wholesale clients needed urgent restocking. And meanwhile there were still tons of things that urgently needed wrapping up in my other business. So here I am halfway through January, having been working almost nonstop since New Year’s. And this isn’t the end. I’m not done with anything. I’ve got at least another week of work ahead of me.
Don’t get me wrong, please–I agreed to take on the work, and I am happy to have the $$. I’m not playing the victim here. I guess I’m just playing the harried overworked small business owner. But I swear one day soon I am gonna take a BREAK and slow down and freakin’ BREATHE for once!
Meanwhile, there is SO much I have planned for my shop, this website, and my pottery lines this year! As you may have noticed in my Etsy shop, I’ve been going through a long process of transitioning to working as Lynae Zebest Pottery instead of Panopoly Creations. I feel like I’ve outgrown my original name and really want to “come into my own” by being known primarily as, well, myself. Eventually this blog will be migrating to lynaezebestpottery.com and will get a whole new design along with it. And eventually more of my new work will find its way into the shop, including the stripey mugs that I am super super excited about. I sold all of the first batch of them before they even could be photographed!
Eventually. For now: work. Work work work.
More soon.
