My heart is tugging on me to do some reflection this month. I’m gearing up to launch new products and styles in May as well as diving head first back into the wholesale world, and it’s been a lot of back end work. It’s bringing up a lot of feelings that I’ve had to work through and it’s been helpful for me to look back at everything I’ve done over the years. So I thought I would share this reflection with you all right here! So during this next month of April, (my birthday month!) I’m going to post a few little “look back” posts.
For those of you who’ve been on this journey with me for awhile, it’ll be a fun blast from the past. And for those of you who are newer to the pattern party, well you’re in for a little treat! We’ll start from 2014, which isn’t quite the beginning, but was definitely a turning point for me when I realized I really wanted to turn Craftbelly into my full time job someday. (OH, and I did a Kickstarter campaign and moved to Denver! Literally have never felt as ambitious as I did in 2014.)
See the video below for the Kickstarter campaign I launched almost exactly seven years ago that was successfully funded. The goal was to screenprint a new line of my own patterns and create a bunch of fun products to launch my business with. It was really excited and I gained a lot of momentum to move forward!
Soon after the Kickstarter campaign was complete, I moved from Chicago to Denver in July 2014 with pretty much just a dream that I would somehow figure out how to run a successful handmade business. I had found an awesome studio to work from and new crafty friends! Besides the shitty relationship I was in and the mound of debt I was creating, things were going mostly well.
Framed letterpress print by Paper Parasol Press
I was somehow lucky enough to be featured in 5280 Magazine. It was an awesome opportunity and I haven’t been in any magazines since. (I really do think I peaked in 2014 lol.)
I used to make frames, lots of them. That was how this whole thing got started. I covered wood frames with paper. When I started this business, it was really all about just me following my heart and making stuff I loved. I sort of lost that along the way but am finally finding my way back. Getting ahead of myself though! Stay tuned for Part Two of my Look Back Series!
Framed card by Emily McDowell
