Jessica Takes a Sabbatical

Dearest friends,

It is with a sad, but relieved, heart that I am announcing a major sabbatical for Sweet Eventide. I have poured my heart, soul & wallet into my blog and Etsy shop for two-and-a-half years and it is time for a re-evaluation period.

I work Monday through Friday while my son is in school and trying to juggle my family and Sweet Eventide during the rest of the hours is not sustainable any longer. If I was making great strides in my creative photography business, I would be getting some return on the immense investment I have made into it. However, I am not. I simply am not, despite my best efforts.

The final straw was yesterday's artisan bazaar. I had such high hopes for this bazaar, what with finally being in Portland, where people love art and handmade and "meeting the artist behind the work." I was finally showing somewhere that had good foot traffic! That is what has been missing all along, I told myself for the past month as I prepared and prepared and prepared to show myself at my very best.

an iphone photo, not the ones documented with the rented Tokina 11-16 

I will be brutally honest here and tell everyone that I spent countless hours and over $500 preparing for this show and I sold $30 worth of merchandise. Yes, I even rented a fancy wide angle and marco lenses from my employer and took lots of cool pictures of my display. But it all ends with an iPhone snap.

My family gave up their entire weekend to help me because I was so sick. This is a business that has been bleeding the entire time it has existed. I may have a dream but I also know when I have hit my personal limits. I have only so much time and energy per day. I spend it every day as consciously as I can.

And I am done.

You see, lots of people did go to the bazaar and a lot of them came down and saw my booth. Most people l-i-n-g-e-r-ed over my display, oohing and ahhing over my work. I overheard wonderful murmurs like "beautiful" and "peaceful" and "calming" and other nice things. I even heard about my business cards -- "These are so gorgeous! You give these away?" -- as they took one and walked away without buying anything.

Why yes, yes I do. I give and I give and I give.

And I am done.

People respond so well to my work and some people have supported it with a purchase. Thank you to each and every one of my 64 customers who have supported my shop since it launched. But in a world overflowing with beautiful blogs and photography and handmade gorgeous goods, you don't really have to buy anything. You can get endless amounts of pretty for free.

And I am done with all of that. I've loved sharing my work. But it comes at a great cost to me. I know a lot of people don't talk openly and honestly about this stuff. I am going to talk about it. I can read every article out there about SEO and indie marketing and successful ads and social media and tags & titles and how to stand out on Etsy. I can, I have, I have tried and tried and tried.

And I am done.

I do not know what the future will bring. But right now I am taking a sabbatical and I am walking away. If you are here if and when I come back, that is wonderful. If you are not, I understand.

Thank you for going on this journey with me.

xo,
Jess