What 5 Lessons Did I Learn in 2024?

So i thought I’d make a little post, to talk about lessons I’ve learnt in 2024.

Have a read of 5 lessons I learnt in 2024…

I’ll try not to waffle too much…but I can’t promise…so here goes…

1: Probably an easy one to talk about, but…never take things for granted…time is short…do the things you love.

None of us in my family had any idea that we’d end up losing our beautiful mum so suddenly and in the way it happened.

I’ve lost quite a few immediate family members and friends over the last few decades, but this loss has hit me like nothing else has.

To lose my best friend and closest confidant, has been incredibly hard and I’m not sure I’ll ever get over it, but I know I’ll learn to live with it.

So keep your people close and tell them everyday that you love them, because it is true, you never know if that’s the last time you’ll ever see or speak to them again.

Life is short, do what you love, what brings you joy and keep your people close.

2: Try not to be influenced by other people, make your own judgements and trust your own instinct…listen to your gut feeling.

I’ve had a couple of years of trying different events and the vast majority of them, haven’t worked out for me, for one reason or another.

I feel like i hear about fantastic events that i “need” to attend and i go ahead and book them and then get told that it’s “the quietest it’s ever been” or “it’s never been this quiet before” and i end up feeling that I’m jinxed or I’ve jinxed the event or market.

I’ve learnt that you have to take these events with a pinch of salt and not take things to heart.

I’m such a sensitive soul, so any derogatory comment or low sales….whether that be to do with the design of something or the price, normally sends my head spiralling and that i must be doing something wrong, but I’m learning that me and my style wont be to everyone’s taste and that that’s ok.

I’m still in the process (and probably for a long time to come) will be in the process of “finding my people” and that that’s also ok…what you think about, you bring about…I’m a huge believer in the law of attraction and that you attract your people, who resonate with you and just “get” you and i know that i will eventually attract the right people for my product and i need to be patient…this business is a marathon, not a sprint. I need to try things for myself and trust my own judgement. It’s great to listen to advice and recommendations, but I’d say to just trust your gut feeling.

3: Ask Questions.

If you don’t ask questions, you can’t make things better or put things right.

I think im so scared of asking questions, probably because im scared of what the answer might be and that i might not like the answer and end up getting offended.

You need to ask questions to gauge whether you’re doing something right or wrong or whether you’re on the right track or maybe what you can improve on.

In regards to markets and events, ive learnt that you need to ask the event organiser questions about the space you’re paying for. How big is the space? How big is the table? Is there a table provided in the price? How big is the venue? What sort of footfall are you expecting? How are you advertising the event? All of these questions are crucial, so that you can maximise the use of your space.

If you don’t know, you could very well end up pretty disappointed…in either sales (if you’ve not prepared accordingly) or in set up…especially if you’ve trialled your table to be set up in a certain way or size and you end up attending a school fair (for instance) and turn up, only to find you’re supplied with a child size table and chair or you were expecting a huge footfall and hardly anyone turns up or you’re not expecting great things from the event and you end up running out of stock. All these scenarios have happened to me multiple times over the last 10 years and I’m still failing to learn from them…so for 2025, things will be changing on that front…any new events that I’ve not attended will be investigated thoroughly.

4: Create what brings you joy.

If you’re a creator, create what brings you joy. I understand that there are trends to follow and trends to jump on the bandwagon of, but there’s nothing worse than creating something because someone else thinks you should do or thinks you’d “make a killing” at. It doesn’t feel good, if it doesn’t resonate with you.

Unfortunately I’ve done this a few times over the years, only to feel “meh” over what ive created and end up with a load of stock that I can’t shift, which is pretty frustrating.

I think I’ve finally found my niche and style and what brings me joy to create and I know I’ll be able to build on it from here.

5: Just be “You”

Be brave, be bold, be you. As I’ve said previously, I have finally found what i love to illustrate and create…I’ve found what brings me joy and i intend to build on that. You have to be authentically you, because if you dont, people will see right through it.

My work space isn’t aesthetically pleasing on the eye, it can be disorganised and chaotic, but it’s me. I flit from one project to another, often leaving them half finished, strewn across the floor, because my desk is a mess with other projects, but those who come to know me, know that that’s just how i roll.

I absolutely love my product and what i can offer and im still finding out what i love to make and create the most. Although i love my product, im not very confident in selling it and that’s mainly due to shyness (although im sure i know people that would disagree with that, ha ha!)

Im still trying to learn to shout about myself and my product and i know that it will take time, but im willing to work on myself and put myself (and this face) out there as much as i can. I know not everyone will like me or like what i do, but im willing to try and be brave and push myself out of my comfort zone.

Well, i hope this resonates with some of you…its just some things ive learned over the last few years and wanted to talk about it and hopefully help someone out there to take some of these points on board.

Until the next time…bye!!!