You guys know how I am always saying things about your fears, your doubts, your worries, your guilt? All of that icky shit that swirls around in our heads and keeps us from enjoying our lives.
Did you ever stop to think that I am also talking to myself? Because often times I am!
Not all of the time, but a good amount of the time. Sometimes my tweets and Facebook shares are reflections of what I see others dealing with. Sometimes I am straight up fed up with how much I see people limiting themselves and talking themselves down. Sometimes things just come to me.
But, sometimes, I am talking directly to myself. For the past 9 months I have working on something that I am so excited about (cue my tears) but it is also really fucking scary. I am creating my own inspired merchandise line! Very awesome, very exciting, very scary.
I have no prior experience in merchandise, manufacturing, etc, etc. It is a much different world than offering services. With services, I make up an offering, right up a schpeel and press post and tada the new service is launched! If nobody bites, I can change the name, change the offering, think of a new offering and nothing is lost except of course some of my time in plotting it out (and maybe a bit of my ego, ha).
Creating services and programs is scary in it’s own right and does take effort and pizazz. Don’t get me wrong! But moving into putting an item into print is a whole different animal. Especially since my first item, an Affirmation Deck is a two part box custom made filled with 54 unique cards and 75% of them have gold foil. Apparently, that is kind of a big deal, especially with the gold foil being in different places of the design in each card.
I definitely had many days of thinking what am I getting myself into? I of course had the worries of what if no one buys it, but I also had worries of oh shit, what if these really do blow up like I see them doing? What happens when Anthropologie and Barnes and Nobles and all sorts of hot boutiques start carrying them? What happens when it gets bigger than my sending out orders in my little office?
Yes, the fear of my dreams actually coming true tried to stop me from moving forward. But, I kept moving forward! I reached out for help, for guidance, for opinions, for advice. But, I didn’t know anyone in the type of market I am in.
From the very beginning of putting this together, when we started to create designs and I was visualizing it and trying to find someone to put it print, I was both thrilled and confused. I remember very clearly going to LAX one day last September and being in a place of “I don’t know what I am doing, how am I going to make this work?”
But, then I looked around me and got present to everything in front of me in that moment. From the barbecue sauce, to the keychains, to the T shirts, to the journals. Everything starts with one person having an idea.
No one knows every step when they start out. No one has all of the answers. They have a vision and they simply keep going.
This is what has kept me going! Knowing that really we all are just making it up as we go and remembering why I am putting this affirmation deck out into the world.
If you have read my mission or really if you have followed me at all, you know that I am passionate about YOU, yes YOU truly loving yourself. Life is short! Too short to worry it away. Too short to try to fit yourself in a box. Too short to be something you are not.
Own who you are.
Own your uniqueness.
Own your awesome.
My kickstarter campaign is now LIVE! All of the details are in order for my OWN YOUR AWESOME affirmation deck to go to mass print! But, I do need your support by pre-ordering a deck and spreading the word! {The campaign has ended and the goal was met thank you!}
If you aren’t familiar with Kickstarter or Crowdfunding in general, this is an all or nothing thing. I have 30 days to raise $20,000. No one will be charged until July 3rd when the campaign has ended and WE have raised $20,000!
I am so grateful for your continuous support. Remember that if I can make my dreams my reality, so can you! We are all in this together!
Every tweet, post, blog, email, share, $1 counts!
Go check it out —-> http://kck.st/1o5job4 — {We did it! The goal was met you can now preorder your decks here}
