Flourish
I've sat down in front of my laptop to write this post more times than I can count, and I just can't seem to put my feelings into words about the incredible place my life has fallen into. It may sound braggy, but it's just how I'm feeling at the moment. If you follow me on any form of social media, then you've already heard the news (and if you're not, click on those handy links on my sidebar so you don't miss out!). As of four days ago, I am officially a full time blogger, letterer, graphic designer, creator, artist, maker, photographer and whatever other crazy creative adventures I decide to dive headfirst into. It may just be me, but how INSANE is that!?
How absolutely crazy is it that I get to do what I love every single day, hang out with my dog under my desk at my feet and create awesome things for awesome people ... as my job? It has definitely been a long time coming, so I thought I would give a bit of back story since that's something I've never delved into around here before now.
Speaking of sitting down to write this post, let me just share that I ended up writing this thing out and decided to turn it into a mini series after seeing that trying to cram it all into one post ended up being a whopping 34 paragraphs long! Talk about long winded over here. But in all seriousness, there really is just that much to say, and after getting so many questions about how I'm able to go full time, I figured each area of my business deserved it's own little spotlight.
Now, onto the good stuff. You may be wondering why the title of this post is "Flourish", or you may be so on trend in the world of New Year's resolutions that you've figured out that it's my word of the year. Let's take a look at the definition:
If you think about flourish and the definition on the surface, you go straight to plants and that's pretty much where your train of thought stays. The main reason I chose this word as the defining meaning of the next year of my life over "growth", or something else along the same lines, is the mention of the "favorable environment". Well, that and the fact that my mom sent it over to me the other night and it was so spot on couldn't get it out of my head.
The past several years of working a desk job, and sitting behind a computer screen all day long with little to no people interaction was going to end up being the death of me. I was in an off mood all the time, could feel myself slipping into a not so great state of mind and I wasn't doing what I needed to do to be truly happy with my life on a day to day basis. I was working 16+ hour days when you factor in my time working on my own business, and as thankful as I am now that I hustled so hard, I wouldn't wish the exhaustion that I'm feeling right now on anyone.
Flourish to me is personal growth, flourishing in my business and relationships, listening to my body when I need a break and creating an environment where I can really thrive in every aspect of my life. Jumping headfirst (in the most calculated way possible) into running my own business full time is going to be a crazy adventure this year, but what I'm most excited about is the freedom. The freedom to take a break when I need a break, the freedom of time to spend with those closest to me, and the freedom to choose what exactly I spend my precious time doing, because let's face it, time is the most valuable thing we have on our short time on this earth. Basically, I'm just excited to take my life back this year! I feel like every second of my day has been controlled by someone else, and that just does not go over too well when you pair it with a total free and creative spirit like mine. This girl does not do well with people telling her what to do, and when to do it ... :)
So, friends, I am so excited to share more about how I got to where I am today, and go into my back story more than I ever have before. I'll be posting a new installment of the series every Wednesday for the next month or so if you'd like to follow along! Have any questions that you'd like to see answered over the next few weeks on this series? Drop them in the comments section below and I'll try my best to answer all of them!
P.S. I'd love to hear what your word of the year is! I'm running a custom print sale over at Chelcey Tate Studio, and would love to create a print for you to use as a steady reminder throughout the year featuring whatever word you've chosen!
