Expectations

For me, this all started as a hobby. Somewhere between college and real life, I picked up two knitting needles and taught myself how to knit. Along the way, I have explored and experienced other forms of crafting and creating, but knitting has always remained my main squeeze. What I love about this world of craft is that there are no rules and no expectations. I am a solo knitter/crafter, thus I never have to share my failures with others, leaving people unable to place any expectations on my skill. At some point, I got it together enough to create hand-made gifts for friends and family. This was a minor risk, but one I felt that I could manage. It took me a while to get in to the rhythm of crafting for others. Meaning, Christmas Eve was not a good time to realize that I needed to knit up a scarf as a gift for a cherished friend. Basically, I got organized enough to plan ahead-which, with knitting, is no small feat.

With an etsy shop and now with selling out of a real store, the expectations have changed. The biggest one that I am struggling against, is the expectation of recreating inventory. This weekend, I needed to create a bunch of inventory for Three Sisters to have on-hand for when they (fingers crossed) run out of a product. No biggie, right? Just sit down and get it done. Well, how un-inspiring is that?! It felt like homework. Like a chore. And it took a lot for me to muster up the attention and interest that was required make all of these things. In addition, as I checked each task off my to-do list, I didn't feel the slightest bit satisfied. Not the satisfaction that I usually glean from creating something.

Perhaps I am just turning a page in this little craft journey that I am on. Has anyone else ever felt this way? I imagine when I drop the inventory off in Newburyport, I will feel proud and more than satisfied. I also imagine that this all just takes a little getting used to. And as I get better at managing my time, I will discover ways in which to create new things while still producing the old.