Thinking Big Thoughts

Pulp painting demo. at the recent Art in the Pearl

Maybe it's the deluge of social media posts discussing where people were on this fateful day what seems like another lifetime ago, or maybe it's the (supposed) change of season, or maybe it's that one of our cats was diagnosed with cancer, but I've found myself thinking big thoughts lately, like "where do I want to be in 5 years" and "if money were no object what would I do". For so many reasons life has been nudging my husband and I towards making big, potentially life altering choices and so I find myself in a reflective frame of mind.

This Friday is the one year anniversary of the successful completion of our Kickstarter fundraising campaign. That means it's officially been a year since the studio became a really-real thing. That moment of triumph has carried us through continued uncertainty and lots of growing pains. Now we are on the threshold of trying to transition from the somewhat predictable safety net of our day jobs to having at least one of us work full-time at the studio. Though it's not our preference, it looks like we'll need to get an operating loan to make this possible. For me, taking on additional debt is a huge and risky thing, as I have a mountain of student loan debt from undergrad and grad school, and have been mostly working at non-profits since graduating (i.e., not exactly mega-money coming in). But sometimes you have to take a deep breath and just hope that when you come up for air, you'll find it.  

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Why am I telling you all of this? One of the things we've been talking about needing to do to make our business grow and stand out is to be more personal and forthright- i.e., to let our selves shine through in what we do and how we present ourselves. As private, introverted people, this can be challenging and scary. Nevertheless, I want to open the door as much as I can and let you in. I've read some fantastic blog posts lately that are deeply personal and honest. These posts show me the impact that we can collectively have on one another if we open up a bit. So here I am, letting you in.

No matter what the next year brings in our professional or personal lives (or anything in between), I'm going to make a real effort to speak in an authentic voice here. So when we are triumphant I will celebrate, and when we're facing challenges I will reach out. If this connects with even one person it will be worth it. We can't make the studio happen without all of you, and I wouldn't have the luxury of "getting real" here if it wasn't for the support and kindness we've received from our friends, neighbors, and family.

Here's to the future! GO TEAM PAPER!!!

- Jenn

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