Empowered Me

Getting up this morning I had a plan: 

Let the dogs out, eat breakfast, boot up my computer and write about something that has been on my mind for a very long time. 

Before I got on Blogger I decided to check out Etsy and I noticed an article discussing "crafting". Before long I was clicking on every link they had which led me to an eye-opening article here. The article under the link I just gave is titled "Etsy.com Peddles a False Feminist Fantasy" written by Sara Mosle. It's a little dated but I think that it still holds rather true even in current times. 

What I like about this article is that the author takes a look at the data, percentages and numbers of existing members to form an opinion. Based off of her research, she maintains that married mother's (or soon to be mother's) who are at home with children are the likely candidates to be seller's on the site because they are holding "out the hope of successfully combining meaningful work with motherhood in a way that more high-powered careers in the law, business, or sciences seldom allow". What that means is that, in a way, Etsy is catering to that to increase flow onto the website and all-the-while falsely encouraging the idea that you CAN be a stay-at-home-mom and make lots of money. The author also states that it's a fantasy because only an extremely small percentage of people have claimed to do well enough on the site to sustain an actual lifestyle. Upon further inspection of the income of those seldom lucky ones you come to find out that they are not really making a living at all solely on the site and aren't the breadwinners for their family.

I'm not going to go into any further detail about it because I really want to encourage you to read the article. It's well articulated and I'm afraid of not doing the author justice by hacking up her words, but I did find that I was refreshed after reading it.

I've only ever made one sale on my shop, just one. Don't get me wrong, I was thrilled that at least one person was able to enjoy my product. To know that someone loved something that I made had me giddy.

Quick story: 

I was at work when it happened. I was sitting at my desk at school after a long day of teaching over 120 small children feeling.just.exasperated. I had a few minutes before my afternoon duty at the car-rider pick-up area so I decided to go through some emails to waste time. As I was perusing my inbox I noticed a letter from Etsy....could it be? I always recognized the emails that were asking me to pay my online bill for that month (come on, everyone knows what impending bills look like) but this one was totally different. I opened it and the next few moments when like this--

Audible squeal with hands slightly raised and fists clenched, dashing out the door, stampeding across campus to the gym, bursting through Coach Cooper's office door, jumping in the air and pronouncing loudly "I sold a painting!" to a very confused Coach Cooper who promptly gave me a high-five and congratulated me.

I love the satisfaction of knowing that someone appreciates my work enough to display it.

The reason I mention this is because I like my shop and I will continue to run it but today, after having read that article, I feel free-r. I had been reading Etsy's "Quit Your Day Job" series. I had been using Etsy as a platform to get me to a place where I didn't have to do any other job but to make art. Hell, I'm not even married and I don't even have kids but that was the long term goal and I wanted Etsy to help me get there.

I felt so frustrated that things didn't seem to be working out. It seemed like everyone else was doing well, so what was wrong with mine? I'm also a part of a group The Art Colony and they have forum's to discuss all facets of making art and in one discussion they agreed that hardly anyone makes serious money on Etsy. Me being me, I didn't want to listen.

I woke up this morning in a bit of a funk (I'll explain in subsequent blog posts I'm sure) and now I feel like I have more clarity. Isn't that so strange???? I feel like I want to create MORE! Maybe it was just me getting overzealous about everything, maybe it was me having unrealistic expectations, maybe it was just me fixating on how things "should be" rather than just appreciating "what is" but I just feel so.much.better.

It's really not just me. I'm not chained to some unsuccessful venture that everyone else obtained with ease. I didn't fail at this!

I had a rough night but I feel so great today (admittedly a bit tired, but great). I think I'm going to spend today continuing to knit my mom a scarf and maybe I'll break out some oil paint today. Who knows?? Things seem limitless today :)

Girls Scouts= Wolf Pups

I have always wanted a sign for my house that says "No Soliciting (except for Girl Scout Cookies)" and tis the season for them! Towards the end of January a neighbor that I know came by with her daughter and we were put on a list to get them. Time ticked by and we saw the wee little ones dressed in their scout apparel set up camp at Lowe's, Walmart, and anywhere else with a large parking lot. We grew excited to see them and their joyous faces selling us those cookies that we have always loved! We knew ours would be coming in at any moment so we politely declined those cute little girls.....

.....and things got ugly.

First, let me say that those "girls" are as wily as car salesmen. Girl
 Scouts must be creating new badges for "marketing" and "junior sales associate" because those girls are as ravenous as  bob cats to get sales for those damn cookies. I'm convinced that some crazed Girl Scout Troop Leader is bringing sales tip videos to their meetings  in lieu of craft hour. I had some bitty little thing yelling at me the other day that they now accept credit cards. CREDIT CARDS!


So now, those little rabid kittens have the street smarts to hustle people with plastic. You can no longer use the once full-proof plan of "I don't have any cash on me" because when you're walking by them with a bag full of groceries they know you had a source to pay it with and they'll hunt you down until you buy a box.


Another encounter I had I knew better than to discuss money so I  thought it would pacify them if I told them I had already bought some. That was an even worse idea. The little girl in pigtails made a stance much like a bull ready to charge, jammed her hands on her hips and demanded "WHERE?!" Note: no parental figure decided to do anything about the audacity of a kid yelling at an adult until I mentioned something to one of them and at that point only one parent suggested to the girls that they step away from the door of the establishment.


While at the mall they were at the center intersection and basically running after people to buy their cookies, but oh no not the kids this time, the female parents. So the girls are psycho, the Mom's are psycho and what's worse is that the parents are seemingly encouraging their kids to behave that way...stupendous.


I told Andrew that this might be my last year of wanting to buy GS cookies and he said "No, you'll still buy 'em from those little hoodlums." Nice image that's being put out.


Despite the trouble we received our cookies and it's like heaven. The sugar-induced coma definitely eases the hassle of dealing with those dragon fledglings.


Yay for peanut butter patties!

A Few of My Favorite Things...

I think sometimes people need to remind themselves of things they enjoy. The work week can bog you down and make you feel sluggish so I have put together a small list of things that I really enjoy in life :)

The color YELLOW! It always seems to brighten my day and makes me feel cheery when I wear it.

Who can resist enjoying a lazy day?

Running clears my head, makes me feel good about my body, and always ensures I have a good night's rest

California. It's one of those places that is perfect in my mind. I have high, lofty visions about life in California and my ex and his family happen to be from there so it was wonderful when I was able to visit.

I have been an water nut since practically birth and being at the ocean or in a pool makes me happy

And, oddly enough, beef stew. I don't know why, it's just the best food ever

Happy Saturday!

Dirty Business

I keep reading articles like "Quit Your Day Job" and "Bring In More Sales", blurbs about how to put myself "out there" and to socialize and network more. Up until this point I have been wholly uncomfortable with posting my stuff on my Facebook page or even telling many people about this blog. The idea of what appears to be gloating about myself or the artwork I'm doing feels foreign and icky. 

In 8th grade our homeroom needed a representative for the Student Body Council and me and another girl raised our hands as having interest in being that rep. Naturally a class vote ensued whereby I felt so uncomfortable in voting for myself because it felt wrong and elitist that I felt the morally right thing to do would be to vote for the other girl. I lost....by one vote. MY VOTE. I felt a smidgen of disappointment but I wouldn't have changed the way it played out because even knowing what the outcome would have been I still wouldn't have voted for myself.

So here I am, turning 28 next month ( a long way from being 14) reading these useful tips on how to turn my beloved hobby into a successful internet venture and I can't help but think one thing: I need to be an internet whore to do it. It's like prostitution without intercourse, I have to sell myself any way I can to make a buck. Weird? Yes. Cheesy? Yes, but it's exactly what it feels like! I would rather someone just stumble onto my Etsy page and say "Oh, I like that. Let me tell my friends..." rather than me announce it all over the place. I broke out of my shell to make this blog as sort of a creative journal of my artwork and I knew the moment would come that I would have to be like "Here's more stuff in my shop!" but no one really reads this blog so I didn't really feel that in danger of self-exposure. Now I do. Now that it has to be me showing my friends on Facebook what I'm doing and me trying to communicate what I'm doing to others in the community. 

I'm going to try these tips but I feel like I need to take a shower, like I've done something wrong and feel gross about it. It's like I'm forcing my art onto other people and that's not natural. Good artists, while smart to promote, shouldn't have to be like "HEY LOOK AT ME!" they are kind of just....found....

You know what I mean?

Hanging With Nathan Fillion

It's a chilly day here with me in my pajamas accompanied by Sinusitis, so what better way to spend it than in my pajamas watching everything that has Nathan Fillion in it? Currently he plays Richard Castle in the tv series Castle, but before that he was in Firefly, Serenity, and Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (back when there was the writers strike in Hollywood). All of the characters that he plays have generally the same attitude and demeanor but he's so cute that I can't help myself. The couch I bought several weeks ago came in this morning so that's an added bonus for me to lounge around and surf through Fillion-based Netflix listings.

Andrew finally has some time off of work this weekend so he's out in the cold hunting. He was reading through his hunting license yesterday and I've never seen someone so excited as when he found out that he's allowed to shoot a bear. Then the inevitable argument ensued as to whether he's allowed to bring home his kill and gut it in the garage... Don't get me wrong, I love to eat meat. I couldn't be a vegetarian even if I tried, but I'm also very grateful to the people who work the kill floors at meat packing plants because I would have to be on the extreme edge of starvation to get up the nerve to look an animal in the eye and watch it die. So in one hand I'm very thankful to the people who do the hard work for me, but in the other I know I take it for granted. That said, there's no way he's dragging a dead carcass here to dismantle its limbs in my presence. I don't care that he does it, someone has to plus he uses the whole thing, I just don't want it around me in it's original state or stuffed to hang as decoration (another disagreement that occurred). First, it's just creepy to have something hanging around that gives you a blank stare that follows you as you walk by. Lastly, that's a huge reminder of the animal that I didn't want to see dead in the first place. All-in-all I'm glad he's doing something that he enjoys and can relax doing with guys that he rarely sees outside of work, but whatever happened to going for a game of basketball?

While Andrew is out and Nathan Fillion is playing on the tv I've been keen on rearranging my newly furnished living room. It feels so nice to have a legit couch instead of just a love seat. You have no idea what kind of awkward pauses take place when you invite people over and they see just a love seat. One of my good friends put it best when she said "I love you, but not that much" and went to go get a kitchen chair to sit on rather than sit leg-to-leg next to me. Plus our living room is getting a bit crowded with 2 dog kennels to house now. I was hoping that with Mia being 2 years old she would be more relaxed and able to be out of the kennel alone during the day....let's just say I came home to my ENTIRE bathroom ripped to shreds from what I assume was separation anxiety. So 2 kennels it is. I'm excited to decorate this place though, I finally live somewhere that I feel comfortable and know I won't have to leave anytime soon (I never felt this way even when I was married). And in tackling the living room I'm also taking on the kitchen table, turning it from drab to fab by stripping it and then staining it black to make it a little more modern. Pictures to come.

With all that said I'm feeling the need for more DayQuil and, more importantly, more Nathan Fillion :)

The Journey

I figured with all of the trouble that I've been having with this sales tax nonsense, I might as well chronicle it. Who knows, maybe someone from Etsy stumbles onto this page with the same problems and questions and has a better time of it because of my little knowledge crusade.

Each state has different sales tax laws while some, like Delaware, don't have any at all. From what I can gather for the state of North Carolina you are only responsible for reporting sales made from within NC and not outside states. Whichever county the purchaser is making the sale from is the sales tax you have to collect. Apparently there is a chart the shows NC counties and their rate of sales tax to make that easier. Not to mention that Etsy has a section where you can tax by county and putting in the zip code...etc. So once you set that on your account as your preference it will automatically take where the person is from in NC when they go to make a purchase and set that counties specific sales tax so you don't have to worry about it. You just have to go in a set it up to be like that.

Because we are business owners at Etsy we need a business license. I live in Fayetteville, North Carolina so I need to go downtown to obtain it, which is $50 per year. I'm not super sure about getting a tax id number (EIN) so when I go down there tomorrow I will ask and see what they say. I'm not sure if registering for a business license already gets you one or if that's a separate issue.

When it comes to taxes you need to know how to classify your business (LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership...etc.) That determines your rate of tax and the deductions you can take. I'm not sure which is better, registering as a DBA (doing business as) or an LLC. Another stone wall I have come up against.

I've also found out that getting a CPA to look over my stuff and to keep my books and do my quarterly taxes (which will need to be done since you're a business owner now) is something like $150 a month. I know there are those that off free consultation but after that, especially being new and not making much money, it's a little intimidating to keep one with the threat of not having your business take off right away while still paying someone a bunch of money that you don't have.

Here are some helpful NC related websites (there are equivalents for other states):

www.dor.state.nc.us/electronic/registration/index.html 
www.blnc.gov/start-your-business/business-forms 
biztaxlaw.about.com/od/businesstaxes/f/onlinesalestax.htm 

This whole process has been overwhelming and more than intimidating. I thought I was just going to get online and have it all be magical and easy. Someone forgot to tell me that the government needs to take more of my money. Shame shame.