My husband and I had a business for seventeen years. It wasn’t scalable or glamorous. It was just him and me in painter’s clothes working in houses. We painted murals, did faux-finishes, and glazed all of Scottsdale in a warm Tuscan gold or medium taupe.
It wasn’t fine art or anything I studied. It was a job. It kept us nicely middle-class, and for two twenty-somethings, that seemed pretty rad. But in 2008 the luxury real estate market in Arizona was hit hard, and our work dried up completely. We had a son, and a baby on the way, and our lives suddenly got tough. My husband’s father died and our two-year-old needed chemotherapy for a rare disease. My husband numbed through drinking and ended up in rehab for five weeks just after our baby was born. That year was an emotional blackout. Therapy kept me only mildly patched together. Gratitude saved me.
And then we moved on. We went back to ordinary life. But we still didn’t have a business. We would have lost our cars and our house without the financial support we received from our families during those years.
Within the first year of my husband’s recovery, I took a class and fell in love with the modern sewing and quilting movement. My art background ensured that I made artful things. I was encouraged by my local sewing shop to sell my sewing patterns. My mom and I attended our first retail craft show in 2010 in Long Beach, California, and then went to the International Quilt Market trade show in Houston where we found lots of support. I came back home to print and fulfill orders.
I quickly realized that this business was different from our last one. I used to show up, paint for a day, and earn a thousand dollars. Now I could work for weeks to make that. But I’d grown weary of only selling a luxury and embraced the chance to inspire more people with my designs. I finally offered something for the everyman, like Ikea.
It felt good until I realized that I couldn’t teach people to sew because I didn’t actually know how to sew—but I did know other things. I am a Rhode Island School of Design-trained abstract painter with a nerdy affection for art history and color theory, and I love unlocking interpersonal strength through creativity. But how do you turn all of that into a business?
I began designing quilting fabric for Windham Fabrics. I wrote a book for C&T Publishing, The Little Spark–30 Ways to Ignite Your Creativity. I also started offering corporate creativity events and teaching local workshops synthesizing creativity, yoga, and meditation. I had a full schedule, and I was selling my original paintings all the while.
My husband started over, too. He was urged by his therapist to become a therapist. He went back to school online to get his master’s in counseling and landed a great job at a local practice where he could use the crucible of his life to become the wounded healer. But ten years after the recession, we still weren’t on our own two feet. Our families continued to help pay our monthly bills. The gratitude one feels from receiving handouts fades substantially after protracted years of gifts (not to mention burning through our children’s college funds). Despite mindfulness meditations, that gratitude slowly turned to shame. With every check, we were more emotionally disabled. To be 45-years-old with two children and not be able to pay our way for ten solid years left me feeling sad, bitter, and angry.
I tried daily to promote myself on Instagram and to sell my art, offer giveaways, pitch workshops and anything I could do to generate more income. It worked—just not enough. Every year I thought I was getting closer to “making it.” My fabric sells way above industry average, and royalties from Windham Fabrics have been my primary source of income every year for six years. I’d think if only I could double or triple this, we’d be okay.
Over the past two years, I finally knew that it was never going to work. The angst, resentment, and emotional turmoil behind the scenes in my house because of our financial situation was intense. My husband and I were leaking rafts—patched together with tape—trying our very best to stay afloat. We never really had a chance to be just average. Just people who go to work and make money and come home. We weren’t sailing in a boat of our making. We were slowly sinking.
I fantasized about getting a job, but it became clear to me that I had no real employable skills. I’ve never had a boss in my adult life. I can teach creativity, but how do you employ someone with a passion for mothering and art history?
In a particularly dark moment this past winter, I told my best friend that things weren’t improving—weren’t seemingly ever going to get better—and we may have to sell our house. She burst into tears because that’s what besties do.
Two weeks later she said to me, “Hey, my daughter’s art teacher is on an extended absence because of a health issue and wouldn’t it be great if you could be the art teacher for them for the rest of the year?!” I can’t describe what happened next other than to say all the molecules in me began to rearrange; everything inside me ran at full speed at the opportunity.
I hadn’t made a resumé since I was 21, but I knew how to market myself from years of trying. I created probably the most hippie-dippie resumé the world has ever seen. Under my long list of work skills, I led with “openheartedness.” I put all my many hustles on there, and it looked good. Within 24 hours of our scheming, my resumé landed on the desk of the head of middle school. My whole family said a prayer over it before I sent it out.
I did the phone interview with a great deal of sparkle and courage and sweaty armpits, and a few days later I was brought in for a meeting with eight faculty members. I showed up with a rolling suitcase full of my fabric and books for everyone and a heart full of longing and optimism. A day later I heard back. It was a yes! I was hired as a middle school art teacher at a private school. They were thrilled to have me on their team. I cried and cried. They offered me an excellent salary and full benefits for my family and me. Our insurance, in that one moment, went from the chokehold of $1,900 a month to nearly half of that.
I interviewed art teacher friends for their wisdom and guidance. I prepared and made lists and bought books. I cleaned the art room for two weeks solid so that I could have a fresh start. I purchased an Eileen Fisher linen dress second-hand because it seemed to me that all art teachers needed to wear boxy linen dresses and clogs, right?
I stepped in that first day, April 2nd, nervous as heck, and I did it. I stood there with my beginner’s mind, at age 45, in front of rooms of fifth and sixth graders, and I spoke about all the things that spill most easily from my soul—color theory, drawing techniques, the big-picture why’s of art making, and the importance of expressing oneself and cultivating an inner emotional life. And it’s good. And I am new. I don’t have to hustle or post on Instagram to prove my worth or make my way. I show up, and I am enough every day. I get to help students build bonfires in their souls, and then I go home.
I’m still designing fabric for Windham during my summers off, so stay tuned—I’m designing my sixth collection now. But find me in two years and ask me how I’m doing. I can promise you I won’t want to quit teaching to start a handmade greeting card company or a DIY lifestyle brand or return to selling my art in tents. I did that for twenty-four years. So many creatives want to quit their day jobs to follow their heart. I had to stop hustling and get a day job to follow mine.
I LOVE THIS! So beautifully written, and a good counterpoint to the “If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life” mantra. I’m a public school teacher as well, and I love the work… but I also love the stability it gives me to pursue my passions as hobbies and not as a side hustle! G
Stick with teaching if you can, Gillian! Former public school teacher here — I did exactly what you are doing. I’m retired from teaching now, and the modest pension has allowed me the luxury of self-employment with sewing, writing and art (my passions!). This is a wonderful, busy time for me, and what I always dreamed of doing.
I’m with the author on the struggle of marketing and making as a career even with success in that. I couldn’t do it, either, as a full-time job.
It’s so refreshing for someone to be honest about the numbers and realities. Especially with health insurance. My husband got a tenure-track teaching job 4 yrs into our full-time business because health insurance in 2003 after a surgery was $2000/month for our small business. Blue Cross said to expect 28% increases annually. What business grows at 28% every year forever? The deck is stacked against small businesses for health insurance. Once we were part of a larger pool it was more manageable but has left him working 2 full-time jobs for the past 18 yrs. Even without the insurance, I cringe when I see people so desperate to “make it” that they are constantly giving away their skills and their time. You gotta do the math and figure out a business model that’s sufficiently profitable. There are VERY few people who are making a living in the quilt world that’s sufficient to have their own health insurance, save for retirement, have a financial cushion and pay for their kids to go to college at $50K/year per child. So this is why some of us get annoyed when we’re at a show vending our publications and someone says, “$10 for a pattern?! Why would I pay that when there are so many free ones online?”
I adore this and know exactly how you feel. Children and teaching is where it is at! Our future is in the young! They are inspired! I taught for 10 years and was a principal for 35! Coming to school and working with the best parents, teachers, and students was a blessing! So happy you are living your passion and your students are living theirs!
Gosh Weeks, I can’t agree with you more. I’ve had two books published, written for countless magazine, designed fabric for 2 major companies, have an online store, and travel to teach and sell. Yet, despite all those gigs, I also have two different “side hustles” not related to my creative business. Like Carrie, I too sometimes dream of getting one full-time job.
$10 really is too much for most patterns. If you sell the right product and at the right price, you will sell the right numbers to recoup the time put into creating your product. That is difficult to do however. It can be done by a few who have built up a market via social media.
I object to paying just a couple of dollars less for a pattern than I would the finished article unless it is an exceptional one and I am purchasing expertise, not just getting basics. It is surprising that so many purchased patterns are no better produced than a free one – I found that out the expensive way. So from being a regular pattern purchaser, I now make the pattern myself, buy or borrow a book or yes get a free one. Many people cannot make the numbers work for them – I couldn’t myself. It doesn’t mean that buyers should pay to make the unrealistic dreams of others come true. Richer economies outsource goods and services because it makes economic sense to do so. It means independent crafters will find it nigh on impossible to make a business work at a price buyers can afford. Simple, (sometimes remarkably so) patterns are $12 or even more. I can’t afford this. If you can you are fortunate. I make patterns, I know the work that goes into them as well as the time; you need to factor in the numbers you think you can sell and weigh this against the production costs in time and materials. Quality and differential of products is frequently not reflected in prices, often being the same across the board, regardless of complexity. It is actually greedy! It is also short sighted.
I see known faces/independent brands with reasonably priced products who have been going for years and still sell very well. They have good and affordable products, have done their homework and know their market. Plus they tend to have had a little luck along the way but they deserve it. It is far from easy but they don’t blame the buyer.
Speaking personally my own business was bound to fail, as it simply wasn’t viable. I knew that but did it anyway as a vanity project. I think most craft businesses are similar to that. I basically had a sweat shop. The responsibility is all mine however. It is not the responsibility of buyers to buy product in a saturated market at inflated prices to support people like me.
To digress from patterns, sellers constantly sell their finished handmade product for less than it is worth. What else can be done though? The market (i.e. everyday people) simply cannot in the main support prices that are reflecting real worth. Who is going to pay several hundred dollars for a pair of knitted socks? Again who can afford it? That is why you see them for sale for $20. It is realistic on the one hand (if you want to sell, either low prices are required or find an elite customer) but it undercuts other sellers on the other. For some sellers, kudos from selling is all that concerns them and it keeps the prices at rock bottom. It isn’t buyers being mean as is so often suggested. It’s just current life not being geared up for local hand production and there are no solutions and no attachment of blame. Selling full time can only work for relatively few.
I’m confused — I even had to go back and reread the article just in case I’d missed something, but no — NOWHERE in this article does Carrie blame buyers/consumers/potential customers for being unwilling to pay for her work. On the contrary, the article says that she WAS able to consistently find buyers for her paintings, she was able to sell a creativity book (that book has 5 star reviews on Amazon and is still selling well), and her fabric collections for Windham are still selling above average, as well. Sara, you openly admitted that your own craft business was unsuccessful and that you “don’t expect buyers to buy product in a saturated market at inflated prices to support people like you.” Again — this is not an article about a business that failed because buyers did not want to pay for the products. The whole mind-blowing point of this article is that Carrie WAS/IS one of those “few successful people” we would see, selling her abstract paintings, selling her patterns, self-promoting on social media, selling books, teaching workshops — to the outside world, it looked like she WAS “living the dream” and doing well. The painful, awkward truth is that EVEN IF you promote the heck out of yourself on Instagram, and EVEN IF everyone buys your patterns and your fabric collections and EVEN IF you are selling your paintings, EVEN IF you are the envy of other wannabe craft business owners who wish they were “successful” like you — OMG!! It still was not enough to provide financially for a family of four. And this is sad, because although I agree with you, Sara, that consumers should not “have to pay inflated prices to support people like you,” I know that I AM paying inflated prices for oh, let’s see — my banking services, my car insurance, and my health insurance, for instance, in order to support people like Wall Street executives, CEOs of pharmaceutical companies, and malpractice attorneys, so that they can buy ten million dollar beach houses right on the ocean and drive cars that cost more than my home. Now, why are we all so willing to “pay inflated prices” to support the luxury lifestyles of those whose work impoverishes everyone and produces NOTHING, yet we value artists so little that EVEN WHEN THEY ARE WORKING FULL TIME AND SELLING THEIR WORK, they still can’t afford to pay for health insurance and put food on the table? This goes to the core of our values as a society. And this is why I was so grateful to hear that Carrie is now an art teacher who spends her days teaching the next generation to value the arts. Maybe, with artists like Carrie lighting that creative spark in the classroom, there is hope for the future of this country after all.
Very well said.
So true. Thank you for sharing your truth. This was an amazing article. I am a retired teacher and quilting until I died was my retirement dream. But I don’t reach retirement age for another 7 years. So I have to find a hustle to make ends meet. I have spoken to so many over 50’ers who find they can’t manage their financial responsibilities. The cost of food and shelter has gotten to be so expensive.
YES! You hit the nail on the head.
I so agree with you, Rebecca! You said what I would have said. Our economic system is so unbalanced. We need universal healthcare and a guaranteed minimum income. Maybe then we can go back to the days when the arts were valued and taught in public schools, not just private schools. I don’t understand a culture that sees the arts as a frill–try to make a quilt without math!
Rebecca’s comment is spot on…maybe tapping into the market of the
overly wealthy might work…but clearly, it’s a sad state of affairs when
talent goes unrewarded or undervalued!
yes, Weeks, and as a shop owner who is STUCK with tons of patterns, I’m with you! I can’t even get my $ back on them, and having trouble even “clearancing” them at $4 apiece!
Alicia,
Use them as door prizes, a bonus gift for $$ spent in-shop or online. If you hold retreats, build gift baskets of notions and charm packs, and include several patterns. There can be a drawing for the basket from attendees names.
You may have thought about these already- and you won’t get the pattern money back, per se, but you’ll create more excitement and hopefully, business.
Another idea// a Shop contest=art challenge:
Sell each contestant their choice of pattern for $4.00. Give them one or two months to make their version of the pattern they chose, then hold a big viewing party and voting by the public for fun awards! Have cake and balloons.
Ribbons awarded for ‘Best Use of Red, Most Whimsical, etc, or whatever fits.
Good luck.
Wow! The realities of creative work are GREAT to know. The nasty underbelly so to speak… Thanks for sharing!
Weeks, I do buy your patterns, books and fabric at full price, but you are rare in my book. I’m happy to pay full price for quilt fabric, too, so designers like Carrie can earn a living. But at my stage in life (older, been quilting for years), I can’t buy all the fabrics and all the designs, so appreciate fewer lines with a longer arc to them. But all of that is beside Carrie’s point.
I see so many people at quilt shows, and online, who are barely making it, and I love the candid way this article outlines what is going on in the industry. [I do have to wonder, though: what would happen if we all had health insurance guarenteed (like those in England or France)? This is what I hope for, if only to ease that crushing, necessary, burden.]
Thank you for this!
I so get this! My medium is words, not images, but I understand! Yay for day jobs that buy groceries and sanity! Blessings to you and your family, Carrie.
Thank you so much for sharing your story, Carrie. I am positive you will inspire a whole new generation of artists!
So moving. So much to think about. Thank you for sharing this.
Beautifully written…thank you!
This is probably one of the most common scenarios in the world of making a living from making in middle class America. After 6 years of trying to even launch a making business and earning an average of $100 a month for my full-time efforts online, I made more money from designing for magazines, the two regularly contracted ones now closed or designing in-house. There was no one to support me and my husband and I am now 59 (a graduate of a fine private university in 1982) and working at a grocery deli for the summer until a job at the local elementary school begins in the fall at $16K a year. With an arts background and the life of a SAHM with a few jobs here and there, there isn’t much else for me in a small town, or any town really. These very real skills are not tangible on a resume. So I feel for you, Carrie, and I understand your pain and frustration and I understand the amount of work you did to achieve what you have in the world of design and application. I’m so glad you’ve found a place to work that can support your and your family to the extent your other pursuits could not. As for myself, I can support myself and my husband on $1300 net a month. What astounds me is how hard it can be to earn even just that in mid-America. It seems no matter where we live from Scottsdale to Kansas, the income vs. cost of basic living is just not fitting together and that’s makes me sad because it means good people who try hard, like Carrie and her family, suffer in distress with it. Good luck and I really hope you have a fantastic time teaching. You’re going to be great!
Well, not to bang the drum…but let’s explore the new crop of candidates & revisit the
current ones’ track record…then, GET OUT & VOTE!
Wonderful story and insight. I appreciate the raw truth and honesty in that fullfillment can be found in spaces where we least expect it.
Carrie, your story struck a cord in me. Thank you for sharing your experiences with such honesty and congrats on finally finding the the perfect job for sharing your creative expertise and getting paid for it.
Carrie, your students are so lucky. You are a great teacher already – with amazing skills AND the ability to inspire; I could see that clearly when you were on the set of “Quilting Arts TV” a few years ago. It is a challenging road to be an artist, and most of the artists I know (including me) can only take that path with the financial support of a partner. Mine is my husband; without him, our family would not have financial stability and health insurance unless I took a regular job. Much love and luck to you, and thanks for sharing your story with such honesty and sincerity.
Carrie! I’m so friggin proud of you! I soooo appreciate your honesty! As you know, the photos of you and your family look like all is perfect and that you all live in a bubble of sunshine and roses. THANK you for being so straight with us. So gosh darn open hearted!! And those kids in your class are so lucky.
Thanks so much for sharing your story.
Love you!
Yet another reason why Carrie Bloomston is one of my soul heroes. She’s shown tremendous courage and I’m sure she’ll inspire another generation is creatives, whether that becomes their work or not. Wishing you so much joy Carrie xx
Yet another reason why Carrie Bloomston is one of my soul heroes. She’s shown incredible courage and I’m sure she’ll inspire another generation of creatives, whether that becomes their work or not. Wishing you lots of joy Carrie!
So good to read true openness and honesty and to see how some USA schools are prioritising specialists in creative subjects like art. I am so pleased for you Carrie.
Oh Carrie, this is beautiful. So often we keep our finances and the expense of working an art gig secret. Thank you for opening up and sharing so much of your beautiful soul. I feel like my quilting business is pretty successful, but no way could my family thrive on my personal income.
Thank you for your beautiful honesty.
Wow, thanks for sharing your story and so honestly. I can’t imagine doing anything but art but I sure know the struggle. I think there are so many that can relate to this. I also teach art. When my students ask if they should do art to make a living, I tell them that if they think they can do something else, they should, and then just do their art in their free time. Your students are so lucky to have you! I can see your passion.
Carrie, this is such a wonderful, honest, heartfelt essay and I appreciate it. I went back to work this past year (in an elementary school library – also a fabulous outlet for creativity!) and have felt so much shame and resentment that it has meant pausing my creative business and stepping back from opportunities I’d love to jump at but can’t afford to. But having steady income has kept us from having to eat spaghetti seven nights a week or cross our fingers for “generous” Christmas gifts from family to help us patch the dam. And my job does provide many chances to make and share my creative self, while inspiring kids to learn and grow, plus a steady schedule (as in not sewing till 3 am for a deadline ; ) that has benefited my kids and my mental health. I hope this new career is an awesome new launchpad for your family, and that it informs the fabrics and art you do keep making outside of the day job. Also I love the bit about the Eileen Fisher dress – yes, every art teacher needs one, right?! Thank you so much for sharing with us!
Thank you for sharing a financial reality that is rarely discussed publicly. I’ve been in the quilting and sewing industry for nearly 20 years, and believe your experience is widely shared based on private conversations. So happy you found a way to use your many talents!
Wow that is depressing and uplifting all at the same time. I’m so glad you found a good solution for you. You’ll be an amazing teacher for them! I wonder what the future holds….
Thank you for this honest and written-from-the-heart piece. Nothing wrong in the “have a day job so I can stay creative”. When your creative job doesn’t pay the bills and you have to reassess your priorities, it’s a great turning point. My very best wishes for you and your family!
You never stop amazing me! Love you!
This is heartbreakingly beautiful. Thank you for sharing your story. I just finished writing my first book, in which I was paid $9K, with not very good terms, but you know… it’s “the dream” and all that. I definitely underestimated the undertaking and toll it would take on my hustle and the unfortunate side effect of being more than $20K down in sales this year over last. I just had to pick up a 2nd gig bartending to try to make up for it. Craziness.
So open and honest, I loved and cried over your story. Life is so lovely and so hard. I am so thankful that you found teaching. Also EXTREMELY happy that you are still designing fabric!
This is awesome. I’m so glad you did it, got that job, and were able to escape that chokehold. Wow – tearing up for you right now. And way to go, your friend!
Refreshingly honest! Thank you so much for sharing such a personal story.
Thanks for sharing your story. I am glad you will still design fabrics.
Life is good even if it’s unfair. Enjoy your family.., that’s what life is all about.Blessings Lee
Thanks for your incredible honesty. I have always been impressed with your positivity, and now it astounds me that you were able to maintain it despite all that was going on in your life.
Lucky, lucky kids who walk into your classroom. They will be richer in spirit for having spent time with you. I know I am.
I’m so glad the stars and planets finally aligned for all of you. I’ve had moments like that too, and it’s amazing.
Many hugs!
Dearest Carrie, I am so happy for you, your kids and ALL THE KIDS you will free up for a life of creativity and understanding their own GENIUS! You and your family deserve this delicious normalcy. Enjoy and your creative sparks will multiply just because there is room for the popcorn of your stunning brain to pop! Love you to the moon and back. Pat.
p.s. thank you for your openness and honesty…we have traveled many of these paths with you…especially the insurance machine! Glad you are thriving. The world is better for your freedom!
This is really timely. I closed my yarn business early last year after 11 years because I was just going deeper and deeper into debt. I should have closed sooner but I couldn’t think of what else to do (for several months, the only idea I could come up with was to run away and fake my own death, but I couldn’t think of what to do *after* that, so not really a good plan). Eventually I decided to make jewelry, sold off all my inventory and assets, paid off about half my debt, and went into business as a jewelry artist. I’ve been in business almost a year and I’ve only made about $1200.
I figured I needed to get into galleries and shows, so I started working on that, and then my boyfriend left me. I’ve been too depressed to function most days. My creativity is gone. And my money will soon be gone too. (I’ve been on Medicaid for years. I’m waiting to find out if I can get food stamps.)
I realized I need a day job, and it needs to be something I can do when I can’t be creative. And it needs to be something I can stand to do, so it doesn’t send me into a downward spiral of “I’m a failure” misery (because the depression started years before the boyfriend left). I’m leaning toward proofreading since it’s something I do whether I’m trying to or not (might as well get paid for it).
Riin, keep your chin up and don’t lose hope. I suggest that you consider taking any interim job you can get as a way of getting back into the rhythm of having an outside job and a boss. The interim job doesn’t have to be your forever job…it can be making coffee, working the register at your local grocery store, whatever. The important thing is get out, make some money and start assessing your options. One of my neighbors a few years back had a professional banking career that was killing his soul with stress. He quit and went to work at a local grocery and worked in the deli and loved it. He said he was happier than he’d been in decades but it required a great leap of faith to stop doing what he had been trained for and the type of career his family expected him to work at. Good luck!
Barbara, thanks for your feedback. I don’t actually know how to make coffee! Yeah, I’m a freak. I don’t drink the stuff.
I have a huge amount of stuff to put on ebay, so I’m spending three hours a day working on that. I’m spending two hours a day working on my proofreading coursework, and an hour a day getting my studio in shape so I can actually work. I’ve looked at jobs online, and they seem to fall into the categories of: I’m totally not qualified for, I could do but I would be absolutely miserable, and I could do and could maybe stand but the pay is so low I would have to work 80 hours a week. Having worked in a bakery and a couple of fast food places years ago, I’m pretty sure working in a grocery store would make me absolutely miserable.
Carrie, I was just on the Hawthorn fabric site & was complaining about the price of fabrics & thread, then read your post. Now, sitting on my screened porch in Knoxville, Tn. listening to the many birds singing in the backyard & garden, feeling that I’ve been hit in the chest after reading your devastatingly beautiful & honest post.
I rarely give any thought to the created process of the fabrics & other notions I buy to play in my beautiful quilt studio with 3 Bernina sewing machines. I am usually too busy trying to put fabrics together for an imagined pleasing end result to ever give the artist &their process a thought. Often I remark that the artist should have done this or that which would work better for me—how selfish of me. Carrie, You’ve shown a very bright spotlight on the quilting books & fabric lines that I buy. I will now think of the artist as I make future purchases & I can see my “hobby” taking a very different route.
The thread painting that is so satisfying & takes up a lot of my creative time might not look different but will have a different “feel” at least to me which I hope will be carried through to the purchase or to the recipient as a gift.
Carrie & all of the respondents You have opened my eyes & my heart………
Riin, this is Therisa – from Ann Arbor back in the day. I know that you are a wonderful visionary and a unique soul. It is so difficult for folks like us in the world today (or ever). Please know that I have been there, and it gets better. Get what you need to be healthy and safe. If you are still in Ann Arbor don’t hold yourself back from using the community’s wonderful resources. I ask the Divine One to strengthen you and give you blessings.
Therisa! It’s great to hear from you! Yeah, I’m still in Ann Arbor. It’s an expensive place to live, even frugally, but I benefit from others’ affluence. The thrift shops have really good stuff! Glad to hear things are good for you!
You make me feel inspired! I understand that my craftiness is not what makes me but drives me to my crazy happy place, but my day job which I am comfortable with that pays the bills. I can still be inspired by art and creativity and know I am good, I have my day job.
What a bunch of lucky kids in your classroom! I am happy you have found your place in teaching. What a wonderful venue it is to share and teach creative little folks. Hugs to you, for doing so!! I still love your fabrics and I selfishly hope your still share your artistic craft with all of us Quilters. Best of luck with your found path.
Thank you for sharing such an inspirational and deeply personal story.
Thank you for your inspiring story, just at the moment i needed it! Your writing is beautiful, as is your openheartedness! Im so happy for you! Congratulations on your new career!
Thank you so much for your honesty Carrie, and may your future be so much easier, rewarding, and fun than your past struggles.
You’ve got this!!!!!
Bravo! Thank you for having the courage to share your story. Sending you Light & Love
Thank you for sharing this. Your honesty is greatly appreciated.
Carrie, you could have been writing my story as well, as my life combusted in the recession too and I’ve scraped to get by ever since. I’ve also been considering teaching art in a private school setting, since it’s the closest thing I’ve found to being a viable employment option after being out of the traditional work force for more than 25 years. I’m often frustrated by the fact that I work harder than I ever have, yet I made more money working for an architecture firm (not even adjusting for inflation) in 1988 than I do now.
That school is going to wonder how they got so lucky to have you join them, I wish you every blessing in your new endeavor. xo
Congratulations on the new job! Thank you so much for your honesty. So often we see our idols online, on TV, or in videos and think they are living the dream. It is only when you care enough to ask you find out the truth. You are using your gifts and knowledge to open the world for a whole new generation. I find this so exciting. The word is such a better place because people like you are in it. I have to admit, I am pretty envious of your new students. Onward and upward!
Beautiful and refreshingly honest, intelligent answer. There are so many competing paths to take in today’s world. Following the shiny object that we are attracted to may never get us to the best place. You have been very wise to see this. Yes, sometimes the normal, every day path that we formerly overlooked, gives true satisfaction. The joy of providing the good life to you and your family can never be underestimated. Congratulations!
Bravo, you brave brave girl!
I loved reading your story and your open honesty. One thing artists don’t always remember is that you DON’T HAVE TO SUFFER for your art. Do people do it? Yes absolutely, but there is nothing that says you can’t be creative and artistic AND happily fulfilled. It also goes to show you that opportunities lie everywhere if only we open our hearts and minds to accept that they are there!
Thank you for sharing your story
Thank you for sharing your story Carrie. The kids you teach will be so inspired and lucky to have you as their teacher. You have a beautiful family and I am so happy I got to know them a little bit. No matter what you do you are an inspiration. I will truly miss being your neighbor at the art show, and I will miss seeing your gorgeous paintings. You are incredibly talented and I wish you all the best in the future. Luv ya💕
Thank you for this. I’ve shared it for my nieces, nephews, former foster kids, and young friends to see. It’s a constant struggle these days to explain to some that “follow your bliss” doesn’t necessarily end up with a practical way to pay the rent, and it’s TRUE that accepting help from others messes with our egos. There are not as many financially viable jobs available in arts, travel, or physical fitness/sports, as the people who encourage every young person that “there are jobs in the field if you WANT it hard enough” will suggest. It’s nice to get pats on the back for being good at something, but nicer to be able to pay the mortgage and have a little extra to save for the kids’ college and maybe even retirement, someday. I don’t know whether it’s too much competition or whether it’s that people forgot that “starving artist” is a real THING… that MOST artists in history weren’t able to earn a living… whichever is the problem, becoming savvy at online self-promotion doesn’t solve the problem that there is only SO MUCH room in the world for art. It’s an important part of EACH person’s make-up, so important to nurture as a part of raising children, whether we teach it at home or rely upon the schools to teach this important thing… but to suggest that art is a great career for everyone who WANTS to do it as a career, is misleading. MOST of us should do it as a hobby, leaving the field available for the few who are talented enough to CREATE the fabrics, papers, designs, patterns, and equipment that we use to do our hobbies…leaving the field available for sale of REAL art by the few who might be able to make a living at it if there were not so much noise out there. I’m always telling young quilters not to underprice their quilts… it does no good to accept a few dollars for a quilt that doesn’t pay us back for even the supplies, and that causes the general public to believe that a quilt is actually obtainable for those few bucks… on top of forcing those who need to earn the mortgage by quilting, to lose a possible sale…. to lose MANY possible sales. If we are so prolific in quilting that our friends & families are not big enough to accept all our work, then maybe DONATING our work to others is a good idea.
It’s SO hard to find a way to explain to people that they need a day job, that arts (and crafting) is NOT a way to make the mortgage, and that as much fun as it is, and as much wonderful stuff we can make, the self-promotion and work required to actually SELL the work … even the best self-promoter can’t price their work high enough to cover their costs plus a reasonable hourly wage!
I am a hobbyist. In my work life, I was a psychotherapist for a few years, and a lawyer for a few dozen. I used to do career days for middle & high school kids… and always my way of explaining things would be to show the myriad of jobs available in law, from law enforcement to court reporter to interpreter to clerk to lawyer to judge, and that there is a space in the very INTERESTING courthouse for just about every level of interest and education, but they have to be willing to get dressed, show up, on time, ready to work, with the right education and qualifications, and GIVE their employer 8 hours worth of work for every 8 hours worth of pay! AND they’ll have enough salary to pay the rent and buy a few crafting supplies as well… they’ll have plenty of time after their 40 hour workweek to raise a family or participate in sports or enjoy the arts or craft… heck, they can even create art and sell it on weekends if they want… and it’s sucn an important part of being a well-rounded person to deal with issues of our own personal physical health, our own emotional health, and our creativity… but without the FOUNDATION of a DAY JOB, it all falls apart. THANK YOU SO MUCH for writing this, I’m using it to supplement what I tell to my young friends & family members who are just trying to decide on a direction for school and for work. THanks!
Oh, and P.S., Congradulations on making the decision and getting the job. One of my young family members once told me that he was delaying getting a real job as long as possible because he felt that once he started wroking a REAL job, (his way of saying a “day job”), he figured it was “40 years of drudgery”… something the person who paid for his college by being a drudge was not to happy to hear! If ONLY we could find a day job for this young man that would pay the rent that he was qualified for, I’m SURE he would not find it the start of his “40 years of drudgery”… but as long as he has this attitude, it’s going to be hard. AMAZING that you got the job with your very creative resume, but luckily it was a private school, perhaps more willing to have minds open to your creativity… I hope you’ve ditched the baggy linen dress thing, as I’m sure your students find you to be one of the “cool teachers”, and will be imitating your sense of style soon!
My heart is so full for all of you! Thank you for your honesty and insight.
Oh, Carrie, that is wonderful! You are an inspired teacher and all those kids are going to have better lives because of you!
This choked me up Carrie. I don’t know you, but a bundle of your Story fabric was one of the first ones I purchased when I got into modern quilting. It is so pretty, I’ve been waiting for just the right pattern to make it. Now the pattern will have to be extra special because I’ll be thinking of you the whole time I’m making it, and using it. I also love your book. Thank you for your transparency and honesty. I grew up with the notion of not sharing much about yourself, but I am beginning to understand that being open and vulnerable is what also makes us real and lovable. I know you’re an awesome teacher, and those kids are lucky to have you. The best to you and your family. And I’ll keep an eye out for your continued fabric releases, and each line will hold a special meaning for me now.
Oh so well written and passionate! I love your conclusion and last sentence. Your wisdom is showing. Thank you for writing this-I think it will strike a chord with many.
Such an honest account of real life. I cringe when I hear the message to follow your passion… and nothing else. Its only half the message. We have to know that the market may not pay a living for following that passion. You are going to be a fabulous, inspirational teacher!
Those students are so lucky to have you, Carrie. I think you’re going to retire in 20 years and say, “I’m so glad I didn’t keep doing faux finishes.” You know art, but you are mostly an inspiring soul. Lucky, lucky kids. <3
Yes, I know this story so well. Thank you for such an eloquent telling of it.
Blessings on you and your family.
A long time ago, I heard a writer say that the secret to success as an artist is “undemanding hourly work.” I would amend that to “work that feeds your soul and stays at the office when you go home.” I have been trying to break out as an artist on and off for 30 years. I have never had a partner to bolster my efforts, and it seems that to make it as a single person you need to be a workaholic. I love my art, but I love just living life as well. So I have lately found new gratitude for my pleasant and creative day job. With no more self-imposed pressure, I’m actually making progress on my artistic goals for the first time in years.
Thank you for your openness, Carrie, and yes, your openheartedness, for letting us all out here in similar struggles hear your story. I wish you all success.
So very endearing and motivating. Thank you for sharing. <3
I love everything about this. Carrie, your honesty about the struggles of figuring out how to make things work is humbling. I have always admired your creativity and spirit, and now I find myself filled with even more admiration. I’m so happy you have found something wonderful that affords you some peace of mind. Onward! xo L
Just here to say I’m with you in solidarity. I’m also a RISD grad, and I’ve done all kinds of work to make ends meet since graduating in ’08. It always felt like I was not living up to some imaginary potential whenever I took on jobs that weren’t strictly creative. I wish things were a little more transparent, and I’m thankful you’ve shared your story.
Thank you for your honesty and being willing to share your story. I’m sure there are many more stories like this, but we rarely hear them. I worked as a nurse for two years before having children. Then I stayed home as our family grew. We have five fabulous children. While being a stay at home mom I tried to supplement our small income by teaching piano lessons, teaching sewing lessons at the local fabric shop, running an Etsy store and even babysitting (not all at the same time though). Eventually I realized that I would make much more money per hour if I took a regular job. It wasn’t easy but I went back into nursing after a 13 year break. I miss having lots of time for creative ventures, but I don’t miss the economic stress and constant worry. Now I have a regular paycheck and can easily pick up extra hours if I need to cover extra expenses. It is peace of mind and security.
I love the honesty and heart that pours from Carrie in her story of working hard, artistic reaching and ultimately finding needed stability through work that supports her financial needs. Its brave of her to share her personal struggles when “Pursue your passion and it will all work out” is a popular anthem on social media. Carrie is a very talented artist and writer and definitely not alone in her struggle to make ends meet through art. I’m happy to hear she found a way to blend her talents and day job in a way that supports her family. Its a lesson I needed to hear just now: that a day job can ground and support continued exploration of artistic passion. Thank you, Carrie and the Craft Industry Alliance, for sharing her story here.
Carrie, as a fellow leaver-of-the-creative-world, though in a very different role, I hear EVERY brave word you have written here. Thank you for your courage to speak about this in such a beautiful and perfect way. I am glad you can rest easily at night, knowing your family is taken care of. I am sorry for all you have been through but hope where you are finding yourself is so much better. Sending so much love and support in your new endeavors. And those kids in your school … they are so very, very luck to have your light and love. xox
Such an eye-opening account of your life experience as an artist. We just don’t know what others’ lives are actually like behind the screens of social media. It’s a great reminder to appreciate all that we have and stop coveting what someone else has (or appears to have). Thank you for sharing so openly.
Thank you, Carrie, for sharing your self. Beautifully expressed, raw, real, authentic. Wishing you and yours the very best!
This is a very impactful story! I myself am about to embark on the same path but with a similar background. I have a bachelors in art studio and an associates in graphic design. I have practiced linocut printmaking since 2007 and I have sold a few pieces. I am leaving my graphic design job into the unknown. I would like to be an art teacher but like you I don’t have any marketable skills that will bring a steady paycheck. I am used to working a day job and enjoying life doing what I love on the side and weekends. I am not sure what I will do but hopefully something good will happen. Thanks for sharing your story!
Carrie,
Hugs all the way from Texas!
Edna
Thank you for sharing your story. I have worked in the corporate world (Fortune 50) since college. Salary, annual bonus, insurance and a host of other benefits including a pension and 401K plan. I am amazed at the number of the people who ask why I don’t quit and start a business..follow your passion for sewing….sell items you make, teach others, etc. Maybe it shows that few people understand earnings for a wide variety of careers, not just gig economy. I admit I thought about it…for 5 minutes…the numbers don’t sustain the life I want…and I happy where I am.
I don’t raise my children with the adage to follow their passions but to find happiness. Happiness is achieved when you find the right balance of all of life’s elements. I am sharing this story with my teenagers as a testament to that…because your words and pictures resound with finding happiness in your life! So, again, thank you for sharing your experiences!
One of the tough realities is that the universe does not promise us a good salary (or health insurance, here in the USA….) for following our bliss. So many artists over time have had day jobs — banks, post offices, etc. I wonder how many are able to make a decent living on art alone. Maybe the percentage is like the percentage of professional athletes who can live on what they make playing their game? Compared to everyone else who loves and plays that game but isn’t at the very pinnacle of the talent heap?
Even those of us whose work may be thought fabulous by future generations may not be able to earn a living making that work (thinking of Vincent van Gogh….)…..
In my 20s, I was a student at our local potters’ guild for several years. Two (2) of the potters made their living from potting. The rest took themselves and their Art *very seriously* — and were all supported by working spouses. I watched the two who made their living from their pots. They showed up Every. Single. Day. and worked all day. The others came and went as they felt like it……. I looked at that and concluded that potting became a job if you did it 40 or more hours a week, and, if you needed to make work that appealed to enough people to buy enough work to keep you afloat, it’s really a job. (And whether those two people actually made a decent living from all that work, I do not know.)
For me, making work because someone else wants it (rather than because it’s what I love to make) is a job……. A not-very-well-paid job, with no health insurance, no vacation, no sick time…….
Reality is that we need money — for housing, for food, for health care, and for kids’ college. (And for retirement!)
I decided I didn’t want to turn my bliss into a job, and I got a day job.
I worked a day job my whole working life, and pursued my interests in art and craft when not at work. I have recommended this plan to young people determined to follow their bliss, but I don’t think I had any impact.
Vicki, I agree 100%. I hear your frustration with not being heard by young hopefuls… we HAVE to keep up the drumbeat of making sure they have their day job, though. I see the younger generations trying to toss aside traditional employment and pursue their bliss, only to wake up at age 30 with less of the STUFF they love than their drudgery, employer-following friends… it’s as though our generation forgot to tell them anything OTHER than “follow your bliss”… One of these young folks just told me last week that he’d seen an article in Wall Street Journal that studied the issue and concluded that rather than FINDING one’s bliss (like, waiting around till it showed up), MAKING it was the way to go… his interpretation was that you should get yourself a job that pays the bills, and then keep at that job to make it work, follow the process and climb the ladder and it will BECOME your bliss. Well… that’s a good interpretation, but I worried as he was saying it that one of his friends in the group was hearing, “oh, instead of WAITING for something fun to show up, I should just DO fun stuff HARDER and it will BECOME a good way”…
Thing is… the arts, the sports, they are important. But we have to teach the next generation how to manage their PRIORITIES… devote at least 40 hours a week to something that will pay the bills, and then you can organize the rest of your life around your bliss if you choose.
I LOVE these artists who are willing to devote their energies to developing fabrics and materials, patterns and lessons… it improves the art. I am SAD at so many who don’t value the art high enough to make the work something they can use to support themselves! And I am ANNOYED at the career advisors who suggest “follow your bliss”, rather than “work hard to develop the foundation to find a good job what will support yourself… your bliss will follow”. We all need to pass the message of this article along… EVEN THE STARS of the industry often need a “day job”, and that’s a GOOD thing!
Carrie, your common denominator is that you inspire people – whether it is in a classroom or through your visual gifts. I come from a long line of artist/teachers who were able to support a family (barely – but it was enough) and feed their creativity in the off season. I wonder how many of us could actually make it were it not for health insurance costs? The need for adequate healthcare has my family tightly tied to whatever job can get it for us.
My love and best wishes to you on this adventure and for the health and healing of your family.
What a beautifully written article. I admire Carrie’s courage to share such a personal story. I so admire all creatives who give so much to all of us so that we may find our own creative voices. It is a shame that so many people who attend quilt shows or follow these talented designers Instagram, make remarks like “that pattern is way too expensive” or “ can you believe how much money they want for that quilt?” Or complain about the price of fabric which you have put your heart and soul into. I do not have the skills to do what you do and am so grateful for all that you do so that I can learn the skills that you are willing to share with me. We are so lucky to have people like you in our world.
Dearest Carrie,
Thank you for sharing you personal story from your heart. I must say how we have lived very similar lives. I was working a day job while promoting my art and doing well. My husband had his own business so we we’re doing well. But then the unthinkable happened and our daughter was hit by a drunk driver in 2001. My traveling to paint murals and faux finishes was over and my gallery shows of fine art stopped as I didn’t want to create. My day job that carried our insurance had to be let go. Now I am a caregiver and my art kept me from spiraling into depression through it all. I built a new art business, designing patterns, fabric But then the recession hit and my husbands business collapsed. I feel everthing you are going through so personally. I totally relate to the part of feeling like leaking rafts, patches toether with tape, trying to stay afloat. The stress on a relationship can be so fierce. Things are better but not easy and the pressure to perform all the time is exhausting. Thank you for sharing something I was living but was afraid to vocalize. I’m so happy for you, that you have found a job that is creative and will help sustain your family. Love will find a way!
Thank you Desiree….for so honestly sharing your story. Your example of strength, endurance, faith, love, and devotion is beyond inspiration, and all the more gives insight to the power and beauty conveyed in your wonderful art.
Carrie, that is such a heart wrenching story that so many people can relate to. You never know what is going on behind the Instagram /social media face. Teaching art in school will be a perfect place for you to share you knowledge and passion, lucky students. Best wishes.
Congratulations on finding a new path from struggle street that sounds so gratifying. This is a wonderful world of creativity but pull back the curtain and we are all on the fast track to break down from the effort it takes to stay on top of the treadmill and not falling off the back. I wish you the best of luck and balance in your life!
I have loved your fabrics and I admire your story. I find the whole quilting industry to be quite sad: lots of businesses paying designers peanuts and making good money off of their creativity.
I am happy for you and for your family’s stability.
I’ve been a teacher and an artist all of my life, and my creative time has been on weekends and vacations. Sometimes I would tell myself that I copped out, and should have gone for being a full-time artist. I would often feel like I wasn’t a legitimate artist if I didn’t dedicate my full time to it.
Thank you for writing this article to help our community realize what is best isn’t always what is being shouted out on social media. You can have a full-time job and be an artist, too.
A few years ago I retired early and tried to make a go of it as an artist. But I couldn’t afford the basics, especially insurance. So I went back to teaching, and the relief of not having to worry about how I’ll make ends meet is worth it. And I do love teaching the little ones.
Getting to teach art and meet your family’s needs is a real gift, so enjoy the time you have now with your family as well as your students. When they come back to thank you, that’s really a wonderful thing. it sounds like a cliche, but really, it is so special to know that you taught someone how to find their creativity and have them remember you for it.
Carrie, I think your students are very, very fortunate to have you as their teacher. Pour out your love and passion to them and they will blossom and learn things about themselves they had never imagined. My best wishes to you and your family.
Thank you so much for this post! I am sorry that you are in the same position I find myself in, somehow about to be 40 with no real job experience other than my vintage clothing & sewing business that I’ve been running for the past 15 years. I have had success, and in my naivety I thought it would last. The excitement of having “made it” and earning grown up money was short lived however, and for the past few years I have watched my business recede to the point where I can no longer sustain the business, let alone my cost of living expenses. This is all I know, and all I have ever done, but this morning I spent a few hours attempting to patch together some sort of a resume out of the text file that hasn’t been updated since 2003 (where I attempted to pass off being a Barnes & Noble affiliate as a job – haha.)
I am saddened, but comforted, by the amount of incredible, inspirational, talented people around me who are also in the same position. It’s almost as if we are coming out of a dream, and looking at a pile of rubble saying “what happened?” (My hunch is that Amazon Prime happened, and you can’t compete with that.)
I send everyone in this position good luck, hold on to your dreams but know when it’s time to let go. You are in good company, and there is nothing to be ashamed of.
Carrie, Your story touched me in so many ways. Been there, sistah! Life is just not a straight line, is it? Thank you for being so honest and open hearted. (Your self-assessment was accurate.)
I know so many artists and writers whose spouse has the day job and is the bread winner and there’s a reason for that. The average salary for an artist in Canada is $20K a year, well well below the poverty line.
Good luck with the teaching – those kids will present their own challenges but also provide some spirited rewards. Don’t give up that private creative time that nourishes the spirit.
Take care, Carrie.
Thanks, our article is so timely! I’ve spent 7 years trying to build a craft business. When I finished my previous government job of 20 years, and put my kids through University (as a single parent), I thought “Great, now it’s my turn”. It’s been a fun, exasperating, exciting, challenging journey. I’ve learnt a lot, and met so many fabulous people along the way. But, regrettably, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not economically viable. (Not at an unsustainable wage if $1 per hour, compared to my best “real job” at $50ph). Yes, I love custom-making items with my own hands, but that’s not enough. Thanks for the great article, and to everyone for sharing personal comments. These give me a lot to consider, objectively, on how to scale back in an orderly manner, to prepare for my next role (whatever it turns out to be) . All the best for the future, for you and your family. Good on you for your courage in following your dreams, and your strength of conviction deciding to make the change.
Thank you for sharing your story. I love your fabric designs. I’m so glad you will be continuing to design for Windham. I look forward to seeing and sewing with them. May your new career bring you the happiness and stability you desire.
Carrie, like everyone here I applaud your bravery and your honesty. I left my corporate job three years ago and have been hustling at art since. I kept telling myself that it must be possible to make the numbers work, but in my heart I knew it really wasn’t. Your confirmation of that brings me peace. I started interviewing for full-time jobs last week because it does seem like the only practical choice.
You are an asset to that school and I hope that it brings you not just stability, but joy as well.
OMG…so good to hear that I’m not stupid or dim at doing what I have done for 36 years. Fortunately, I have more cushion now than I have ever had in my life thanks to my husband but even with him it’s been touch and go. We live in Canada so when I got breast cancer and couldn’t work…but tried to, I didn’t have to worry about medical bills and I got some subsidy for some of my meds.
I still wanted to do shows so put them on my credit card which I am still paying down 11 years later! When I got my energy back it was 2008 and no one was shopping for the high-end clothing I make…so that didn’t help.
As a senior, my pension helps and I now have my small website business, teaching, and workshops to keep me afloat and still do shows which keep me connected to my arts ‘community’….but I won’t be free to not work until all my bills are paid down and that will be a while yet! Yes…we have to have our ‘side gigs’ too. Thank you for this.
Thank you for your honesty. Your article should be required reading for those considering artistic entrepreneurship. It provides a much needed dose of reality. There is no shame in working a day job while you work your craft. In fact, the majority of small crafty biz owners that I know have a full-time job in an entirely different industry. This reality was hard for me to accept when I first started my business because my mentor kept encouraging me to quit my day job and “pursue my dream.”
Sometimes, you CAN find a way to incorporate your craft into your day job. The current maker space and STEAM movements in school libraries made it possible for me. (BTW, I’m a school librarian.) Attending an ISTE Conference where I learned to hand sew a soft circuit using conductive thread during summer break lead to a grant for supplies and a sewing machine. Now, we craft, build and explore on a regular basis in the library. Most Friday afternoons, I run a sewing club with 8-10 kids. What I learn during club time is invaluable for running my monthly sewing classes and summer camps at the quilt shop where I’m an independent instructor.
My day job provides not only salary and benefits, but is also a source of contacts and potential customers. While I certainly don’t solicit my students (an ethical no-no) – bringing in finished projects for show & tell with interested coworkers (and any parents who might happen to be around) has been an effective method of getting the word out that I make t-shirt quilts. Back in 2012, one of my parent volunteers had a neighbor who owned a quilt shop in a nearby town. This connection enabled me to secure my very first sewing teacher gig.
Numbers don’t lie. Review your budget figures (household and business) on a regular basis. Perhaps you’ll discover a pleasant surprise – you are to the point where you can dial the day job back to part-time status while you continue to build your business. That’s my goal for the next two years.
When I first met you, Carrie, I remember how your eyes sparkled, your energy was vibrant, and your enthusiasm was second-to-none. Thank you for being so transparent and for your courage to share the intimacies of your life. You were born to teach and the hardships you and your family have faced make you that much more grounded and your essence continues to permeate the goodness inherent in your soul. The wisdom you’ve gained through your experiences flows lovingly to those who are lucky enough to be in your presence. I wish you, your husband, your children, and the new children in your life, nothing but the highest and best! May blessings always surround you! xoxo
I wish I had you for an art teacher! You will fire creativity and love for make ng in those young people. If they learn to enjoy making and appreciate art you will have given them a life time of potential joy.
Health insurance is what holds so many people in a job, even one that is soul killing. We need to change that in the U.S. There are some counties where driving a school bus will give you health insurance benefits. Just an FYI to think about.
Thank you for this article. For being so truly honest and vulnerable. I once tried to do a craft business myself and yes, the numbers aren’t there. They’re just rubbish. I couldn’t make enough fast enough or sell it high enough to recoup the costs plus labor I put in. Not to mention my time spent learning the things I didn’t know this to do.
I thank you for the idea of teaching craft. I’m currently contemplating a career change and I have thought about counseling with expressive therapies (ie crafts etc) or teaching arts and crafts to kids.
Thank-you for being so honest. There are so many of us out there, we are creative, talented and driven……but when is it that we feel we have made it? I have 8 published books, own a retail store, am constantly creating and working, work a FT job for benefits etc……. and have had a product on Oprah. But but but……..I still am struggling, and then I think to myself “I have made it” I have done all these things, events, teaching, promoting, helping others to be creative ect… No where in there did it say I was going to make a million dollars. I had to come to the reality that this is enough for me, and that I make and create because I want to. And by sharing and helping others create I feel more accomplished. Best of luck to you in your next chapter……
I don’t need to make a million dollars, but I need to be able to support myself.
Carrie–you are a brave and thoughtful person. Thank you so much for sharing your story. And thank you for teaching ART!
Carrie,
What an honest and great article! I love your fabrics with their funky collage/style. I’m personally so thankful you’ll be designing more in the summers.
I’m a ‘little guy,’ and worked designing quilt patterns while I had a full-time job and also a part-time job at a quilt shop. Eventually, something ‘goes’ because you’re exhausted trying to market and ship and balance the rest of your Life!
Carrie, thank you for Truth-Telling. Those kids will be blessed to receive the love, passion and knowledge you have! God Bless you and your family on your path. ❤️
Thank you Carrie for sharing your story…I’m going to look into buying your fabrics/books. Would it
help you more if I bought them directly from you?
Sending you blessings. P.S. found you via Lori Kennedy’s blog.
Just a quick question, don’t you need qualifications to teach?
You do in Australia, or did I miss that part?
I’m in a similar situation, though I don’t have to make a lot of money, something would be good, but I have considered getting a day job, but no idea what. Thanks for sharing your story.
Hi Leanne, You do in a public school here, but private schools can set their own standards and don’t necessarily require a teaching certificate.
Wow! I was so shocked when I read this and it was a needed reminder that you never know what is going on in other people’s life. I am a corporate tax accountant, very marketable, and make great money. However, I have always envied the stay at home moms whose blogs I read and whose IG feeds I follow. I can’t quit working because I make more than my husband and we need my income. I remember when you posted about building a tree house in your back yard with your kids and I was so sad I couldn’t have that experience. I am so jealous of the time that people who don’t work have–to the point it has eaten me alive a little.
This article is a great reminder that I need to remember everyone has their own demons.
I hope you that you continue to enjoy teaching.
Carrie, thank you for sharing your story. A person never knows what is going on behind the scenes. I wish you all the best in your new job—I’m sure you’ll rock it!
Carrie, You have written a heartfelt sutobiography that is told with eloquent honesty. You have helped so many artists who struggle. All of us do from time to time; some more than others.
My story is that I built a creative business that had clients like Disney and many other major entertainment ,retail and corporate entities. I felt I was just very lucky. I was shy so a promoting myself was hard. It is wonderful to be in demand but the reality is that the numbers have to work. After 30 years, I decided to close the business after my husband retired. I had offers to sell my business but did not want to give up my name or show my declining balance sheet. Doing “my” art was going to be sheer bliss. Before I had begun, my husband was injured in an accident and is now a quadriplegic and I am his caretaker. We are happy but my hands yearn to do something creative.
I think no matter what life brings us, we should continue to be creative. It feeds our souls.