So That Was Fun

#marchmeetthemaker day 3 is HOW YOU STARTED. Like many of the people sharing their Meet the Maker story, I have always been a creative person. I have always made things. Any things. I am not afraid to dive in on any project and figure it out as I go. I love learning. Period. But having the confidence to put my talents in front of others & ask for money in return? Nope. Having the faith in myself to even THINK about starting my own business? Nope. Everything I know, everything I do is self-taught. I dropped out of college & without my degree, I did not feel legit. I settled for many years of customer service & support work. I took on a hardcore helper mentality. “When my boss wins, I win.” I hid behind the team player thing and refused to step into any sort of spotlight. I thought I didn’t deserve it. “People who follow through with college & earn their degrees deserve to move on & move up.” Unfortunately, I convinced myself these things were true. Until God saw that I really was believing all of this crap and getting farther and farther away from who I was supposed to be. So The Good Lord kicked me in the pants. HARD. My pants-kicker came in the form of the very last boss I intend to ever have. He was a spoiled, inept & mean guy. Worse than any of that, he was abusive. When this job finally went down in flames I had a revelation. I realized that the white hot anger I felt towards this man and his abuse was actually what many call the fire in my belly. I vowed never again to allow myself to be treated so badly. I forgave myself for hiding behind dead-end jobs all those years. And most importantly, I dove in to my deepest secret dream… owning my own creative business. With blind faith and wildly out of control enthusiasm, I talked my mother into opening Gifted with me. Within four months we had the keys to the space we were going to renovate. My husband, my best friend, my Mom all joined my march in to the unknown. I made mountains of lists, I cried, I made my friends and family crazy, I triumphed, I hustled, I figured things out and I worked my ass off. I never looked back. That, my friends, is how I started. If you read this to the end, gold star & much love to you! ❤