{Vacation Mode}

So, you may be craving some retail therapy. But not just any retail: Etsy. But hold it. Why is everyone's shop closed? Vacation Mode? Are all of these business owners taking vacations?!

Let me explain.

A few months ago, Etsy announced that they would be increasing their prices by 30% starting April 11th. As a result, many shop owners rallied together and decided to protest the changes by putting shops on vacation mode for a week, starting April 11th. They also encouraged customers to refrain from shopping on the platform for the week as well. At first I was torn. My shop truly does not make a ripple in the sea of Etsy big business. But...those fee increases sure as hell rains all over MY shop. When we boil down all of the fees, listing, shipping, overall Etsy fees, I'm making just a couple of dollars per sale. The truth hit me hard: I can not afford to use this platform. I've already increased prices slightly to make up for the "free" shipping, but in the end, I'm still losing out.

So...my shop is closed. I'm not sure what will happen to the future of Ghost Rose Art. The plan at the moment is to take a breather from making products. I still want to have a huge summer shop drop, but will it be the last hurrah? Who knows. In the meantime, I'm researching ways to possibly sell my work via Facebook or Instagram. I'm also making greater efforts to update my website--hence this blog.

I'll be honest, things have not been great for me creatively. I've fallen into the "comparing myself to others" vortex and it's been draining my desire to make anything. But you know what? I'm tired of feeling this way! So last week, I deleted my socials from my phone. I still check via the computer, but limiting my phone time is like a breath of fresh air. I think deleting social media completely is like getting bangs: do it little by little. Otherwise the shock is too great and all you can think is "WHAT HAVE I DONE?"

Anyway, I'm hoping to work on a few sketchbook ideas this week and possibly some actual paintings. Over the weekend I finished two digital pieces that I really love. I posted them in my digital portfolio. I'm hoping to get a bit more organized and actually describe my projects as I work on them so I can give a more behind the scenes look into my studio. I also hope to upload to YouTube more often. There is a video going live today at noon that shows what I did over the weekend. It may seem silly, but...it was a really healing video to make.

That's all for now. I have to put myself together and drift on over to work this morning. I've been up since 5am and feel like I've accomplished more in two hours than I have all year. Let's hope this momentum continues.