Teaching some kiddos to crochet.

It’s been suggested/out right reported back to me that my hand crafted items – whatever they might be – bring smiles, delight, and comfort to those who receive them. I don’t share that to boast, I share that to make a point.

I find myself often putting time, effort, and love into gifts for others and generally speaking I think the items or designs are lovely. I rarely think something is “ugly”.

It’s sort of my thing, I suppose. To bring some beauty into the world around myself, to give something beautiful to others. To make something special for others.

The shows I’ve been doing recently haven’t been what some might call financial successes. The entrance fees/donations have at times cost me more than I’ve made there. (Although I’ve received commissioned work requests from contacts I’ve made at them so they weren’t a total bust.) The lack of financial success is likely for any number of reasons of which I’m working on addressing. (The biggest it seems, other than over saturation of certain products, is that I might be at the wrong shows as some of my work is a little more trendy or edgy than the shoppers are looking to purchase. The general craft show demographic isn’t my target audience.)

But I don’t feel mostly that the shows were failures. What I have taken away from the shows that weren’t as financially rewarding? Making people smile, chatting with strangers when they seem like they needed a friend, taking the time to teach two little boys that crocheting is fun, relaxing, and not just for girls, having to “sell myself” (which I hate doing) and bringing a bit of sunshine to the world.

Maybe not lucrative, but surely rewarding. Perhaps that is a greater success.