Define Your OWN Handmade Success
In the past few months of writing for Handmade Success, I’ve been talking about the Obstacles to Success and how to move them out of your way.
But there’s one thing missing from the equation: YOUR definition of success.
Before you can start moving towards your own Handmade Success, you need to define that for yourself.
Other Definitions
Our crafty world has many examples of success: from the blogger who got a book deal to the artist who sold out at a show to the crafter who lands on Martha Stewart.
It’s easy to get caught up in those big dreams, in those outward signs of success.
To think: if I just had THAT, I’d have a successful craftybiz.
But remember: each of those examples is just a MOMENT in that crafter’s life. It was a goal that she worked towards…and then when she reached it, she needed to set a new goal and work towards that.
You can, if you set that same goal, work towards it (in fact, I created a Map-Making Guide to help you with that)….but first, ask yourself:
Is that the success you want?
What does success in your craftybiz look like to YOU?
If you were in an internet-less bubble, and couldn’t see what all the craftybizes around you were doing…what would you want from your biz?
It’s very easy (so easy!) to think that what other people are doing is what you should be doing. What they have is what you should want to have.
But that’s the beauty of crafting your own business (and life):
You have permission (and the power) to create the business (and life) that YOU want.
It doesn’t matter if it looks like anyone else’s.
If you want to write a book. Or you don’t.
If you want to license your work. Or you don’t.
If you want to sell at craft shows. Or you don’t.
So take a minute, right now and think about your craftybiz.
What would it look like if it made you delightfully happy?
I’d love to hear about your own craftybiz success dreams in the comments!
Tara Swiger crafts independence, pilots a Starship and wants to help you make your own map to success. If you’re craving some free business-smarts for your craftastic adventure, get free SparklePointers delivered right to your inbox.
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7 Responses to “Define Your OWN Handmade Success”
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I would call my crafty biz a success if it supported me & my family comfortably and didn’t make me feel overworked and under-appreciated, or compromise my ideals.
Hmmm….great thought provoking question!
This really makes me focus internally, when I put myself inside that “internetless bubble”….
I see myself delightfully happy and successful having the freedom to create beautiful, whimsical things of beauty…out of whatever materials I envision, (not just what I can maybe find on sale at the time!) And to take the visions of my customers, and create objects of beauty for them to have a flutter of delight in their everyday, every time they look at it.
Hmmm…hence, my tag line makes sense: “Whatever is LoVeLy,…think on these things”
Cool!
Another step to the right track! Just now, I am aware of it…
Thanks so much!
Becky
The internet-less bubble. That’s the trick. I’ve been trying to put myself in that bubble lately ~ your post came along at a very opportune time. I don’t really have an answer right now, but the question is at the front of my mind. When I figure it out I’m sure the burden of comparison will lift and I’ll continue on with my little biz more blissfully.
Thanks Bunny, Becky, and Sarah! I’m so glad that you found it timely…it’s something I’ve been thinking a lot about myself!
[...] I wrote for Handmade Success about Defining Your Own Success. This is a huge part of making a map – knowing what YOU really want and giving yourself [...]
Great advice Tara! I tell my clients this all the time. Dream big, but make it your dream, not someone else’s.
Looking forward to meeting you in person at CCE!
I am new to the online business world, and I have actually been pondering what I hope to get out of thislately. And I think it’s not just putting my product out there, which of course I am passionate about. But more a legacy and a “you can do anything you set your mind to” attitude I hope to leave behind to my daughter. It’s all so exciting!