02/28/2026
🚨 Vulnerable post alert 🚨
…. and a long one at that.
tl;dr - I’m stuck in my head, and I don’t like it. Not one little bit.
2025 ended on a high note for me, but so far in 2026 I’ve been feeling a mix of up and down, weighted heavily on the down side of things. Maybe it’s the winter blahs, or maybe it’s the state of the world, or maybe it’s just where I’m at these days, ebb and flow and all that. Either way, this is where I am, right now, in this moment. And I need to share, to get it out.
There’s so many ideas for wreaths and decor pieces floating around my head, and there’s SO MUCH I want to do to grow… but, I’m feeling stuck. It’s like I have all the mental ambition in the world, but none to execute it. Motivation has plateaued.
I’m so, so, so excited about the shows I’m choosing to do this year, and my ideas for my offerings at them. I’m scaling back a bit on how many shows I do, because I want to use more of my weekend time to spend with friends and family, and free up time for my other hobbies. So I’ll be putting more effort into my planning my displays and trying to make them a bit more special. Think quality over quantity.
But also, I’m worried. Really worried. Worried that I’ll go to all the effort of planning each season’s shows and offerings, loading up and lugging everything there, and setting up only to have very little sell… and have to lug it all back home again.
Will people spend? Will they be willing to spend money on something they love, or will they tell themselves it would be frivolous and “now is not the time to ‘waste’ money on things that aren’t necessities.” I get it. I’m in the same boat. Many of us are. And I know my decor pieces are small luxuries many can’t spare the cash for.
And I’m worried I won’t be able to create what I want to create for these shows, that I won’t be able to stick to my own plan, because executive dysfunction is kicking my ass. But that’s a whole other post.
I’ve worked so hard at my “little craft business”, but the challenges keep creeping in – sometimes they’re just there and I stub my toe on them because I haven’t been paying attention, and other times they smack me upside the back of the head out of nowhere even though I looked both ways, up, down and inside-out. Either way, they make their presence known.
Costs keep increasing. Some supplies I use have doubled in price since I started making wreaths just a few short years ago. Sources for wreath supply items are dwindling in Canada. They are harder to find, and with fewer options comes less selection, which leads to less uniqueness among creators.
People are clutching their wallets tighter, at the same time that I’m having to charge more. And I’m still not charging what I’m worth, let alone covering a living wage for my labour (which is something I firmly believe in, btw). But if you look at it through a lens of joy, I’m rolling in it like a pig in muck. Until I look at my balance sheet, anyway. Then I’m just covered in poo.
My social media exposure is decreasing, and my follower count has barely budged in a year, because I don’t post enough. Other “successful” craft-type businesses are posting non-stop, going live multiple times a day, constantly posting new things to attract engagement, always present. Always with one foot in their real life, and the other foot in their social media space. And I just don’t have it in me to do that. Kudos to them, but I’m just not that kind of person, and that’s okay. Right? Right?? Tell me that’s okay.
I love creating wreaths and centrepieces. It is truly my zen. And I don’t want to have to perform to an audience, let alone put on a bra and brush my hair to do it.
I should probably have my biz on Insta, and TikTok, and goddess knows where else, but honestly, I just don’t want to. I’d need to be generating way more content to grow my following, and that’s just not where I want to direct my limited energy — I work full time, have a chronic autoimmune disease and am on the spectrum (and probablymostdefinitely undiagnosed ADHD), and I have other hobbies and commitments to nurture. Another reason is because to keep growing my following and reach more customers, I’d need to eventually be paying for more exposure. In principle, paying for a service from which I benefit doesn’t bother me, but in this instance, it just doesn’t feel good to me.
How do I exist and thrive as a craft business, if I’m not playing the social media game? Is it even possible? I just don’t want to be a slave to an algorithm.
Sometimes I wonder if I even belong in the year 2026.
One thing that I remain certain of is my talent, and my desire to share the joy of my creations with others. I’ve had a lot of successes behind the scenes, and I am grateful, but I feel like there’s so much more within my grasp, if I’d just reach out for the opportunities. The problem is, I’m not sure where to reach or what exactly I’m reaching for. Where do I want to go with this? And how do I want to get there?
Some days I feel like I’m successful, and some days I feel like I’m a failure. And it all depends on what my definition of success is that day.
Some people might think this should just be a private journal entry, but by sharing our struggles and not just our triumphs, we let others know that they’re not the only one struggling, that they are not alone in their stuckness or frustration or confusion or uncertainty. I believe when we share our vulnerabilities, we give others permission and courage to be more open, honest and authentic. And that’s the kind of world I want to live in.
Anyway… how are you all doing?
