So it’s a rainy Saturday morning here in Memphis, and gloomy weather has never been a friend to my creativity. Which is why I decided to write about moods vs creativity vs coffee. And more coffee.
Matt is at church working today, as he does every Saturday. I probably should have packed up the laptop and gone to the church with him to do some social media advertising. Its always fun working at the church with Matt and the other pastors and staff. However, he had to be there at eight and I was not really communicating til after ten, so there you go.
So its just me and Baby Daisy here in my office, listening to the rain hit the skylights and half wishing for a nap. The other half is wishing for motivation. The third half (I was always bad at math) is wishing for another pot of coffee. I’m thinking the third half might just win.
Do other entrepreneurs struggle with the “Creative Blah’s” like this, I wonder? Social media is full of perky peddlers of Buy-This-And-Boost-Your-Sales-One-Billion-Percent packages for struggling business owners. But do we struggle due to burnout? Or do we burn out because of the struggle?
Being a Libra girl with more than a touch of ADD, I tend to go through periods of super efficient productivity. I will work weeks at a time on making earrings, photography, editing, and marketing. I’ve been known to spend all day at Painted Tree Marketplace resetting my tabletops and displays. I will wake up in the middle of the night with an amazing new design that I must get down on paper immediately. Thank goodness Matt is a sound sleeper.
And then there’s the flip side.
Miss Super Businesswoman suddenly falls down a cliff into the water, hits her head on a rock, and lies there comatose in the sun (well, rain) while tiny things begin to eat her. Yeah, its that bad.
Creativity comes to a grinding halt. All motivation for building my business has flown out the window. I don’t even want to look at jewelry, much less think about it. Fortunately, these moods are brief. But when they occur, I just want to relax, drink coffee, and throw a ball for Baby Daisy. And then nap.
Now imagine combining this mood with the nagging responsibility of being your own boss. The guilt inherent in knowing that as a business owner, you don’t really have days off. If you don’t make sales, you don’t make money. Its push, push, push all the time…and most of the time you love it.
Like today. I still love it. I love everything about Jentegrity and I’ll never quit the jewelry business. I truly love making people happy with a small trinket that I have created. Besides, I’ve seen this movie before and I know how it ends. The sun will eventually shine again through the skylights overhead and make the sea glass sparkle like colorful gems in King Solomon’s beach house. And once again, I’ll find myself enthralled with the simple beauty of these tiny stones.
But until then, there’s coffee. And a ball.
- Jenn & Baby Daisy