Musings: Closing Out the Year

2020 has not been the best year for many of us. It has been a rough ride for some who lost their jobs, their family members, friends and colleagues, homes, and more. Some have lost their faith in a system of government that is meant to be for the people and by the people, while others have had their worst fears confirmed. I am hopeful for the future, but prefer to spend my energy concentrating on the things I can actually do to help in everyday life: be kind, choose love, support small businesses, try to support healthy and sustainable products and practices whenever possible and practical.

Here at the Studio, the year has had many ups and downs. I started giving horse lessons at the beginning of the year only to have to say good-bye to Tempest, who was our last horse, due to lung cancer in May. I've spent most of the year concentrating on the long list of past custom orders (as well as new ones). My freelancing job has picked up with additional work, tasks, and responsibilities, which helped soothe the loss of shows, but it also left me with less time to work on those commissions and new items, which also means a lot less income.

I miss interacting with people more regularly. I miss teaching. I miss camping and costuming. But I also find that I'm very good at being a hermit and that going out and "peopling" for our basic supplies is more draining than ever.

Some of you may know that I've recently begun growing my YouTube channel. This has involved working to get over my crippling self-confidence issues of seeing myself on camera and listening to my voice. I'm getting there, and it is improving over time as I learn to concentrate on the point of the video and not on the size of my backside or how big my chin looks.

I've also been working on my photography skills and branching out to things like farm tours. (More on that to come later. The first one is scheduled. We will fine-tune it from there.) It's an exciting yet worrying time, and I hope it will be a good expansion to our little small business next year.

What sorts of challenges did you overcome this year? What projects did you work on? What did you learn about yourself in 2020? What plans do you have for next year? I really would love to hear about it. We wish you the very best of the holiday season. Look for new content to come here and on our YouTube channel in January 2021. I plan to do some costuming things, so spinning things, some armor things, and who knows what else. If you are interested in contributing to the effort, or just sheep treats, please feel free to donate using the button here:

Stay safe, stay well, and happy crafting!