So, what has Etsy meant to me? It's meant a place to
sell my art. It has meant being able to participate in a community of like-minded artists, and some not so like-minded. :) It's meant learning a LOT and then sharing that with others. It has meant growing to know some pretty spectacular people. Oh, and it has meant addiction.
Yep, addiction. My personality type is a helper, a mediator. I'm an INFP/INFJ and a 9w1, Myers-Briggs and Enneagram respectively. Recently, for a new job, I tested quite high in customer service skills. In past jobs, I've been a techie, helping via phone and in person. And a software analyst. So along come the
Etsy Forums. Lots of people have questions. I either know or have learned the answers. So I share. I gather information of oft asked questions and
chart. I make note of
answers not in the Help section and
links touted but not on the site. I read and learn and write and teach. This is such a big part of what Etsy is about. It's a great part. Great.
Great. Yeah. At 10,000 topics posted in, I am generously asked to write a
Storque article. Wow! Threads are posted asking how many topics people have posted in and I always "win".
Well, at 16,340 I decide I need to step away for a while. I tried to just step away from the forums, but going to my shop led me back in. So now I shut down my shop for a while to assist in breaking what feels like an addiction. If I got paid for it, I would feel differently, but it doesn't pay the bills and has become a black hole for my time. Oh, I LOVE it and it feels so rewarding to me, but I need to pay more attention to the rest of my life for a while.
So, I'm starting a new full-time job soon and will be focusing on craft and art fairs. Maybe now I'll take the time to get my work into more Brick and Mortar (B&M) stores. (Learned that on Etsy.) Maybe I'll check out some of the other sites more thoroughly, though I know they pale in comparison to Etsy. Maybe I'll build a stronger connection with more of my friends. Ah... saying this makes me realize I will miss the friends I've made on Etsy.
So, wish me luck. I wish you luck, prosperity and all the goodness life has to offer. We all deserve this.
Remember to keep Etsy kind and generous. Don't let the nay sayers take over! In one of my last posts, I said this and I fully believe it:
"I think it's more of a challenge to be truly compassionate in life than to go around ranting about the wrongs of the world.
Both can be effective, but the experience is wholly different."(You know I'll be back...)
