It’s no secret that this is a new endeavor for me, but that doesn’t mean that we’re starting from zero when it comes to organization and structure. In 2015, I was let go from my job and it floored me. I didn’t know what to do next with my life. I moped around for a bit, but then picked myself up and looked around at what I had been missing out on while I had had my nose to the grindstone at a place that didn’t appreciate my efforts or skills. I had forgotten that I had hobbies that I enjoyed and that was how I met people (and ultimately got that job that sucked 5 years of my life away).
That was almost 8 years ago now. That time was a bit of a struggle, but I did learn a lot about self-reliance and the idea of a “side hustle” was really starting to be something that many people were doing in their off-hours, but it wasn’t until much later that the media started reporting on it. There were two things I did in that time that changed the trajectory of my attitude. First, I started crocheting again. Adjacent to that, I decided to get myself the birthday gift of learning how to spin wool into yarn at my local community center. Second, I started doing more research on crochet and discovered Twitch and that there was a creative community that was live streaming their crafting. And I joined them.
Through trial and error, what I felt was a bit of common sense, some collaboration, and a great community, I got a tenuous grasp of what a soloprenuer business might look like and how you might want to set up accounts, market yourself, keep track of related events and holidays and leverage that to your advantage. I learned that people you interact with consistently can be really supportive, and on the flip side, there are random people who will come and say the meanest things. Just because they can. Not only did I go through all of this, Twitch was also. Policy, guidelines, and available tools were constantly changing and being added, trying to get control of the rampant bad actors. I learned you need to be fast to adapt and flexible when things don’t go smoothly.
I haven’t fully “quit” streaming on Twitch, but its been quite awhile since I turned that camera on. Learning all about notary work, responsibilities, and most importantly, connecting with fellow stampers, part of me feels pretty similar to when I found my crafting communities on Twitch.
Citrus Signings 