The Shift
This month has been a time of great shifts here at the Arete Studio. Not only for our business model but also for my personal experience of what happiness means to me. When your passion is your job, sometimes it’s tough to find a healthy balance of work and herbal play time. I noticed recently that I have been lacking in the creative department and I find myself yearning to create more and to allow myself to get lost in the flow of new experiments.
It all started after two of my vendor helpers moved on to different paths. I struggled to find the right person to fill the open position. After what seemed like a lengthy and tireless search, I came up empty handed. I had to step up to the plate and take over all of the markets that I previously committed to PLUS do everything else!
It was then that I had the realization and the mental shift. This was not the way I originally envisioned my herb business journey. I set out two years ago to build an online storefront and to write meaningful and inspiring blogs about plant wisdom, herbal wellness, seasonal living tips, and how to live more authentically & purposefully. But, at the beginning, no one knew about my website and I had minimal followers on social media---how could I reach my tribe? Thus, I was pulled in to the farmers market hustle! This allowed me to connect with the local community, sell my wares, and develop a following. After two years of this market grind, I find myself going back to the beginning--the original dream and game plan.
HOORAY! It hit me! Maybe now is the time to go back to the drawing board and set new intentions for what I really wanted. Arete now has a substantial following and I think I can have some fun now! I cut my farmer’s markets in half and will be personally vending them myself (Don’t worry; our online shop is always open!). Don’t get me wrong, the markets have been super important and such a great experience these last two years! But, I’m ready to shift my energy in a new direction.
Up until now, I felt that I had to suppress my creative urges because I had all of these “deadlines” and more important pending actions that needed my immediate attention. By clearing my plate and stepping back to re-frame and re-envision, it has opened the flood gates of creative inspiration! This is what has been missing and what was leeching from my happiness reserves. Not to mention clouding the purpose of it all. I now find spontaneous creative moments coming to me in my sleep (i.e new product epiphanies) and in the middle of the day! When these spontaneous, mid-day creative sparks hit me, I’m now allowing myself to entertain them and ride the wave of inventiveness! I am giving myself permission to have the time and flexibility to play!
Oh the joy of play and freedom! I’m finding happiness once again by rekindling the sparks of passion that originally lead me down this green path. All of this came from what at the moment seemed like an unfavorable situation. After opening my mind and stepping back to see the whole picture, I could then grasp that the Universe had a better plan for me—to rediscover the direction that I really wanted this business to go.
The take away of this? Allow time for play and creativity in your life. It might just fill that indistinguishable void that’s been keeping you down and not permitting you to be your highest self. Moving forward, this new direction that I’m venturing towards frees up more time to staying better connected with each of you via social media (Instagram is my fav!) and these now semi-regular newsletters/blogs! I’m on a mission to launch new + fun products in the coming months, so be sure to stay tuned!
Cheers to a renewed sense of inspiration!
What new directions would you like to shift your energy towards? What creative ventures are calling to you? Tell me by leaving a comment below!