Cat Lady Coffee Clutch: Real Talk...

Time for a gossip/catch up session, friends.  I've somewhat been avoiding this post for a few weeks now, even though what I'm going to say is actually quite positive.  So anyway, let's do this heart-to-heart, a coffee clutch amongst girlfriends style.

Over the past several months, I've been hemming and hawing in many ways.  If you know me personally or follow me on social media, you may or may not know that I suffer from anxiety.  Over the last several months, I've hit a particularly rough patch for some reason.  What's funny is this recent bout of nervousness has had no explicit trigger...things personally and professionally are going well and none of my "problems" are out of the ordinary, but alas, random and irrational define the nature of the beast that is generalized anxiety.

Anyhow, in the mix of all of this, I've tried my best to keep up with prepping for handmade markets this summer.  And I just can't.  That's not to say I haven't been creating.  Quite the contrary, actually.  I've come up with some really great new ideas and made some important tweaks...but more on that in a second.  What the "I can't" means is simply that I am choosing not to pursue any shows this summer for my own well-being.  Between my day job workload and getting mental health back on fleek after a rough couple months, I really just need some rest.  Yes, creating is therapeutic.  Scrambling and rushing to get yourself ready for a show, while juggling a million other things, is a whole new beast, though.  I'm in need of a proverbial cat nap.

While I'm sad that handmade markets aren't in the cards for me this summer, I couldn't be more excited about what's on the horizon for Lady and the Cat.

The best part of my self-imposed vendor vacation is that now I can really take the time and care to refine some of the new ideas and tweaks that I mentioned a second ago.  In less than two years, I've done more with Lady and the Cat than I originally set out to accomplish in that time frame, and I couldn't be more pleased, but I often beat myself up for not working on my handmade line every day until my fingers are bleeding.  I had to finally remind myself that I'm doing this because I love it.  Because it's fun, and it creates a connection between myself and people with common interests.  Because it was always intended to be a form of therapy/hobby with the possibility of becoming lucrative, and not the other way around.  And truthfully, even exciting new ideas and concepts couldn't stop me from feeling like I was grinding my gears too hard.  Hence, a re-evaluation of priorities and this garbled blog post.

I'd much rather take some time off in order to make my brand better for the long haul, rather than churn out some mediocre cat poop just to say that I have another show under my belt.  I'd much rather get my anxiety in check and re-charge my batteries than drive myself up a wall to bring in a few extra bucks this summer.

I can promise a couple things, though.  One is that I do plan to continue working on my website while I am away from vendor shows, and I can't wait to finally share the finished product with you all!  The second thing is that the accessories you (hopefully) already love about Lady and the Cat will be back and even better as soon as humanly possible.  I am confident that if you already dig my handmade line, you will love what is to come!

As for this blog...while the posts may not be as frequent in the upcoming months, I definitely don't want to stop posting completely.  Writing is another great outlet for me, and I think utilizing the blog for brainstorming and such is going to work in my favor.  So you're in all sorts of lucky if you happen to enjoy nonsensical, creative-type cat lady ramblings and rants.

Okay.  I've yapped enough for all of us.  If you've made it through today's novel, you're a superhero and a gem, and I couldn't love you more.

Xo*
Jess