I’m Still Here
19 October 2022
It’s been awhile and I’ve been M.I.A. recently. I realized that I was getting burnt out and life was shifting, and I just needed a moment to take a step back. The past couple months I’ve taken time for myself and have been reflecting about my business and other creative endeavors. In the past month, I have also switched jobs and my routine has been jumbled which has thrown me for a loop. Now, I’m finally feeling like I’m getting settled into my new routine and am ready to get back to the grind.
During my couple months away, I’ve had ample opportunity to reflect and have had new ideas sprout up. This summer I was pushing myself to do so much at once that I forgot why I do what I do. I felt I lost my passion for creating jewelry and I wasn’t enjoying it as I once was, but I think I was just experiencing burnout. Burnout is a crazy thing and if you don’t take time for yourself and the things you enjoy, you’ll definitely feel the effects of it.
In my time of reflection and self care, I was enjoying the small things in my life more. I was taking time to spend with my friends, family and to be by myself. In the moments I was alone, I did lots of journaling and got back into my hobbies for just me. There was no agenda to make money off my hobbies or make a post to show that I’m doing something, I was purely doing them just for me and the feeling of joy they brought. I made myself new jewelry for the hell of it and I painted just because I wanted to paint not because I felt I had to.
Starting to do the things I love and doing them purely for the love and happiness it brought me was one of the biggest takeaways from my break. It also helped me understand why I do what I do and like I said before, I do these things because it brings me joy but I also do them because they have brought me a sense of community. I realized that I like to be creative because it is a way for me to connect with my community, my creativity has allowed me to meet new people who share similar interest as me. It has brought me a sense of community and has helped me feel connected with people more than ever, and that is why I do what I do.
I make jewelry, I paint and go to markets & pop-ups because each one brings me joy, but I do them to feel connected to the community and the people I meet. Yes, I do create things just for me and my happiness, but I am creative because I know the community it has brought me and the amazing people I have met along the way. As I grow and understand myself more, I am realizing how much people and connecting with others means to me. There are so many amazing people in the world and you can learn so much from each other which is something I hold close.
Now, that I have shared my reflection I guess I should also share what is next for Kabenzie’s. Like I said, I was pushing myself and taking on too many things at once during summer that I was experiencing burnout. I stopped enjoying creating and I felt done with Kabenzie’s, but deep down I knew I wasn’t done I just needed a break. I think the next step is finding consistency with my business and finding a balance of work, events and creating. Growing my online presence is a goal I have for Kabenzie’s as of now and making my website better than before.
Instead on focusing on producing items for events, I want to focus on curating items I am in love with and making a space for them on my website first. With the day and age we live in, our digital presence is more prominent than ever and I want to learn to navigate that more. I want to create a better digital presence for my business and a space to share all my jewelry and creations. Updating my website with new products, finding new ways to sell and building my online portfolio is the next step I am taking in order to build Kabenzie’s and create something I am proud of. Building my online presence is the first step and then I want to get back to markets and pop-ups, and connecting with my community IRL is the ultimate goal.
So, that was my update for you all and I just wanted to let you know I am still here and I plan on building up my business into something I am proud of again. I miss the markets and I miss connecting with everyone, and I can’t wait to get back into it very soon!
With lots of love,
Kabenzie :)