Letter from Delia : Happy New Year! / 2018 Recap

Happy (belated) New Year!  My early 2018 resolution was to plan a 2019 vacation right after Christmas, and that's exactly what I did.  That's why we've been a bit radio silent since Christmas - it's a necessary break after our biggest month of the year.  The comedown from a busy month plus the pressure to start a new year is easier to tackle after a week in the Caribbean!

2018 was a challenging year, but great nonetheless.  I took a risk, and left our lovely little shared cooperative storefront which we had been in since 2016.  I left to take over a much larger, non-storefront space that I could customize for our needs going forward.  While I miss having a storefront and am grateful for the opportunity (it was so fun!), I now have a larger, more professional space with way more awesome equipment that expands my ability to create and focus more on new designs. 

I have two resolutions for 2019 (cannot believe it's 2019 . . . it still sounds futuristic).  First, continue to take risks in order to learn more.  I've never regretted taking a class or hiring someone to who has skills that I don't have to tackle a project.  Learning new things gives me the gas I need to be inspired and creative, and always improves the business.

Second, take time to separate the pressure of running a business from time to be creative.  As a business owner, sometimes you need to take a step back and learn rather than constantly push forward.  As a business grows, it becomes more and more difficult to explore new things and be creative.  You're constantly under pressure to create new content, edit the content, schedule and share that content, and it's easy to forget how you got here in the first place.  Plus, all work and no play stinks.

I've already started some brand new designs for Spring 2019, am enrolled in a 10 week class, and am looking forward to a creative and inspiring 2019!