Completed - Start an Etsy shop

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UPDATE: On January 19th I finally put up some listings! I have a shop AND I have things in it! We'll see how this goes :)

38. Start an Etsy shop (12/1/2017)

I FINALLY PICKED A NAME!! All it took was insomnia!

I was awake until about 3 AM on the 1st and during that time I was brainstorming. (It's amazing what you can do when you have nothing to distract you.) I wanted a name that was unique and that had some meaning behind it. To do that, I tried looking for ideas relating to something I liked, to my design style/abilities, or to my experiences and life.

Some of my brainstorming (past and present):
  • Daisy-related
  • Sunshine/happy things
  • flowers - especially roses or tulips
  • my name + design/design studio
  • twists of my name (backwards, scrambled, etc)
  • "Kind of Creative"
  • And a slew of other random words
Around 2 AM, my thoughts went to my vitiligo. Maybe I could do a name related to that? It is literally something about me. In all honesty, my skin condition is something that I rarely think about and that most people say they don't even notice. But I was desperate so I went with it for a minute. And then, my summarized thought process:

Vitiligo...it's like I have spots...
Could I do "Spotted" something?...No that's weird...
...spots...dots...patches? Patches. Patch. 
Patch....work. Patchwork!! That's a real thing!
Patchwork Design...Wait I like that....
Are there reasons why that could work??

And then, my many reasons why "YES, IT DOES WORK!!!"
  • My design style is kind of like a patchwork - I take artwork, fonts, patterns, images, etc. (all beautiful on their own) and piece them together to create another work of art.
  • Patchwork quilts require organization and the details are extremely important - I am very organized and detail-oriented when it comes to design. 
  • My experience in design is a patchwork - I have worked in a print shop and done a little bit of everything, and that has helped me to learn many different styles to reach more people.
  • There are quilt blocks that have been around for a while, but each person can add their twist to it - I do the same with design. I like making things that are familiar, but that have elements to make them a little better.
  • Patchwork quilts take time and effort, yet they are a labor of love - I want my designs to show that I care about what I'm doing and that I want to piece together just a customer wants/needs.
  • It's a cute name and it met my "not too long" criteria. 
These are all a little cheesy and I may be grasping at straws for some reasons, but I liked finding meanings for myself in the name. I almost called it Patchwork Printables, because that's probably what I'll mostly sell, but I thought a little further down the road. Eventually, I would like to do more custom work than just printables. In the morning I decided I wasn't going to second-guess myself and the first thing I did was set up everything up. And so, my Etsy shop was born....I am PATCHWORK DESIGN


So...technically I had to go with "PatchworkDesignShop" for my shop name and social media handles, but "shop" is just a filler word. On Etsy there are a 4 other shops that have "Patchwork" and "Design" in their names, but one of them is for actual patches, one is for bicycle gear, and the other two are for actual patchwork quilts. But I'm super excited to finally have a name :) And it's so funny to me that the one thing that I would NEVER use for a name helped me find the one I ended up using!

Next, creating things and listing them! I've been behind on work, so I haven't done anything else with my shop yet. I might have jumped the gun a little bit, but I would rather have everything set up and then create, than the other way around. I like having a good foundation :) But just you wait! I've got lots of ideas and next week I'm getting to work! I do have a Facebook page and an Instagram account set up too, so go show me some love!

Huge shout outs to Saya, Sara, Amanda, and Jonathan for being my cheerleaders and helpers!!

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