Trade Secrets - to keep your head above water

This week's Trade Secrets come from Brigitte of Purls of Colour, who might have read too many motivational books for her own good.

Stay cool!

It's the recession, and the living is not easy. People's pockets are empty, the purses that still have a few coppers are shut, and although there is a loudly proclaimed trend to prefer homemade to shop-bought, it means that often people want to make things themselves, not buy anything YOU've made.

Don't hang up your hat yet
(light blue yarn by Lindsay Crafts, yellow yarn by Pancake and Lulu on Etsy)

So there you are with your lovely unique goodies on Etsy, feeling like a contestant on the x-factor, hoping to be discovered for your talent, and wondering who to blame or sue if that isn't happening or if members of the panel sneer at you.

You spend your last food money on a market stall (don't do this if you still have to feed the goldfish), and get no return, eating your supplies of Baked Beans for the next couple of days.

Your friends think you have a lovely time sitting in the garden crafting away (which admittedly, you do), but they go out in the evening, while you update your Etsy descriptions again, put a treasury together, or decide what else you can do without (if these Crocs die a death, I can really live without them, I really really can...)

The Craft sector - La Boheme 2010...

So what do you do when Etsy bombards you with 1001 success stories, but you are not one of them? I do love getting tips from Etsy, but it sometimes feels like looking at beautiful people with perfect white teeth, while your worst nightmare is that yours are falling out!

Here are some Purls of Wisdom (thanks to Ruth for that expression!) for when the going is tough, or when nothing seems to be going at all:

Aaahhh, bliss!

- whatever you do, buy good coffee - even when you spend your last money on it, because you'll love it, especially on days when the world just doesn't seem to love you!
(same goes for chocolate)

- get out into the sun, even if it is an Irish one and it doesn't last for long. It does you good, gives you new ideas, and is free! Remember Baz Luhrmann though (wear sunscreen!)

- encourage your friends to share their awful office stories and remember how much you hated the air conditioning and the instant coffee!

- share a good moan with other crafters

- ignore any success stories and good advice at least for a day. Focus on your own!

I love myself

Repeat to yourself:

- I love my craft!

- I believe in handmade. I am a crafter, a creative by heart! I don't 'do' mass-produced. I want to create something gorgeous and one of a kind!

- My products are great, because...(list about 10 good things about them, without any but!)

- the only person that is exploited in my business is myself!

- my business is my choice! If I wanted to, tomorrow I could be a (tick as appropriate) astronaut, actor/actress, chat show host, celeb, IT guru, materchef, model, politi...no, delete that one!

Feel better?
No?

Now where's that coffee then?