Thursday, September 18, 2008

Be Careful What You Ask For....

I’m not really sure if I am coming or going, but this isn’t the first time that life has suddenly gotten chaotic. I remember when I first made the decision NOT to return to the ad agency where I had been working up until Erin was born. Nick and I weren’t sure if we could swing things with me working from home. We knew that his salary alone wouldn’t be enough to cover our expenses, so I set about taking on every logo, copy writing and translating job that I could find in order to bring in as much as I could to help. Often, that meant working every moment that Erin was asleep for a nap or even until the wee hours of the morning. I even did my second cross stitch trade show ever with her as an infant. We flew my sister to Charlotte from Vancouver, Nick manned the trade show booth to take orders and I ran back and forth between show and hotel depending on my 3 month old’s feeding schedule!

When Bethany was born 4 years and 5 days after her sister, things hadn’t changed all that much. I’d become established as a cross stitch designer... enough that I didn’t do any trade shows that summer due to “my newest release”, but I had sold the rights for 3 designs to a Brazilian magazine for $1500 US, hoping that would give me at least a month of maternity leave. Sadly, the magazine took the charts and slides then disappeared from the address they’d given me without ever sending their payment. Bethany learned to sleep against my chest as I worked at the computer during her “naps” since she would cry whenever she wasn’t held unless exhausted.

Since I began supply teaching, I have barely had any time off. This is good because I really do need to replace the income that had dropped over 300% in the past 2 years from cross stitch. This is also frustrating because my fingers are itching to work on 2 new drawings for my portfolio and the book dummy for “One Grumpy Dragon” which I intend to take with me to the SCBWI conference in New York at the end of January. Then of course there is floss to snip for the CreativFestival.

Like I said. Be careful what you ask for... you just might get it!

4 comments:

erisraven said...

I feel for you with the disappearing-purchase thing. My hubby's a freelance writer, and it's happened to him before as well. I wish you luck!

Round the Bend said...

Sounds like a mixed blessing, but hopefully it will buy you some time later on that you can use as you please...

Also - I'm stuck at home with two kids and bored. I'd snip floss and tie it onto cards in exchange for a copy of all your CreativFestival designs. The barter system... alive and well?

Teresa said...

Hi, Jennifer!

Having been out of the needlework loop for a couple years, I was thrilled to find your blog. Reading it, however, back through many posts, made me sad and angry. The pattern piggies are still at it and more voracious than ever it seems?

I hope that you can find a happy resolution for yourself and your family. Good luck with the new venture!

I'll be keeping up with your blog from now on and hoping to hear that things are going well for you!

Teresa/LadyDoc

Anonymous said...

Jen, I would be happy to help snip, and collate! Just send a msg on packrat.

Sue