I'm so playful at heart, that I can't help gravitating toward toys. Everything I make is a toy. If I make a quilt, I'm thinking about how it will be played with. If I make curtains, I consider stitching in secret pockets, and obsess about making the rod secure enough to survive if the curtain panel becomes an impromptu dance partner, or is draped over a chair to create a fort. My Etsy shop is a product of this love of playful creation.
I'll never forget the feeling of posting my first meager listings. I wasn't so much excited as terrified. I was developing original product ideas and designs and setting them free in the world, holding my breath as I waited to see if anyone would care.
The first order that came in meant so much more to me than the $12 in my Paypal account. It was a key moment of validation that nudged me forward, as have each of the 565 orders since.
I owe much to Etsy. I am so grateful for the confidence it helped me find in my own voice, and for the inspiration of networking with the vast community of creative souls who are drawn to this site, both as shoppers and shop keepers.
Etsy, I love you. Not because you're some great up-and-coming company with perfectly hipster headquarters in Brooklyn (though that IS pretty awesome), but because you are the millions of users who pour their hearts into the idea that incredible things happen when we support individuals.