“May what I do flow from me like a river, no forcing and no holding back, the way it is with children.”
― Rainer Maria Rilke
When I was growing up, I didn’t necessarily have a clear idea of what I wanted to be one day, but I think I did expect (naïvely, of course) that once I solved the riddle of my Fated Future Vocation, that would be the end of my search – whether the search led me to be a college English professor, translator, best-selling novelist, or cryptologist for the Navy.
(I did indeed entertain all of those ideas at some point along the way. Oh, how things change…)
I’m not sure I understood then what a crazy process of evolution life would turn out to be, nor did I expect my dreams to change just as much as they have these last few years.
Let me give you a little example. Exactly one year ago this week, I launched my Etsy shop. (If you’re not familiar with Etsy, think of it like Amazon – only if everything on Amazon were hand-made by artists and crafters. It’s a massive online storefront filled with every imaginable handcrafted creation – from jewelry to art prints to stationery to vintage clothing to home décor. It always astounds me to see just how much talent and creativity there is in the world.)
I’ve been purchasing gifts from Etsy for years now, but it wasn’t until last July that I decided to join their hallowed ranks and open my own shop. I had a vague dream of launching a line of notecards and limited-edition prints featuring my travel sketches. And as soon as I got back to the US from my six-week sketching trip through Southeast Asia and Japan, I set to work making it happen.
As it turned out, this endeavor was lovely in theory, but not quite so easy to execute in reality. For every decision I had to make on paper materials and printing options, there were a dozen more decisions involved that I hadn’t known to anticipate. The entire experience was one giant trial by fire, and you might say I got burned a few times along the way.
At one point during the process of finding a printer, I came close to just giving the whole dream up.
* * *
But then, the very night before I left for the West Coast last summer, I launched the shop.
I christened it Serendipity’s Sketchbook and listed six items for sale – four art prints, one set of notecards, and a set of greeting cards. Because I would be on the road for the rest of the summer, my dear mother Janell kindly agreed to fulfill and ship orders in my stead, and I stayed up until 3am that last night making sure the shop was ready.
I laid out all the products in neat stacks against a wall. I wrote out shipping instructions for each item. I signed and numbered every print. I had enough bubble wrap and matting tape and pre-cut sheets of cardboard to last us until the apocalypse. Let the orders commence!
Which, interestingly enough, they didn’t quite do. Although I’m grateful to have sold a few sets here and there, every time I’ve come home to Virginia this past year, the stacks of cards and prints are largely still sitting there, just as neat as they were when I left them.
It would be all too easy to let this fact depress me; instead, I’m choosing to take it as a hint.
Six months ago, I created my seventh listing on Etsy – for a custom watercolor painting of your favorite place, be it your family’s house, the location of your wedding, or perhaps a favorite scene from one of your journeys. I’d initially intended it to be a short-term promotion, but during the whole process of moving into my beloved yurt on Salt Spring Island, I kind of forgot to take the listing down – and because of this, something equally interesting happened.
Orders for custom paintings kept coming in, and for a wonderfully wide array of projects: I was asked to sketch the bridge where a woman’s fiancé proposed and the beautiful historic school where a customer’s sister was getting married. I was asked to paint a watercolor rendition of a U.S. map showing federal lands and Indian reservations, and I even got to sketch a masala dabba (the round silver spice tray found in nearly every kitchen in India) for a soon-to-be-published cookbook.
And what I discovered this spring was that every time a new commission appeared in my inbox, I loved beginning the process all over again. I loved learning that person’s story, discussing their vision for the painting, and making sure I got all the little details right that go a long way in adding meaning and significance to a sketch.
I’ve now worked on twenty sketching commissions since January, but it only occurred to me a couple of weeks ago that maybe I should make these bespoke illustrations a little more official. That maybe I should stop letting one poor listing on Etsy do all the work and set up listings for the many different occasions I enjoy creating paintings for – for things like housewarmings and graduations, for weddings, engagements, and anniversaries, and even hand-drawn maps.
I realized it was time to stop focusing on what isn’t working (*ahem* notecards and prints), and start listening to what is flowing.
* * *
My motivation for sharing the backstory behind my little one-year Etsy-versary today was that I know quite a few of you who read this site are on your own creative journeys – paths where change is just about the only constant in your life, and your dreams often feel like they’re forever up for negotiation; kind of like freshly poured cement that never fully sets.
And so it is my hope that, if the constant flux and fluidity ever becomes too much to bear, you might be even a tiny bit encouraged by my own faulty start this past year. I’m learning that just because our dreams change and take on a different shape from what we expected them to look like, it doesn’t mean we’re giving up on them – it simply means we’re heeding the clues and signs that the universe is giving us and are staying open to what’s working.
It means we’re listening to the flow.
* * *
To celebrate this humble milestone in my Etsy shop’s existence, I have two last things to share with you today. The first is a sampling of custom paintings I’ve worked on since January. I had an absolute blast bringing each one to life, and I thought you might enjoy a small peek at some of the scenes and projects I’ve gotten to work on:
* * *
The second thing I’m excited to share is a coupon for my new and improved Etsy shop! The discount code is ETSYVERSARY1, which gives you the chance to receive 15% off any of the custom watercolor paintings I have listed in the shop. The coupon is valid for seven days – until midnight this coming Sunday, the 20th of July – and all you have to do to redeem it is enter the code at checkout.
It’s just a small way for me to say thank you to all of you. This blog and the amazing community of people who have grown up around it mean a great deal to me – it’s a true constant in my ever-evolving creative journey, and I love getting to share thoughts and stories with you here each week.
Thank you for celebrating my first Etsy-versary with me today! I can’t wait to see what this next year holds.
Thanks so much for sharing the journey of your Etsy shop. I started mine last winter, and it is a work in progress. I feel a sense of change to some of my methods coming as well, and I appreciate the encouragement that the change can simply be part of the process.
Thanks for sharing some of the custom sketches you have done as well. They are all lovely.
Hi Amber! I’m really thrilled to hear that this resonated with you, and how great to learn that you have your own Etsy shop as well. Do you mind if I ask what it is? I’d love to check out your shop and see your creations! By the way, a friend of mine just shared a quote with me today that I think you might enjoy – it’s from none other than the great Oprah herself: “It’s only when you make the process your goal that the big dream can follow.” I’ll be holding that one close as I keep trying to embrace all these fun (and sometimes not so fun!) changes 🙂
Thanks. What a great quote! Learning to enjoy the process does make life much more enjoyable. 🙂 It has taken me a while to learn this and sometimes I still have to stop and remind myself of it. I love your blog because it helps me remember this concept too. My Etsy shop is AmsTinCanStudio. It is a work in progress, and I really need to sit down and work on it and add some more inventory.
Love this post, Candace! And not just because it includes the beautiful Jamaica map you sketched for my book! Great food for thought on following what works and trying rather than giving in to giving up. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us. Happy Etsy-versary!! xx
Ahh, thank you so much, Lily!! Your support and words of encouragement mean the absolute world – it’s such an honor for me to follow along your own creative journey, and to be able to share insights and challenges with you. I can’t wait to keep watching your path unfold! xox
I’m an Etsy FIEND lately. I know where I’m coming when it’s time to do some birthday shopping.
Nice!! Etsy is pretty epic, isn’t it? It’s been a lot of fun having my own little store there, and definitely let me know if I can ever work on something for you 🙂
Love it, Candace! You are so talented. Congrats on the commissions, keep it up!
Thank you so much, my friend! It was wonderful to hear from you here. Speaking of being talented, I can’t tell you how great it has been to watch your own path unfold since we connected in Copenhagen [what feels like] all those years ago 🙂 Fingers crossed I’ll get myself to NYC again soon – it’s been too long since we caught up!
So beautiful!! Congratulations and wishing you many more amazing Etsy anniversaries!
Thank you, Lola!! That means so much coming from you. Hope all is wonderfully well in Stockholm! xo
Congratulations! I’m going to check out your shop right now!
Thanks so much, Jane! And thank you in advance for checking out my shop – I’ve had a lot of fun adding new listings there recently 🙂
Who would believe there are so many decisions to be made to ‘simply’ print an image?! And I completely understand your tale of creating, preparing for market and then…. ?!!!
Super excited to read about your seventh listing on Etsy – custom watercolour paintings – Love your work 🙂
I am right there with you! I really had no idea what I was getting myself into last summer in trying to launch cards and prints 🙂 But I’m still so grateful for the ups and downs of that experience, as I think taking those first small steps with Etsy helped me gain courage to then start doing custom commissions. I can only imagine all of the decisions that must’ve gone into creating your own amazing line of products…and my fingers and toes are all crossed that one day I get the chance to sit down with you and hear that whole story. Thank you as always for your kind words of support – I’m so glad to know you, Linda! xo
Beautiful watercolors and a beautiful post 🙂
Thank you, Nikki!! I’m so glad you enjoyed the sketches 🙂
I love it!!! Looking at each of those paintings made me smile. Congrats on your first anniversary!
Thank you so much, Kim!! And thank you for the honor of working on not one, but two sketches for you over this past year (give or take a few months 🙂 xo
Looks as if you have found the secret of life, find what you love to do and find someone to pay you to do it. What a wonderful road you are on, your talent has opened so many doors and introduced you to a variety of possibilities in your journey through life. Looking forward to seeing what’s in your shop. <3
Roberta, it is always a delight to hear from you here, and I feel incredibly honored that you take the time to share your insights and reflections. I do indeed feel as though these last few months have been about opening myself up to that ‘variety of possibilities’ you mentioned…at the start of this year, I’m not even sure I would’ve called myself a professional artist, but I’m slowly learning to embrace all these different doors, and realizing they’re all a part of the same path. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy taking a look at my humble abode on Etsy! xo
Seeing how everything unfolded, I must say: what a fitting name for your Etsy shop! Serendipity’s Sketchbook. I love it! And beautiful sketches – as always 🙂
Aw, well thank you so much, Pauline! I’m so glad to hear that. One of my editors and dear mentors, Don George, actually coined the phrase when he began publishing my sketch stories on one of the websites he edits…I loved it so much I then asked him if I could borrow it last year, as the name for both my Etsy shop and newsletter….he just seemed to hit the nail on the head with why I’m drawn to sketching in the first place 🙂 Thank you again, and I hope all is very well in Toronto! xo
I buy all my gifts for friends from Etsy. I’ll definitely check out your store. Love your story about not giving up and turning your focus onto what was working. Best of luck in the future!
That’s great to hear, Candice! And I’m so glad the story I shared here resonated with you – thank you for taking the time to read it. Hope you’re very well!
You’re so talented, Candace! Congrats on the success of your commissions!
Thanks for so candidly sharing your journey with us once again, Candace, and serving as an inspiration to us all. I know that one of the things I’ve struggled to wrap my mind around the most since returning home from my Big Trip is just simply the knowledge that a huge life-changing dream that I once had is now something I brought to life and now lies in my past. At times, there’s this huge disbelief in knowing this dream that sustained me through so much has reached its apex and it’s time to move on. There is a small sense of “what now?” but I also have recognized that in the two years we were traveling, we started to nurture new dreams and now we have the time and space to let some new ones flourish. Sometimes it’s hard because I don’t know what will come next, or even what I want to come next—it all feels so nebulous and hazy—but I keep telling myself great opportunities and more adventures will come my way, so long as I don’t give up but keep on searching for them. Your story is a great reminder to me of this, so thank you & congrats!
Some people will never give up on the idea they have and will most likely miss out on a different opportunity that might be better because they’re too busy being stubborn. I love this story and I’m glad you’ve chosen to pay attention. Good lesson for us all! I think I need to order something and I have someone in mind, just need to think about what…we’ll discuss when we get together! 🙂
Ha, I have an etsy shop too, and I know what you mean! It is such a learning curve. Certainly learned where I was throwing my money away. Just this May, it had its first anniversary. Which was cool. 😉 And I’ve actually had several orders. And one by a bride! I make jewelry, and to have a bride think that it’s gorgeous enough for her wedding–WOW. Highlight to my young career! And you’re right, it’s a constant change. We just need to see where it takes us, find ways to utilize what is working, move past what is not. Etsy can be so fun.
I love your artwork Candace, I’m so happy to have found your site! I was on National Geographic’s travel page when I saw your beautiful painting of the yurt, it looks like a yurt we used to live in, then I read it was on Salt Spring Island! My home base, I love how the world becomes a little smaller, just for a moment, when that happens 🙂
Your words on ‘heeding the clues and signs that the universe is giving us and staying open to what’s working,’ are so true, it was a timely and much needed reminder for me, thank you for sharing your etsy journey!
Your Etsy looks great!!! I hope you list some South American paintings after your travels!
I just discovered your blog and it’s so lovely to see sketches like this, especially in a time when all we see are photographs! Beautiful work, very inspirational.