Every since May of 2014, I have decided to dedicate myself completely to my Etsy shop. Before, I had a job running the after-school art program at an elementary school, which was really fun, but it was time to try my own thing and pursue the avenues that I felt very passionate about.
Let me tell you, this was not an easy decision. In fact, the biggest reason I was able to force myself to take this leap was because my boyfriend got a job in the bay area, and moving required me to quit my day job. Ultimately, moving became a great excuse to force myself into doing what I considered very risky: quit my day job and focus on my
other job full time. Now, BarnabyJack is my full time gig, and a lot of people ask me what my day is like as an Etsy shop owner, and I thought I'd make a post about it.
Since I quit my job at the school, my days have dramatically changed. The biggest challenge has been creating some kind of structure to my day. I work entirely from home and without a place to be at every day, the line between work and play get fuzzy. However, the BEST part of my day is that I do what I love EVERY. DAY. Plus, everyday is somewhat different, AND I can create my own hours, which is a definite plus.
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| Just one rack of clothes. I would show the rest of my office but it's not impressive, and pretty messy. One day I plan to have a beautiful studio, but until then, all I have to show is this rack. |
7:00 am - I usually start my day at around 7:00 am. Partly because I am a morning person and I love getting started early, but also because my dog Millie would wake me up anyway because she wants her breakfast. I oblige. Some mornings I wake up even earlier to catch an estate sale, but that's only once in a while.
After feeding Millie, I make myself some coffee and breakfast and usually sit to go over emails, messages, or organize my day and figure out what I need to get done.
8:30 am - This is Millie time, again. I usually take her on a 15 to 20 minute walk around our pretty neighborhood, sometimes with a coffee in hand. Millie does her business and then we make our way home.
9:00 - At this point I get ready for the day (bathe, etc.) but I also pack up shipments that need to go out before noon. This can take awhile because it requires neatly packing up items, printing out shipping labels, etc.
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| shipping, packing and measuring tools of choice |
10:00 - I usually try and get to the post office around this time, but this only twice a week (Mondays and Thursdays). If it is not a post office day, then I use this time to set up a photography session.
11:00 - Photographing. This is the ideal time to take photos because of the lighting in the room, so I try and make sure to take all the photos I need to take that day in this hour. Photo taking usually involves careful planning. Sometimes, I need someone to model the clothes in the photos, which usually means I have to do my make up and hair (somewhat) and be "photo ready". To be honest, this is my LEAST favorite part of my day. I hate getting my photo taken, and it usually is pretty hard to get a decent photo of yourself on a timer. After my business grows, my second step is to hire a model (first step is to get a REAL studio).
12:00 - Lunch time. Since I am at home, I usually make a salad or sandwich and spend some time perusing Pinterest or something while I eat.
1:00 - This is the time I usually source more items. A good vintage shop owner never reveals her secrets... but it usually involves contacting people or thrift stores. If I don't source for more items, then I am listing items. This takes the most time because I have to research the item, take measurements, editing photos, figure out shipping prices and writing descriptions. I've gotten better at it over the years, but it still takes some time. This could take two hours, or sometimes longer, depending on how much I have to list that day.
3:30 ish - I do some errands on my way home, and then I usually arrive ready to prep items for the next day of shooting. This usually involves, sewing/mending, steaming, cleaning, etc. I love this part of my day because seeing old items get new life is why I love vintage (and also finding the items is fun). I also love this part of my day, because it gives me a chance to catch up on my podcasts (This American Life, Radio Lab, TEDRadioHour, and my new favorite... Serial).... OR I listen to some music.
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| Sewing tools of choice, sans sewing machine. |
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| Sewing box |
If I am caught up on mending, then I can use this time to focus on my other love.... illustrating. I just recently illustrated for a published children's book,
Monte & the Magnificent Star . And now I am working on a second book with my sister, who owns the toy shop,
Mildred & Dildred.
5:00 - Millie time again, and usually when my "work" day ends, but not always. Millie gets two walks a day because she's spoiled. But the second walk is usually shorter or longer, depending how long the first one was. When we get home, I feed her her dinner, and I get started planning my own dinner. My boyfriend gets home from a long day of work on weekdays, and I like to have dinner ready for both of us by the time he comes home at 6:30 just to help out.
6:00 - Dinner time, which is usually followed by television time. My boyfriend and I love to watch
Game of Thrones,
The Walking Dead,
Mad Men,
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia,
Family Guy, and the list goes on. We pick a show and we watch an episode (or two).
8:00 - Working from home is great, but the one thing that not so great is that work never really ends. At this time I like to catch up on my social media, blog posts, and other networks I use for marketing. This time also gives me a chance to catch up on whats new and gives me ideas for the shop.
9:30 or 10:00 - I get ready for bed and read or continue perusing the interweb. And then lights out!
That is my TYPICAL day, but like I said earlier, every day is somewhat different. Usually, I spend one weekend day getting more items for the shop. I try and take a break from work one day of the weekend, but this doesn't always work because I love doing what I do, and doing nothing is boring. Mike and I try to do one new fun thing a week (on the weekend) and then it's back to a new week!
Thanks for reading!
