Market Madness

This month, I have been preparing for my third market ever. Unlike my other two markets, I am more hopeful for this one. I now know what to expect, but it will be the biggest event I’ve ever done, with over two-hundred individual vendors. 

Needless to say, I have been working extremely hard to prepare for it by making new stickers, jewelry, and even trying my hand at completely new products. It has been more interesting this time around, though, because even though I only have two weeks until the day of the market, I haven’t been as stressed about it, despite having so much more going on. Unlike my other two markets, I didn’t have the responsibilities that I now have as a more established small business owner. At the time of my other two markets, I did not have to manage shop orders from my website, prepare and teach classes, manage my socials, and balance my art and personal life. This time around, in between making all these new things, I have managed to design and build my own website and have started my own kids classes which need active planning both in terms of their lesson and my example piece. I know I should be stressed, and to some degree I will say that I have a bit more pressure to meet certain deadlines that I have set for myself- and even the responsibility to you, my dear friend, for writing this blog post this month. I know that the only reason I have not been as stressed as I normally would be is because God has been guiding me. 

Every single morning, I cannot function unless I wake up first thing and read my Bible, and it is a part of my routine that I just cannot compromise on, and I like to spend time in prayer, too. I feel like it helps set the tone for the day and keeps me level-headed enough to stay on task, but I also feel like I have a new appreciation for work and rest, respectively, as now I feel that I am truly working in accordance to His will. The Bible says that in everything you do, you should do it for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31), and so I have been trying to do that because I am so thankful for the opportunities that God has presented me with. Right now I’m doing all these new things that I have only ever dreamed of doing. 

And so this is my blog post about stress. I want to encourage you today that if you are under a lot of stress, try giving it to God. Spend time with Him and see where he leads you and how he calms you down. I’m not saying that you won't have concerns or pressures, because I definitely do. I expect myself to meet my personal deadlines and effectively keep the promises that I have made to myself, my students, and anyone who takes the time to order from my website. Of course, I don’t know what exactly your job is or what responsibilities you have. You could be a doctor with a responsibility to your patients, or a parent working hard to take care of your kids and balance everything that comes with that, but regardless of who you are or where you are or what you’re doing on the daily, I say this to you: Give Jesus a try. He is for everyone and He can help you manage your stress.

Preparing for this market has been absolute madness, but I’ve also never been more grateful. Like I said, I have had moments when I’ve been stressed out. That’s just life. But life is so much better with Jesus by my side, and I know that I am extremely blessed to say that. Even a few months ago preparing for my December market, I was so frazzled. I was pushing myself to stay up until such unhealthy hours of the night and was barely sleeping, but now that I think about it, why was I doing that? It wasn’t necessarily for any specific reason except that I was just forcing myself to. This time, I have made so many new things. It’s important to note that when I initially signed up for this market, I had about a month and a half to work on these things, but as more things started to happen, my time to prepare got pushed back a bit. Even still, I have managed to make ten new sticker designs, three new earring designs, and I’ve been working on bags! But I think the only reason I’ve managed to keep my head is because of my change in perspective. When I make my art, of course, I make the things I love, but another big reason that I make the things I do is because I want to provide comfort, inspiration, and understanding for anyone who interacts with my art, silly or serious. When I plan and teach my kids classes, the only thing I want to do for my students is to provide a safe space for them to freely express themselves and encourage them to find their own interests, voice, and be themselves with the comfort of knowing that Miss Taylor supports them. With these blogs, I wanted to begin to give you an insight into what life is like for me as an artist so that potentially you can find answers to questions you might have, be encouraged to pursue your passions (regardless if you’re an artist or not), and encourage individuals of all walks of life to live a life of love towards all people and all creatures alike. 

I know that reading all of that could possibly seem a bit overwhelming to you, but so far it hasn’t been for me. It’s been scary at times because I’m doing so many things that I haven’t before, but generally, even though I have more going on than I did two months ago, there’s been so much freedom in all of it. I feel like I’m finally able to act on the things that have been in my heart for a while, and it’s all for the glory of God and meant for the encouragement of you. 

So please, my dear friend, let this be your sign to take a rest. Jesus freely offers us the rest we need because He loves us. He says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30, NIV). No matter how crazy your life might seem, it is possible to find rest in the midst of it. You don’t have to work in vain if you are working to please the One who matters the most. 

Take care of yourself. Make sure to get enough sleep, eat something today if you haven’t, and go drink some water. 

I hope that you can find some inspiration in my post today. I might not personally know you, but in case you think you’re not doing enough and you’re at your wits end, I’m here to tell you that you’re doing enough. Call out to Jesus and He will give you the rest and assurance you need to stay on track. Of course, you will sometimes have hard days, but even the hardest days are so much easier with Him by your side. 

In case no one has told you today, I love you so much, but Jesus loves you so much more.