In My Haven: March 2022
This March in my haven I'm thinking about motivation. What motivates me to sew and to have my own business? What keeps me motivated and what drains it? I think it's an important topic to reflect on and hope you'll read further to find out more of my thoughts on motivation and check out the products, projects, recipes, and reads I have for you this month.
My Thoughts: Three Motivation Boosters
In the Haven Handmade Shop: Make it motivational
Make it Yourself: Try appliqué!
In the Kitchen: Rewarding treats
To Read: Inspiring Stories
All the links from this month's journal can also be found on the In My Haven: March 2022 Pinterest Board.
Three Motivation Boosters
One of the best and worst things about running my own business is that I have to keep myself motivated. I don't have a boss who is overseeing me or a time card that I have to punch, so I have to be able to get the work done on my own. Normally, this isn't a problem since I tend to be pretty intrinsically motivated and I really love most aspects of running my own business. However, it can be easy to let my motivation wane when sales are sluggish or when I let my doubts get the better or me. So, how does a solo-preneur like myself deal with that? I don't have any perfect answer yet, but here are three things that help me stay motivated when I'm struggling.
External Rewards: Giving myself a treat of some sort after completing a task is a great short-term motivator. This one works especially well for me when it's time to sit down and work on the financial or technical aspects of the business, which are just a lot less fun than sewing. Check out the recipe recommendations below for a few special treats I like to make myself as a reward.
Make a List: Having a to-do list helps me clear my mind and set concrete goals. Completing a task and checking it off my list always brings me a little sense of accomplishment that fuels me to start the next task. I replaced the colored pencils in my own travel drawing set with a nice set of felt-tipped pens and use that for keeping track of what's on my to-do list.
Big Picture Thinking: When I'm feeling low on motivation, it helps me to broaden my perspective. I think of how far I've come and how much I've learned since I opened Haven Handmade. I remind myself of what I know I'm good at and why I want to have my own business. This usually helps me feel more optimistic and ready to tackle the work I need to do.
Is there anything you do to give yourself a motivational boost? Please share in the comments!
Make it Motivational
Even the most intrinsically motivated person needs a little help now and again. A visual, tactile reminder to keep at it can be a great help. What about having me create an appliqué with a special motivational word or phrase just for you? Here are a few ideas!
Personalized Travel Drawing Set
A travel drawing set with an inspirational word on the front would make a great gift to yourself. You can use it as a journal or keep your to-do list in it. A few motivational words that come to mind for me are learn, grow, and create. What word would you choose? I'd be so happy to make a travel drawing set that helps motivate and inspire you!
Personalized Banner
Not a list-maker or already have the perfect planner? No problem! Having your inspirational word or saying hanging on the wall can be just as helpful. Let me design a personalized banner that boosts your motivation every time you look at it!
Name or Word Appliqué
Not sure a travel drawing set or banner is right for you? I can stitch any appliqué design on any product. For example, a custom name or word appliqué can be sewn onto anything from a pillow to a tote bag. Just head to the Appliqué Buffet section of the Haven Handmade shop, pick your appliqué and product, then let me handle the rest!
Try Appliqué!
Appliqué is the general name for the technique used to sew designs onto a background fabric. It's a bit like a collage, but uses fabric and thread as the medium. There are multiple ways of sewing appliqués, from keeping the raw fabric edges like I do, to turning them under before stitching, to changing the stitch type used. Most appliqué patterns will work with any appliqué method.
Since getting a Cricut cutting machine in January, I've been motivated to learn to create my own SVG cut files so it can cut my appliqué designs for me. One of the reasons I decided to learn to create SVG files is because I found that so many of the pre-made files I was coming across just didn't work for appliqué. They were too intricate to be cut from fabric and it was often impossible to edit the file to simplify it. This has required me to learn to use two new applications, but I've been loving the process.
My goal is to make all of my appliqué designs available in multiple ways:
As a PDF pattern that can be downloaded and printed at home
As an SVG cut file that can be used with an automated cutting machine, such the ones made by Cricut
As a design that you choose and I stitch onto the product of your choice
If you're interested in learning more or trying it yourself, I have three free downloads to help you get started. First is a quick tutorial explaining how I do free motion, raw-edge appliqué. Next, I've made my strawberry patch appliqué pattern available for free as a PDF and as an SVG file so that you can try it yourself. Please let me know if you do!
Rewarding Treats
Sometimes I need a little external motivation in the form of a sweet treat to reward myself for completing a task I don't enjoy (usually something to do with bookkeeping). Chocolate is a particularly strong motivator for me, so here are a few of my favorite chocolatey recipes to make when I know I'm going to need a little sweet treat to get me moving.
These Belgian brownie cakelets have a wonderfully dense texture and rich flavor. The main ingredients are just chocolate and butter, so that's not too surprising. A little piece can easily satisfy my sweet tooth.
For something just as rich tasting, but a little less decadent, try making oat milk chocolate pudding. I first tried this recipe early in the pandemic when I needed to go as long as possible between grocery trips (once I ran out of dairy milk it was time for more groceries, so I was trying to use milk sparingly) and it is one of the best pudding recipes I've ever tried. The fact that it can easily be vegan and is free of many common allergens is a bonus.
These almond crisp cookies are a little bit more work, but they are worth it if your favorite store bought cookie is a Milano. They feel like a totally acceptable mid-morning treat to me…just in case you need a pick-me-up before lunch.
Inspiring Stories
Reading a story can be a great way to gain perspective and be inspired. Here are a few picks for both youthful and mature readers.
The Three Questions, by Jon J. Muth, is a picture book, but it contains wisdom that is relevant at any age. It always inspires me to be more gentle, patient, and helpful to everyone I come in contact with.
You may have already read this one because it is extremely popular, but the novel Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman, perfectly fits the bill for an inspiring read. I found myself rooting for Eleanor and feeling very hopeful at the end.
Finally, if you're interested in learning more about the underlying factors that influence motivation, I'd suggest reading Drive, by David Pink. I read it years and years ago, but still remember much of what I learned and have applied those principles in various situations.
What have you read that inspired or motivated you? Please share!
I hope that March is a great month for you and that you're never lacking motivation!
From my haven to yours,
Beth
Disclosure: The links in this post are not affiliate links. I do not receive any compensation for the recommendations I make in my journal. It's just a place where I can write about what I like and think you might too.
