Craft is Not a Task, It is a Zen.

Pull back from doing things faster and doing more, and dive into the craft. Craft is not a task, it is a zen. It’s body and mind in alignment.

I was so eager to get back to my craft after taking a break for our Spain trip and a few days for family, friend, and networking. I’ve been reflecting a lot on the skills I’ve learned this year, and having some time off always motivates me to reflect a lot. What a privilege it is to be able to take off time and to be able to think. That privilege is not light, it’s in fact emotional because we’re not promised that time in our world.

Most of you know I work with a small team in Chicago to produce Ready To Ship bags. I have been for a few years but I hit the pedal hard with reinvesting my profits into the business this year. My mind was so busy managing out-sourced production and in-house production. Making sure I order enough materials, making sure I communicated Bird Trouble’s needs, doing a lot of math and creating formulas to what Bird Trouble’s margins would look like. It’s been a great learning experience testing this route for my business. Out-sourcing helped me produce more products, faster than I ever could do alone, which is an absolute privilege because getting help and having income come in through that route opened up more opportunities and energy for me.

There are a lot of pros but there have been a few cons working with an out of house production team. There were frustrating manufacturing mistakes and labor pricing negotiations - obviously those were the cons and I could go deep into those but I’ll spare us the complaining. There are way more pros to all of this. I still have the option to hire the team if I want to, and I have an overflow of materials which is totally a blessing. I also now have an overflow of Ready To Ship product which has been a little overwhelming but I am determined to find these beautiful proucts new homes. So this year I started working with 2 new small business retailers to stock Bird Trouble and reach more people, even new people!

Coming home from my break and getting back into the workshop was a breath of fresh air. I find myself in such a peaceful flow working on your custom Design Your Own orders or your add ons for your Ready To Ship orders. The reason I started Bird Trouble was for that exact feeling. The flow. It’s the feeling that has helped me become more mindful and a more patient human, and a better artisan… but during this break, I felt the need of wanting more. I need more wisdom, more skills, more flow. I feel like 2024 is going to be a shift for my craft and my business strategies. I want to pull back from doing things faster and making more, and I want to dive back into my craft. I want to learn and practice new skills. I want to design new product. My craft is not a task, it is my zen. It’s my body and my mind in alignment.

I want to feel more joy in the effort of creating and keeping the art of leatherwork alive, and I want to expect less from productivity. This year has taught me that productivity can feel amazing but it can also feel drowning, and it may not be the answer to my happiness. I don’t want to feel the pressures of capitalism, I want to chip away that noise. Of course I want to pay my bills and I want to reinvest in my business, but I want more experiences and less materials. I always have. I want to continue to design a life that fuels my creativity and provides the answers I seek in life. I want to continue to create products that my customers can love for a long time and I want to create a brand that inspires others.