Holy crap I’ve been busy!

Holy crap I’ve been busy.

I know, I know...everyone is busy.  But seriously, this past year has been ridiculously busy…in the best possible way.

I love the Sweatshop but unfortunately it’s not my full-time job.  I have an awesome day job/career that I love, but can get pretty busy.  In just February, there were two weeks where I logged about 100 hours at work.  Then I come home, head into my workshop and continue to create things for the Sweatshop.  I know that the schedule is pretty insane, and honestly, I don’t think I could have kept up the pace if it wasn’t for my awesome husband and my super amazing BFF that supported me when I needed support, and left me the hell alone when I needed quiet to get everything I needed to get done, done.

My friends (and many family) constantly question my sanity and ask me why I do it.  My day-job pays well, and by nature I’m kind of a slug (which still makes me seem more active than I am).  So why do I work my high-paced demanding day job and then come home to work on the Sweatshop?

I could give the simple, but trite answer: passion.

I could give the answer I give my parents: because I’m Asian and this is how you raised me.

I could give you the beauty pageant interview answer: because I have a need to create, and I have the drive to live out a dream that I’ve harbored since I was in high school, and that the Sweatshop is an outlet to express myself.

And all of these answers are true, but the real reason I will work 100 hour day-job weeks, and still dedicate time to the Sweatshop is this: I can’t stop myself.

It’s funny.  When I first started the Sweatshop, my primary concern was finding the time to be able to dedicate to the Sweatshop. I had a jammed-packed schedule of parties and events and what-nots (plus, you know, that day-job).  But then, around the third or fourth month I was working on the Sweatshop, I noticed that the problem wasn’t finding the time to dedicate to the Sweatshop…but finding the time to pull myself away from the Sweatshop to go hang out with people.  There is something soothing and zen-like about creating something.  And at the risk of sounding completely corny, it was something I’ve been missing.  All my life, I’ve loved making things and doing little arts and crafts projects, however, the problem with doing arts and crafts projects is that unless there is a distribution plan (i.e., giving them away as gifts), your house quickly starts to look like a Martha Stewart Hoarders episode.  Plus, as an adult (and a slug) there are so many obligations and things that you feel that you need to do, that taking the time to sit down and create something is always on the bottom of the priority list.  So by having the Sweatshop, I allow myself time to create. 

And all this creating stuff? It’s AWESOME.  Despite the crazy hours, and the late nights trying to complete rush orders, it’s actually ridiculously fun and relaxes me better than a full body massage.  I love it, and I can’t imagine stopping this crazy ride!  And I owe a huge thank you to all my fans and customers that allow me to have this time to create something amazing.  Because it’s a wonderfully addictive feeling.

So, the TL;DR version of all of this: I’ve been super busy this past year…and a huge thank you fans for letting me be this busy!