Where to go from here?

Hey everyone! Wow it's been months since I've updated here (again, haha), but this time I'm free of school (for now), so I have no excuses! I really should be updating more than I have been, but I won't beat myself up about it. Better to press on than have too many little regrets. I do miss regularly updating a journal, and it's nice to just type my thoughts out for a change.

Now that school is over with, I look forward to working more on cleaning up my messy craft room and getting to work on my craftstuffs for Etsy and possibly MangaNEXT in the fall. It's definitely tough making crafts when your craft space is cluttered; most of the time, I find myself bringing things into the living room rather than working on them in the craft room! Things are getting better, but there's a lot I'd like to get rid of, and I've implemented some neat fixes already--such as installing some ribbon holders on my desk and getting all of my fabric onto one cart. I'm also hoping to get a few bookshelves in there for my children's book collection, and making it into a guest room so that it can finally be a comfortable space for visitors to sleep and hang out. That is one of my biggest summer goals, for sure! :) Being organized is sometimes easier said than done, but one of my little secrets is watching the show "Clean House"--that usually motivates me to clean my apartment, haha!

There was something that happened this past weekend that really kinda hit me by surprise and has had me thinking a lot about the future of my crafts. From June 10-12, I went to AnimeNEXT as an attendee, for the first time in 2 or 3 years (I usually go as an artist to sell my crafts). I was shocked when I discovered that someone had created teru teru bozu cell phone charms almost identical to the ones I've sold there in the past; I mustered up the courage to confront them about it, thanks to the support of my friend Sarah G., and although there wasn't much I could do about it, it was clear from what they told me that they had used my picture as a direct reference for their charms. It's not that the charms are hard to make--actually, the design is generic enough that anyone can make it--but I've been noticing that it wasn't until I started selling them at AnimeNEXT and posting them online that I've been seeing them more frequently in both places. Sarah S. brought up a good example--that she and her art group were selling face masks that started a surge of imitations--and it had me wondering: what now? It's not the end of the world that other people are making and selling teru teru bozu--they're certainly entitled to. But for a long time, teru teru bozu have been kind of my..."thing." They're special to me and part of my identity, so seeing other people making them look almost exactly like mine really hurt, to be honest. It's hard to explain to some people.

It has had me thinking, however, that I should take my crafts in a new, more exclusively original direction, making crafts that are much harder for people to imitate and really ooze a personal touch. I'm thinking of making Blueberry Crumble a hub for original stuffed animals, as well as other assorted accessories and little decorations like crocheted flowers and such. (When I learn to crochet, that is! Hehe.) I already came up with a new pattern for my "Crumble Critters"--a cat!

This one, a prototype Strawberry Choco, is being sent to my penpal in Wisconsin.

I definitely think it's about time that I move towards more original work, and probably look into copyrighting and getting tags for my plushies. (Does anybody happen to know how to go about doing that, by the way?) I also hope to get in some more embroidery practice so that I can experiment with embroidering the dolls' faces, and jot down my ideas in a notebook so I don't forget them. It's a lot to do for sure, but I have high hopes that it'll work out and maybe even become a source of income somewhere down the road. :)

In other news, I'm soon going to Maine for the first time in 3 or 4 years! (In addition, I'll be spending a week with my parents, who haven't been in the best of health lately; I'll be helping them out around the house and spending some quality time with them, which has been harder to do these days.) I'll be taking a bus and train there to visit with my aunt, uncle, and grandma, and then going back to Connecticut to stay with my parents. Luckily I have the free time to do both things, since chances are I'll have at least a part-time job next year to pay for my student loans and such, so it looks like I'll have plenty of photo-ops and chances for crafting. (My aunt is into crafts too, lucky me! She does stamping, cardmaking, and crocheting!) Maybe I'll find more inspiration and work on my things there--I miss seeing my family, and trips like that are usually a great refresher. Stay tuned for cool stuff! :]

Well, that's all for now, folks! I'm looking forward to updating again soon! Hope everything is well with you and that you're enjoying your summer so far!

-Angie