Leap of Faith

Yesterday was a big day for me. Yesterday, I launched Kismet Cards on Etsy.

As soon as I discovered Etsy a couple years ago, I swore up and down I would start a shop. But I know nothing about business. And who would want to buy my cards and crafts anyway? And what if I never made back the money I invested into it? What if my shop was a complete flop? An utter failure? And did I mention I know nothing about business? Numbers, in fact, make me a little sweaty. So I would put it off and put it off and well...that continued for a while.

On vacation two years ago, my super-creative, art-guild-member aunt showed my mom and me this fun little drawing craze called Zentangles. The free form of it really hit a cord with my mom. I compulsively kept doing the same designs.

After vacation, she kept drawing, and her drawings were really cool. Dad framed a few and hung them around their house. Each time I'd visit, she'd show me her new "zendoodles" as she calls them. She has them laying around, so I borrowed 20 of them during a visit.

I scanned them into the computer and, thanks to the wonders of a company called Moo, had postcards made. Then it hit me...what if we sold them? Because for longer than I have been saying I'd start an Etsy shop, my family has been saying we should have a small family business, something we can do together.

So I did it. Yesterday, I launched Kismet Cards, and even if we never make a dollar, even if it's a complete flop, even if no one likes it, I already feel successful because I'm trying. We're trying, and that is a wonderful feeling.