August Journal 2023

Incorporating more ‘actual writing’ into my blog has long been a goal of mine. Informational posts and how-to’s are all well and good, and I will keep adding them, but I want you to know more of me. Those who are interested will find these posts, and perhaps relate to them on another level than mere content.

I'm not going to lie – it has been a LEAN summer. 

That's not necessarily a bad thing, but to put things into perspective, in the last few months I have…

… temporarily canceled several subscriptions (bye for now, Spotify 😔)

… done more meal prep than ever before (tip: pork is the cheapest cut of meat right now, and you can stretch rice for quite a few meals!)

… quite literally foraged for my breakfast (okay, this was JUST for fun - there's nothing like fresh blueberries on oatmeal!) 

This summer has taught me that I can 'survive' on quite a bit less than the world told me I could. $8/month for Audible? I used Hoopla for audiobooks. $10/month for Spotify? Went to the library to borrow music instead. (They had Midnights on their New Items shelf, last time I checked…). $15/month for Netflix? I watched Amazon Prime, Masterpiece Theater, YouTube, or (gasp) DVDs. Groceries? I got very creative with meal planning, prepping big batches and freezing leftovers instead of wasting them.

Here's the bottom line: sometimes when you are running your own business, things won't be as glamorous as the business coaches tell you. You have to go through stretching periods, which, more often than not, turn out to be the best times of growth! There is always enough – you just might have to change your definition of the word. I, for one, have been truly grateful for this lean summer.

For me, there have been a lot of lessons learned in this season, as I’ve redefined what I truly need in my life, and what I can do without as I pursue growing a design business through changing economies, uncertain situations, and rising expenses. I think I’m being perfectly honest when I say I’m looking forward to seeing what the next few months bring.