Michigan Potential
As I work on plans to diversify Feathers N Ferne, I'm always on the lookout for unique and original products to offer. This means that while on a walk along the beach, if I see a gnarly piece of driftwood you can rest assured it's going home with me! Most likely it will be used in a future beach themed item.
A question I get a lot: "How do you see potential in such everyday things?" This is asked after I gather cherry pits to bag and sell, collect branches to arrange into artwork, and turn a piece of firewood into a snowman.
My answer? I'm not really sure. My brain is a freeway of cars, and sometimes traffic goes smoothly and a lot of progress is made. On these days, an idea pops up in my subconscious, works it's way through the red tape of "Is there public appeal?", "Is it profitable?" and "Do I have the skillset needed?", and then comes out the other end as a masterpiece.
What most of you don't ever see are the days when there's a traffic jam at 8 AM, several cars in the ditch, one stopped with a flat tire, and such a heavy fog you're tempted to wave your hand in front of your face. Ok, I'm being a little dramatic. But you get the idea. Some days I need to get a new product on the way, and I can't get anywhere. I wander around the shop and consider several ideas, but they all quickly slow to a crawl.
Some days I spend all morning on a *brilliant* idea, and at the last minute the drill bit slips, or something splinters and I'm back to square one... after the tow truck picks up the pieces.
Some days I enthusiastically begin a project only to be stopped by needing this or that piece, or the requirement of a tool I don't have. If you know me, you know I'm not patient. I am horrible at waiting for parts to come and unfortunately, sometimes this impatience is enough to put a kibosh on the whole project.
And somedays I simply have no enthusiasm, creativity, or motivation. Talk about a fog... yes, I have days when my imagination dulls like a sharp tool through dirt. Days when that stick, those cherry pits, that firewood doesn't speak to me either.
But it does, thankfully, usually come back. Maybe it's a great customer, maybe it's a specially commissioned piece that I can provide. Maybe it's just a random treasure trove moment when a brilliant idea breaks through the fog.
And hey, if you ever have one of those brilliant creative ideas, send it over! Maybe it will make it to one of my product pages... you never know.
Stay creative!
-Lydia