I recently added a new hat to my collection. In addition to the hats I wear as Mother, Wife, Daughter, Sister, Friend, and Artisan, I've recently put on a new hat - that of Graduate Student - and I'm happy to say - the fit is just right. I've been accepted into the Masters in Teaching for Middle School General Science program at Salem State University, and now that I've completed my first semester with courses in biology and chemistry, I'm on the road to becoming a science teacher!
(one of my Felted Pencil Cups - a necessary desk accessory)I must say - I have Boston Handmade to thank for setting me up to go down this path. It's a funny thing about life sometimes. You think you're making a small decision to do something (like joining BH) and it turns out that that little choice leads you to a life changing direction that was really a part of you all along. In the early years of my membership in Boston Handmade, I decided to follow the advice of Jessica and teach my craft. So I started an after school knitting class at my daughter's school. This led to subbing at the school which eventually led to the decision to pursue a teaching degree. Don't get me wrong - this decision was not an obvious or light one in the least. It took me about a year of figuring it out and weighing the options to decide to go for it.
One of my initial concerns was the uncertainty of how this would affect my cozycottage business. I was very content with how things were progressing and I've always pursued my craft with the intention of building it into a full time venue. Now I find myself scaling back to part/part time. For awhile I was downhearted by the idea that I'd never have time for both the craft business and going back to school, so I'd have to choose. I've now come to accept that cozycottage has just taken on a new form. What this means for me is really learning to flex that discipline muscle of time management, patience and trust. If I can budget my time to do what is most important in the moment without getting panic-y that I'm not doing the other things on my list, I'll discover over the course of time that all that needs and wants to get done - will. My production schedule will just happen on a different timeline over the course of a year. All will be well.
I write this blog post to encourage anyone with a little nagging voice inside telling them to go in a particular direction to investigate that voice. It could be about expanding yourself in a way that seems counter to where you thought you were going, or about risking changes to your life that don't insure stability. You don't have to jump off a cliff and make a big change all at once, but don't even try to ignore that voice. It will just get louder and louder. Trust that even if you have no idea how you're going to manage that big change down the road, once you get started with little steps and continue to put one foot in front of the other, the details will work themselves out. I'm still getting adjusted to this new way of life and along the road I hope to share little tips I discover for balancing it all without loosing my head – or any of my hats!
this is not me - but it's how I'd like to be going off to school - with a styling bag from Pansy Maiden!
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