So, check out this article in the NY Times. I find it just crazy to see so many familiar people being discussed. I cannot believe some of them are making the amount of money they are. I sincerely don't know how they do it. I believe, although I haven't gone over to Etsy to double check, that I started enhabiten around the same time some of these folks started their online businesses. I've watched as friends and aquaintances have found some amazing national success selling to places like Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters and the new Terrain. The internet is an amazing democratic opportunity. The people who are highlighted in the Times article are living proof. I see that Yokoo is still doing all her own knitting and working 14 hour days. How long can a person keep that up? How must you change and adapt when you find success like that? And for people with families and those who started their businesses for a certain quality of life and lifestyle, where do you draw the line and how do you keep it managable?
I'm also blown away by this article in the London Times online. There are so many design blogs on the list which I visit regularly and there are many written by people whom I've come to consider virtual friends. These are amazing creative women who have promoted my work and even purchased it. I'm thrilled for all of them. And again, I'm just struck by the power of the internet and the strength of the art/craft/design community I find myself in.
These are the thoughts I will be taking with me into 2010. I'll be taking a little break for the holidays and I plan to really think about all this and what it means for my little business and where I want to head in the future. One thing is for certain, I would never be where I am today without Etsy and without the design blog community. What are your thoughts?
