Thursday, March 11, 2010

Believe in "impossible things"

"Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."
--The Queen in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass

In looking at what is going on around here, it's no wonder, really, that the blog has gotten short shrift. Let's look at some of the irons I have in the fire at the moment, shall we?
  1. Doing support work from home for a smartphone research company.
  2. Teaching two classes a week at a local yarn store (LYS) -- crochet and knitting combined.
  3. Dealing blackjack for a casino party company.
  4. Finalizing that secret knititng project I mentioned before. Knitting is done, pattern writing is in progress.
  5. Knitting a sample for a design I want to submit to another publication.
  6. Thinking about possibilities for a new sock design for a sock club installment later this year. Yep, another secret project!
And, if all that seems impossible to manage (it's not really), I'm starting to work for. . .

Is that cool, or what?! Among other things, I'll be working with yarn shops and yarn-related businesses, helping them manage their e-newsletter creation and distribution. It's a darned near perfect marriage of my experience with Web stuff and my love of all things fiber.

When I first saw the job description, I couldn't believe it. I sent a resume immediately, then forwarded the posting to some of my friends asking them to send positive energy for me to get the job. Then I sort of turned all stalker-grrl on Leanne. I friended her on Ravelry, followed her two accounts on Twitter, friended her on Facebook, and left a comment on her blog. Finally, I printed the job posting, wrote on it in big, bold letters, "This is MY job!!!" and put it on my computer, right next to the monitor, along with a printout of this great article about taking risks to do what you love.

And it all worked! I got an email from Leanne saying that my actions in following and commenting got me noticed. We exchanged a few emails, then had a long, fun, interesting chat on the phone and the next thing you know, I had the job.

Never underestimate the power of positive thinking!!

Actually, this is part and parcel of a few years' worth of positive thinking about being able to make a living doing something related to my passion -- fiber arts. It started with test/sample knitting for KnitPicks*, grew to a part-time job at All About Yarn**, then teaching, then designing a few patterns, then being asked to design socks for an independent dyer, then for a sock club, then for a book and another sock club, and now. . .

Well, gosh, who knows what's next? So far, I'm a long way from really paying my mortgage with this line of work, but the possibilities are truly endless.

So, if you have a passion, a desire, a yearning for something, keep the faith and put that energy to the universe. Then keep your eyes open for possibilites and grab them. Baby steps are fine -- every one of them leads to larger possibilities. You just never know until you try, and you can't try if you aren't willing to take some risk.

I have to say that there have been a few opportunities to take the skills I garnered from a whole lot of years in the high-tech corporate world and get something that pays better and has more security (if there is such a thing these days). But every time I even thought about pursuing those things, my guts felt like they were tied in knots and I got depressed. So I stayed the course and although I'm not making much money, I'm very happy with my choice.

I view money as a renewable resource. And I trust that I will have what I need when I need it, in one way or another.

So far, trusting that the universe will provide, taking a risk, and listening to my gut, has been fruitful for me; your mileage may vary.

What's your dream? What are you doing to realize it?

Whatever it is, whatever you're doing, keep on believing in "impossible things," and one day they may become possible, or even real!

_____


* I owe BIG thanks to Isela for this one. She is the one who first told me about test knitting and gave me the name of the person in charge at the time at KnitPicks. Until then, I didn't know what test knitting was. Thanks, Isela! :) Just goes to show you, you never know what might happen when you give a little bit of advice and guidance.

** And I owe another big hunk o'thanks to Melissa. I first met Melissa at an Aurora Spinning Guild workshop. She shared that she had always worked in some aspect of fiber arts and I asked how she got her foot in the door. It just so happened that she knew of an opening at All About Yarn and got me hooked up with the owner. Next thing you know, I was working there. Thanks, Melissa! Oh, and Melissa now has her very own shop that totally rocks -- which is fitting since she rocks, too!

5 comments:

pdxknitterati/MicheleLB said...

Woot! You go, Cindy!

Unknown said...

I love this posting- not just because I get to read that you're excited to work with me at the Wool Wide Web-- but more importantly, I love (and share) your philosophy about taking the risk to be happy! It sounds soooo cliche but when you're on THIS side of it-- actually doing work that is so rewarding, and so true to who I am, the money is secondary. But BECAUSE we love what we do and we're true to our passions, I know we'll arrive at that place where this job WILL pay the mortage too (and a few balls of luxury yarn along the way!).

M said...

Congratulations!!!! What a perfect fit for you!

Kay - the Never Knitting Crafter said...

Cindy - As usual, I'm late to the news. I loved reading about your opportunity. As I have talked with you over the past year, some of the things you have mentioned are so much a part of what this job opportunity is for you. You GO GIRL! and Congratulations!

Ann said...

Congratulations. It does sound like a dream job. All the best.