Wrapping up 2024
Susie Larsson
Looks like I need to make more blogs in the future! 2024 was an “off” year for me, as many of my Instagram followers may know. Back in February, I decided to stop making jewelry, stop going to shows, stop selling directly to customers and try something different. I could find a full-time job, close to home where I would be guaranteed a steady paycheck every two weeks. I would be a “normal” adult again. Working, literally, 9-5, Monday through Friday.
This is exactly what I did. Just two days after my second show this year in March, RAGS, I started my new job at Amazon in Bellevue. My schedule was 9-5:30, with an unpaid 30-minute and a paid meal. I was so excited to start my new journey. I caught the bus at 7:30 every morning and oftentimes I would get to work 45 minutes earlier than my start time. I figured out later that I could take a bus at 8 am on Fridays because the traffic was much lighter than the other days.
I worked for six months. Several times I got sick and I was out an entire week. One time, I re-injured my back and was out for another week. I wanted to do at least one art show in the summer and requested that time off. It was wonderful to go back to where I belonged: in the circle of artists, wherer I had come to finally feel a sense of belonging and acceptance.
The first weekend in August, or July 31st, I packed my RAV4 (Green FOX) up with all of the necessities for an outdoor show. I made absolutely certain that I had my 5-gallon bucket along with my high-powered Ryobi fans and extra backup batteries because I knew from the past that the Sweetpea Festival in Bozeman, Montana would or could be extremely hot. I was correct and I was extremely happy I had these to cool down. I felt fantastic and wanted to continue doing art shows again.
I decided that 6 months was enough of trying to be a “normal” person with the 9-5 job, and I had already began to apply for art shows in Arizona, Washington and Oregon for the fall season. As far as I understand, there are very few lcoal art shows within a 75 mile radius of where I lived.
I quit my job on Friday the 13th (yes, that was very calculated) with exactly 6 full months of extremely difficult work behind me. This was another physical job for me, standing all day long, moving all day long and dealing with hundreds and hundreds of customers every single workday. I had had quite enough. It took me weeks to recover from the unending lines, the loud chattering, the fast pace and the sheer physical nature of my work.
In early October, I packed my Green Fox again and this time, I left in the morning and arrived in Bend, Oregon in the evening for a 2-day show. My little Cairn Terrier Kaela was with me. We celebrated her 1st birthday on the road. Unfortunately, she did not do as well as I had hoped being in my booth for 8 hours. On our walk before the show, she had happily found a discarded piece of pizza behind the restaurant we walked past. She was sick for the first time I’ve had her and it was incredibly bad timing. After she had thrown up on my car seat, in her crate and on the ground in the booth, I decided that she should not be in my booth on Sunday. She was stressed and sick, I was stressed and embarrassed when she wouldn’t stop whining and yelping and carrying on so badly that I was holding her as I was doing transactions with real and potential customers!!
When my sister and I drove up to Vancouver (Burnaby) in mid-June for the Scandiavian Midsomer Festival, I had searched on Rover.com to find a suitable pet-sitter to help me out for the two days I would be gone. I went onto Rover.com around 3pm on Saturday and found a retired couple who lived 20 minutes away from Bend. I booked it immediately and they accepted. They had no idea what a little firecracker she is and how unruly and energetic she could be.
After Bend, Oregon, we did some sight-seeing in Sunriver, a short hike around Paulina Lake and Waterfalls and an incredible sight to see of Crater Lake at dusk.
We continued south and arrived in Sedona for the Sedona Arts Festival. As much as I love Sedona, I haven’t applied to their art show since 2017, I believe. It wasn’t a heavily-attended festival and I didn’t make very much profit. Although, I did get into a small shop in Sedona, which I just thought of now.
Luckily, I did choose The Sedona Arts Festival this year and I had just started in Bend, Oregon to ask some of the women (99% of my customers are women) if they knew of a store or boutique which may be a good fit for my jewelry. I received several store names and wrote them down and visited them at 10 am the following Monday. I didn’t get any shops to buy my jewelry but I am still working on this. I will post a blog about this.
After talking to a woman in my booth on Saturday afternoon, I found out she had been living in Sedona for many, many years. I told her I would be so happy to live in Sedona myself. I then asked her if she knew of any stores or galleries where my jewelry would be a good fit and I chose the perfect person to ask. She had owned a gallery in Uptown Sedona since 1980. A few years ago, her grand-daughter (Moki) and her husband (Cody) now were running the store. She would ask her grand-daughter if my jewelry could work in her gallery, The Naja.
The lady arrived in my booth with Moki and Cody Goodrich and they loved my jewelry!! They placed a huge order (at least for me) and I was so happy and grateful and incredulous that these intentions and questions I had asked had come to fruition. Because of my deep love and respect for The Indigenous People of Arizona and of Sedona, I felt truly blessed. The Naja carries primarily jewelry made by the Navajo People.
I just finished up the second part of The Naja’s order and mailed this out.
From the first sentence and at the end of this blog, I realized that so much happens in my life in just a few days or weeks and I am setting a commitment to myself to write a blog at LEAST once a month and more, if my life becomes interesting again.
Thank you so much for following me on my blog journey and supporting my very small business (it’s just me of course).
Be safe. Be healthy. Be peace.