little things that pepper your path...

this weekend has been heavy on trials and mishaps...but before i get into all that i'm really excited to say that i am now a member of a super awesome street team on etsy: eSMArts Guild
and you can also visit the blog here: eSMArts blog
i'm so thrilled about being a part of this group because not only are the artists here so talented they are supportive and great friends with great advices!

advices! that brings the point to my not so fun weekend, it started out with blogger acting out on me, then i was suppose to be at a market this weekend but it rained and since i didn't have a tent...well fabric purses and rain aren't the best of friends right? these are small little hurdles that i could have done without but the biggest thing that i really needed, still need an advice about is the fact that one of my bags looks like someone else's on etsy.

the other person's etsy name is DrikaB she is a very successful seller who has been on etsy since 2006. since i'm new, it does seem as if i copied her because the resemblance in our bags are unccanny! and being new at all of this, i'm a bit scarred, overwhelmed and definitely don't really know what to do...it's a mean karma trick and i'm not loving it for sure!
with that in mind, i know that the best thing to do is to be honest about it and share my dilemma with everybody...who knows may be someone else has been at this juncture before and any thoughts, comments, advices you might have would be welcomed.
one thing i know for sure is that i am not going to take my purse down just because it looks like some girl's bag, who as successful as she might be, i didn't know anything about until today when i found out about her...hey! her bags are nice, they do look like mine, but i didn't copy hers. and i don't know her. she looks like she's doing very well on etsy, which one day i would hope to be as successful. i'm not terribly thrilled to be in this situation but i see it as yet another learning curve in trying to make a dent in this whole venture at chasing a dream!

just as a side note, after i found out about her i rummaged through etsy and found this too; another copy? doubt it! just someone else with a great idea!

i know i didn't do anything wrong. i'm standing by my bag that i'm actually really proud of!
i love the sturdiness of it, the contrast in the making of it, how the floral pattern makes it girlie and yet the burlap handles have that rough and raw edge to it...it very much so reminds me of someone special to me. someone that amazes me daily in her girlie-ness and her strength and how the fact that she's a bit rough around the edges only makes her even more interesting.

i'm open to comments, advices, feedback - good or bad.
i'm sharing this out there and this is making myself vulnerable to any critics but again, i stand by my bag, i'm proud of it and that's all there is to it! some might black box me because of this, and who knows i might have cut off my nose too early and lost any chances of being successful at this...but my conscious is clean!
and after this long post, i've vented enough, whined enough, and my mind is at rest!

2 comments:

Anna Lee H. in Toronto said...

Kristina,
We're so pleased you shared this issue with your eSMArts family.

Years from now when you look back on this 'trial by fire' you'll realize that you *did* grow stronger as a result! No moping eh? :)
hugs,
Anna Lee H. in Toronto
http://gahooletreedesigns.blogspot.com

Tulip's Talking said...

Hello Kristina, nice to meet you, I too am a newbie to the team. Trying to find my bearings.

I have been following your situation and I am pleased that you choose to go the way that you have. I would have voted for you. I am so new I did not feel that I should comment at that time so thanks for putting this into a blog.

There are so many sellers on Etsy there is bound to be look-a-likes. It would be a super-duper twist of fate if every single seller had the "one and only". We'd all be doing well financially!

Keep up the great work and best wishes for your dream to come true. We have that in common, with the many I believe. :o)

~Lily

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