I just started an Etsy shop and blog at the same time: Here’s what that looks like

As a new mom, I didn’t plan to open an Etsy store and a blog at the same time. But as I was working on my store, I realized that I relied on other artists who are sharing their stories online to figure out how to make it work. I felt like sharing my story could be helpful for other women who want to open a shop too.

So I did two scary things. I started this blog, and I opened my Etsy shop.

I’m sharing what it’s really like to build a creative small business from zero: the shop setup, the drawing process, the tools I use, and the honest wins and struggles along the way. If you’ve ever wanted to turn your art into something more, this blog is for you.

Both the shop and the blog are still fairly empty right now. My shop has a few listings and this blog has less than 10 posts. But that’s how everyone starts, right? So instead of being stressed out, I’m enjoying the process of building from scratch.

Why an Etsy shop?

I have been drawing for as long as I can remember, though my works are not always pretty and polished. It’s something that I truly love doing, and it pairs with my love for crafting things: cards, birthday and wedding invitations, even wedding portraits. So for the longest time, I’ve always considered making things that I could share with people. They might like it too.

But what inspired me the most are other successful creatives I follow online, like Papereica and Furrylittlepeach. I’ve been following both of them for years and I’ve seen where they started. They built something real, and if they can, maybe I can too.

Stickers felt like the right place to start. Low barrier, low cost, and they let me share my illustration style in a small, accessible way. But I couldn’t just make the usual stickers. I wanted to share my love of crafting with my community. So I made my coloring sticker sets. No one has purchased them yet but it felt really good when I finished them.

Why a blog alongside it?

Because I wanted a place to think out loud.

Social media moves too fast for me. A post disappears in a day and the pressure to make everything look curated and confident is exhausting.

A blog feels different: slower, more honest. I can write about what’s actually happening instead of performing a highlight reel.

I also figured that if I’m going to be figuring this out anyway, I might as well document it. Maybe someone else is at the same starting point and wants to follow along. Also, future me will want to look back and see where this began!

Either way, writing has always helped me process things. So here we are.

What this blog will actually be about

Definitely not tutorials from an expert. Not “how I made $10k on Etsy” (at least not yet 🤞). This is going to be an honest look at building a creative small business from zero: the drawing process, the shop setup, the tools I’m using, and the small wins along the way.

If you’re a mom or an artist thinking about starting something similar, or you’re just curious about what this creative life actually looks like day to day, I hope this is a space you want to come back to.

Where things stand right now

Shop: live, a little bare, but live.

Blog: only a few posts, but I’ve invested in a pretty theme (let me know if you like it in the comments!)

Confidence level: somewhere between excited and overwhelmed 😅

That feels about right for a beginning.

I’ll be posting regularly here as things develop. My next post is going to be about my first shop update. I'll be sharing the lessons I learned in my first month on Etsy and my plans for month 2. If that sounds useful, stick around.

Thanks for being here at the start.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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Thanks for stopping by! I love sharing the ups and downs of building a creative life like studio experiments, everyday joys, and the little sparks that remind us to keep making. If that inspires you to pick up some art supplies and create too, come hang out with me on Instagram, Tiktok, and Facebook, subscribe to my YouTube for art vlogs and Simple Joys casual vlogs, and join my email club for seasonal notes on living creatively. 🌿