Category: Entrepreneurial Endeavors

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Entrepreneurial Endeavors This N' That

Quirky, silly, heartfelt…I think that describes both myself and my Etsy shop, LumenFern Goods Co.

lumenfern illuminated logo with whimsical design
Nina Harper Image

I was working on my Etsy shop this morning, specifically on editing my shop’s story and the little bios I included for my family. In doing so, I finally felt that I was better articulating what I like about the shop, and I was pleased with my efforts to give a little insight into our family through our bios.

So, I wanted to share that information in a post as well, so that anyone who might be out there reading The Honest Juggle gets a little better sense of who we are.

First, my shop’s story, below. 👇

From Baby-Centered to Broader Dreams

I first called this shop The Little Juggle Company since it was something I started alongside my blog The Honest Juggle.

For better or worse, I felt that The Little Juggle Company was a bit too baby-centered, and while I have baby items that I love, the majority of the shop items are not for babies.

So, welcome to LumenFern Goods Co. I like the magical feeling of that, and I hope you do too!

Yes, this is a print on demand shop. However, the designs are my own, and the quality of the products is excellent. I hope to eventually add more handmade goods, but that requires a bit more time and starting capital.

Why Print-on-Demand Still Matters

So why buy print on demand items?

Well, first, the items are unique! And you are not putting pouring your hard-earned cash into the overfull pockets of certain CEOs. No doubt those behind Etsy and the fulfillment partners do alright as well, but I gotta say I am very grateful for the opportunities that are available through these platforms.

Second, I don’t know about everyone else, but I like certain kinds of designs on certain kinds of clothing shapes. It gets a bit boring if it’s all plain, but I absolutely hate wearing company logos around.

Furthermore, as a sometimes average, sometimes plus-sized woman, I find most mainstream clothing designs to be either poorly fitting, not flattering, itchy, or with designs that are fine, but that I can’t really stand to wear around.

I enjoy dreaming up the designs and refining the shop’s vibe, and I hope that what is created will bring joy to others too.

When I’m not working on LumenFern Goods Co., I’m working on my blog The Honest Juggle, or just plain working or spending time with my family.

Meet the Family Behind the Shop

And, here, is a little introduction to my family. 👇

👩 Nina – Designer, Dreamer, Juggler

Hi, I’m Nina! I enjoy creating designs for clothing, notebooks, mugs, and more. I enjoy hiking in state parks, writing, reading, starting too many projects in the home, gardening, and cycling. I don’t do enough of any of those things! (Note: you can also read a little bit more about me here.)

👶 Ellie – Assistant in Training

Ellie is my daughter, my assistant, and my inspiration! She enjoys kicking and shrieking, and her unicorn toy with the teether rings. She is currently working on growing two little teeth.

👨 Gabriel – Partner & Papa

Husband, partner in many (mis)adventures, and Ellie’s papa! He has a soft spot for sharks, and enjoys fútbol, boxing, cooking. He happily watches horror and gore, but gets teary-eyed at movies like Wonder, and The Six Triple Eight.

🐱 Max – Keyboard Supervisor

Max likes to step all over the keyboard, which is (sometimes) a good reminder to take a break. He is a big boy with a big heart, though he loves pestering Tina a bit too much. He is usually content to be picked up, but also enjoys wrestling.

🐱 Milo – Cuddle Advocate

Milo is a jealous little baby with me (Nina), but plays mom to his big brother Max. He would rather we all took a nap and cuddled all day, but, like Tina, he hates to big picked up and hauled around.

🐱 Tina – Feline Royalty

Resident diva. She was once a trash-can-diving, not-quite-feral-but-close adolescent, and has not lost her wily ways after eight years of domesticity. She is a feisty girl with a very soft diva heart.

Thanks for Stopping By

I’d be delighted if you also check out the shop itself, at lumenferngoods.etsy.com. 🤗

Categories
ADHD Journey Entrepreneurial Endeavors This N' That

I keep looking for a shortcut that doesn’t exist.

My dad likes to say that it takes ten years to recover from big life events. 

Every bone in my body rebels against that statement, like, “but I can’t wait ten years!”

seated woman looks out the window at an ocean view
Image by Alessandro Danchini from Pixabay

Well, it’s possible and probable that he’s right. It could take five years or ten years, and that’s if we’re lucky. 

In which case, my resistance to the idea doesn’t really change the reality, it just puts me in pain.

And I am trying to spark some big transformations in our lives, yes, I am. I have been mentally pushing hard on these entrepreneurial ideas we have. I have been resisting the urge to settle down, put the mask back on, and work at a job beneath my abilities simply because I know that otherwise I have to find a way to work with my rhythms and damn, they can be difficult. I can’t do big brain work, as I like to call it, in an 8 to 5 job. It just doesn’t work.

I have had success doing physical jobs within that frame work, and I do enjoy that quite a bit. I have no problem working in manufacturing, or cleaning, or food service. I really don’t, and in fact I love that those jobs are a natural weight management tool for me (as opposed to seated office jobs which make me feel like I’m wearing someone else’s body).

But, one caveat with those jobs is that after a while, my brain runs on overdrive while I do the physical work and that tends to result in me dreaming up some scheme to leave the job anyway. I can’t get the monkey in my brain to quiet down.

Add to that, if you’re an employee in one of these jobs, it can be difficult to bring in enough income to support a family, particularly if you’re not all that good at the social and political maneuvering required at many jobs to secure raises.

As usual, I digress, but all of that is an explanation for why I’m resisting that urge (compulsively resisting I might add), to apply for a regular job, one of those that doesn’t pay great, but at least the benefits are cheaper than the Marketplace. But at this point, I don’t know if I can be a “compliant” (a word my former boss loved, which I think says a lot about him), employee. 

So I’m sitting here, asking myself, how can I truly settle in to the understanding that the transformation I want could take a decade or more to happen?

How can I truly help myself to grasp that there is no quick fix coming? No lottery win? No unexpected inheritance (an idea that makes me feel queasy anyway, plus I don’t have rich relatives, but I’m including it because it’s a fictional trope)? No surprise bonus (I’m not even working a job where that is probable)? 

Just a whole lot of one step forward, two steps back in our future.

Can I stomach that? Can I truly take the uncertainty without trying to find a way to cheat, to trick the universe by secretly hoping for a miracle?

How can I live with the idea that the cavalry isn’t coming?

Can I accept that it’s just me and my husband (and baby and cats) painstakingly stacking one block on top of another while the universe shows up as an irate toddler who keeps smacking at the blocks, pissed at us for trying to build a little tower?

Can I stand it?

Do I have a choice?

colorful blocks form a castle
Image by N H from Pixabay

Let’s switch tactics. 

Let me ask myself this: what would I do differently if I truly understood that all of these hopes and aspirations were likely to take ten years or more to come to fruition? 

TBD.