Hi there! If you've found this blog post and you're reading it -thank you! This is a blog post about our story, how and why I started positivelyartsy.
I've always been a person with a lot of hobbies and I've always known a typical 9 - 5 job was not something I wanted, I've tried it and I can confirm it's not, I liked the idea of being my own boss and owning a small business but I wasn't 100% what I'd sell. I've always wanted to create stickers but I wasn't sure how to do them. I had a few other ideas but again wasn't sure how to begin.
In 2020 I decided I wanted to learn how to knit (I know that's a strange hobby for a 20 year old but I wanted to knit a blanket), I bought needles and some wool and started watching videos, now you're probably thinking I'm about to tell you that I taught myself how to knit and that's it but no, I still haven't learnt to knit properly! Actually when looking for wool I found a love for chunky knit blankets that I was seeing all over the internet (pinterest mainly) so I tried finding the wool to make them as I watched a video on how to make them, fell in love and needed to give it a go. I finally found some available in the UK after a lot of trial and error, I ordered loads that turned out to be a LOT thinner than I expected, and got watching the videos and I made my first ever chunky "blanket" (I say blanket in air quotes because I didn't order enough wool to make a full length blanket and it ended up looking more like a mat!).
So after my first I was hooked, there were so many colour combinations I wanted to try out but short of buying all the colours and ending up with too many blankets and no money I couldn't do that, so instead I decided I'd make a blanket for my nan for Christmas, then I made one for my aunty, then my sister, my mum, my best friend.. and a few more because I couldn't stop! I remember thinking, right that's it in 2021 I will start a small business on the side and work on it at the weekends (selling the blankets and stickers) as I was working 9 - 5 Monday to Friday at the time, I thought if it went well I'd cut down my hours at my job.
What I had not planned and was not expecting was that in December 2020 I got made redundant, I had been furloughed only for 1 month in 2020 and had worked all the way through from home the rest of the year. So when I found myself knowing I wouldn't have a job come 2021 I decided to turn an Instagram account that I had created to post positive quotes and review/support small businesses/artists into my own small business! So in a way I'm thankful I got made redundant, it gave me that push I needed to set up my small business - although I would have preferred a bit more money behind me when starting! I'm glad I started and I'm never going to give up on it so now we work and wait and see what happens in the future but I have big plans!
Thanks for reading (if you did!) x
Daytona