Monday we got a skiff of snow that melted pretty quickly.
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| snowflakes on a cobweb! |
I worked on some small leather projects. I'll add them to my online shop and I'll be using some of them in the course I'm writing.
Tuesday I went for a hike with Max before music lessons.
I also finished the small leather projects. Small things go so quickly! A couple more tweaks and they'll be ready for pictures, shop listings, and tutorials.
I also worked some more on my course outline. I'm just about ready to start practicing my videos.
My doc called while I was finishing my hike. All my blood work is normal, which is good, except there's still no cut-and-dried explanation for why I'm having the issues I'm having. For now, we're operating on them being caused by my PCOS and will be working to treat that (I've been ignoring my PCOS for years) to see if that helps. She could refer me to an endocrinologist, but we're going to try this first. We're going to hold off on doing hormone testing until/if I go to the endocrinologist, since they'll be better able to interpret and treat any issues there and insurance may not cover getting them tested twice (which would inevitably happen).
Wednesday I skipped my trail run with Max because I went in to get more blood drawn to test my cortisol levels, and it took way longer than I anticipated (the lab people were not in a hurry). Long enough that the pharmacy was open and I was able to pick up the prescription for the meds we're trying out.
Benefits of smart phones and apps and all that: I received my blood work results on Saturday and Sunday and my doc messaged me about them on Sunday. My cortisol test results were available by mid-afternoon. They're fine, surprisingly enough. I was sure they'd be elevated since I get such crappy sleep and have midsection weight I can't lose (supposedly indicative of cortisol issues). So, good that I don't have cortisol issues, but frustrating since we still don't know for sure why I have such a hard time losing weight. PCOS can definitely cause weight issues, which is why we're focusing on it for now.
After my accountability call, my order of bamboo magnifying glasses arrived from China, so I finished assembling a bucket and took pictures of my nature journaling bundle. I also edited pics and got the listing written and IG posts up. Then I edited my original bucket listings to try to eliminate some potential sources of confusion.
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| one of the pics I added to my listings |
Thursday I went for a below-freezing trail run with Max.
When I got home, I checked my Instagram and torpedoed my day reading a direct message. The writer accused me of ripping off her product sources and research with my nature journaling bundle. Now, I did ask her where she got the watercolor set she has in hers (just an art supply site that I could easily find with a google search), but I sourced everything else myself. Yes, they are similar, but they're not the same. She has a kid-size messenger bag and binoculars. I have my waxed canvas bag and a magnifying glass and an eraser. We both have colored pencils (different brands), watercolors (same brand), and a small canning jar for water. I'd had friends suggest an art or nature bundle in my buckets before I ever found her on IG. Was there some inspiration from her? yes. Was it copied? no.
I read the message then had to head out and run some errands, and all I could think about the whole time was her accusation. I'm a non-confrontational person and hate dealing with this kind of thing. I got a message written finally- trying to balance explanation, denial of ripping off, while not being totally on the offense. I managed it, but only appeased her because I also deleted my IG posts sharing my nature journaling kits (my choice, because I didn't want this to explode into something messy).
This is someone who I've exchanged several messages about leatherworking-related topics, she's got a much, much larger following than I do, and I didn't want her burning me on her account. I can't afford that kind of bad publicity at this stage in building my business.
My take-away from this? There are a lot of creators who tout the "community, not competition" line, but she is clearly not one of them. She obviously feels threatened by my product (which is much better quality all around, IMO) and can't handle the competition, despite the fact that there is more than enough space for both of us to market our products. It's rather sad, actually. But you have to choose your battles and this isn't one I'm willing to impale myself on. It's not worth it at this stage in the game.
So, I won't post about them on IG, but I still have them on my site and Etsy and I'll see if the consignment shop is interested in carrying them, as well. I only bought enough pencils and watercolors (the most expensive parts) for three bundles, so I'm not too worried about it. Just frustrated.
It doesn't help that I'm feeling off because of the new meds I'm on. Not horrible, just a bit off (which is why I hate taking meds- most I've tried over the years make me feel not myself to some degree or another, and I hate it), and it's making me more tired. When you're already always tired, more tired isn't a good thing. Supposedly it will help with energy, concentration, hormone issues, and so on, but it can take awhile to get there. But when combined with all the stress of this situation, it jacked up my anxiety levels and I was just a bundle of nerves and emotions.
In the artist/maker world there's really no such thing as an original idea. Everything is always inspired by something else, and has been for centuries. My waxed canvas and leather buckets were loosely inspired by a canvas tool bucket I saw at Harbor Freight. I'm sure at some point someone will replicate/copy/adapt my design. It's a fact of life when you're a creator. Am I going to tell them to stop? No. there's enough room for all of us, and it's not worth the hassle. I'd rather direct my energies towards creating things, not tilting after wind mills. So while she's sitting there claiming this is her idea that she's been developing for several years, that's just not the case. I talked to a friend about this and she said she gets sent similar things all the time to review and promote (she's an Instagram influencer in my target market <outdoorsy, interest led homeschoolers> who I know in real life and work with in YW).
I finally managed to calm myself down enough to focus on fixing my Facebook pixel (so everything integrates properly between my shop, instagram, and facebook). I found the issue a couple weeks ago, and tried to figure it out then, but ran out of time and brain power. I've been putting it off, but it had to be done sooner, rather than later, so it was past time to take care of it. Unfortunately, I still can't figure it out, so I'm going to have to hire someone to do it.
That evening, I had a Stake youth planning meeting for Stake Standards Night in February, followed by ward council. Both meetings were online, and by the time everything was said and done, I was just exhausted.
Friday I walked with Max while my sister and I vented to each other about our issues. We had park day in our back yard, which was less stressful than going somewhere, and just what I needed.
Thankfully, I was also feeling better and the side effects weren't nearly as bad. One thing about the nausea and lack of appetite from the meds is that it's made it a lot easier to get back on the low carb train. So one positive from dealing with this mess.
In the late afternoon, we all headed into the big city for a virtual Tacky Light Run we'd signed up for. There was 5 or 6 different courses this year so people could spread out, and we chose the shortest course, which also happened to be the closest one. Unfortunately, when we got there, we found that the neighborhood we were supposed to be walking through had no sidewalks (and no roads were closed, but I knew that part). We'd brought lights, but not enough for walking down the street in the dark. So we just drove the course, looking at the cool lights, then went to get dinner and the stuff for Sunshine's trail snack.
Saturday morning Sunshine and I helped man the Scout Christmas tree lot. It was much nicer than last year, when we did it in the dark. It was still cold, but there were others to talk to and we actually sold some trees.
I've realized I don't actually like hiking in groups that include non-family members. It's super awkward when you get stuck at the back of the group and those in front of you are going so slow. Thankfully, that only happened for a bit, then we were back out in front. Sunshine surprised me by being one of the scouts to lead out- she set a good, consistent pace and was able to keep it up pretty much the entire time.
Sunday I walked Max before virtual YW class, in-person church, and virtual ward youth council.
I worked on catching up on previous posts that were started, and even had the photos uploaded, but never received their final polish/edit so they could be published. I need to upload photos to another group of posts before I'll be truly caught up. I like to do it on Sundays (since it's my version of journaling), but Sundays are so busy with all the meetings that I don't always have time or energy to do it, which puts me further and further behind.
2020 totals
0 kayak miles towards #365milechallenge
22.50 indoor foot miles towards #365milechallenge
310.0 bike miles towards #365milechallenge
593.56 miles total
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