I have exciting news to share with you all! During the entire month of May, I will be working towards launching my online store and bringing to life personal projects as the first product of For Tha Masses. I’m getting back on course with my original plans for the year which was to open my very own small business selling hand lettered custom goods. I’ll be mixing my love of art, type design, and personal development into an on-going series of self-compassion cards and the store is set to open on June 15th.
If you remember, I was extremely disappointed in myself when the original March deadline came to pass without a single piece of work being created. Looking back, I see that I simply put too much on my plate at once and was overwhelmed by the idea of taking such a big leap. I experienced a heavy load of self-doubt which was too much for me to handle at the time and I let the fear of the unknown dictate my decisions which clouded my judgment. It’s one of the many reasons why pushing myself to launch this personal project is so important to me. This self-compassion series will serve as the platform to kickstart my creative business as I continue to hone my skills.
Due to struggles in my own creative life, the whole process of personal growth, self-improvement, and intentional living is a topic I hold near and dear to me. I used to feel like someone who was inadequate and lacked talent and it’s been an interesting experience learning how to dispel those negative thoughts from my mind. By practicing forms of self-compassion in my everyday life, I’ve learned that the words we say to ourselves matter. If we can learn to speak to ourselves with kindlier and more empowering words, we can begin to overcome our personal struggles and reframe our internal dialogue bit by bit. Since identifying as an artist let alone a creative has been a difficult feat, it felt appropriate to use lettering skills I’ve acquired thus far as a form of healing and allow myself the room to grow past negative self-beliefs.
The idea to launch a personal line of beautifully designed self-compassion cards has been a desire of mine for some time. The idea came from understanding my personal needs as an artist and an individual and learning how to use art as a tool to not only help myself but to help others. This evolved into a way of showing up for myself and being vulnerable enough to put my work out there despite my inner critic screaming out to pull the plug and abort the mission.
During the next coming weeks, I’ll share the entire process of bringing these pieces to life. It will include my inspiration, art direction, and other behind the scenes content that may be fun to share. I’m also using this process to get better acquainted with talking about my work and the real-life experiences that inspire what I do. To go the extra mile, I will provide useful content as it relates to each piece to support you in your own creative endeavors. I look forward to committing myself to this new direction of my entrepreneurial life and navigating the realms of building a business from the ground up. I know it won’t be easy and there will be a lot of tears, sleepless nights, and a whirlwind of self-doubt that I must pry myself from. But all of this will be worth it because I dared to trust myself and trust the process. My hope is that the work I produce over the next couple of weeks can play a part in helping you get closer to stepping out in faith to chase your curiosity.
Stay tuned for more!