The Crepe Confectionary celebrates it's first year!

just over a year ago, a very good friend of mine and i were sitting on my couch, brainstorming ideas for a creative business opportunity that we could establish for ourselves as a fun way to make some extra cash. we talked about screen printing, event planning, and even doing a BBQ lunch truck. as we sat trying to identify each of our talents and weaknesses, he began to convince me to stop 'playing' at my crafting, and instead, take it to the next level.

i used to dabble in primitives under the name "Prims & Propers"...

see, up until this point, my crafting was something i did for fun, for relaxation on weekends when i wasn't on call at the hospital or working the emergency room...i never once considered that my little hobby could make me any sort of meaningful income. it wasn't that i didn't think my 'work' wasn't good enough -- truth be told, i had sold some of my items to local shops and boutiques before, and each piece was very well received. but, in spite of this, i still didn't consider it a way to make a living. i was, afterall, a doctor...my last fine arts class came my freshman year of high school. even my modest education in architectural design didn't really count as 'art' education, at least in my mind.

an original st. nick doll from 2007

so when my friend finished making his case, attempting to convince me that my work was actually worth selling and that i actually had some creative talent, he proposed --dared me, actually -- to give it a try. open an etsy shop, he said...give it a finite time...make a business plan...operate with all the seriousness i would if i were still practicing medicine...if it fails, you'll know. but, if it doesn't? well, who knows where the path could lead me...

my cheesebox lanterns were always a huge hit in the shops...

and now, one year later, The Crepe Confectionary has become a major part of my life, with many successes and some failures, but still going strong. i won't lie: i struggled in the beginning, mostly with reconciling the very scientific half of my brain, that had been in the driver's seat all of my life, with the more creative half of my brain, which had always hung around, but was happy to be chilling in the backseat. it was odd, and still is at times, when people ask me what i do for a living...people generally laugh or don't know how to respond when i tell them that i run a creative design business and i'm a folk artist, especially when they know that just a few years ago, i was a practicing doctor.

i loved making this piece, and i never made one for myself!

looking back on my first year in business, however, i see many reasons to be proud...and i'm truly happy with this little life i have 'crafted' for myself. i am my own boss, i am my own workforce, i make my schedule, i carve out my own path. and honestly, when i would think about what i wanted to be when i grew up, i was never quite sure what it was that i wanted to be, but i was damn sure that i wanted to be in charge. the path of my life has wound in many directions, but it hasn't been until now that i could say that i am truly, truly enjoying my stroll...

(thanks, scott. you really made me believe it all, because you believed in me.)