Has anyone else ever just lost interest in doing leather work? Some days I just feel like it’s time for me to hang it up. Not sure why. I’ve been doing this for 20 years. Maybe I’m just burnt out. I’ve made so many projects for the last two decades. Sold so many items. I’m starting to feel like moving onto something else.
Just finished up this passport wallet. I did two, one with line 20 snap, and one with sigma snap. The sigma snap just doesn't feel like it has a strong enough hold. Maybe just a bad snap.
Pattern by: Creative Awl
Leather: Tandy Leather Crazy Horse Pull Up 3-4 oz
Cut with xTool P2
Stitching: Tandy Tiger Thread
**TL;DR What am I supposed to do now
I don’t know where to go with this. I’ve been in a panic state all day. Been throwing up, shaking, and don’t even know how to process this.
Over 20 years ago I met the love of my life in college. She was truly the first one to ever really love me. We were together for 2 years. We lived with each other and decided we wanted to get married. Which was going to be a little tricky. Because we came from two very different religions. Our families did not approve of us dating. But we didn’t care, we were going to get married any way we could. But I knew that her family rejecting me and wanting nothing to do with her was hard on her. I know she missed her family.
In July of 2004 I was home and received the worst call of my life. I was told by her aunt that she had been killed while driving by a drunk driver. I lost control. The hardest part was not being allowed to attend any of the events. According to the family their religion does not hold any services for funerals of any kind. I always assumed that her body was cremated, because i could never find any info on where she was buried.
I feel into a deep depression for 5 years afterwards.
Eventually I moved on but it wasn’t easy.
Today I was out running errands when I ran into an old friend of ours from college. While I was super happy to see her and say hi she had a look on her face that looked like she did not want to see me.
When I approached her I said hello and she immediately went into heart felt mode. I told her I was doing fine, etc.
I said goodbye and headed for my car. When I got to my car she came running towards me. I went to her to see if something was wrong.
That’s when she told me something that I could not believe. She just came out and said it. That my late gf was not dead. She was still alive. I was stunned. Why would she say such a thing. I did not think it was funny at all. I kept shaking my head at her.. no no.
She told me that her family had hated me so much, that they threatened to hurt me if she didn’t leave me. So her family forced her to come home, and lied to me about her death.
I still refused to believe such a thing. Until my friend took out her phone and showed me photos of the both of them together.
I could not breathe, or move. I kept saying this is a cruel joke. But she said that when it all happened that my gf was terrified of what they would do to me. That she never forgave herself. That she still thought of me, and she never moved on.
I sat in my car for over an hour just trying to process what I was just told.
I’ve had anxiety panic attacks all day. What am I supposed to do now!!??? I can’t just forget this. It’s all I’m going to be thinking about. I told my current everything and she is speechless. She didn’t even have a suggestion of what to do next. Am I supposed to just continue like I never found out? How?? I so desperately want to find her and reach out but I’m in a 14 year relationship. I can’t think straight, I’m going crazy. I don’t know what to do.
The way my friend talked about her seemed like she’s still been waiting for me to come find her.
I called for a special emergency session with my therapist tomorrow. I feel so sick to my stomach.
This is a Tandy Leather Kit pattern that I used. I used a crazy horse pull up. Made it into a digital pattern for my xtool machine to cut out along with new stitching holes. I didn’t like the ones Tandy made for it.
So I am not running a true business, more of just a hobby where I make money from. I’ve had issues selling online, and it put me off wanting to deal with it anymore. So my friend and I opened up a vendor space at a boutique consignment shop. We hand make all our items. My friend and I decided to share the booth so we could split the rent. After the first three months my sales are slowing growing, each month has increased from the previous one. My friend however has not made any sales yet. I can tell he is growing frustrated. At the end of this month we can choose to leave if we want. The contract is only 3 months and after that month to month. I feel like at the end of the month he will pull out leaving me on my own. Which I wouldn’t mind but then I’d be left with the whole rent to myself, and I’m just concerned if I’d be able to do it on my own and still be worth it. The shop I’m in is starting to become very popular, and there is now a wait list for new vendors.
I would like to try to convince my friend to stay. But $100 a month per person when you aren’t making any sales is not what he was hoping for and I do get it.
So far this month I’m at $250 in sales.
How much would you all say I have to make in sales a month to make it worth it to stay on my own if the rent will cost me $200.
Would you stick it out? Or pack it up?
To start off I am a leather craftsman for 20 years. Mostly just a hobbyist. But I have had a lot of success in selling many of my products over the years. I've never wanted to do this as a full time business because I don't want to burn myself out.
Last year I decided to start an etsy shop. I started out making 5 cosplay items. Within 3 months my sales were starting to hit 2k per month. I was becoming a little excited. But my items started getting flagged by other users stating my items were not handmade because they look too perfect. Etsy never let me relist those items, even though they are handmade.
So rather than having to go through something like this again with another online service, I figured I'd just sell everyday use types of items locally. I found a great consignment shop nearby and set up shop. My sales have been climbing in just my first two months. But unfortunately, I'm experiencing a HUGE theft problem. In just the last week I've had over $80 worth of inventory stolen. That may seem like not very much to many, but for me that is a lot. All the money, time, and labor in those items are just gone. This is by far the most that has been stolen in one week. I asked the shop owner if any other vendors have experienced the same, and she told me I'm the only one she's heard from.
It's nice that people like my stuff. But come on man! Pay for it!
I am very new to anxiety. I've never really experienced it before. But about two weeks ago I started having them everyday especially in the morning. I have not had anything major change in my life and it has just sort of come out of nowhere. After having them for eight straight days I was able to have the next 5 days without a attack. But the next day after that my doctor put me on Zoloft, 3 hours later I experienced the worst anxiety attack I've ever had. It was so bad I went to the ER. Which was five days ago. I did not take the Zoloft again. Since then I have had attacks but not as severe as they were before. Does this mean I'm getting past it? Will it stop? The only fear that kept coming to my head was the fear of having brain damage. But I figured if it was damage it would be affecting me all the time not just the morning parts of the day. I wish I could afford the counseling that is recommended but I just can not at the moment. Anyone had any advice? And more importantly assurance that I'll be ok.
As I mentioned before I cant think of any shocking events that would have caused this. But if I think about everything going on maybe they added up all together? I lost my job last year in September, I lost my online business in December, what earnings I have today seem to be getting less, and less, you can't turn on the TV or computer without hearing something about the government, I also have multiple past PTSD events in my life, I recently came back to religion, and there's so much to learn. Maybe I am just overall overwhelmed.
