I made -$71 today...

I made -$71 today (booth fee + a couple of purchases), but I met a lot of great people and had fun, so I'm not upset.

I think my stuff would sell better to a younger crowd, and that's ok. I was also tucked in the back, so I don't think we had the traffic that some of the other vendors might have.

But I still had a good time and no regrets. ❤️

Etsy wants new photos, added videos, etc.

Etsy wants new photos, added videos, etc. I will start on that next week. Getting ready for the show tomorrow, then I'll update whatever I bring back home next week before starting on new stuff.

I still need to update my Polish All the Things page. It's linked to Etsy, but currently only has my nail art on there. I have so much to do! 😬

It's been one of those...

It's been one of those "tried my best, but accomplished very little" type of days.

I spent too much time trying to integrate my Etsy shop with my Polish All the Things page, and in the end it didn't even work. Apparently, you could do that last year, but not anymore. I also had to get my Square account switched over to my current last name and bank.

I jumped in with both feet and signed up to do a craft show this weekend. Info on that will be on the page linked above ^ here shortly. I know very few people where I live now, but I'm still gonna put up the event. 😂

I also submitted the scholarship application for the program I'm trying to get into.

I watered a few plants. Made a plant Insta.

That's pretty much all I managed to do today.

Etsy says I need more photos and videos of my stuff. I agree. I have new jewelry displays, so maybe I can make things look fancy and get some new media up this weekend. We'll see.

Currently working on reopening Polish All the Things...

Currently working on reopening Polish All the Things on Etsy.  I need to get some fresher pics, as well as some videos to show the sparkle (not to mention I need to get creating!), but I gotta start somewhere.

Just an update:

I still don't have a job. I was laid off in April. The market has been terrible. I put in applications every week, and I'm getting rejection letters and no call-backs.

When I started college in 2015, my plan was to go for something well-paying and in-demand. I really took to Math and Computer Science, and I have no regrets about choosing those paths, although I never imagined that due to the economy and AI it would be so hard to find work. It definitely wasn't like this a few years ago.

Anyway, I've been looking around for a path forward and I think I have a plan. There's a program under one of the local colleges that offers a certificate for Web Design. I have some years of experience, but I also have some gaps in my knowledge since I am self-taught. I would feel much better applying for jobs doing that if I took this boot camp, so I'm about to apply.

I also didn't really think through the whole "moving to a new place where I knew no one and then working remotely so that I have no local network," but that's exactly what I did. I just didn't realize it until it bit me in the ass after my layoff. 😬 So going through this program would help me start the process of building a network here on top of honing my skills.

I'm still also really interested in learning Spanish, so I'm considering (perhaps next year, hopefully after I'm working) taking Spanish here. Living in New Mexico, it would be super useful to have more under my belt than what I can get from Duolingo. And if I have a major in it, I would feel confident in my competency.

I don't know. Spanish is more of a long-term goal than immediate, but what is clear to me is that I'm probably not finding a job soon, so I need to be improving myself. I will continue to apply for jobs, but I need to make myself more marketable while doing that. So I'm going to do my best.

Also, in the meantime, I will probably re-open my Etsy shop and list all of the jewelry I've made. I might also start making press-on nails since I have so many nail art supplies. I don't know how popular press-ons are, but I know you can buy unique and even custom sets on Etsy, so I might as well throw my designs in the ring, too.

I hope y'all are doing well. Aside from not having a job, I'm actually doing pretty ok. I've been doing a lot of self-care, which I needed.

Local friends, if y'all have time to hang out, please let me know! ❤️