Réflexions… et petit cadeau!

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***There’s a little gift at the end of the post for the courageous readers who make it (or skip the whole entry) to the end!***

Mom… Do you have a real job?

I started writting this post in 2021 and I gave up on it after reworking it to the point where I was loosing my train of throught completely. Back then my youngest daughter had to do a presentation on one of her parent’s job and she would have liked to talk about me… but I don’t really have a REAL job do I?

Of course we’ve always been fairly open about the fact that our reality made it pretty much necessary for one of us to be available at all times at home… for quite a few years.

And now that this necessity is becoming more and more of an optionnal thing, 14 years « off work » makes quite the blank space in a C.V!

Then again, I’m sure it would have been much less embarassing for my daughter if she had to do the presentation now. With a hardcover book to showcare it kind of makes this whole business look more legitimate than over a hundred pdf patterns ever did!

I have to admit that my impostor syndrom is pretty strong and I have trouble allowing myself to call myself a « real » business owner. Eventhough it very much is a real business AND real work!

Of course with the economy taking a dive it’s even more difficult now to carve a place in the market… let’s admit it outright: Us designers don’t really offer essential goods and services…

And when it’s been almost 10 years of me trying to put myself out there…

Still, is being an artist a REAL job? Of course it is!

Is it a viable option if you need said work to actually sustain you and your family? Yeah, that’s where it’s not as easy to say yes.

A few years ago I still would have said that yes, it was possible to make a good and proper living with a small business such as mine… and I would have had examples too!

Of course a little thing called Covid happened and the economy nosedived.

Back to the original question… do I have a REAL job? The short answer is yes, being the artist creating everything La rose du rang is actual REAL, and HARD, work.

I work a lot to try and get La rose du rang seen and to design patterns that are fun and easy. I’ve also branched out in custom doll orders with #OurCrochetUniverse and with my Ghibli fan art book (currently only available in French, but if we make enough noise we will get it translated!) and I also have a part time job for the french organisation Collectif Francrochet and for fellow crochet artist ACCROchet.

I’m also putting together my first crochet workshop for the Festival de la P’tite laine in October.

All this to say that I do work a lot to try and reach out people who would be interested in my products! But as most artists would tell you, it is so difficult to make a living out of likes and hearts off of Facebook and Instagram. Given that social media is also becoming more and more greedy, only giving visibility through paid ads…

Oh, by the way, my daughter did end up doing her presentation about my job!

How to help out your favorite artists?

1 – Buy their products and services!

2 – Gift their products/services to your friends and family!

3 – Share your creations made with their patterns on social media with tags and links!

4 – Share your favorite patterns/products as well as new patterns/products to help them make a name for themselves!

5 – React, comment and share their social media posts! This tells the algorythm that the content is interesting and gives it more visibility!

6 – Subscribe to their website and newsletter!

I was going through the archives and I found this adorable freebie dating back to the now defunct youtube channel my friend Sandra and I tried to put together. Since that project is very very dead, I figured it would make for a nice little gift with this entry.

And if you crochet your very own little rose, share it on social media so I can see!

Stitch guide
ch – chain
sl – slipped stitch
sc – single crochet
st – stitch
HDC – half double crochet
DC – double crochet

Material
5mm hook
worsted weight (#4) yarn :
– pink (less than 10 g) and green (less than 10 g)
yarn needle

Gauge
Gauge is not important and you can easily adjust the size of your rose by making the starting chain longer or shorter.

Instructions

Rose
Row 1) With pink, ch 34 and turn (34)
Row 2) Starting 2 st from hook, *(HDC, DC, HDC) in the next st, mc * repeat to end.
Finish off leaving a long tail to sew the rose together. First coil the work on itself and sew secure.

Leaf (optional – make 2)
Round 1) With green, ch 10, turn and starting 2 sts from hook: sl, sl, sc, HDC, HDC, DC, DC, sl, continue around the starting chain, sl, DC, DC, HDC, HDC, sc, sc, sl, sl, continue around the work, HDC to end, sl and finish off work leaving a long tail to sew to leaf to the rose.

Cord
Row 1) With green, ch 15, finish off and use the ends to sew in place at the back of the rose and leaves.

Si vous voulez soutenir ma petite entreprise, achetez mes patrons sur Ravelry!