Put Yourself Out There

When I embarked on a search for my professional identity, inspirational oases were few and far between. I would find myself on the Best of Craigslist at two in the morning, longing to find my frustration and anxiety echoed in the stories of others. While there were a few gems that brought comfort and some semblance of a community, by and large, the road was a lonely one. This can really suck when you already feel awkward, clumsy and maybe a bit self-conscious like our friend the robot here.  Kind of like you don’t quite fit in anywhere.

Well, in an attempt to start filling this void, I created the Find Your Blackbird blog. There are five primary areas to explore. The Lost Demographic is a small collection of stories–tales of bravery, fear, embarrassment, and hilarity courtesy of volunteers and contributors.

Trust Your Blackbird, our second category, is an anthology of sorts. Every story of professional fulfillment contains the same raw benchmarks, i.e. leaving a comfortable job, following a gut instinct, experiencing the complete and utter fear of failure, overcoming enormous obstacles and disappointments, etc. This section of our blog serves as a repository for just such stories. Our hope is that the collective message will be one of encouragement to go after whatever it is you truly want to do.

The Blackbird Diary chronicles the very real fiasco that is starting a small business. Follow me as I embark on the terrifying and wonderful uphill climb to get Blackbird Tees off the ground. For those of you considering starting a business, this may shed a little light on the process. You will hear most small business owners say that they never look back, and despite all of the personal hurdles I’ve experienced thus far, I would agree with them. That said, there’s a reason why not everyone chooses this path. Figure out whether or not it’s for you.

Blackbird Tees features more in-depth descriptions of the designs and products offered in my shop, including early illustrations showing the step-by-step process of going from pen and paper to t-shirt.

Finally, Heavens to Etsy, my most recent category, showcases the strange and wonderful things that I find from week to week on Etsy.  If you’re willing to dedicate a little bit of time to perusing the many shops, you can uncover unique and magical creations from everyday people just like you.

Filed under Lost Demographic |