Upcycling My Way Out Of This Mess

The abridged version of this story is that I want to turn my craft projects into profits by upcycling various materials into one-of-a-kind treasures to sell. After all, millions are successful at this! Simple. Easy. Or in my case, not so much.

For the full version of this story, settle in and envision an extremely introverted Virgo with social anxiety in a small apartment with almost every type of arts and crafts project (incomplete and stacked in piles), with two highly active children maneuvering through the creations, usually wielding sabres, and launching said piles into avalanches. Now, factor in extreme stress from financial woes, divorce, and work pressure for added drama. Whereas I am truly grateful to have a full-time job, I really need to spend my days in an indoor/outdoor courtyard studio where the children can play nearby and I can create without living in a real-life Floor Is Lava situation while appearing to audition for a Hoarders spin-off.

The motivation and inspiration for this project all began a few years ago when I stumbled across a paper crafting TV show during recovery from surgery (also known as a vacation). After putting a spouse through law school, giving birth and trying to cope with two small, insomniac children while hanging on to an extremely stressful job, all during the Great Recession, years flew by without a minute to pursue my raison d'etre: arts and crafts of any and every type.

I taught myself how to sew clothes as a child, so the sewing machine was always at the ready. Half-finished cross-stitch projects filled the storage bins. Paper making scraps and papier mache dust covered most surfaces. Model planes and ships filled all available corners. Paint, pencils, markers, and crayons found a home wherever they'd fit. I even volunteered at a picture frame store so that I could learn the trade for free.

Somehow, in between my erstwhile time in the studio and the cataclysmic world in which I then found myself, the paper crafting and scrapbook craze escaped my radar. Agog at the type of projects, tools, and possibilities shown during the TV demonstration, a flood of ideas burst through the dam. With this newfound inspiration, but still nowhere near having the time or money to return to my wheelhouse, I did manage to buy a tool, or two, or twenty, as I resolved to become a maker once again. I was on my way! Or so I thought…

A year or so later, still having never recovered from the Recession and saddled with a $150K law school debt, my now ex-husband served me with divorce papers. Almost exactly a week after that, we received a 60-day eviction notice, as our landlord opted to renovate the building. This unexpected upheaval in our living situation and helping two small children cope during an acrimonious divorce put my creative pursuits on hold, once again. 

Since this last-minute relocation resembled bulldozing sundry items into unlabeled boxes, unpacking proved quite daunting. But, it turns out that this was the spark that I needed!

As I unpacked each box, I’d ask myself, “Why did we keep that???”

Purging the unnecessary items happened after the move, as there was no time beforehand, and the trash/recycle pile soon overtook the room. But as I put items on the pile, I’d think, “’What a shame that this stuff will likely end up in a landfill. This paperboard would complement that unfinished scrapbook page,’ or, ‘That colorful cardboard packaging would make a nice set of embellishments.’” Luckily, I had discovered Fiskars thick-cut punches and heavy-duty scissors, and began to salvage every bit of the pile. Soon the new pile looked like products I’d buy at a craft store. And then it hit: I could sell packs of upcycled embellishments as well as my own creations through a platform like Etsy! I could also pat myself on the back for keeping things from the trash/recycle bin and add craftivism to my resume.

Ideas for products to create and sell were abundant and ever flowing. However, time and money were not, and with my upcycled inventory increasingly taking over the apartment, it seemed no better than if I had just stacked the purged items in the corner. My complete and total lack of business prowess rendered these items more likely to be silverfish bait rather than rent money. And the aforementioned introversion and social anxiety raised the difficulty level of networking, marketing, and general daily functioning anywhere outside my front door. (I may have been the only person who thrived from mandatory social distancing). It would be great if someone could just simply get my creations to market!

Thanks to internet search engine algorithms, this challenge on Vocal.com magically appeared on a Facebook ad. When I saw this opportunity, I thought, “Maybe this is it! The prize money will help to hire someone with business acumen to get this dream to reality... And I have so many ideas for products for Fiskars… I need so many tools that have not been created, and Fiskars is the only one that can provide the capability to work with thick materials with the quality I require...Perhaps my story can let them know of a need for a new line of products...”

In essence, my upcycling projects allow my unbridled creativity to find an outlet and could literally and figuratively lift me out of the mess: no more piles of paperboard and ready-to-sell items causing clutter, and enough profits to help with my financial plight.

I very much appreciate consideration for any of these prizes and the opportunity to tell my story. With some additional luck, perhaps Fiskars could entertain my ideas for new and innovative tools. And, incidentally, should my story get passed along to some altruistic billionaire with a pet cause of sponsoring creative introverts, I’d be forever grateful!