Maker Lessons from Market 5

We had our fifth market on August 14. I learned three lessons as a maker from that market.

1. Sometimes new is one of the best decisions you can make.

After hosting four markets in Decatur, market 5 was the first in Atlanta.

As a maker, it’s easy to want to rest on what is comfortable and reliable. But being a maker sometimes means taking risks and and trying something new.

2. The energy in the room at market 5 was magnetic and remarkably special due to gathering handmade makers and people to love to purchase handmade goods in one room.

As a maker I can contribute to that energy by showing up ready to share my wonderful goods and by supporting other handmade makers by buying their goods.

3. With the push for more video contents through Social Media platforms, Market 5 was an opportunity to capture not just photos but great video content.

As a maker during times where video is becoming king, I have to be more intentional about finding moments to capture memories through video.

A Curated Space

It’s hard to forget the emptiness I felt after George Floyd’s death. I didn’t think I could feel worse until I started scrolling down my IG timeline and noticed a number of Influencers I follow didn’t even acknowledge his death. Ok, I thought. Some people’s feed are planned months in advance. So I moved on to their Stories feed since that has more flexibility. Scroll. Scroll. Scroll. Beach pics. Laughing pics. Cat pics. No acknowledgement of this man’s death or even any sense of outrage that this was even happening in 2020. Scroll. Scroll. Scroll. No changes to the feed and no acknowledgement.

I remember waking up and thinking why am I in an online community that doesn’t care about the issues that matter to me? There were some Influencers that I was honestly too hurt to keep following. I decided that I needed to take an emotional vacation from their spaces. I had to pause to reflect on what spaces I wanted to be in.

That season taught me three things –

I have the power to decide who I will give my money to. Whose goods will I chose to buy and support? I don’t need to take that power for granted but to shop responsibly.
I don’t have to sit in a community that does not acknowledge and champion the causes that are close and near and dear to my heart. Before I simply jump into a community looking to level up my business or get financial gains, I have to consider the total cost of being in that space.
I have the freedom to curate a community that celebrates what matters to me – my faith, my family, being a black woman, being a Liberian woman, my love for writing and making. Just as I have the power to take a break from a space, I have the power to create a space.

I have the power to leave a space that doesn’t reflect what matters to me.

I have the power to curate a space that does.

by Ciatta-Mae Stubblefield

Must Read Blog Post Roundup

In this post, two of founders share their top blog posts to read and or revisit. These posts will encourage and inspire you. Let us know which posts were your favorites.

Here are Ciatta’s top 4 blog posts:

I really enjoyed “DIY Ankara Fabric Scrap Earrings”. It gave me a beautiful gift idea to show love to women in my life around the holidays.

“Three Mistakes I’ve Made As an Entrepreneur” reminds to keep moving forward as a maker. It’s great inspiration to reference on my maker journey.

“Three Black Illustrators who are inspiring us right now” from Charlene Dunbar spoke to the artist in me and reminded me that art created by people who look like you is necessary and compelling.

Market 3 was my favorite market and “Lessons Learned from Craft Savvy Market 3″ was a wonderful read. It’s awesome to read the different perspectives from my craft sisters on our labor of love.

by Ciatta-Mae Stubblefield

Here are Jandi’s must read blog posts:

COVID 19 Lessons Learned Makers Edition -We are all still learning through this pandemic. This blog post is special because it reminds us that even in tough times, we can still grow and learn and choose to move forward.

3 Ways to Beat your Creative Blocks
Creative blocks come from time to time. This post will help you beat those blocks and create space for creating the things you love.

3 Things I wish I knew before I started Crafting
Whether you just started your crafting, or you’ve been doing it for a while, there are some things we wish I knew when I started.

14 Easy Ways to Repurpose Content Coming up with content is difficult. This post will give you clever ways to repurpose your content.