Thursday, May 11, 2023

Online life journey

Currently, I'm on an online journey of sorts. Why do I call it that? Because it feels a little bit like one. In life, you have contacts, a business or job for income, free time, and so on. That's where I think I'm growing online. What I've started online are various channels that will eventually lead to my own life lessons, but online.

I've decided to share my life lessons with the world.


In early January, I started an Etsy webshop, which can be found on my website. I sell digital products that can be downloaded after purchase. Currently, I mainly offer digital papers that can be printed and used for scrapbooking and junk journals or as gift wrapping for small presents.

I just mentioned that I started an online journey with work. Not a job, but a small Etsy shop enterprise of my own. I actually prefer entrepreneurship to being an employee. I love the challenges and the risks, but most of all, I love that I can do what I want. Of course, there is a limit because if I don't do it well, I won't sell anything (and that's currently the case). The goal is to make this my source of income, so I'll invest online work time into it.


Now, for my free time online as a part of online lifejourney. To tell you about this, I need to explain how I got to my (still very small) enterprise. It's because of my hobby. I came into contact with making junk journals, which are made with materials I love to work with: paper, fabric, beads, charms, and preferably recycled material. I like to use envelopes that would normally be thrown away and other paper that would go with the old paper. I can really get into it by drawing, writing, or just painting backgrounds. It's super fun. But who would want to buy something like that? Well, there seem to be people who are interested. However, I haven't made any effort yet because I didn't see a real earning model in it. If I were to make really beautiful journals, it would take me a month in my spare time. If I only sell one per month, how can I make an income?


While watching more and more YouTube videos of creative women making their own junk journals, I discovered that some people were buying digital kits with beautiful images and pocket templates with a coherent design. I realized that I had already collected a hobby room full of recycle materials and various types of paper. However, it's difficult to make a coherent junk journal without the right materials and designs. Not everyone has the time, patience, or space to collect these materials. I noticed that there were many people who wanted to have a little push in the right direction. From this thought came the idea to also create digital junk journal kits.

Although I still have a lot to learn and am still learning through online lessons, I'm excited about this idea. Before starting my Etsy store, I had already made an attempt, but it failed due to mistakes I had made. Now I'm slowly expanding my assortment of digital papers, ephemera, and eventually the junk journal kits. It's a lot of work, which is currently unpaid.



As is often the case, one idea led to another. In addition to my Etsy shop, I now also have a website and a blog. The website is essentially a backup for myself in case my Etsy account is deleted for any reason. I've heard that this can happen, and that Etsy isn't an easy platform to communicate with. With my website, I also wanted to start building a community that is interested in my online journey. I didn't want to direct this audience straight to my Etsy shop, hence the website.

But once I started setting up my website, I realized that I also wanted to share life lessons and insights that I've gained during my online journey and in my life in general. This led to the idea for this blog. To be honest, I'm writing primarily for myself, but I hope that others will enjoy reading along and learn something from it. There's actually a lot more that I want to share, which I think can help people. But it doesn't all fit into this article. No problem, I have a whole blog to go and I'll keep you updated! Feel free to read along and follow my online journey.


To my website 

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