Today, I've released my first pattern, titled the Follow your Passions Slouch Hat! It's incredibly exciting that I've written up my first crochet pattern, and in the spirit I wanted to let you guys in on why I called it the Follow your Passions Slouch Hat. This blog will be a little deeper than your typical crochet blog, but I'm not your typical crocheter. I'm not writing this blog to simply reach a wider audience or spread my creativity (although those are nice perks haha!). I'm writing this because my yarn and hook have been with me through a lot. I have a story to tell, and I'm choosing to tell it through my life-long hobby of crochet.
So, many of you may know that I'm only 16 years old. I'm swamped with schoolwork and drama and the identity crisis that comes with a high school career. And somehow, on top of all that, I started an Etsy this summer! Complete with listings and everything...crazy, right? Even a few sales so far! Anyway, I'm 16, so what? Well, I'm too young. I don't know what I want to do with my life. I'll realize this is all too big of an undertaking and quit. I'll stress myself out by trying to start a business on top of everything else. I'll be exhausted and overworked. I'll never make the money I need for college. I'll try to be one of those dumb teenagers who drops out to fulfill their 'dream' before having their world crash around them and discovering how young and stupid I was to attempt to start a business at sixteen.
Okay, I'm not going to argue with all of that. I'm young and pretty stupid. I have no earthly idea what I'm doing in the world of entrepreneurship. I had no idea the commitment I was making when all of this started. And my teenage life is incredibly overwhelming so I probably didn't need to add a startup on top of that. It was the 'wrong time'.
But I'm passionate and driven and will put in the work when I want something. I have no real financial responsibilities, so being debt-ridden and making nothing a month is hardly an issue. And ultimately, this makes me incredibly happy and helped coax me out of a pretty rough depressive episode I was in the middle of. On top of that, if this works out, not needing a part time job throughout high school sounds pretty great. Calling Netflix and crochet on my couch 'work' sounds like a pretty good deal. So as much as I could say it's the wrong time, it's also the perfect time. It all depends on the perspective you choose to have.
I should probably tie this into the hat pattern release, so here goes. I called it the Follow your Passions Hat. And, well, the title is pretty self-explanatory and an entire blog post to explain it was a bit excessive. But it's more than just a title. It's about more than loving crochet. I'm following my passions by making a life for myself. I'm following my passions because I'm not starting this business for the money or the accomplishment or the excuse to buy yarn, I'm doing it because I deserve to do something for me. I'm following my passions by listening to my heart, not reason or logic or facts because those haven't gotten me too far.
The facts are that 9 out of 10 startups fail. The facts are that 95% of new businesses don't meet their projected income. The facts are that I'm 16 years old and it's probably a terrible time to undertake an entire business. The facts tell me that I should give up before I even start because every odd is against me. But my heart says this could be something beautiful. My heart says that I'll never succeed if I quit because this is 'hard'. My heart tells me that if I love something, what's a couple bumps in the road? And I choose to listen to her because I don't want to live in a world where the odds determine my destiny. I believe that facts don't have to be the end-all be-all because people defy them all the time. And maybe that's simply delusional, but it's gotten me this far, hasn't it?
So no, it's not the right time to invest in a startup. But it never will be. So when my heart pounded in my chest, telling me it was time, I listened. And I started an Etsy and now I'm releasing my first pattern! Screw the odds. Listen to your heart when it beats and follow your passions.
I hope you'll all go check out the pattern up on my Etsy now!
Also, make sure to purchase the same yarn that I used so that it works up perfectly! This yarn is so soft and makes such beautiful stitches, plus I love their color line! I think I'm in love! Click this link to shop!
Make sure to tag me in your final creations! #hookoverheels or @hookoverheels on Instagram!
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