Monday, November 2, 2009

The Joy of Being a Home-Based Business II



This is the current state of my living room. Yes, that's one of my spinning wheels, squashed in behind the pile.

We would have left all of this in the van for the 3 days in between the two craft fairs, but the tires and rims need to be installed on the van on Wednesday and we couldn't fit all of this plus the old and new rims and tires into the van - or at least not without potentially damaging the boxes and possibly their contents.

So, rather than carry all of this down to the studio (where there is no room for it there, either) Doug and I are treading narrow paths to our respective seats in the lr.

What I'm not showing you is the dining room, which is similarly boxed in - so to speak.

The empty box on the top of the pile will have to be put somewhere else if we are to watch any tv, but until I turn the tv on later today it will stay on the top of the heap. :}

So many people believe that because someone has a business that that person is raking in the cash and living the good life. What most of these people don't know and don't understand is that being a home based business means that a) you never wind up having much 'down' time - work is always staring you in the face b) that income is never guaranteed - you pays your money and you takes your chances (like the craft fair this weekend which brought in a couple hundred dollars less than the same show last year), c) that your house is always a mess because there simply isn't sufficient space for all the materials and supplies required for running a business while living in the same space.

OTOH, I can't ever see myself working at a 'real' job. I've been self-employed for far too many years. (You want me to show up every day? On time? And do what?)

I am very happy to be able to set my own pace, choose the job I want to work on (or not, suffering the consequences of missed deadlines), sleep in if I need to, or work until midnight to meet a deadline.

My health has never been great (allergens can blindside me, making down time necessary) and knowing that if I'm not feeling well first thing in the morning I can shift my schedule and work until midnight means that I can set my own priorities and do what I feel capable of doing on an 'off' day.

It also means that every day is a potential work day, and it's rare that I do nothing at all work related.

Of course I do love what I do, so it's not as great a hardship as it may be sounding!

So I continue to live with mess and clutter and narrow pathways through the house. :} And dream that one day my house will be neat and tidy and clean (no dust buffalo roaming the halls and congregating in the corners!)

Like another home based business blogger, I do feel guilty about the mess and hesitate to have company for fear that I will be judged and found lacking in the housekeeping department.

8 comments:

Dorothy said...

I share a home with my OH's business (which isn't textiles). This is a familiar sight. Another thing that surprises people is a home where there are more studios/office/stores than bedrooms!

Laura Fry said...

Our home is rated 3 bedrooms - the master bedroom, the guest room/catch all, and the 'office' where the computer and various miscellaneous stuff lives.

The dining room table doubles (triples?) as shipping table, fringe twisting work area, book balancing place. The living room is - well - lived in. :}

I'll never win the Good Housekeeping Award, unless they hand out a *bad* job award. :D

Cheers,
Laura

Susan said...

I wouldn't worry about the house work. It gets done whenever!

I recently went to a funeral of a dear friend who was a 'home-maker' and had a neat as a pin home. The family complimented her on her baking, meals and... not much else. She had no hobbies or outside interests at all but just looked after her husband. Common for that generation and age group. So apparently a clean house is not what you are remembered for.

Sharon Schulze said...

Clean houses don't last - entropy always does its thing. But there are archeological specimens of handweaving from 20,000 years ago! :-D

The one (and maybe only) think I miss about living alone is being able to make all the spaces about me and my hobbies. hee hee

Sharon Schulze said...

Um, the one THING I miss.

And I know what you do isn't a hobby but the work I do doesn't translate well into a home business so I was connecting the best I could. Although I am starting to think of myself as a weaver who works at the university instead of a university person who weaves. A subtle but significant shift.

Benita said...

You described my house!!! My husband is a full-time illustrator, and it is hard to get him to take time off, so, yes, downtime is hard. But the perks make up for it. He sets his own hours, works the 16 hours a day he wants (LOL) and can work in his sweats and slippers if that suits him.

Laura Fry said...

Nice to know I'm not the only one! And I do prefer a creative mess.....

Cheers,
Laura

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