A Guest Article
By Shelly Olds
March 30, 2024
In today’s economy, it seems that everyone I know is struggling in ways they might not have needed to do before. Very few families are not counting every penny in and out. Very few people are able to afford a carefree and impulsive style of living right now. Many couples are needing to find alternate, additional income to afford security and confidence in next week’s, next month’s, and next year’s costs of living.
I am a happy homemaker– mother to two very young children and wife to an amazing man. Though I love the work I do (and it is definitely work!), my “salary” comes in the currency of hugs, kisses, and memories; however, it’s pretty hard to pay the utility bill with hugs, kisses, and memories… Because of the ages of my children and the fact that my husband works nights, it is not very feasible for me to promise to be in front of a screen or on the phone at XYZ time and place. I can’t guarantee that there won’t be a sudden diaper explosion, there won’t be a tantrum to tame, there won’t be an owie to kiss, or there won’t be uncontrollable laughter and giggles in the background. It’s difficult to find an employer who doesn’t mind a child suddenly running up with a Daniel Tiger book that absolutely MUST BE READ RIGHT NOW when “right now” is in the middle of a business meeting with a potential client!
Yet, we have to bring in more money. Food costs a lot. Gas costs a lot. Doctors and medicine cost a lot. Internet, phone, insurance, mortgage, utilities, diapers, cat food, shampoo, the list goes on and on! EVERYTHING costs a lot! My husband– hard-working and wonderful as he is– is not able to bring in enough money right now for us to live in security and nominal comfort. We have to find alternative, additional income that is both viable and flexible. Ideally we’d like to actually ENJOY our work, too!
Cue the hobbies.
I have loved art since I was a young child. I’ve drawn, scribbled, colored, painted, designed, illustrated, and created for as long as I can remember. Outside of a few occasions in the past though, my art has been a hobby and nothing more. Art improves my life in the sense that it brings me joy, but it doesn’t improve our savings account. Like so many others, I struggle with undervaluing myself and my work. I am afraid that something that I pour hours and love into will not actually be worth anything to anyone else. This is erroneous and destructive. If I work hard and produce something of good quality, I deserve to be paid for it. My time is valuable. My skills are valuable. My experience is valuable. Art is also something that can be done on my schedule. If I can’t draw today, maybe I can draw tomorrow. If I can’t illustrate until 12:15 in the morning because of an insane day of swim classes, potty training, cats escaping, laundry piling up, and fevers, that’s ok! Though I still have a lot to learn, I am putting myself out there. I am offering my services, and I am expecting a return on my investment. Despite the crazy life of a SAHM, I am able to turn my passion into cold, hard cash. Yay!
My husband loves model trains. His father introduced them to him when my husband was just a little boy. He loved them! He loves building layouts, decorating the backgrounds, working on the electrical components, and “cruising” his trains all over the place. He gets delightfully lost in a miniature world of his making, and my son is right there with him! They share this adoration of locomotion together. Through the years, my husband has learned and developed skills to improve his own layouts and trains. He loves authenticity, so he and his father learned how to “age” a train car realistically. He wants cars that are dependable and functional, so he taught himself how to break them down and rebuild them with better, higher quality parts. Like me and so many others, he struggles with appropriately assigning value to his skills. He had to fight off the “five dollar” mindset. Five dollars for quality work is ridiculous. Five dollars says, “Hobby.” Five dollars says, “Cheap.” Five dollars says, “I don’t trust my own work, so you shouldn’t either.” He’s worked hard to get where he is, and he deserves to be compensated. His hobby is not something everyone can do; I know I can’t! So, he is learning to market his abilities and transform a hobby into a service, a product, and a paycheck. Yay again!
What are your skills? What are your passions? How much would YOU pay someone to do what you do? If you value your work and strive to produce good quality products or services, there’s an audience out there which will value it just as much. You may have to really think outside of the box, but your skills and experience matter. If a sleep-deprived stay-at-home mother who happens to like doodling can do it, you can, too.
About the author: Shelly Olds is happy to be a stay-at-home wife and mother in sunny FL. With two toddlers at home, she and her husband are never bored. Never lacking in hilarious antics, much of her art is inspired by her children. Here is a gallery of some of Shelly’s work. Shelly may be contacted through email at sunshinepanda.art@gmail.com
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