Olivia Sementsova

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Drops In The Bucket

Splash is available as a sticker in my shop

As I have been working to build my new website I’ve been thinking a lot about where I want to put my energy. There are so many things I want to do but I know that If I spread myself too thin none of them are likely to work out.

There are a few considerations that I keep coming back to.

I do not want to (and cannot) just quit my day job and do my thing.

This doesn’t make sense from any financial standpoint. And I think that’s the reality for most people.

The job I currently have is not good for my health in the long term. I have chronic migraines and the environment at work has a number of triggers that cannot be changed. The lighting is poor, the pace is fast, there are lots of chemical smells in the air and we work very long hours.

But I also enjoy my job and it pays me well. I like the people I work with and in general, get a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day.

This leaves me with a small amount of time on the weekends during which I need to make sure I get enough rest and prep my food so that I can manage the migraines AND work on creating a business that will eventually take over as my full-time job. And also take into account that on some weekends I will be unable to work due to a migraine. AND spend time with my boyfriend and friends!

It honestly seems impossible at times!

But I am driven to make it work by two things. Firstly, I just have to. If I want to manage my migraines, I need to work from home and have control over my hours. Entrepreneurship is the one thing I can think of that provides this. Second, I get a feeling from making art, a sense of flow, that I do not get with any other activity that I do. So one pushes me forward and the other pulls me ahead.

So I cram one weekend day a week full of my own business, I make art, I work on marketing and I find ways to make it small and effective. I hope that in time, these drops will fill the bucket.