The state of Kelsey Davis Design: haha. Sounds so fancy.
I just finished my last two plush taxidermy pieces that I'll be making for awhile so I wanted to share what's going on behind the scenes. I announced a few months ago that I would be closing the shop for a bit to take some time and rework my designs, create new products, and work on an overall shop refresh. That's still the plan but the details are fuzzy.
I've hit a point where I feel like my business has slowed and the only way I'll be able to grow it is if I take a hard look at my shop and make some changes.. what's working, what's not? What do I love to do, and am I doing it?* I've enjoyed making all the little animals for you guys! I'm just getting the itch to switch things up, even though it's super scary to start something new.. because who knows if it'll work out? (*shoutout to my super supportive husband who inspires me on the daily and is constantly pushing me to just go for it; whatever that may be.)
Will I still be offering custom plush taxidermy in the future?
As of right now, I will not be offering completely custom pieces. This was a main reason for closing the shop, because the way my custom orders were set up took too much time for one person (me, haha) to do by themselves, and 6 weeks was too long of a turn around time to make my customers happy. Which is understandable, that's a long time to wait!
Will I still be making plush taxidermy?
My main focus will be elsewhere, but my plan right now is to do small batch shop updates every few months where I release a few ready to ship pieces on a particular day. Keep an eye on my instagram for updates on this. I'm hoping to have some ready to go in the fall around thanksgiving.
What will I be doing in the meantime?
This is the part where it gets fuzzy! My background is in graphic design, so I'm planning to dive back in to my computer. I've been spending so much time sewing that I haven't had time to design as much as I've wanted to lately, so I'm excited about that. I've started a new side business with my husband where we're designing enamel pins, stickers, and other fun flair. You can follow along with us on instagram @dribblekiller if that sounds like something you'd enjoy :)
I'm reallyyyy trying to let myself go for a few months to experiment and create things just for fun without thinking too much about what will sell. And guys, it's not easy to flip that switch! But I'm trying. Maybe I'll make some pillows? Prints? Embroidery? What would you like to see more of in your feed? Let me know! Keep up with me here and on instagram if you want to see where all of this ends up.
This quote from Awesome with Alison has been sticking with me lately as I try to dig in and figure out what I really love to do. It feels like everything is SO oversaturated right now, doesn't it? Everyone is a photographer. Or blogger. Or hand-letterer. But guess what? You should do it anyways, because no one is YOU and if you truly love it you will bring something unique and different that no one else can. Plus, the bottom line is you need to do what makes you happy. Period. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, because you are your best self when you're doing what you love.