When the world gives you a pandemic…turn your hobbies into a small business
inspiration: “Finally Woken.” by Jem
"You see I've finally woken from a long sleep. I'm ready to jump, to make that blind leap.
Coz I now believe I have the power in me. I've got the faith baby, I can truly be free."
- Jem
Being a 90s baby, I thought that I had seen it all. The start and end of boy and girl bands, TRL, MTV’s Cancun Spring Break, and so much more that stayed with me.
I remember Y2K, Napster, the Christina and Britney beef, talks of the world ending at the stroke of midnight the year of 1999. I obviously didn’t think that I would live through and experience a pandemic like this.
So, when the world gives you a pandemic, you make a small business.
2020, I was working as a paraprofessional with Pre-K and I can recall every single detail and movement when the pandemic really, really hit the U.S. I was working and preparing the kids for dismissal when our principal rushed down the hall and told us, “All those bags down that hall, they’re going home with the kids. We’re shutting down. The government is shutting everything down."
The first thing that popped into my head was, “Shut down…as in The Purge type of energy?” Thank God it wasn't that. Long story short, It was February 2020 and school was closed for everyone. The entire school year was done in February.
Now, let’s just take time and soak this in. The government shut down everything, we were on a curfew, and we were at home. HOME! No more getting up early. No more taking long drives through every single stage of weather. We were at home–this was more than a break. It went from Spring break to Summer break.
In the beginning it was amazing. I was relaxing, watching movies, and indulging in this crazy phase of the world. Eventually, that fun slowly dragged and I had nothing to do. I was already writing but I would take breaks. Nothing I did helped pass time and that’s when I decided to go on Pinterest. FYI, if you are ever bored and need inspiration, go to Pinterest!
While searching like a madwoman, I found so many ideas and creative ways of staying busy. Even in the midst of this pandemic, I was still being paid and it was truly a BLESSING!
My pandemic creative exploration started with creating my own candles. I adore candles! So, I started with candle making and I did that for about…a month and that didn’t keep me busy and I didn’t want to continue it.
Next, I looked into Resin. I would YouTube so many videos and learn how to create resin items: key chains, jewelry, jewelry boxes, and more. The first few times I made a mess due to my over excitement. After, in my opinion, becoming an intermediate at resin, I stopped that and moved to the next best thing.
My up and coming challenge was painting. I started with acrylic and eventually worked my way up to fluid painting. Now, acrylic was just a tester. I started with the easy, starter paintings such as landscapes and trees. (I love magnolia trees, due to my grandmother having a large one in her front yard in Georgia.) I noticed that my interest in painting began to expand when I researched other ways of expression painting. I then turned to fluid painting–where you can mix literally five paint colors in a small cup, take a canvas, and create not only beautiful works of art, but unique, beautiful works of art. I began painting and in that time of painting, I put my inner struggles on the canvas. Everything I was battling, suffering, and silently enduring, I projected it on the canvas. Now, In my head, I have mastered my own form of painting.
My final exploration came with making jewelry. I was a silent Southern-Chic-Boheme kind of woman who was afraid to wear that type of clothing and jewelry. I love eccentric, out of the world jewelry and I am a freaking madwoman when it comes to rings. I love rings, possibly due to my little fingers. But I digress, jewelry making literally runs in my family. My grandmother, my mom’s mother, Janet has been making jewelry for years. She’s done craft shows and sold her work.
One night, I went on Amazon and purchased a beginning jewelry making kit and from there…I turned my hobby into a craft. My jewelry went from the typical bracelets to jewelry that reflected my heritage and my own sense of style, personality, and being.
The pandemic taught me how to be more creative and challenge myself with news hobbies that turned into a small business. As a perfectionist, I was very hard on myself in perfecting my resin, paintings, and jewelry.
Flash forward to now, my pandemic hobbies are now a small business entitled Bourne Rogue! I don’t think I would have ever explored these hobbies and challenged myself to see what else I can do other than writing.
The 2020-2021 Pandemic taught me how to differentiate between my passion and my hobbies. It was time when the world literally stopped and time was ticking away. As I look back on everything I have experienced, I appreciate what I have learned about myself, taught myself, and given myself a kick to the butt.
Bourne Rogue was born into a world filled with fear, anxiety, sadness, death, grief, sickness, pain, confusion, and control. But when I look at how far myself and Bourne Rogue have come, I see nothing but strength, joy, life, celebration, healing, understanding, and peace.
When life, the world, your family, your friends, your enemies, your job, and even yourself gives you the sourest of lemons, don’t make lemonade. I will tell you to refill your pitcher with water and in that pitcher, you make whatever it is that QUENCHES YOUR THIRST, not the world’s.
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