Hard to believe it's been over a week since I got back from the Tucson Gem Show. As much as I try to stay on top of my accounting while I am at the show, there is always so much to do when I get back. Every purchase has to be catalogued, beads have to be counted, prices have to be calculated, and vendors have to be recorded. It's a lot of work! But worth every minute. 

Going to the Gem Show was a fantasy of mine for years. Ever since I started my jewelry biz, I dreamed of going, but was so intimidated and bewildered. Looking back, I can see I was also suffering deeply from imposter syndrome, feeling like I wasn't a real jewelry designer. My lack of confidence made it feel impossible. I remember reading tons of blogs and guides on "How To Do the Gem Show", and just feeling like it was out of my league. I didn't know enough about gems and stones, let alone how to shop for them, and all the decision making seemed totally overwhelming.

In 2019, after being in my current biz for 5 years, I finally gathered up the nerve to go. At this time I was enrolled in a two year jewelry business coaching program and was trying my best to adopt a "girl boss" kind of attitude. My first Gem Show experience was all the things I was afraid of...it was totally overwhelming, exhausting, confusing, paralyzing....and EXPENSIVE! But  loved every minute! I made SO many mistakes, most notably, trying to "save money" by staying at a super cheap motel. I bought tons of stuff I still haven't used. But I LEARNED SO MUCH! More importantly, I gained so much confidence in myself, and my ability to make decisions.

This year is just my third time at the Gem Show and the mystery that it once was has completely dissolved. I feel like....I've totally got this! I know exactly what I want, what I'm looking for and what my strategy is. For my astrology friends reading this, it ignites all my Aries planets (fire, drive, courage) into action! When I am at the show, by myself (so Aries haha!) and in warrior mode, I feel like I am using my will (another Aries word) for what it was born to do. Just take a second to think about what that feels like....to be using your natural energy in the best way possible? It's really something!

The reason I'm explaining all this, is because I actually have a point to make:) I often like to joke about how I have a more of a micro business than a small business. I don't even have a single full time employee! Anyone looking at my life from the outside... my tiny rented cabin, even tinier studio, and just general lack of material abundance...might not see 'SUCCESS' in neon lights.
However, for me, going to the gem show, not just being able to afford it, but able to buy most of the things I want, to stay somewhere comfortable, eat out, and fulfill my creative desires in the form of stones, gems, beads and crystals.... feels like SUCCESS. This is what success looks like for me.

One of my favorite tricks to avoid too much attention, is to play it small, to deflect or minimize. But at this moment, it feels important to do the opposite. To just say out loud, to you, that this is what success looks and feels like for me. I think we could all take a closer look at how we define success, and where that definition comes from. Does your felt sense of success come from somewhere outside yourself, or does it come from within?

Thanks for reading!

Scroll down for a little photo essay of my trip....