The one year experiment

It began, not quite as the name suggests, on the 2nd of January. On the 1st January, I was still recovering from the prosecco fest that is new years eve.

The idea in itself is simple. So simple, I’m sure even with enough prompting, ChatGPT could come up with it.

And no, conspiracy theorists, Tremor Textiles is not built off the backbone of AI.

A community, where likeminded people can share their ideas, inspirations, amazing works of art, failed works of art, in a space that is lead by the idea of finding joy in the imperfect.

Such an idea, although lovely, is only achievable with a considerable amount of effort from yours truly. That’s where the idea of the one-year experiment comes in. Just try it, for a year. Do the late nights, after long days, to make this thing work. Make it feel like a second job, if that helps, but just lock in and give yourself the opportunity for a year. Who knows where we’ll find ourselves by December 31st.

So in terms of goals, what does this look like for me?

They needed to be reasonably easy to achieve, exciting, and maintainable. And so we have our list:

-          Sell one original piece of textiles work.

This can be anything. A pair of handmade earrings. A framed piece. Some crappy keyring that was hastily put together in a spare 30 mins on a Monday night. Keep listing, keep pushing it all out there.

-          Three blog posts a month, and keep this up.

I like to think of myself like a writing freight train. Once I get going, its hard for me to stop. I need to take advantage of these moments and churn out as many in the drafts as I can, so on weeks when I can’t face a blank word document, they’re there waiting for me. And 3 a month I feel is a very achievable number, and especially when placed into their individual segments.

-          Do one craft market.

Be brave. Just try it. Even if you sell nothing. Even if it is at a little village fete on a windy day. Share art with the world, always. You never know, someone else might love it so much they want it all for themselves.

-          Get some professional products made.

I’m talking business cards, art prints, cards. Okay, so you hate remaking originals, but repurposing artwork in this way makes it more accessible to everyone, and puts it out into the world. And just think how professional its all going to feel.

-          Restart the Instagram account.

Sure, the smatterings of crochet and early days of hand embroidery are cute, but we’re a freemotion embroidery artist now. A coherent Instagram makes people follow and watch for those photos on their grid, and I believe that if done right, this is where I will build my community from.

-          Make the website real.

Wix, I got a lotta love for you, but your www.wixsite.com/blog/tremortextiles is really cramping my small biz style. The domain name is one I’ve owned for over a year, I’ve just been too scared to make the whole thing real. This goal is one I’ve already achieved – as of 18th February 2025, Tremor Textiles is a proper website. And I’m not afraid to admit that I had a little cry when I finally took this leap.

All achievable and realistic goals. And lets be honest, I won’t achieve all of them, but sometimes we need a list for motivation. Without sounding like some cringey finance bro with an investment podcast, its time to lock in.

See you on December 31st.