Mahjong Made Me Do It

I had to hit pause for a minute because my business took a big leap: I launched a wholesale branch on Faire and built out a full wholesale catalog from scratch. That meant moving products over, setting wholesale pricing, and doing the kind of detailed backend work that most people never see. If you’re an artist, maker, or small business owner trying to grow without burning out, you’ll recognize this season fast. 

I’m also honest about the reality of being a one-woman show. On any given day I’m creating artwork, coordinating manufacturing, managing listings, running a physical retail shop, bringing in seasonal inventory, and still taking freelance clients and commissions. The thread that holds it together is learning how to pivot on purpose, not just react, so the work stays joyful instead of exhausting. 

And then there’s the part I didn’t expect: mahjong. Learning the game pulled me into a new community, new friendships, and events at the shop where people laugh, learn the card together, and share their love of the game. I even talk about getting my husband to learn at the library, plus ideas for teaching kids with mini major cards so the fun can travel across generations. 

If you want more real-life creative entrepreneurship, wholesale tips, and community-building ideas for your art business, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review. What’s one new thing you want to learn this year?

Transcript

Launching Wholesale On Fair

Mahjong Community And Teaching Family

Classes At The Shop And Thanks

How To Support And Work Together

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Hello. Welcome back to a new episode of Brutifully Made. I had to uh take a week to work on a huge project. Um, so sorry I didn't get to post a video for the last couple because this has been uh pretty big for me. I started a wholesale uh branch of what I have been designing uh on Fair. And so that took a lot of work to get the products on that platform and move everything over and set wholesale pricing and uh release that. So uh I am a one-woman show. I am managing everything from creating the artwork to uh manufacturing or sending at least to the manufacturers, uh, to listing it, to now creating a wholesale account and creating the wholesale catalog and managing that, plus managing the physical store and getting new products in for the season and some old favorites back in before it gets super hot because uh these sweaters that are over here with all of the veggies are such a popular one. It's taken me a while to get those back in. But yeah, just as a business, as a small business, and doing all the creative on top of managing all of the um physical stuff, the uh virtual stuff, um, it's a challenge. I love it because this is what I get to do full time. Plus, I still have my freelance clients and I'm getting ready to clean my windows off and paint my windows. I have a commission I'm working on. So when one thing is done and kind of like in transition and rolling along, I have other artwork to create and it just fills my day with so much joy that I can pivot from, you know, getting traditionally to paint to uh doing a request for somebody to um you know submit my stuff to production to uh visit here with you. So I manage my time, I think, pretty well, and I am really excited about where everything is going. So yeah, the podcast had to uh take a little back seat for a moment. Plus, I want to give you something new to talk about and what's going on here and how um I'm managing the um on you know the onset of uh orders and and being part of this new community, you know, learning mahjong and sharing the artwork so you can use these beautiful traditional tiles that people have and uh some of the new fun ones, just you know, really diving into uh celebrating that whole game and just meeting so many great new people and just it's just broadened my friendship circle and I love it so so much, and getting to have those events here at the shop and watching everyone just laugh and just talk about you know their love of learning the card and the new card coming out and just I don't know, it's just so much fun to share that with someone. And even my husband went to the library last week with me and um learned a little bit, and I wanted him to meet Melinda from the Stark County Library who taught me and who's still teaching. And um, yeah, I just thought maybe he'll listen to her a little bit better than me trying to tell him. And just I appreciate him so much for taking the time to kind of dive into learning something that I've really enjoyed and something we could probably you know enjoy together. So uh I want him to to know how much I appreciate him doing that for me. And you know, it's not just a girls game, it's guys too. So uh yeah, just don't hesitate to learn something new. And I just got some cards coming in uh for the mini major for to teach uh kids. And uh I've I'm in a couple Facebook groups that suggested that, so I got those coming in, and that will help with the uh you know kids' lessons, and there are so many encouraging um people that were sharing, they've taught as young as like five and six. So when I get to see my grandkids this summer, I want to teach them how to play, and I'll use those methods on that card. So I'm really excited about that, and I'm excited about some of the mats coming out, and um I am just thrilled that this is so much fun, and I'm loving how people are embracing my artwork this way, and I just it's it just brings me so so much joy, and I don't want to ever lose that. So um, yeah, my enthusiasm is actually um I think contagious around here because I I get to you know share this love with so many new people and I appreciate them so much for you know indulging me with my you know crazy ideas like look at this one, look at this one. You know, you gotta surround yourself with people that um kind of lift you up, and their excitement and their joy does that for me. And I hope that I reciprocate and I lift them up as well. So that's what this space is all about. We've had some great classes, sold-out classes. I have a mosaic class this weekend. Uh we're making these beautiful mosaic lamps, and um I am really excited about that on Saturday, and just you know, celebrating so many beautiful ways to do artwork in so many different traditions. And I think that that's you know very important to to find new ways to uh bring that to a lot of new people. And I I I've really encouraged, you know, new teachers here, people that teach things that I don't know how to do. I love learning from them as well. So, you know, if you're local here in the area and you want to do that, uh please reach out and let me know. Um, and then I still have about four months left for next year for exhibitors. So um please snag one of those months for next year, and then I'll be booking for 28. I cannot believe that. Um and yeah, keep watching on social media for the new merchandise that's coming in if you want to shop local um and new things that I'll be carrying. I just, yeah, I'm really looking forward to spring and summer and this year coming up. It's been a quiet winter, and uh introducing new things to do here in the shop has been wonderful, bringing in new people, and I just appreciate you all beyond measure, beyond words. I can't even share how much um I love seeing the new followers and getting feedback and um requests from others to um share in what they love to do too. So just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for following, thank you for listening, thank you for allowing me to find new ways to share my artwork and supporting that. And I hope it just doesn't end because it just brings me so much joy. And I just hope I keep evolving as an artist and that you keep, you know, encouraging me and cheering me on and finding new ways that I can bring my art to you too. So follow me on Fair if you have a store and you want to bring some of those cute treasures to your your shop and reach out if there's something I can design for you because I am here. I'm here for all of that.