RISK TAKER
Welcome to the second edition of Eat Pray Pedals Colour Club. It's been a while. How are you?
In this edition, I want to share two things with you. Firstly, about a shift I am making in Eat Pray Pedal and the steps I am taking to get closer to my business dreams. And connected to that, I want to chat about taking risks.
You may or may not remember that I wrote about following big dreams in the first edition of the Colour Club email back in November. I talked about the obstacles and fears of daring to dream big and what next step you might take in following it. I hope it was encouraging to you in some way. If you want to revisit it, you can do so here.
Eat Pray Pedal was created out of a profound desire to be creative. I had no business plan, goals, or clue where it would take me. I just knew I needed to be creative. Fast forward ten years; wait, what?? Ten years. Oh my. And what is now a legit small business has gone to places I had never imagined, The Royal Academy of Arts, Selfridges and Lucy and Yak being massive highlights. But now it is time for a shift, and as I write this, it being ten years since this journey started, it feels poignant to be making this shift now.
At my core, I am an artist, not an entrepreneur or business owner. I am those things because it is necessary in order to make money from art, but really, I want to be in a studio surrounded by canvases and covered in paint. And for several years, I have had a craving that hasn't yet been satisfied. And that is to paint more and develop my art practice and my skills as an artist.
Over the coming months, you will see fewer individual product updates and, hopefully, more paintings. I have always considered my products a form of 'art', as many of them are hand-painted, and I hope that taking time to focus on my art practice will benefit my products too. I am deeply passionate about making art accessible to everyone, and I love that my products can do that. The price point of a bauble is far more attainable than a large-scale original canvas painting. But I need to move away from products for a season and focus on painting for my business to continue growing.
The bread and butter of my business have been products since I painted my first bauble in 2015. So it feels like a significant risk to make this shift. But the only way to keep moving forward is to take risks. And taking risks is what I want to talk about in the second half of this email.
Taking risks is scary. If you are also on the brink of making a decision that involves a level of risk, I want you to know that you can do it. You've got this! The only way to get where you want to be in life is to keep moving forward, step out of your comfort zone and be vulnerable. Honestly, it is the only way. But you CAN do this. You are equipped with everything you need to succeed.
It's easy for me to sit here and tell you to take that risk. I am not the one actually doing it! But I want to encourage you that I am speaking from experience. I am not simply spouting the latest Instagram affirmation. These words are not empty and hollow but from a place of knowledge and understanding. The last ten years of my life have been a roller coaster of joy, hurt, happiness, heartache and adventure. I wouldn't change them for a million pounds because they have taught me so much. And I know that taking risks is essential in moving forward. Without it, your situation will stay the same, and you won't achieve the dreams and desires that live in the deepest recesses of your heart.
I still dream of selling my baubles in NYC at the Bryant Park Christmas Village, read the first edition to learn more about that, so this may seem like a step in the opposite direction. But that is part of what taking risks is all about—not seeing a clear path to the end goal but just taking the next step in front of you and trusting that the rest will fall into place at the right time.
I have been blessed to already spend several months at the beginning of this year working on a commission painting for family. The images in this email are sneak peeks of that painting, which is still unfinished but heading in the right direction. And it is this type of work you will see more of on my social channels.
The joy, hope and inspiration isn't going anywhere. If anything, it is just getting bigger and brighter. I am looking forward to challenging myself and stretching my artistic ability, and I can't wait to keep sharing the journey with you.
Michelle xx
P.S. I have plenty of products currently available on my website. But once items are sold, I don't know when I will be re-listing more. If you have had your eye on a hand-painted milk bottle vase or splattered bauble, I suggest buying sooner rather than later.
