Our first year.

I suppose most say that your first year is the hardest but I am expecting my first 5 years to be the hardest - if I can keep this going to see 5 years! Fingers crossed. There is no one way to describe what emotions I've been through when dealing with the excitement, the joy, the struggles, the stress. Looking back, it has been an exhausting thrill and I would have it no other way - this is what I do.

The most interesting part for me is coming full circle in terms of my identity. When running a business, it is equal parts art and money. To be able to survive, it needs to be profitable enough - meaning I can't just create whatever I want because it might not sell. On the other hand, running a business allows me to create what isn't there, fill a niche, and create a product that is true to who I am - my purpose in this world. I have tried a thousand ideas to discover who my client is and what she likes because I am a business, and on the other hand I have tried a thousand ideas because I am also a creator with a vision. I've tried many ideas that I have loved and many that I have not loved so much, all of that is okay - it's the herstory. In those discoveries sometimes everything is perfect or sometimes I got lost. In both scenarios I always rediscover my voice. For me, I'm really excited to be putting my best foot forward in beginning this next year. In starting out, in getting lost, in finding my voice again, it's come full circle and I am suddenly not afraid to do me anymore.

Identity is a powerful thing. Revelle has an identity now that I can clearly see after this first year - the words on the paper are now in pen instead of pencil. The best part is that these words are the same as the words I wrote last year when starting out. The difference? Now I know. I know what those words mean visually, verbally, emotionally and taking a step now feels much more steady. What a difference a year makes and I think it's only going to get better from here! From the bottom of my heart, thank you for joining me, staying with me and for supporting me. I've got some special surprises for you at the bottom of this email to help me celebrate!