Pursue Your Talent, and then Find Another One
With help from my mother, grandmothers and friends, I learned to sew maternity clothes, quickly moving on to baby quilts and children's clothing. As my children and their interests grew, the process expanded, and I was soon creating patterns and experimenting with costume fabrics, evolving through dancewear, Tai-Kwan-Do, baseball uniforms and orchestra concert wear. When I discovered flannel pajamas I knew I'd found a niche that could become a profession.
The Parable of the Talents in the New Testament is a great inspiration for me. Try something new, discover it's possible with work and practice, and you'll find there is no reason not to pursue it. Could be writing poetry, speaking Russian, laying floor tile or baking the world's creamiest cheesecake. Pursue your talent and then find another one. My next endeavor might be purses, blankets, bags or overnighters.
I will be forever grateful to Etsy. Without this website, people like me would be destined to sell only at craft shows. I am grateful for craft shows, too, of course; it's just difficult to equal the worldwide audience Etsy provides.