A new offering.
and a vision I'm asking you to hold with me
This is a vulnerable post. Not in the way that you’ve come to expect from me here where I’m mining my life and world for the raw, real-time wonderings that I turn into letters. This one’s different.
Friends, I need your help. I know I appeal to you a bit for fundraising and ask you to give generously, and you do. Thank you for showing up for those efforts. I have a different kind of ask. This time, it's just for me.
In fall of 2020, I took my first sabbatical from work. It changed my life. It was a big, risky "why not?" for me at the time. Now it's a simple one because I’ve learn I simply cannot sustain without it. I've learned I need a lot of downtime to keep fueling and shipping my creative work.
This year, I'm planning to take another month-long sabbatical from mid-September to mid-October. I'm going to be doing some traveling, attending a week-long creativity/connection retreat, and reconnecting with old friends and some family. Taking an annual sabbatical is an immense privilege and I try to be intentional with every day of it. I plan to prioritize creative inspiration and technique, celebrate meaningful relationships, and relish in the beauty of Italy and Texas and where ever else this time might take me.
I could go down the path of trying to convince us I earned another break, or that I should reconsider if I actually deserve your help with this rather than quietly covering the expenses of a sabbatical myself. I could go on further to reveal the struggles of freelancing (and also being married to a freelance creative), or explain that the stakes are high and real, or justify rest when I need it …but I don’t think I have to.
I think my work and I are both important to you, as evidenced by the fact that you’re here. You value good writing and beautiful, creative work. You align with me on ideas of inherent worth of people and their dignity. You might even believe similarly about the big magic of creativity and know that I didn’t choose this artistic vocation, but that it chose me. For that I'm grateful. I love my work. I've devoted my life to my creative work, and I plan to be in it for the long haul.
Whatever you believe, I think you know my creative work matters to my current and future design clients and is critical to the current and future stability of my family. Without this pause in work, I risk being unable to create the way I need to to show up well for readers here at "Wandering Home” that I write for every week, my design clients I serve every single day, my family and community that I do life alongside no matter what, and the other BIG creative pursuits and potential I have ahead (which I sincerely hope you’ll stick around to see.)
The reality is: all of the work I make gets consumed. I exchange much of my professional work for money (through contracted commercial design work for non-profits) and the rest I give away for free. It’s no small amount either. As the demand has grown over the years, it’s become a higher priority and responsibility of mine to make sure that what’s being exhausted or consumed is NOT my wellness, my soul, my health, my creative spirit. Not only can I not create without those essential pieces, I cannot thrive as a person either. I am only human — which is not to say I have any more or less limitations than anyone else — but it’s only with my full humanity that I can create at all.
Part of being a working artist is being a real human. Maybe the most vital part. And I nurture that part by taking an annual sabbatical, if I can. But sabbaticals are far from cheap. To be self-employed means NO income while I completely stop working to rest, and I'll have trip expenses on top of that. PTO doesn't exist in my solopreneur world, so I have to bridge the gap myself. That’s one of the big trade offs of working independently and maintaining control of my work life.
And this is where I ask for your support.
I'm asking you as my reader, and as my friend: if you believe in my work, if it has ever been useful to you, if you’ve been touched by my writing, if you’ve been helped or moved by my work, would you give me a hand this time? Would you support me to continue doing and growing this work?
To help supplement the investment of my sabbatical this year, I've launched an Etsy Shop called ShelbyMathisStudios where I'm offering some of my very best artwork for sale through the month of May. This shop is another arm of my creative small business, another extension of my very own self, and I’d love your support. Would you check it out and consider purchasing some of my art this week? I have dozens of handmade fine art prints and digital photography prints on the store already. It’s open and ready for shopping now!
I think everything is better in community where there’s mutual benefit and generosity, don’t you think?
Let’s co-create together. Will you do this with me? I think that'd be beautiful.
Here are some details.
Some of the pieces are very limited in stock. They may not last and once they’re sold out, they’re gone!
You'll see on select pieces that some of the profits will benefit favorite non-profits of mine — Beirut and Beyond and Mercy Project — because I want to keep supporting them too.
I’m keeping the shop open for the entire month of May, so you can help by purchasing something while it’s live.
Here’s how you can help.
Buy a print or two from my new Etsy Shop. Now’s your chance to own an original piece of my artwork!
You can share this post or a link to my Etsy Shop to someone you think would enjoy my artwork. That helps spread the word and get my shiny, new shop off the ground.
If you are or aren't able to purchase anything at this time, would you add my store to your favorites in Etsy? This helps new shoppers find me on Etsy while my shop is open!
Thank you for hearing me out today. I'm typing this with slightly unsteady hands, the vulnerability hangover setting in before I've even hit send. It’s hard to ask for help, but it’s harder not to this time. The risk of my not resting far outweighs the risk of my humbly asking for your support in exchange for art.
And so I take a deep breath, and do what I can to keep doing the work. You with me?
Thank you for being here. The journey doesn’t end anytime soon. Your support of my work empowers me to create even more for you here and elsewhere. This I know for sure.
Thank you for stepping into the magical creative cycle with me.
Much love and gratitude,
