This past winter I wrote about the sublimation printer that my husband gave me for Christmas. This printer has opened up a huge avenue of products that I previously would have had to send out to printers elsewhere to print and then ship to me (although I do have an account with Printify for some of the products that I sell because of the specialized equipment needed to produce it).

I enjoy this more than sending out the printing to others because I can print whatever I want, in the quantity I want as long as I have the blank surfaces to work with and equipment to do so. This has not only opened me up to possibilities, but given me a more diverse selection of products that appeal to more people.

This past couple of weeks I have been setting up a booth at the local farmer’s market, and wow, people have really enjoyed the new products and I have been able to sell a lot more than I have in the past. The flip side however, sublimating most of these myself, is the amount of time I have to spend in the production process. Although I have really enjoyed it, it does take time.

This got me thinking about the other vendors at the market that I attend. Over the years I have seen the food vendors sell out of product week after week. But I have thought about all the time it takes throughout the week to produce that product to sell. There is a lot of up front time to their process that ends with the market. However, if they don’t sell all their products week to week, it can create a huge issue for them in the form of spoiled food.

On the other hand, I can sell all, some, or none of my product, and the next week I just bring it again, there is no spoilage issues or overstock issues at the end of the day for me. As I was sublimating towels last night I thought about the differences. I wondered if I was pleased with the way I used my time as compared to the allure of selling something easier to sell like bread, cookies, or some other kind of food and the way those vendors choose to spend their time. Their product has the potential to sell out, but it also has the potential to not with bigger repercussions.

So, time vs time. I decided last night I prefer the creative process that I have chosen. There is a lot of upfront time when I get in large quantities of blanks to work with, but once they’re done, I have a large quantity of products that will last at least a couple of weeks, at least until the next shipment comes in.

I love baking, but not enough to want to do that for a living. I enjoy doing it just for my family. I love gardening, but not enough to want to sell what I worked hard to grow. I love art, and I enjoy it enough that I like to share it with the world. I am grateful for how I get to spend my time.