Tell us, are we the only...

...Etsians who are losing sleep over our new business?

And I do not mean losing sleep in the sense that we're-stressed-to-the-gills, but rather that we stay up much, much later than responsible adults with full-time day jobs should so we can poke and prod and nurture this little project into becoming the booming, looming, multinational conglomerate that we know it can be.

I have a feeling we're not. I have a feeling that Etsy has created a whole legion of craft addicts who, rather than do what they are supposed to, what society deems "responsible", they choose instead to do what they love, even if it means feeling a little more run down than usual.

While I cannot speak for anyone else on Etsy, Laura and I agree that this little project has sparked an inferno in our souls that our spirit-sapping day jobs never could, and I'll trade that for an extra set of circles under my eyes any day. Hell, the stress at my day job fuels many of my restless nights. If I'm going to be tired anyway, it might as well be because I stayed up doing something I love.

So, on behalf of all of my fellow Etsians everywhere, from the dusty, dirty sculptor in Alaska to the quiet quilter in Tennessee, I raise my glass to the Etsy founders. Thank you for helping all of us realize our potential, and providing an outlet where we, the artisans and small business owners of the world, can come together and show one another what we can do, and what we're made of.