We recently connected with Melinda Stearns and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Melinda , we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
For me this has come with age and caring less of what others think of me. I’ve learned that I can do hard things if I set my intentions and work at it. The more I achieve the more confidence I gain. Of course self doubt does try and sneak in, but I’ve learned to keep trying knowing I will succeed.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I didn’t discover my creative side until my late 40’s. I was struggling with my mental health and experiencing a lot of anxiety and art gave me a positive focus. I found that much of my stress and anxiety fell away when I focused on creating. I would fall asleep thinking about card designs and couldn’t wait to get up and make these cards. A few years into my card making journey I decided I wanted to learn to watercolor my stamped images. I started watching YouTube videos and got to practicing. I wasn’t creating any incredible works , but still felt so proud of what I was making! I put in more and more time and it really started to pay off. I was starting to get noticed by craft companies and asked to do design work. It felt amazing to be seen and trusted by these companies to use their products to inspire others. I was asked by one of the companies I was working for to design some art pieces that would be made into a paper pad. That was an amazing accomplishment and an incredible experience. I’m also super proud of the work I’ve done to build a community on Instagram. I recently hit 10,000 followers, which a few years ago seemed like an impossible achievement. I started creating reels about 3 years ago and have started to get paid for my work. My husband is so pleased to see me turn something I enjoy into a side hustle. I hope in the future to teach some in person classes on card making and watercolor for card makers. I hope that by the time I retire I will be able to make a small income from my hobby. I’m learning more and more that if you do the work and believe in yourself you can do hard things.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Finding something I enjoyed enough to put in the time and effort it takes to become proficient was the key. Learning from others and being open to constructive feedback. Looking at your work critically without negative self talk is so important. Knowing there will always be more to learn and improve on, but still enjoying the process. I will never forget a conversation I had with an older friend who had much more life experience than I. We were talking about making art and I said, I can’t do that I’m not artistic to which he asked how bad do you want it? If you want it bad enough to put in the work you can do it. That conversation was so impactful, but I didn’t realize how much until many years later when I started to make my own art.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
Time management! I’ve started to keep a project journal with dates that things are due and a few design ideas that I can refer to when I start my projects. I am getting better at not taking on more work than I can easily handle.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @itsacardknocklife
- Other: I am Itsacardknocklife on all socials.
