A Little Porcupine Hugs Update

I figured since Porcupine Hugs is slowly consuming more and more of my time, I'd give you guys a little update on how my stationery business is going. The collection is slowly growing (there are now nearly 70 items in the shop!) and I'm so happy that I got the ball rolling last year. I know I'd be kicking myself now thinking of how much progress I could have made if I'd only taken that first step. To be honest, sometimes I still do when I think of where I'd be now if I had started six years ago when I first toyed with the idea. Oh well, baby steps, right?

Right now I'm finishing up the first catalog for wholesale inquirers. I have a list of stores around the country that I'd love to approach and will be sending out mailers letting retailers know what we're all about. Hopefully some decide that they simply must stock Porcupine Hugs in their shop and I get some constructive feedback that will help me develop the line even further.

My pie-in-the-sky goal (aside from finally getting this catalog out the door) is to exhibit at the National Stationery Show in 2015. It's such a big deal and while I'm a bit bummed that I won't be able to make it work for 2014 due to having to pay off a major unforeseen inconvenience (coughcancercough), I'm setting my plan in motion now to prepare for the following year. It's good to have something to strive for and I feel like it's attainable if I start aiming for it now. Not only do I want to make a big splash for my debut with a kickass product line and booth to match, but giving myself time to grow and learn from my customers will also make my business stronger and leave me better able to handle that next step. At least that's what I'm telling myself so I can bury the idea of NSS 2014 into the ground.

For now, I'm having fun selling at various street fairs over the weekends. I've already sold at the Artists & Fleas market in Brooklyn and the Hester Street Fair in the Lower East Side and had a fun time at both. There's nothing like connecting with your customers face-to-face, hearing the stories behind their purchases, and getting feedback on what you're offering and what they'd like to see. I'll be returning to Hester Street Fair Sept. 28 and Oct. 12, both Saturdays. I'm also participating in the Crafts in Chelsea Fall Festival Oct. 5 so this fall is turning into a busy season, which is perfect by me.

But wait, there's more! This Sunday, Sept. 22 join me at Montague Street's Summer Space in Brooklyn Heights from 1pm - 4:30pm for a free crafting demonstration with the Etsy New York team. I'll be showing how to make cute mini books like this one I made as a gift for A. for our one year anniversary. Two years later, it became the inspiration for Porcupine Hug's Why I Love You card.

While you're there be sure to check out the Afro-Brazilian samba reggae performance by an all-women's drumming band, free yoga and Zumba workouts, food and games courtesy of local merchants, and the Brooklyn Heights dog show.

So yup! That's what's been going on with Porcupine Hugs these days. To keep up to date with behind-the-scenes peeks, events and fairs, special promotions and new product releases, please sign up for our newsletter and check the links below:

Web: porcupine-hugs.com
Etsy: porcupinehugs.etsy.com
Blog: blog.porcupine-hugs.com
Facebook: facebook.com/PorcupineHugs
Twitter: @dorkysramos
Instagram: @dorkysramos

Alt-J, "Breezeblocks"

On Sunday evening, A. and I walked over to Central Park for Alt-J's concert at Rumsey Playfield. Now we didn't have tickets for the show, but were happy to lay in the grass just outside the open air venue and listen to the songs. I've only just been introduced to them, but "Matilda" and "Breezeblocks" are our favorites and it was nice to hear the band play them live (and watch A. quietly sing along).

I don't know if it's the sudden dip in the temperature or just the busy weekend that's left me starting this week off feeling super slow. I've been shuffling about all day wanting to keep warm and hide under the covers. So instead of continuing to rack my brain over what to tackle next, I'm going to tuck into bed early, listen to some music, and get another fresh start in the morning.

Inventing Your Own Life's Meaning

A friend recently shared the behind-the-scenes stresses of her dreamy sports writing job. After detailing how she had to pull over on the side of a highway in the middle of the night to file a breaking story for the paper, I was reminded of the few meet-ups we've managed to squeeze in over the years and how she'd have to stay connected with work at all times in case something needed to be covered immediately. We'd be enjoying a meal and catching up when suddenly hell would break loose on Twitter and we'd have to cut things short so she could whip out her laptop and start making calls for her next article. The woman is stressed out her mind, but still, I wanted to believe that she loved her job to put up with the downsides, right?

"I think I just want to prove to others and myself that I can be a legitimate beat writer and that I can break news as well," she told me.

I wonder if that validation isn't coming at too high a cost, but also have to admit that my situation is no better. Last month I found myself struggling financially, plowing through rejections, and doubting if I'm doing any of this right. Yes, I have the time to spend with family and friends, to pursue my creative ambitions, to relax when I want to, work from a coffee shop, the park, L.A., wherever, and spend an afternoon reading in the sun, but I don't feel like I'm building towards any real future. Because as great as these things may be for my mind and being, I think we can agree that making money is just as important. And while a high paying job is demanding and stressful, being broke is no picnic either.

A few days ago I stumbled upon Gavin Aung Than's illustration of Bill Watterson's inspiring commencement speech to the 1990 graduates of Kenyon College. In it, the Calvin & Hobbes cartoonist pointed out how choosing a slower path that satisfies your soul and allows you time to chase the things that bring you joy isn't always so popular. You're expected to climb ladders, throw yourself into a career, and work like a horse lest you be deemed a slacker. If you step off the hamster wheel or give up a lucrative position, people might wonder if you've done lost your mind. You might wonder the same if you pass up a fat paycheck in order to go pursue a calmer existence. "As if a job title and salary are the sole measure of human worth," Watterson said.

I definitely don't want my life to be consumed with earnings and getting to the top of some pyramid somebody else built. I have a vision for what I'd like my life to be: meaningful, productive, filled with creative projects that I'm passionate about, the ones that keep me up at night because I'm so damn excited about them. I want the freedom to work during my optimum hours, to not have to eat lunch while shackled to my computer, to believe that what I'm working on will inspire others to pursue their own dreams, too. I want to always have time for a drink with friends, car rides with Dad, to lay out on the grass and enjoy a free concert with A. at the park, to write in the mornings, draw in the afternoons, and go to sleep at a respectable hour.

See, I love the life I have now because I already have all of the above...I just don't know if it's a sustainable one for much longer and am struggling so hard to make both sides of the coin meet.

Images: zenpencils.com

Wicked for Broadway Week

Last night my sister and I went to see Wicked and had such an awesome time. Have you seen it? It's the story about the witches of Oz before Dorothy and Toto dropped into the party and really makes you feel for what the Wicked Witch of the West had to live through. I loved the music and didn't expect to find the acting as funny as I did (*toss, toss*). I might have also gotten a bit emotional for most of the first act because the singing was sensational (Lindsay Mendez's rendition of "The Wizard and I" and "Defying Gravity" were phenomenal) and I just couldn't believe that I was finally watching this show. Broadway plays are usually so expensive, but thanks to Broadway Week we were able to snatch 2-for-1 tickets and make my wish come true. I so didn't want the moment to end so I snuck into bed with my phone searching for snippets of the play on YouTube.

What Broadway plays have you seen? This is only my third (Rent and In The Heights were the first two) and have my eyes on The Book of Mormon next.

P.S. Was anyone a big Oz series fan growing up? I've never watched the movie, but remember checking out book after book from the library as a child. This made me want to visit that fantastical place again.

Image: broadway.com

My Breast Cancer Essay in Latina Magazine

When I was approached to pen an essay for Latina's October issue about my journey with breast cancer, I said yes, but also felt nervous about taking on the assignment. I'd covered breast cancer awareness and survivors' stories for the same magazine in the past so it was a bit surreal that I had now become the subject of a topic I'd written about so many times before. I wasn't sure how I felt about shining the spotlight on myself after knowing how many others had fought before and are still fighting now. What happened to my initial refusal to become a banner woman for this disease? I accepted anyway. More good will come from sharing and giving of oneself than from withholding every bit of you - even the not so pretty parts.

My life is a fairly open book, which is evident through this blog, and I function under the hope that my thoughts and stories somehow inspire someone else walking down a similar path. So maybe my personal essay will bring a little bit of kickass positivity and hope to another trudging through the dark days because as I write in those pages, "You will eventually smile again and focus on your goals, and life just keeps moving on."