This year, only a few months in, has already become a year full of firsts. Including one BIG one, which I’ll share below. So I figured, why not throw a blog into the mix? Sure, let’s do this.
One new thing around here has been media attention – crazy, right?! It’s been an exercise in stepping out of my comfort zone to talk publicly about myself and how I run this business, especially when I’m being recorded live (and unedited!), but it’s turned out to be lots of fun. That’s in no small part due to how supportive and kind everyone I’ve talked to has been. If you want to catch up and see what all the buzz is about, I’ve added an In the Press page here on the website, where you’ll find links to read, listen, and watch stories and interviews.
Now here’s the big, big first: Dermestidarium is now my primary job. That’s right, this hobby-turned-side-hustle is now my full-time hustle. I’m still working part-time for a company I love and just can’t bring myself to part with completely, but I’m letting my business take the front seat for the first time ever. It’s a scary and intimidating leap to make, but there came a point when I realized that my business wouldn’t have room to grow unless I stepped up and took a calculated risk. Plus, after years of doing Dermestidarium nights and weekends, I’m ready to have my nights and weekends back! What’s the point of being your own boss if you can’t have some flexibility and down time, right?
It’s only April, so I’m sure there will be many more firsts to come this year. But for a moment, I’ll stop looking forward to take a look back. The photo below is the first skull I ever cleaned with my beetles. It feels like a million years ago, but I’m pretty sure it’s more like 6 or 7. It’s a domestic quail skull, as I was farming and selling their meat and eggs at the time, and they were the perfect size heads to feed to my small but growing beetle colony. This skull in particular I held on to, and a few years later found an old metal picture frame at a thrift store that became its home. It’s hung rather unceremoniously on the wall of the beetle room, keeping company with a decorative star anchor, gardening tools, and many spiders.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”906″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” css_animation=”fadeIn”][/vc_column][/vc_row]