Metamorphosis
Sue’s Front Door
How did Hazy DayZ Dragonflies come into being? Here is the back-story.
The journey has been very unexpected.
Sue is a born-and-bred farm girl. The family farm was very near an Air Force Base, near Trenton Ontario, Canada. Romantic dreams of flying planes found her signing on the dotted line to join the Canadian Armed Forces in 1983 at the age of 21. After serving her country for 11 years, not as a pilot, a new path was chosen.
Enjoying small successes in the cottage industry, first with her own furniture repair and refinishing shop, Rejuvenations. Self-taught woodworking and finishing was followed by a baking and confectionery business, One Accidental Bakery, and lastly, by the development of seven flavours of a candied-nut product, Almond Maple Crunch; all while gainfully employed by someone else. With each attempt, Sue didn’t realize that she was testing the waters to become an entrepreneur. Then she began listening to her heart.
Employed as a customer service representative, Sue spoke with tens of thousands of phone-in customers over her 19 years! Part of her responsibilities was to learn about new products that the company, Lee Valley Tools, was introducing. She would see, touch, even use samples enabling her to answer a customer’s phone questions before or after a purchase. Reviewing the newest products one afternoon, she had a weird revelation. Some might call it a light-bulb moment.
“I glanced at a patio-stand-style weather vane, with a dragonfly motif aloft instead of the typical rooster. Nearby, I noticed a display of copper plant tags. I looked from one, to the other and back to the first. I knew in an instant that I could and would make dragonflies from the copper tags.”
With no set purpose, though a lot of determination, she began creating prototypes.
“My first two dragonflies, if you could even classify them as such, looked horrendous!”
Undaunted, she set them aside and persevered. By the fourth attempt she was satisfied that she had a copper dragonfly. Sue has kept her prototypes, realizing their value, in a shadowbox with a single word displayed in the box with them, BELIEVE.
What could she do with this knowledge? Decorate a grapevine wreath for her entry door! That was all Sue had in mind ~ an attractive and unusual wreath to dress her door. Neighbours noticed the wreath, especially the dragonflies, and asked her where she bought them. Bringing some to work, colleagues asked how much she charged for them. Up until that moment, Sue had given them away.
Sue began to assess the pros and cons of her past ventures, comparing them to a possible new one, Hazy Dayz Dragonflies. She considered the artistry, uniqueness, finished product size, weight, durability, infinite shelf life, and green construction. Lastly, Sue remembered colleagues were willing to pull out their wallets before a price had been set.
“The Fancifulls are cute and most importantly bring smiles and joy to those who see them. I was hooked.”
Scratch Black Forest Cake
Colleague’s Retirement Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake
Now you see them …
Now you don’t
With many design ideas, and customer suggestions, her mind races. “I am keeping track of all comments for future reference.”
“I had all but given up on being an entrepreneur, when this venture darted into my consciousness, hovered, and came to rest in my heart. I take pride in making every dragonfly, knowing it’s my imagination, design, technique, and crafting ability that brings each one to life.”
Hard-earned baking money
The shadowbox, above, displays my prototypes for Hazy DayZ Dragonflies. An acceptable fourth attempt rests above my guiding word, believe.
The take-away?
Passion and commerce do not always mix.
When they do, you are on your way to living happily ever after…
…. with more perserverence than you knew you could muster when a pandemic hits.