Completing one cycle and wrapping up one year

What a summer !

What a year !!

It was a little over a year ago when I made the decision to finally go for it…to get off mi bum and actually DO what I had continued to only dream of…and had let intimidation prevent me from pursuing.

The past year has been a release from answering to any bosses and assisting others’ paths while rejecting my own passions by plunging into entrepreneurial pursuits. By taking on the complete unknown and diving in head-first, one year and full cycle later I feel like I have attained a crash course MBA in the school of life; an MBA with a specialty in entrepreneurial overseas production and collection of clothing and other lifestyle accoutrements.

The dwanjabi website was dreamed up one year ago. After its launch in December I departed for India. Most of the blog content of my traveling experiences didn’t contain the stress, confusion, frustration, excitement and inspiration of working with Indian and Nepalese designers and exporters. I realized the cultural difference between us was an interesting dimension when doing business. To inspire potential future travelers I focused my writing on the experiential growth that overseas travel brings rather than confusing it with my 1st year of business frenzy.

My initiation to finding local designers to work with was stressful because there were many moments when I was surrounded by international seasoned people in the same business as me…and it was so intimidating to see their confidence and obvious experience! Thankfully there were two women I acquainted from England and Australia who were willing to sit and chat with me from a seasoned viewpoint. These chats calmed me down and shifted my stressful perspective to more ease and productivity. What I needed to do all along was overcome the feeling of competition. I concluded that all of us in this business have different visions and style as we create our line of clothes. Once I realized this, I was able to feel more carefree and really enjoy delving into this passion of creating clothes in the amazing lands of India.

Upon returning to Portland in the beginning of May this year (and only a week later having my products arrive with me)…I had entered a whole new dimension.

Shifting from producing a clothing line, I was next developing contacts, vending opportunities and enthusiastic customers. Festivals had been an amazing social and musical forum for me for the past ten years so they felt like fun and fantastic venues to use for my mobile dwanjabi boutique.Thanks to my newly acquired van, Avani, I was able to travel as far north as Whidbey Island, WA and as far south as the region just near Yosemite National Park in California. Beautiful souls and new friends graced my life and I was so happy to get the direct interface with people from all over who not only loved what I had worked hard to put together, but were so grateful for the reasonable prices I offer on what I sell. When asked if I have a store somewhere, I would reply with a sweeping arm towards my dwanjabi tent, “This is it”.

For now, this is true, my store travels just like how I love to live. My passion for travel and the personal evolution that comes with it is what fuels how I have decided to pursue my calling.

Going to Burning Man one month ago was interesting because it was another festival, yet one where I was not there in the capacity of vending dwanjabi clothes. Because of this my preparations beforehand became focused on putting together some new creations for myself to wear on the playa. Sitting back at my sewing machine in mid-August re-ignited a creative fire inside me. With this new inspiration I decided to single-handedly sew a line of clothes for an autumn & winter dwanjabi line. For the past month, when not at Burning Man or vending at festivals, I have been M.I.A. in the social scenes as I dwell in my sewing studio creating.

Each finished creation is so exciting to me! I am inspired and looking forward to releasing the entire collection!

While the first year or two of any business brings on struggles that tend to smooth out in time, I have still been able to enjoy the hard work and learning curves.

The greatest complement was a week ago at the Symbiosis Gathering, the festival I feel most aligned with in my personal interests out of all I have brought my dwanjabi shop to. There was non-stop foot traffic through my dwanjabi “boutique” and the sales were my best yet. To be received so well in a large gathering of what I see representing my real tribe (as far as alignments and interests go) is one of the greatest blessings I’ve had yet in my dwanjabi endeavors.

Now that autumn is here, my routine has shifted. My days are filled with sewing and creating, studying and practicing for my Hindi language class I have begun and reconnecting with friends after a summer filled with fun distractions.