I know it sounds crazy, but bear with me.

Prior to 2020, I had been entertaining this idea for quite a few years, but I was too comfortable back then.

I had a constant income and was pretty content, although I knew that was not something I enjoyed doing.

But then came the pandemic and my life changed too. I lost my job and was forced to re-shift my priorities.

Me and my partner started a handmade business while stuck inside and in a matter of months and with the help of social media, we started selling our products both locally and internationally. You can check it out here.

So what started as a hobby turned into a business quite fast and soon we partnered with local shops to showcase our products.

Maybe we got lucky, but I think that if you do want something, you will make everything to make it happen.

What I realized after almost a year of doing business:

• Your 20s are still a time of self-discovery: this is the perfect time to experiment with jobs and careers and discover new passions
• Fear of failure is part of the process: you will fail and those mistakes will eventually make you succeed.
• You should not be completely reckless: do the jump when you can afford to. Even if you don’t have kids or bank loans, you need money to survive, let’s face it.
• Have a side job/do freelancing: and work on your business idea after it, it is exhausting but it will pay off one day.
• Save money early and invest it later: you never know what business idea you might have and what materials/services you might need at one point. Things will be a lot easier and your future self will thank you!

You will doubt yourself along the way and question your decisions. You will feel insecure.

I know I still do, not having a regular job and always fearing that I might not make it. This is something that keeps you up at night.

It’s up to you to decide if you are going to do the leap, but also, don’t give up on a dream just because you are scared. That is not a reason, that is an excuse.

I hope you guys enjoyed this piece, I hope I will be able to write more about my unfolding journey as a small business owner!

Starting a handmade business in your 20s: should you do it? was originally published in An Idea (by Ingenious Piece) on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Original artworks from local artists are often overlooked by the people in their community, mainly because of the false preconception that original art is way too expensive.

In fact, emerging artists, price their work lower than you might think.

And they continue to make art, regardless of the low monetary return.

But many fail to ask the artist how much his/her piece costs. They assume from the start that it’s gonna be expensive so they buy mass-produced art instead.

And that is totally fine, no one is forcing you to buy original art.

But if you do like art, I think you should.

Here’s a few reasons why:

Originality

You will have a unique piece, made by a local artist. It is very unlikely that you will find the same piece in your neighbour’s home. Even an illustration made by a local artist is very unlikely to be owned by half of the town

Support

By buying that piece of art, you support the artist to go further with his/her passion. Painting supplies, for example, can be very expensive. Most artists invest their money in better paper quality and colors.

Aesthetics

Original art will always look better than mass-produced one, from quality of material to intensity of color.

Emotion

If you come a cross a painting you like, it most likely made you feel something. You felt a connection, the colors made you smile, it reminded you of something or someone. Having that kind of artwork in your home is a unique experience.

But these are only a few of the benefits of buying original art, some people buy art also as an investment.

Regardless of the reasons, when you buy art from a local artist you invest both in their dream and in your wellbeing at home.

Why you should buy original art was originally published in An Idea (by Ingenious Piece) on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

A year ago I gave up writing.

It was my favourite hobby, but at one point, I did not feel I could express myself the way I wanted to.

Whatever I wrote, did not seem authentic and I was not going to trick myself into thinking it was real.

After a period of questioning my purpose in life and disengaging from any artistic activity, on a regular Sunday afternoon I rediscovered an old passion of mine: painting.

For a very long time, writing and reading were enough for me. I would also paint once in a while but did not feel the need to do it daily.

The sudden urge of playing with colours came at a time when I was not happy.

I did not enjoy my job and I had no idea what to do next. I felt that my creativity was going downhill.

I turned to writing and it did not help at all. I tried reading, but I could not fully immerse myself in a novel.

Without giving it too much thought, that Sunday afternoon I started painting.

And I have not stopped ever since.

Work started to feel even more like torture. Every minute I was spending in that office felt like a complete waste of time. I hated being there. It was too toxic.

I could not wait to get home and put my creativity to work.

I finally found the courage to quit that job that was draining me in every possible way. For the first time in years, I had a real, meaningful purpose.

It made me discover another version of myself. A version that loves colour and is not afraid to express herself.

I became more aware of the importance of my inner needs. It might sound like a cliche, but it really is the truth.

I was finally thinking about my happiness: the genuine happiness that comes from within.

Not only did it give me confidence, but it also relieved me from a great deal of stress that was damaging my perspective on life.

It allowed me to find a job that I actually like and it restored a long lost balance in my life.

I met new people and I learned and experimented with new techniques. And to top it all of, I also started doing commissions. I did not plan on making money from art, but now it is also an additional source of income.

I am grateful for every person that bought and buys art from me. The fact that they like it and feel inspired by it is truly flattering.

Hobbies can mean more to us than we might think.

It took me a while to learn that, but I am glad I did. Hobbies give you something to look forward to, a much needed moment for yourself. A break from the mundane and a new perspective on things.

For a while, I needed to detach myself from writing and now I am able to do it again. I have a clear picture of what I like and don’t and I do not push myself into doing something others think, or expect I should do.

I ignored painting for far too long and it turned out to be the thing I needed the most.

Please do not ignore your passion, invest time in it and the reward you get will be more precious than you think. If it makes YOU happy, positive, confident, creative and alive, DO IT.

I promise it will change your life for the better.

If you are into art and painting, you can check out my work here.

The Healing Power of a Hobby was originally published in Scribe on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Annecy has everything one would like to see while on holiday: mountains, lakes, castles and cobbled, canal-side streets.

Apart from the famous lake of Annecy, its effluent, Thiou, flowing through the old city of Annecy, is said to be one of the cleanest rivers in Europe. No wonder why swans enjoy that much!

If you are a romantic at heart, this is the place to go to. You can walk on Pont des Amours, wander the old town and dine near Palais de l’Isle.

You can have a picnic near the Lake and drinking wine while sitting on the grass is totally allowed, so you can go a bit extra. If you don’t have a corkscrew at hand, don’t worry, ask someone to lend you one, you will be surprised, but some people actually carry it with them.

The “Vieille Ville” (Old Town) is a delight to one’s senses. Especially the visual ones. You will see flower boxes everywhere and pastel colored houses.

As for the food, I tried fondue for the first time and it was heavenly. I think I ate cheese every day, but I knew it was going to happen.

For sweets lovers, there is a place called “Le comptoir de Mathilde”, it has everything (and more) your heart aches for in times of despair.

And that’s all I am gonna say. You need to go there and experience it yourself, and I hope you will. If it hadn’t been for an international competition, I don’t think I would have gone there, but I am so grateful that I did.

Wander the winding streets. Don’t look at the map, go by instinct. You will encounter many narrow corridors that will draw you in. But every time you get lost, you bump into something different and lovely.

A week in Annecy, the Venice of the Alps was originally published in Scribe on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Raindrops,

Window pane and jazz…

Light falls.

A golden topaz,

So vivid and bright…

Had no recollection,

If this was indeed

the colour of your eyes.

Amber hues.

A tint of hazel,

So warm and so childlike.

Dark falls.

A brown tourmaline,

As vivid and bright…

I start to recall

the beautiful duality

emerging from the light

or from the lack thereof.

Don`t assume anything, ever. I always considered this to be accurate. But, there I was, assuming you would not do it. I could have asked you that clichéd question: “you would not do this, right?”. But why would I? You`d have laughed in my face and avoid answering. I think I knew deep down, you were going to do it. I could have saved myself the pain.

Pain, yes. Sometimes much needed when things are going way too good for you. Nobody says it, but every now and then we pick a fight in order to provoke it. Masochistic as it may seem, sometimes you enjoy it. But I did not wish for it then.

“Ah, he would not do it”, I played it over and over in my head at the first thought that he actually could and might do it. Call it lazy self-assurance or complete blindness. Ignorance is bliss until the bliss turns into torture.

February, the month of our discontent. The weekend before my Shakespeare exam and the day before your Italy departure. Oh, the irony! Not a Romeo and Juliet story. Just Juliet dying and Romeo going on with his life.

The words that broke me: “I just don`t know”. Uncertainty is worse than knowing a harsh truth. You linger on to a fantasy. Suddenly, the blankets felt warmer than ever, a sense of heat ran through my entire body. I can still feel the tears streaming down my face. I can taste that salty, painful reminder that I was going to suffer.

So how did I miss it? The signs were there long before. I guess I got caught up in the moment…

I never thought you`d do it, but you did.

I never thought you`d do it, but you did was originally published in P.S. I Love You on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

It happens. And it’s the kind of love that defines you, the kind of love that makes you want to be better. I am not a native English speaker. And yet when I think of writing something, I think about it in English and not my mother tongue. I used to write in my native language before high school, but my goal was to become better at writing in English.

I figured that in order to write in English, one must start reading in English! I knew and could speak the language very well, but never really attempted to write something in it other than my homework.

I was in my sophomore year when I read my first book in English: Jane Austen’s Emma. I found it difficult at first, but the use of language was so elegant that I immediately fell in love with it.

I came across a lot of unknown words and it was frustrating at times, but I decided I should focus on the overall meaning and enjoy the reading. I would later look up the words and write them down for future use.

Soon I became acquainted with the writing style and other great novels followed. After a while, I started reading the romantic poets, Byron and Shelley. Yes, my teenhood was lovely (and so were my college years, when I discovered T.S.Eliot).

So, what started as a learning process led to a new hobby. I started avoiding Romanian (my mother tongue) translations of novels or poems I could read in their original language. I wanted to hear the genuine voice of the author and I knew it could get lost when translated.

Then I started writing in a journal. From short stories to poems, to mundane happenings from my life. I was creating my style.

The passion for foreign languages grew quite fast. I was not satisfied just with knowing English and a bit of French. When it came to picking-up a college, I chose the Faculty of Foreign Language and Literatures. I studied English (Major) and German (Minor).

It was a choice for my soul. Not only did I get to read some pretty amazing books, but I also learned how to learn a language. I cannot remember how I learned English, I knew a lot of words and phrases from television, before going to school. I used to get the grammar right because it sounded right, but could not really explain my choices for certain grammatical structures. Linguistics made it clear. Thank you, Noam Chomsky.

Now, I know that German does not sound like a fun language, but it really is challenging. It is a logical language and you just have to be patient, as you can not master it very fast. The word order might seem peculiar, but you’ll get the hang of it eventually. I still have problems with it when I speak with someone, but I try to focus on being fluent, regardless of the mistakes I make. I want to enjoy it and not feel tortured by it.

Learning a foreign language is a must nowadays. We have the means to do it, so there is no excuse not to. If you don’t have the money you can either download apps, grammar books or watch/read language learning vlogs/blogs. You can easily reach a B1 level by yourself.

I also learned that getting to know the culture behind a language is a great way to understand the language itself.

If you liked this post, feel free to clap and leave feedback :-)

If you are looking for language partners to improve your foreign language skills you can find it on swaplanguage.com.

Falling in love with foreign languages was originally published in Swap Language on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

I see this phrase mostly in emails from work: “Looking forward to receiving your answer/ to our meeting/our conference call, etc.”. Most of the time, the person writing it doesn't really mean it. It's just a polite way to end an email.

You also use it for stuff that really matter to you, but how often do you do it?

Having something to look forward to is strongly linked with happiness. Looking forward to an upcoming trip is the most common example. You enjoy even the planning and the packing. Work does not seem that bad anymore, knowing that you will soon be on holiday, sightseeing and enjoying a different culture. It's easier to get up in the morning. You feel relaxed and you have not even started your trip.

But after you come back to the mundane, you feel there are not so many exciting things to look forward to in the near future. But that's exactly where you`re wrong. It should not be on a short-term.

There will ALWAYS be things to look forward to. They may not be big, important or exciting, but they could bring you joy, the kind of joy that is simple and that kids experience on a daily basis.

Looking forward to the warm weather, after enduring several months of snow and cold rain. Just start picturing yourself wearing a summer outfit, taking an afternoon stroll in the park. It will make you smile.

If you are not a summer person, then look forward to the first snow of the year. Imagine you are watching it from your windowpane while enjoying a hot drink.

Look forward to seeing a loved one, to catching up with them. If you`re feeling down, call your friends, ask them out, make plans with them. They probably feel the same way too; some might not even realise how much they actually need to go out. It`s a win-win situation!

We are so caught up in our jobs, deadlines and all sorts of errands, that we forget to enjoy the small things. It might sound as a cliché, yet there’s no better way to put it!

Here is a list with things you should start looking forward to more often (besides catching up on sleep on the weekends):

• starting a new hobby
• enjoying nature
• April`s blooming lilacs —which makes me think of T.S.Eliot`s verse: Now that lilacs are in bloom/She has a bowl of lilacs in her room
• the intoxicating smell of Tilia flowers in May
• the warmth of a summer dawn
• making someone smile
• reading a new book
• learning a new language — just because you find it beautiful and intriguing
• disconnecting yourself from social media
• writing something just for the sake of it
• discovering new places in your town
• wandering
• stressing less
• enjoying your life

Novelty will always stir up interest, but you can find it where you expect less. Right there in front of you.

What do you look forward to?

I wrote this poem a year ago at a time when I was pretty confused about life in general and felt that everything around me (including me) was falling apart. I shared it for the first time on a platform for poets (here). Poetry is a balm for the soul.

Confusion and desire.

Better yet, life at 22, that is,

the start of a journey, the fear of the unknown,

the mixture of thoughts that consume you at night

and leave you exhausted at the crack of dawn.

The fear of doing what you desire,

The burning desire of rebellion and

then the calm renunciation of it all.

And then again the devastating storm,

which you so well anticipated, but chose to ignore.

Confusion and desire.

22 or, better yet, uncertainty of future you.

Let me know what you think!

Many writers prefer to write in coffee houses. It has a romantic vibe to it, poetical if you want. Hemingway did it, Fitzgerald did it and many other successful writers. It may be a cliché, but we love to do it.

The smell of fresh coffee and cakes, the chiming of the entry bell, the diversity of voices and laughters -all of these are sure to provide one with the inspiration needed and the mood to get started.

Sometimes, writing from home just does not do the trick. Words do not come out easily, you feel stuck and lacking ideas. You need to be out and observe. Regardless of the season, coffee houses are the best places you can go to if you want to build characters. You see so many different types of people, it is impossible not to come up with something. Of course, you have to be discrete when observing.

I remember one of my writing experiences at a coffee shop. I was by myself, ready and excited to write something. I sat two tables away from a couple. I could notice that it was a first date. The girl was nervous and the boy was a little clumsy. I started to recall how I felt like at my first date and wrote about that experience. But I had it all in front of me in a different version, slowly unfolding and it was much more interesting.

It can feel like you are taking a peek without their permission, but you know you have a good reason to do so. Maybe someday they will read your book and will not even realize that the paragraph they just read was inspired by them.

It is rude to eavesdrop, but sometimes, you unwillingly catch a few scraps of the conversation. The fun part begins when you start imagining what they are speaking about. And you do it just by looking at their facial expression and their body language. You build their stories and then you make them interact with one another.

Then there is also the notion of time. I feel more productive when writing in cafés or tea houses. You cannot sit there for hours and so pushing yourself to write is easier. Try and make the best out of an hour and a half, a coffee or a tea. Always go and discover new cafés, don`t stick to one. Like people, there are many types of coffee shops.