On Failure, Success and Moving Forward

Everyone fails sometimes. Today I want to share a personal story that I've never shared before. I hope that it encourages some of you to keep dreaming, even in the hard times...

Not too long ago I spent a year developing a line of toys intended for mainstream retail. I poured my heart into these dolls and spent months researching everything from doll fashion and accessories, their functionality, their roles in the marketplace, etc. Pretty much everything you could ever learn about dolls. If you ever want to sit down with someone and have an hour long conversation about the history of fashion dolls—I'm your girl! I designed my own collection, spent thousands of dollars of my own money to get prototypes made, develop clothing, a children's book and tons of accessories and add-ons for them. It was an incredibly fun experience. I learned so much and really fell in love with the idea of designing children's products. We did photo shoots and presentations, all without ever speaking a word of it on this blog. You're probably wondering why I didn't share about them. I just felt that I wanted to wait until I knew they would definitely be produced before I shared them; I didn't want to get my reader's hopes up. I also knew I wasn't allowed to share photos due to all the non-disclosure agreements with the company that looked at my toys. So for months I quietly kept this exciting secret, hoping for the best....

With the help of a kind friend I was able to book a meeting with a major toy company. I've had some experience with product development in my career, but nothing like this. The toy industry is set up completely different than the craft industry... I felt I was learning new things every single day. It was so exciting! Jeremy and I traveled across the country to pitch the collection. Sharing them in our meeting was one of the most nerve wracking experiences of my life. I was so nervous because I had my heart set on this company as a home for my toys. The collection was very well received with tons of questions and compliments. They kept my prototypes at the offices and we traveled home and waited... and waited. A month or two later I got the news that my collection wasn't picked up. They told me that it was one of the final choices, but not the right fit for that year. I cried... a lot. I promised myself that I wouldn't give up, that I would find another company and create an even stronger presentation for the next time. It was so hard to be soooo close to my dream only to have it cut short. I learned a lot through this failed dream. I promised myself that with my next adventure I would enjoy the process more and be less focused on the end result. My heart was broken but I became more humble and more determined to keep going!

I decided to take a short break. I decided to try another (just-for-fun) dream. I designed a collection of dresses (pictured below).... this dream was a side project that took off in ways I didn't expect. It was extremely successful and turned into something that I want to do more and more in the future! I think that a big part of my story that is encouraging is that this adventure came as a result of a major rejection. Instead of giving up and letting the sadness take over I chose to move forward and try something else, just to help ease the pain. What started off as a "rebound" type project turned into something that I really loved and enjoyed. The forward motion carried me to a new creative place... I love that!

Now, I can proudly say that I've I learned from my failure and used it to move forward. Every success story in the world is sprinkled with rejection, challenges and even sometimes failures. Don't let these things stop you. Keep moving forward, trying new things and developing your creative skills. Thanks for listening to my story. I know that sometimes this blog can fool people into believing that I don't have hard times. The truth is that we're all human and we're all working through the same obstacles each and every day. Love you... Elsie

Note: I'm so sorry I am not sharing photos of my toy designs at this time. I still intend to develop them in the future and so I need to keep them private for now.... maybe someday you'll see them in stores... Who knows?

Comments

[Tinacious.Me]

what an inspiring post, Elsie! It takes a lot of courage to share this and thank you for doing so!
http://www.tinacious.me

[laura @ hollywood housewife]

Wow, I've been reading your blog for a long time and I really respect and admire that you've shared this in such a personal way.

Good luck with all of your endeavors - you're so talented and your work is so beautiful. It's fun to watch it all unfold. (Or, as the case may be, not unfold...yet.)

[Natasha Fatah]

Thank you so much for sharing this difficult personal experience and putting yourself out there like this.

You're absolutely right - and even thought it's a total cliche - it's always darkest before the dawn. The people who succeed, are those that fail many, many times before.

Your beautiful collection of dresses is wonderful! And I wish you tons of success with it!

Big virtual hug!
xoxo
http://natashafatah.com

[Danielle]

Wow, thank you for sharing this, Elsie! It can be so hard to stay motivated when things go badly, but I'm so glad you channelled your creativity into the dress collection that has been such an inspiring success. I hope your toy designs work out someday, I'm sure they'd be amazing!

[Miss K]

Thanks for sharing this story. I like it that you drew something positive from this 'failure'. Most, if not all, successful people have had to overcome failures in their lives. Those that are persistent and keep following their dreams make it in the end. I hope that your toy project will work out someday. It will be when the time is right. xoxo

[Kaitlyn]

Thanks for sharing this story, Elsie. I have to admit, as a long-time reader, I've always wondered about the toys and dolls that you'd mentioned here and there in very passive ways, whether it was on goal lists or just general interests you've shared. I love how you're so diverse in your goals and dreams; it's really encouraging to read about.

Right now, my fiancé and I are dreaming of the future. Where to move, why we'd choose the places we're considering... and, as odd as it is, this "failed" doll story really hit home with me today, with the decisions I'm making and the hope for the future, as unknown as it may be.

Thank you for sharing. All the best.

[chantilly]

this is a wonderful story :) failure is the worst. sometimes i feel like all i do is fail. but you're right... it is important to keep trying, and i'm glad you did. i think in the end, it does make you stronger (cheesy as that sounds.)

also, i'm kinda curious to see these dolls...

[Tor]

This is really encouraging - I've been job-hunting and moving and changing things around for a while and sometimes I feel like giving up. All I really need is to keep going and press on harder.

Good luck with the toy collection!

[Dashfield Vintage]

Thank you that was a beautiful post! Wow you're a true entrepreneur. I don't have the courage to do even a fraction of all the great things you have already achieved. I have a lot of dreams, get very excited about them but then at the slightest sign of things not working out I quit! It frustrates the hell out of both me, and my friends and family!
I always find some encouragement in your blog and your courses though :)

[Libertad Leal]

And THIS is why you rule Elsie! It takes courage to pick yourself up after being rejected and even more courage to talk about it so openly. You are an inspiration to so many and I thank you for sharing this. As somebody in the early stages of starting a creative business I needed to hear this. I have no doubt that your toys will be in stores in the future. I wish you all the best.

[Meghan]

thanks for this post elsie. I work in theatre & had a similar experience--got a great part in a high profile company, rehearsed for months, all of my family & friends knew about it--and one month before the show opened the company's budget was reworked & the show was cut entirely. telling everyone was so disappointing. your blog always inspires me to *choose* happiness even in darker moments!

[Elizabeth]

Thanks for sharing this! It is truly inspiring. I can relate to a similar experience recently. I wish you all the best in the future with all your dreams and ideas.

Cheers,
Elizabeth

[kat - rocknrollbride]

totally inspiring!

[Ester]

It was fantastic to read your personal story! I guess one of the many things we readers allow us to think when reading blogs is that the person behind the computer has a perfect life even if we consciously know they're just choosing to show us the most positive aspects of their lives instead of sharing some negativity which is no use... I'm sorry your toy line wasn't chosen but I think you should take the fact it was one of the final picks as a compliment! Don't put that dream aside, you may still launch your toyline someday, I truly believe it will happen! I have read you blog since its very start on Blogspot and I remember pretty much all the path you've created for yourself... it's funny because when I started reading this post I thought immediatly of your clothing line as it was something you wanted to do for a long time. Launching your own clothing line isn't that easy and not everyone gets to do it so just see how far you've came! You're fantastic and you inspire so many people around the world, I can't wait to see what you'll come up next, I'm sure it will be amazing, never give up :)

[Val]

Beautiful story - thanks for sharing Elsie http://valentinaduracinsky.blogspot.com/

[KnittingKittens]

What a wonderful post! Sometimes when we walk through blogland it is easy to think that others have it easy; all goes well and of course there are always pretty pictures. Thanks for your honesty and for sharing your triumphs and stumbles. I am new to your blog and so glad I found you!
Best Regards,
KnittingKittens

[Logan]

I'm in a similar situation:) My whole life has been nothing but quilts until quite recently, now I'm getting published in a magazine (for wool applique) and a book (for punchneedle!) My passion is quilting...it's just going to take a little longer;)

http://www.loganmakesamess.com

[Lola Nicole]

Elsie, you are so inspiring! Thanks for sharing this with us.

[Jillian]

I love this post. I feel a lot of times I'm far too hard on myself and if things don't progress as quickly as I had imagined, or I don't get the results I was hoping for or expecting, I beat myself up a lot over it. Stories like this help me realize that things come with time.
Jillian
http://epic-thread.blogspot.com

[Leigh Ann]

Thanks Elsie. I have dealt with pouring my heart into something only to have it blow up in my face. My first job as a kitchen designer, I worked my arse off on my designs, as a co-worker and as a employee and had tremendous success until one day the owners wife told me I didn't seem happy there. I was so happy!! And they let me go. I cried my eyes out and let it get to me. After much soul searching, I finally got over it. Thanks for the post!