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What Actually Makes a Market Feel Good (and why some feel… off) I didn’t start out wanting to host markets. It didn't even cross my mind as something I'd ever be involved in. I started as an anxious artist who was quietly annoyed as a vendor. Back in 2019, I had gotten married, moved to Anacortes, quit a job I hated and simultaneously bought a laser I didn’t know how to use... and figured it out as I went (which has honestly been a common theme in my life). Once I figured out

Get started in hosting your own makers markets. Related topics: • How to host a craft market • Makers market vendor tips • Starting a handmade market in your community • Craft fair planning checklist

Summer MakersFest is Returning! I’ve been feeling that itch again. If you’ve been around Creative Avenue for a while, you probably know what I mean. The markets, the energy, the people showing up and connecting over something they made or found. Starting in 2021, I hosted monthly artisan markets around Skagit Valley. Those days were full in the best way. Talented artists, real conversations, and a little bit of organized chaos that somehow always worked. Since closing the Cre

I didn’t set out to read books that would change my life. I was mostly just trying to get through the day with a little more ease. I wanted something entertaining and educational to listen to while on long road trips. A little less self-criticism. A little more understanding of how my brain actually works. Somewhere along the way, a handful of books quietly shifted things for me. Not in a dramatic, overnight way. More like they loosened knots I didn’t realize I’d been carryin

Rediscovering Your Creative Spirit Somewhere along the way, creativity got put on a pedestal. Or shoved into a weird, mismatched shoebox. Or turned into something that needs to be impressive. And that sucks, because creativity was never meant to be perfect. Most of the creative moments that actually help us feel better aren’t beautiful. They’re messy, awkward, half-finished, and sometimes kind of terrible. And that’s exactly why they work. You’re allowed to make ugly things.

“Self-guided” can sound a little intimidating. People hear it and think, What if I don’t know what to do? Or What if I just sit there the whole time? Here’s the truth. A self-guided creative retreat isn’t about doing more. It’s about finally having the space to listen to what you need. What it’s not It’s not a packed schedule. It’s not back-to-back workshops. It’s not being told how to rest. There’s no bell ringing telling you where to be next. What it is It’s time. Actual,

Sometimes the only thing standing between me and absolute chaos is the right tool showing up at the right time. I don’t mean some perfect system that fixes everything forever. I mean the small, practical things that help my brain land a little more softly each day. Running a business, planning events, juggling ideas at all hours, traveling, creating art, trying to be a functioning adult with ADHD… it’s a lot. My brain is always moving. Sometimes in good ways. Sometimes in way

How to Get Started Hosting a Craft Market in Your Own Community Past vendors have been asking when I'll start hosting markets again in the Skagit Valley - sharing how much they appreciated my organization and advertising leading up to the markets. Honestly, hosting is not as hard as people might think now that we have ai tools and the power of social media. People typically don't host because they don't feel like they don't know where to even start. Here’s the thing. Markets