In the last week, I have read two articles on turning your passion, a childhood love or hobby, into a profitable business.

**I drew this at our neighbor’s, Caroline’s house when I was 6 or 7 y.o.**

“It could be that some just wanted to answer their creative calling,” said Dayna Isom Johnson, Etsy’s trend expert. “But for many during this unprecedented time, it’s about people who have faced unexpected financial challenges, whether they are unemployed or furloughed by their jobs.” —from the NYT article, “Can you really turn a hobby into a career?” by Alex Williams

So in light of my reading, I set out to list my child hood loves and hobbies. My sister would say that my childhood was the cute boy Sam in 3’s class, who she long ago decided was my first boyfriend. This is not the case. My childhood love was making things— mud pies, working gear machines with a rector set, baking and battery powered doorbell that my dad and I put together. According to family lore, I tried at the age of 8 to make a flourless chocolate chip cake without a recipe and it is a miracle that my family let me back in the kitchen. They are glad they did because by the time I was teenager I was making gourmet 3-course dinners on the occasional Saturday night. My childhood loves boils down to using my hand to create things.

Now on to my hobbies (and you’ll see pattern)..Knitting (no sweaters yet), sewing, jewelry making with unusual materials (think packing peanuts), reading and still baking and cooking. For my 13th birthday I asked for a sewing machine which I was given by my parents and maternal grandparents. My parents also gifted me with sewing lessons by local seamstress who worked out of her home. I sewed a bathing suit cover-up for my sister, a tie for my dad and skirt with matching tank top for my self (Sorry, mom, you didn’t get anything). However, Years later, I gifted my mom a hand knit scarf. My hobbies boil down to using my hands to create things. See the pattern?

So maybe the answer to my conundrum, funk and thinking “What next?” is to take my creative hands and start a business around them. This leaves me with one question, “What kind of Business?” Unfortunately, studying my life lines isn’t going to give me the answer. Studying my brain will. And don’t worry, I am not giving up my coaching business just yet— maybe two business at once (although I preach not to multitask to my clients).