We recently connected with Amy Weir and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Amy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I went from a full time creative design job as a landscape architect to quickly having two babies under the age of two. I was looking for a way to be at home with my children and yet still carve out some time for myself, so I decided to start an Etsy digital print shop.

But, after a successful year with Etsy I decided to start a DIY and craft blog where I could really get my hands dirty with making, creating and building while being able to teach others how they could do the same. I knew from the very start that I would run the blog as a creative business. I hoped that someday if I worked really hard I could call it my full time job.

This was 2012, so blogs were still fairly new and unknown. Every night I would go to the few blogs I knew of and study their websites – what did they write about, what was their writing style like, what did their pictures look like, what was on the sidebar and anything else remarkable about them.

I was constantly learning and then googling how to implement those new ideas on my own little blog. All of this involved crafting during nap time, editing photos and writing blog posts at night. I stayed up nightly until midnight to tweak my site late into the night. I loved it, but I also had no idea what I was doing at pretty much every single step of the way.

I’m not sure anyone thought I’d stick with it and they certainly didn’t think I would ever generate income from my “little website”. However, within three years I had my first real glimmer that something great might be happening. I had a 3 page spread in Rachael Ray’s Every Day Magazine showcasing Vegetable themed Easter eggs I created. Then, Martha Stewart’s team reached out to invite me to a “12 Months of Martha” blogger program. That transitioned to multiple years of collaborating with her.

I also partnered with Oriental Trading Co to create approachable crafts each month for four years. As well as doing a live TV segment with Pinterest, partnering with Google to help promote their Google Web Story creation for a year, was a DIY blog finalist in 2018 for Domino Magazine and was named one of the best content creators by Pinterest in 2021.

Every single brand who reached out to me, was a step I was taking with so much worry. Were they sure they really wanted ME?! It all felt so risky because I was just a women who wanted to encourage others to be creative, I had no business working with such big names. But the bigger the risk, the bigger the outcomes I was starting to learn.

In 2018 I was asked by Hinkler Publishing to write a craft book about Marbling. I created 8 marbled projects, took all the pictures, edited the photos, wrote and wrote and wrote, made edits, did some of the marbling projects again… and then again. And finally I finished the book.

During the entire process, I shared on Instagram stories about doing hard things. I shared about pushing yourself to try new things even when they feel scary. I shared about wanting to give up because writing this book was the hardest thing I’d done, but remembering that scary doesn’t mean bad. Oftentimes, scary means new dreams are being conquered.

I believe whether you are looking to start a small business, write a book, learn a new skill or any other dream you might have – you have to take that first step and start.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started as a landscape architect, then a digital print maker on Etsy, then began my creative blog and eventually also a social media content creator.

I always want to be thought of as an encourager in both life and home. You don’t have to have a million dollars to create a beautiful place to live. You don’t need to buy buy buy to be happy. By making, thrifting, adding plants and finding things that bring you joy creates a home that is uniquely YOU!

I am the sole creator behind Delineate Your Dwelling website and social media. I have an ebook available for purchase called Just Start and one on plant care called, Happy Houseplants. I also wrote the published book Marbled Creations.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

In early 2020 I was asked to speak to my local Rising Tide Society chapter, a national organization that believes when we all empower and encourage each other, we ALL succeed and change the world – I completely agree!

It was such an honor to be asked to speak to a group of 100 creative entrepreneurs and although I was terrified, but knew I had things to say.

The weeks leading up to my speech, my nerves really escalated. Not only because I was scared to speak to such a large group standing on a stage, but I really started to doubt myself. My advice is pretty opposite of many of the people out there today that push a “hustle till it hurts” idea and whether intended or not, you can’t help but make comparisons of yourself to everyone around you. I decided I wanted to speak to our group about those topics because they come from the heart.

Maybe everyone would scoff at my “you can do hard things” message, or think I was a phony who didn’t know what I was talking about.

Even though I am so passionate about trying new things and pushing myself, we can all still fall victim to worry and fear of not being good enough. It is a mental battle we must fight to overcome sometimes daily, but it’s a battle we can win!

After the event was over, I did not anticipate how many people would want to chat with me. It was beyond touching to hear how many resonated with the message of a slow and steady mindset. I think it’s something we all long to hear another person give you permission to slow down and build something strong from the beginning.

It’s taken me 11 years to get to the place I am today and I did it while being a stay at home mama to a 1 and 2 year old at the very start. It can be done, dreams can be made slowly and steadily!!!

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I believe in creative dreams and working REALLY hard to achieve them. But I also believe in trying to pursue slow and steady growth. I believe in being thoughtful with our creative decisions, time and always push yourself to keep growing. I taught myself how to use power tools and now can build things without any issue. And I wildly believe in cheering for others just as big as we cheer for ourselves!

Even though it can feel at times like we are living in a consumerist society that sometimes are “out to get what is ours”, I think modeling a creative spirit, working diligently and cheering for others has opened doors for continued creative opportunities to come my way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.delineateyourdwelling.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/delineateyourdwelling
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Amy.DelineateYourDwelling
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4WQvt9pdu-pd1MRgSGdnkA/videos
• Other: Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/amyDYD/
  Tik Tok – https://www.tiktok.com/@delineateyourdwelling