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Why I hit ‘pause’ on my business ArtByCarly

Hey, Carl!

Welcome to the Hey Carl! blog—where branding gets bold, weird, and wildly fun. This is your spot for design inspo, client glow-ups, spicy brand tips, and the occasional ghost story. Wanna know more about the chaos queen behind it all?

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ABOUT CARL

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I recently unpublished my first business, ArtByCarly. I also changed the handle on the instagram page to be my personal one and I’m not sure that I’ll be keeping the website up, either. It was a hard decision to make and one that was weighing pretty heavy on both my mind and heart. But here’s the scoop – it wasn’t fun anymore. I hadn’t posted on the facebook page for about a year (whoops), I wasn’t interested in signing new clients for photography and since having our second daughter, Emma, I just had no time/desire/space to create new artworks.

I don’t know if I’m at a place of shutting it down completely, but right now it’s doing not only myself a disservice trying to keep it up, but also everyone I’m trying to serve. Why would I keep trying to show up or produce something where I’m only half-assing it? It’s not good for anyone.

The other thing I’m learning with this process, is that I’m outgrowing ArtByCarly. I outgrew it with a new mission, a new focus and a more clear service which is what brought me to CK Design. I’m keeping the business ArtByCarly for now. When it resurfaces, there’s a good chance it’s going to have a whole new look, mission, focus and more. It’s hard to say a temporary goodbye, but it’s 100% necessary for it to grow. For me to grow. For me to help serve you with the energy and attention that you deserve.

This is a reminder that businesses, ideas and journeys… they can all come to an end or a fork in the road. That’s okay. That’s more than okay. Maybe the path got too flooded with weeds or bad weather. Whatever the case is, know that you can pick our things up and relocate to forge a brand new path. It’s the same us, just a new destiny. You didn’t fail, you’re just moving on. The roadmap is already there, friend. You can revisit it anytime you like.

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Hey, I'm Carly.

I started Hey, Carl! so I could homeschool my kiddos. Even though they're doing "regular" school, Hey, Carl! has the same vibe: play, have fun, and do my best to build it around our life.

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