In June 2018 I had been in bed for 2 weeks. I was broken and thought I had lost my mind. I knew my head wasn’t healthy. I knew I needed help. I wanted to put myself in a ward and be knocked out to escape my troubles. I never told anyone that – this is actually the first mention of it. I had ADHD as a child so I thought, well maybe that’s what it is maybe my dad’s murder had unravelled my control of it.
My dad had bipolar 1. I had witnessed his manic months/years and his depressive months/years. I thought, well maybe I’m bipolar! As it turned out I was re-diagnosed with ADHD and diagnosed with Bipolar 2 in hypomania, both triggered by the murder of my father. I was later diagnosed with Complex PTSD, from my life before my dad’s murder.
It’s been a hard slog and being in the business I am in, all my mentors advised me to not talk online about my mental health, but I refused. Why? I don’t believe in covering up mental health. I believe in busting all the myths and stigmas. I wanted to show anyone who was suffering that we can get better and we can live a full and rewarding life. I speak very publicly on my Facebook profile and I have a mental health “humour” page as well as a support group if anyone would like to get in touch with me.
So I’m bipolar! That doesn’t mean that I’m a crazy, axe-wielding lunatic running down the street! It’s horrid how all the evil women in movies are supposedly bipolar! It’s so damaging to us and in reality, that’s not true at all.
I’m one the softest people I know and have far more empathy than most people I know. I’m also fiercely loyal to the underdog, and that is where I show my passionate side. What it does mean, is that I’m emotionally sensitive. My moods are grossly affected by that. My triggers are people; when someone does wrong by me it hurts me a lot more than it would hurt others. It can trigger a depressive episode which can last a few days, a week or more.
Our brains just like ADHDers lack dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, etc. We can become overly happy in our manic episodes. We are super confident and usually produce our best work in those phases because we are bulletproof and obsessive.
I’ve literally had to rebuild my life and friendship base because of my mania and obsession with justice before I was diagnosed. I’m happy to say that I’m living well on medication now and hope to slowly find alternative ways to self-medicate.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
The biggest cons for me are time and money! I never have enough of both to do what I want to do. Also, as a small business owner I don’t switch off, late nights, etc. The fear of not being able to sustain my kids current living situation, etc. Those are very real fears.
Most people would find being married to your work an inconvenience. I personally don’t because I’m building my own empire and my kids’ future. I’m sure my kids find it an inconvenience though, but on the plus side, they have a mum who makes cool things and they get to test run them! … and soon they will be little YouTube “stars”!
The pros are that I am the creative director! It’s mine and I develop it with my vision. The sky’s my limit! I have total creative freedom, which is the most important thing to me personally.
I also get to pick my hours and how I fit my work around my children. I get to attend most of their school/sports events. Being a night owl, I can catch up at night on things not done during the day.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
I really need to get my blog happening! That’s where I’ll be able to spread my reach and in turn get far more followers and sales.
I have a few more ideas that I want to work on this year too, that need a lot of input.
My YouTube channel needs to be set up, I need to make a lot of content to get that up and running.
My dream for Craft My Life is to get to the point where I am employing at least 4 or 5 people. I really want to be proactive in the Tasmanian economy and provide employment opportunities as well as diversity. I want to be able to have at least all of Tasmania covered and part of Melbourne with regards to workshop providers. I’d love to be invited to work at mainland events too!
Personally, my own entrepreneurial dreams go way beyond Craft My Life. I’m an animal person by nature, I’ve worked mainly with birds at many places but mostly for London Zoo and Adelaide Zoo.
I’ve always wanted to provide a conservation and animal rescue centre, open to the public with educational experiences in Tasmania, unless I move, but I’m very happy here and don’t think I’ll be moving in a hurry.
Time will tell and I won’t give up so I’m looking forward to that venture whenever it happens.
Visit the Craft My Life website to learn more and to view Greta’s full range of products. You can also find Craft My Life on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.
