Hi friends!
I’m happy to announce that the 2024 desk calendars are now available for pre-order! They can be shipped to you or picked up at the studio after December 8. These help provide funding for my Sliding Scale program, so that those who need this important work but cannot afford appointments at regular cost can come and partake anyway. Below is a preview of the cover - they are these cute little 6x6” pop-out desk calendars, with each month featuring a unique prompt for grounding and gaining self-awareness… great for moments of stress, where you need to regain presence and reconnect with your body (which tends to be vacated when we’re overwhelmed).
A little backstory about how this calendar idea got started…
Last year around this time I had a moment of inspiration, a glorious “ah-hah!” moment, which led to the creation of some calendars that I sold leading into the Christmas season, the sales of which helped to fund the studio’s Sliding Scale this year. (Thank you to all who purchased them!) You see, I have a passion to take the same kind of trauma-informed, holistic care that I was privileged to receive, and make it available to all who need it, regardless of income level. But alas, rent must be paid and the trainings I undergo to continue to develop my skillset are expensive. So the Sliding Scale appointments I had been offering out-of-pocket simply weren’t sustainable… until I started selling calendars, that is! And while I’m no graphic artist, I have always enjoyed desktop publishing and creating beautiful things that I can print out and hold in my hand. There’s something so gratifying about that.
The only issue was that the amount of hours I ended up having to put into the process of creating them… that, like my out-of-pocket Sliding Scale program up until that point, was not sustainable. It took me way too many nights of being up til 4 a.m. (and a couple of migraines to boot) to churn those things out.
So this year I committed to finding a way to do it with more ease, or not doing it at all. And that translated into me refusing to be rushed, or pressured, in the project. And refusing to compromise my own health and sleep in the process. And yet still holding onto the (big) desire within me to somehow involve my community in this Sliding Scale endeavor, instead of it just being a one-man-show (which is extremely limited and, frankly, boring).
So while my slower and more easeful approach to making this year’s calendars has resulted in me missing all the best chances for sales, from a marketing perspective (Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday) 😂, I am still proud to announce that they are now officially ready for pre-order. 🥳. (Hey, I guess I hit Giving Tuesday, right?) They are at the printer now and I should have them in hand by December 8 at the latest. I have ordered 75 of them, and if I sell them all then I will reach my goal of raising $1,000 to be put directly towards the studio’s Sliding Scale. That amount will fund 20 one-on-one appointments at half price, and goes a long way towards helping me work with folks that otherwise would not be able to come in and experience the healing that can come with holistic, body-centered therapy for trauma.
And this year, shipping! (Like, officially. Last year I shipped some, but didn’t have a good process for it and it was time-consuming and messy. Now we’re all set up for it.)
So go grab those calendars folks! Thank you for reading and for your support of Studio A!
~Allie