(That's me in 2017 creating a custom installation for Tillamook!)
My name is Fiona Flaherty and this is The Painted Balloon!
YAY! We are here. We made it. It's been almost 3 years since I ballooned full-time and, baby, I am ready for it!
*insert Taylor Swift gif here, as I have no clue how to do that. ugh.*
Currently, I am sitting on my back porch enjoying this breezy 80* day in Scituate. I'm also knee deep in figuring out how to use Shopify. And overthinking every possible detail. And forcing myself to listed to motivational videos about self belief. Here's my current selection: Artists Don't Have to Believe in Themselves to Have Success, an interview with director Brad Rushing.
Yes, I hear you telling me, "But Fiona, you've done this before." This is true. Also it's false.
This is the first time I'm creating a balloon business as a recovering perfectionist. My three-year hiatus was somewhat forced upon me by my poor little anxious brain. I didn't leave my last business willingly, though I sure am glad I did. The Painted Balloon was crafted in early 2021, when I attempted to MAKE BALLOONS HAPPEN RIGHT NOW. I kept a helium tank in my living room (behind the tv) for one and a half years and paid a monthly Google Workspace Fee of like $7 for longer than that. It almost happened, but I wasn't ready for it.
But oh well! That was me then. I am grateful for everything past me endured. She is strong. We love her. She got us here.
So, I sold one gorgeous Frozen-themed balloon garland in January of 2021 (see photo above) and went on my merry way down a different path until my gut was willing to proclaim, "It's time!" My gut was one quiet little bugger... until late February of this year. Thank the lort. (This is not a spelling error; it's how we say it in the south.)
Here I am now, in 2023. Thirty trips around the sun and hundreds of hours of therapy under my belt. Anxiety under control. Coping mechanisms at hand. One day soon, I'll tell you all about my journey of escaping my cult-like upbringing. Until then, you'll just have to believe I'm finally becoming a fully formed human being.
All in all, I want you to know that if you have a hard time believing in yourself (even though you've done so many amazing things!!!!!), you are not alone. Through all of this craziness in life, you're never truly alone. Somewhere out there is a community you belong to, even if you haven't met those people yet. Scituate is my community. I found healing among the waves of a terrible storm, but the cold water on my face was invigorating.
"Talk yourself into it." -My Dad
Love & Helium,
Fiona