Justine Hovey - You-Tube video of "I've had enough"

I think my take is going to be a little different. Yes, I was on a design team once, but it was a bit different than what most design teams are like. Yes, I spent far more hours than it was worth until I realized that I was being taken advantage of, then it took even longer for me to quit because the owner of the business made me feel that she couldn’t do without me. I also worked for the LSS. They had a bona fide design team. I never tried out for it. However, even as an employee, I sometimes had to design a page based solely on using specific products. Those two experiences gave me a tiny glimpse of what is demanded of those on Design Teams.

People join Design Teams for different reasons. One of them is the appeal of becoming well known and admired. Others may want the free products before everyone else gets them. There may be other reasons that I have not thought of, but I think those two reasons sum up the appeal to many who became Design Team members.

She has the fame now, as well as a craft room filled with products that she can use any way she wants. That actually has put her in a situation where she can find a better way to profit off her talents, just with her YouTube channel. I have a nephew who has made a lot of money on his YouTube channels, but it took him years to get to that point. Most people never get there without being on a design team.

After watching her video, my main thought was “good for her for realizing that it was no longer worth it.” In the beginning, maybe it seemed like a good deal. With all the challenges of this year, I think a lot of people have realized that their family needs to be a higher priority.

josie29, I think you summed it up perfectly.

I can understand where she's coming from, although I've never been on a design team, but I guess I just don't get the peer pressure and guilt and all the feelings people get about these kinds of things. I don't put that kind of pressure on myself, I guess. If I'm in a huge crafty phase, I'm in my scrap room or I'll drag some supplies up to my kitchen table( if I want to watch TV with my husband) and I'll craft. if I'm not in the mood, I won't. It's not that difficult to find a balance, especially if you keep communicating with your family, etc.

I think sometimes it would be fun to be on a design team but then I realize that I am just not built for it - I don't want the pressure and the monthly releases are just too much. If a company does monthly releases they should rotate their design team members, maybe, so that each member is coming up with designs every two months. I don't know, there has to be a better way, because designing (and doing all the associated social media marketing) on a monthly basis for free stamps isn't worth the stress, probably. On the other hand, if you love a company it might be worth it - getting Lawn Fawn's releases for free instead of paying the hundreds of dollars it would cost per release may be worth it to the Lawn Fawnatics, for instance.

I am looking forward to Justine's new videos and finding out what her new plan is. I think she's probably going to find a good niche with this. But for sure she should acknowledge that it was being on design teams that helped build her personal brand in the first place.

On a personal note - 2020 was a great year for crafting for me. I made so many more projects and bought so many more craft supplies - saving 2 hours a day commuting really allows for more personal time! It was a very stressful year over all, but I was definitely able to lose myself in my craft therapy and it helped so much mentally. I also made more of an effort to send out cards and keep in touch with people.

I say good for her! I marvel at how some of these DT member's like the one's on SSS crank out weekly projects! Amazing work! DT's aren't for everyone and there are parameters that you have to follow. It is what it is. The world of crafting is constantly evolving and the only constant thing is change. Moving on! Let's hope 2021 is better for everyone!

I watched the video the day after she posted it.  For me, it was just another person giving her reasons for doing what she did.  Shocker.  I guess I see too many videos like this all over with everyone who seems to go overboard on whatever their videos cover... scrapbooking, parenting, etc.  It is like watching someone realize what you have known/thought all along.

I hope she does well in her new endeavors.  She has been giving (almost) free advertising to companies for a long time.  I hope she finds what she is looking for in 2021.  

My habits haven't changed a lot.  I have purged, purchased and scrapped as normal. 

I liked her video. She identified what wasn't working in her business and in her life, and she's excited to be making some changes. And, of course the timing is perfect as we begin the new year. I'm ready for some changes too. I've been in a bit of a funk lately and I need some fresh air in every part of my life.

I feel a little differently than she does about all the new releases throughout the year. I bought a little more in 2020 than in previous years, but it's been a good thing for me. My orders have given me something to be excited about and something to look forward to. I've still only been ordering what I think I might actually use, and if I don't use all of it this year I can keep it for the next. There was a little bit of FOMO, but it was tempered with good judgment.

I think the reality of it is different than how you imagine it will be, like any dream job that becomes a slog after a while. Or if you overcommit yourself. Making crafty things is fun until you *have* to do it, at least for most people. And not everyone knows that about themselves, or knows how long that feeling might take to set in, or how their lives might change.

Also, "they like me!" is a strong inducement. 

It was theatrical, but I get that it was written to that way in order to introduce the changes coming to her channel. At least it was thought out and concise.

I much preferred it over the very long, very emotional "I've had enough" type video that Maremi Small Art released last year I think ( I can't find it to link it. ) And I love Marta, but it was a lot.

Having to meet monthly deadlines just seems so overwhelming to me unless it's my full time job that I'm getting paid well for. The thought that you just wrap up one release and have to immediately get started with the next one is a lot of pressure. I do think that some personality types thrive on that kind of pressure, though - my brother is one who lives a chaotic life and he loves the excitement and drama. So, I guess for some people it works.

I do not know Justine and had no idea who she is until I saw this thread. I looked her up and understandable about her getting overwhelmed by all the design team commitments. But she has a long list of companies that she guested for vs being on actual design teams. My assumption is that designers do not get paid for work when they do guest design work. Their compensation is free product for their guest design projects and most companies give affiliate commissions for sales generating through designers.

I am sure everyone has different reasons for being on design teams. Some might want free products so they do not have to spend money on the hobby they love/some need social media exposure/some just enjoy doing it. Moving away from it when someone feels burnt out is a good idea. I might be in minority here but I still think that a long video saying the same is a bit more dramatic. I would not over spend than my budget for my craft supplies. If that's what she did and got overwhelmed then it's on her.

I always look forward to some releases from my favorite companies. Crafting is my therapy and I enjoy doing it as I do it for me and that's my decision. What I spend on my crafty supplies is what I can afford to spend on it. I can not blame crafting companies for coming out with new stuff and making me spend.

This is one comment I read on her youtube video and is pretty much I feel about it. "Sounds like you made some bad decisions in your life and they caught up with you. No one made you join design teams, no one kept you from negotiating a better deal with them. If you get envious of other creators, or get the "got to have them all" mentality when you see new things, that's a self problem, not a problem with the industry. If you can't control your spending habits, manage how many supplies you own, aren't able to organize so that you can enjoy crafting, well, you made the decisions that got you there. This video reads like a scapegoat list, blaming others for your exhaustion/ burnout. I mean, kudos to you for making a career out of your hobby, and for realizing your way of doing it wasn't working for you, and I wish you all the best in making the changes that bring joy back to your life. Note: I don't mean this as a personal attack - from the comments, seems a lot of people are in the same boat: blaming the industry for their own issues."

If she was on design teams then she got free products from those companies or atleast at discounted rates I suppose. She just sounds like a person who tried making big but failed and she is now complaining/blaming industry for coming out with new products every month and make her spend more.

Good for her if she finds a better path forward for her but indirectly attacking industry as a whole for coming out with new products is not cool.

Wow twillerbee great eyes. I just scrolled through the 1.7K comments and wasn’t able to find that one or really any negative comments at all. Perhaps they are being deleted?

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I wondered about the same, if negative comments are being deleted. There are so many comments supporting her video but did not see more negative comments or another perspective for it. I saw recent comments and the one I posted above is from yesterday I think.

Lindsay from the Frugal Crafter did a video talking about Design Teams today because people have been asking her about Justine's video. I think she did a really good job about laying out the pros and cons of DT work. She mentioned a "trick"one off the larger companies does to me with affiliate sales. She wouldn't name the company (I'm guessing SSS but I could be wrong) but it definitely made me think carefully about how to use affiliate links to help out crafters I want to support.