Welcome to the SYS “Blog”!

Welcome to the SYS “Blog”! Here is a diverse space that will offer inspirational and helpful advice, fun personality quizzes, reviews, and “behind the scenes” of our shop and products. Join us in this space to also learn more about our store and the meaning behind some of our designs and paintings. We would love to hear your thoughts and feedback about any of our advice or review suggestions, and what your quiz results were, so please don’t be shy about leaving a comment.

We value all opinions and comments and want this space to remain friendly and inviting; therefore, no bullying and no disrespectful language or behavior will be tolerated here. Any comments that violate this rule will be removed at our discretion. To report any violations of this rule, please inform us through our contact form or email us. We ask that you keep in mind this is a public space, so please do not share any personal information you do not want the public to know. We may delete comments containing any personally identifiable information that we deem unsuitable at our discretion and for your safety. Please treat others with kindness, respect, and inclusivity. That’s our #1 policy. Thank you for understanding. We hope that this blog will foster a community of like-minded individuals who will connect in this space through engaging with our posts.

The following is a heartfelt message from the creator/founder of Created by SYS about the origins of our shop and blog:

“During 2020-2021, when the world took a pause, I struggled with heavy anxiety surrounding the unexpected events that occurred at the time and the mandatory distance from friends and family. I was lonely and stressed from my workload and knew there had to be a better way in life. I eventually reached a tipping point and decided I needed a drastic change, so I began my journey on an entrepreneurial path where I could choose my workload, how much stress I put on myself, and my own hours. I was also going through a “spiritual awakening” at the time. I had a strong desire to uplift and create better opportunities as well as a better future for my community.

I started out selling my paintings since I had picked up painting again freely, and I quickly realized that being a new seller without any family and friends or a popular social presence to help support my business would be a barrier that I had to overcome, but I couldn’t let that stop me. I’ve always been a reserved person, so traditional social media and I never really jived too well. I wanted to find a different way to promote my business that didn’t require the pressure of having the most followers or customers. As I discovered new avenues of promoting my business via advertising, networking, and even blogging, and as I turned more of my creative ideas into reality, I finally felt content with all the work I had put into my business, and I was ready to take a step towards overcoming my fears by setting the website I had built to live mode for all to see.

I discovered a lot about myself, perfectionism, and the fear of succeeding from starting a business. The fear of succeeding can be an often-overlooked fear that many of us experience, and it’s one I denied for a long time until I began reflecting on why I’m such a perfectionist. Fear of succeeding can show up as self-sabotage disguised as perfectionism. I think that deep down, a perfectionist knows nothing is perfect, that perfection is not obtainable, but they self-sabotage their success for underlying reasons by focusing on reaching perfection. The moment they stop obsessing over perfection is the moment they will succeed because the goal is now attainable. I thought I was afraid of my business failing, but an even scarier thought would be: what do you do when you succeed? That’s what many people are not prepared for. When you succeed, there’s still more work to be done; it’s a continuous cycle of learning, growing, and evolving. Versus when you fail, the plan is usually to give up, but you only fail if you stop trying. Running a business has been a complex, challenging, and continuous journey that I look forward to every day and am glad I started. Whether I received just one customer order or thousands, I accomplished what my heart desired, and that is the most fulfilling feeling anyone can experience in their lifetime. Have you taken a step to accomplish your heart’s desire yet?” -SYS

After surviving the isolation of the society-altering events that occurred during 2020-2021, many of us have reflected on the importance of connections and as we all continue to get back connected to each other and the world in the various ways that we can, it’s important that we not only focus on feeling less alone, but that we also actively express empathy for others and know that one kind act can make a big impact. A simple hello or smile at someone could be the one memorable moment that makes their day a good day. Think about how you felt when someone last did something kind for you. Maybe someone held a door open for you or asked about your day, or maybe someone said thank you for a kind act that you did for them. Why not continue to share that kindness with others? Wouldn’t it feel good to be the reason why someone is happy today? Happiness researchers at the Institute of For Smiles & Giggles have studied long and hard, have no data on this, and do not exist, but word on the street is, when you’re kind to others, you’re more likely to experience kindness back than those who aren’t so kind. So if you want to experience more joy in your life, then be the joy you want to see in the world!

Check out these exclusive Joy T-shirt and mug designs in various colors. A treat for only those who have read our first blog post. Thank you for reading!