Well, having done that seven years ago, all I can say is that it's do-able. Not easy, but do-able.

The first thing to do is to go through your wardrobe. :) Save one dark suit. It will become your "Marryin' and Buryin' " suit, or the one you wear to wakes, weddings, and Bar Mitzvah's. Make a virtual bonfire of all the rest of your "corporate drag" and mentally burn it. (In actual reality, you will take it to a place where it can be re-purposed for women needing to go on job interviews.) Add all your least-comfortable shoes and all your pantyhose to that virtual bonfire. I did this online with a group of friends in an Internet group and it was great fun as well as highly symbolic.

Set your alarm every morning, get up and dressed, do whatever you do in the morning (have your coffee, walk the dog), and go to whatever area of the house you have set aside as your office. Take a coffee break and a lunch hour, and leave when it is time for dinner with the people at your house. People tend to think that because you are working at home, you are an independently wealthy woman of leisure. They must be gently disabused of this notion. I struggle more with this issue than I ever have with actual business stuff. Having regular office or studio time will help. Get yourself a phone or cell phone and answer it in a businesslike fashion. When somebody wants you to do something time-consuming, say "Gee, I'll be at work til 5--how about after dinner?"

If you're interested in setting up a business (that is, if you'd like to make money), consider the Women Entrepreneurs of Baltimore (WEB). Their wisdom is beyond price, and you can sign up for classes. Find them on the web at http://webinc.org/.

Whatever else you do, have fun. I loved my former life's work, and it was hard to leave it behind. But I also love being independent.

Anne

One thing you can try to turn dreaming into planning (if you're married) is to live on your spouse's paycheck for six months to a year, and put yours into savings. You'll see if you're both willing to make the sacrifices to to live on a reduced income, and you'll have a cushion of savings for all the inevitable crises. It will also give you an idea of whether your spouse supports your idea as much in practice as in theory. If part of the deal is that after a set period of time you need to be the sole breadwinner to allow him/her to pursue a dream, are you willing to make similar sacrifices?

Also, think hard about whether you'll derive the same enjoyment from your craft once it becomes a job.

Anne,

Thanks for the insight. I especially like the idea of getting dressed every morning as opposed to wandering around the house in pajamas. Sounds like it takes a good bit of self-imposed structure and discipline to be a successful independent crafter.

I've often thought about whether or not I would be willing to make the same sacrifice and I certainly think I could do it. That's something important to consider if there are two people involved. Good point.