As this episode is originally being released, it’s the day after Christmas 2023. Last year, for the podcast episode between Christmas and New Year’s Day, I narrated a Christmas story for you, and truthfully, that episode is one of my favorite podcast episodes of the entire first season! I’d like to make that holiday storytelling habit a tradition here on the Starving Artist No More podcast. So today, I have another Christmas story to share with you: The Elves and the Shoemaker by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm.

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Hello, thriving artists, and welcome to Episode 48 of the Starving Artist No More podcast! I’m your host, Jennifer Jill Araya, and I’m so happy you’re here today. If you recently celebrated Christmas, I hope you had a wonderful holiday full of joy and laughter and love. And if you celebrated something other than Christmas recently, I hope that celebration was absolutely delightful as well. As I like to say this time of year, Merry Everything!

My family celebrates Christmas, and we had a wonderful holiday together. Our church had several Christmas Eve services that I participated in through music, and Christmas Day was a wonderful day of rest and quiet and time with the people I love. I hope your holidays, whatever and wherever and however you celebrate, were equally magical.

Today’s holiday short story comes to us via the Brothers Grimm. And if you’ve ever read the original fairy tales written by the two Grimms, you’ll know that most of them are … complex. The sanitized Disney fairy tales don’t have much to do with the original telling of these stories by the Grimms brothers. But buried in one of their fairy tale compilations is a delightful little story that has always fascinated me, and it’s one that I think has a powerful message for you and me in our work as artist business owners.

In The Elves and the Shoemaker, a poor, hardworking shoemaker is helped in his business thanks to the industrious working of mysterious elves who just show up and lend him aid. The shoemaker is himself a skilled artisan, so it’s not that he needs the elves to do his work for him. But through circumstances that aren’t explained in the story, he falls on hard times, and when he does, the elves are there to catch him.

In your artistic work, how can you be an “elf” to someone else? How can you help out your creative colleagues? How can you be there to support and give generously when an artist friend falls on hard times?

True colleagues help each other out, the way that the elves help the shoemaker. As the saying goes, a rising tide lifts all boats. And when you help out another artist, the universe will find a way to repay you for that generosity. That happens in this story when the shoemaker and his wife give a gift to the elves, and it happens in real life, too. Kindness and generosity are never, ever wasted.

Also, too, in your artistic work, when have you found yourself in the situation of the shoemaker? When have you fallen on hard times and found yourself in need of help? I know I’ve been there more times than I care to admit! And when that happens to you, when you reach the end of your experience and knowledge and expertise, reach out to those around you. You don’t have to do this thing we call “creative entrepreneurship” alone.

No man is an island, and no artist is an island. When you need help, you aren’t by yourself. You may not have magical naked elves come to your rescue like the shoemaker in our story, but I promise you, there is a creative community ready to catch you before you hit bottom. Seek the help that you need, and you will find it.

And so, without further ado, with those opening thoughts and a brief explanation of why I picked this story to share with you for this “between Christmas and New Year’s Day” podcast episode, I present to you The Elves and the Shoemaker from Grimms’ Fairy Tales, by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, narrated by Jennifer Jill Araya.

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THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER

from Grimms’ Fairy Tales, By Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm. Narrated by Jennifer Jill Araya.

 There was once a shoemaker, who worked very hard and was very honest: but still he could not earn enough to live upon; and at last all he had in the world was gone, save just leather enough to make one pair of shoes.

Then he cut his leather out, all ready to make up the next day, meaning to rise early in the morning to his work. His conscience was clear and his heart light amidst all his troubles; so he went peaceably to bed, left all his cares to Heaven, and soon fell asleep. In the morning after he had said his prayers, he sat himself down to his work; when, to his great wonder, there stood the shoes all ready made, upon the table. The good man knew not what to say or think at such an odd thing happening. He looked at the workmanship; there was not one false stitch in the whole job; all was so neat and true, that it was quite a masterpiece.

The same day a customer came in, and the shoes suited him so well that he willingly paid a price higher than usual for them; and the poor shoemaker, with the money, bought leather enough to make two pairs more. In the evening he cut out the work, and went to bed early, that he might get up and begin betimes next day; but he was saved all the trouble, for when he got up in the morning the work was done ready to his hand. Soon in came buyers, who paid him handsomely for his goods, so that he bought leather enough for four pair more. He cut out the work again overnight and found it done in the morning, as before; and so it went on for some time: what was got ready in the evening was always done by daybreak, and the good man soon became thriving and well off again.

One evening, about Christmas-time, as he and his wife were sitting over the fire chatting together, he said to her, ‘I should like to sit up and watch tonight, that we may see who it is that comes and does my work for me.’ The wife liked the thought; so they left a light burning, and hid themselves in a corner of the room, behind a curtain that was hung up there, and watched what would happen.

As soon as it was midnight, there came in two little naked dwarfs; and they sat themselves upon the shoemaker’s bench, took up all the work that was cut out, and began to ply with their little fingers, stitching and rapping and tapping away at such a rate, that the shoemaker was all wonder, and could not take his eyes off them. And on they went, till the job was quite done, and the shoes stood ready for use upon the table. This was long before daybreak; and then they bustled away as quick as lightning.

The next day the wife said to the shoemaker. ‘These little wights have made us rich, and we ought to be thankful to them, and do them a good turn if we can. I am quite sorry to see them run about as they do; and indeed it is not very decent, for they have nothing upon their backs to keep off the cold. I’ll tell you what, I will make each of them a shirt, and a coat and waistcoat, and a pair of pantaloons into the bargain; and do you make each of them a little pair of shoes.’

The thought pleased the good cobbler very much; and one evening, when all the things were ready, they laid them on the table, instead of the work that they used to cut out, and then went and hid themselves, to watch what the little elves would do.

About midnight in they came, dancing and skipping, hopped round the room, and then went to sit down to their work as usual; but when they saw the clothes lying for them, they laughed and chuckled, and seemed mightily delighted.

Then they dressed themselves in the twinkling of an eye, and danced and capered and sprang about, as merry as could be; till at last they danced out at the door, and away over the green.

The good couple saw them no more; but everything went well with them from that time forward, as long as they lived.

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Thank you for joining me for this episode of the Starving Artist No More podcast. I hope you enjoyed my narration of The Elves and the Shoemaker by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, and I hope it encourages you that you are never alone in your artistic journey. If you enjoyed today’s episode, or any of my podcast episodes, I would be so appreciative if you would leave me a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and of course, don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast so you’re always up to date on the most recent episodes. If you think this episode, or any episode of this podcast, would be helpful to one of your fellow creatives, please pass it along. Sharing is caring! A huge thank you goes to my husband, Arturo, for editing and engineering this podcast episode. As always, I love to receive listener feedback. You are welcome to reach out to me with any comments or questions via my website, www.StarvingArtistNoMore.com.

I wish you a blessed and joyous holiday season with those you love. May you be ready to dive into 2024 fired up about building a business that meets your needs holistically: personally, creatively, and financially. With the help of your creative community, just like the shoemaker got help from the elves, I know you can build the creative business of your dreams. I can’t wait to see what you create.