Habits that Help, and Habits that Distract

I have been thinking about habits lately. Over the last four months, I have been building the habit of getting to the gym. After four months of conscious effort, my car now seems to effortlessly drive right past my street, and head for the gym after I drop off my daughter in the morning. Before I am fully thinking about it, I am on my way to the gym.

When I began this struggle to build this habit, I would have to have these conversations with myself...."Don't head home. You need to go straight to the gym. Don't turn down our street.".....It took effort. Effort to get out of my usual habits and build new ones. Now, going to the gym is nearly as effortless as not going once was. And for me, just getting there is the biggest hurdle. Once I am there, I am there to exercise. There are no distractions. I do what I need to do, and I leave feeling better than when I got there. Tired, a little achy, but my head is clear, and maybe some endorphins have kicked into gear.

On the other hand, when I get home, it is easy to get on the computer and "check my e-mail." "Check my e-mail", is really code for; check my e-mail, read a few blogs, check the e-mail, check stats, do a search, check e-mail,.....and down into the hole that can be the internet. An hour or more can pass before I emerge from the internet stupor.

"Who am I, and where have I been? What was I going to do today?"

Maybe the internet doesn't have this effect on you, but I can easily fall down the Internet Rabbit Hole. So, here we have it. In my morning I am finding a habit that is helping me have more energy and feel better overall, and another that is sapping my energy and making me less productive. Distracting me from the work that I really want to do in my day.

It would be easy for me to rationalize this distracting behavior, or even avoiding the healthful behavior. I could skip the exercise, because I am too busy. I just don't have time for it in my schedule. And, I am doing work when I am on the computer. I can tell myself I need to be on the computer.

But these rationalizations don't move me closer to the life I would prefer to be living. I want to be healthier and more fit. That means I need to invest the time into getting to the gym. Time spent on the computer and the internet is something that cannot be avoided, and can help make connections, find out important information, and much more. But it can also leave me less time, energy and focus for the work that is more essential to me as an artist....time in my studio. The rationalization doesn't take into account what my priorities are; what it is that I want to be accomplishing in this life of mine.

The thing about these habits of distraction is that they can be sneaky. They can masquerade as being productive.

• Do you have to straighten out your studio before you sit down to work?
• Do you have to make sure the dishes are done and the beds made, etc., before heading for your studio?
• Do you have to add ten more galleries to your mailing list before you do that mailing?
• Do you have to write a post for your blog, even though you don't have anything on your mind that you want to say, but you need to write something everyday.
  

All these things can seem like the right thing to do. This list is by no means comprehensive. But, if you recognize yourself in any way in any of these activities, ask yourself, are those activities helping you be a more productive artist, or are they just making you feel more comfortable, and busy?....and helping you avoid the act of creating?

Let's look at one of the items; cleaning the studio. Perhaps I am trying to rationalize the mess that is my studio....but let's just go down the path a bit further before we question that motivation! I know that some people need to have order before they can begin to sit down to work. I will not question this desire. If a chaotic studio causes too much stress for you to be productive, then you need to honor that desire. But, does the activity of restoring order, give you a sense of accomplishment, without really having done any "work". Does the process of creating order shift your brain to a different place than where your true creativity arises? In the process of trying to create an environment to be creative, are you squelching your creative energy?

But you need that order.

What if,.... you developed the habit of cleaning and re-ordering your studio each day, after you are done creating. Going to that restful place of putting everything in it's place, and cleaning surfaces after the real work is done. Then in the morning, when you go into your studio, you are ready to work. You are not distracted or stressed by the mess.

For me, I find that having a bit of chaos makes it easier for me to go into the studio and get to work. It is less intimidating and scary than the blank canvas of a spotless studio. I can jump right in something that might already be in progress. I like some degree of order so I have room to work, and know where to find things, but the studio where work is always partly done feels more productive to me.

My distraction is that computer. I am not being truly productive by getting on the computer before I get into the studio. I need to shift that energy and time drain to later in the day. After I have exercised, and spent a good chunk of time in the studio.

Finding these sorts of distractions can be difficult. We have to be uncomfortably honest with ourselves, and our priorities. If your art is important to you, you have to make it a priority. If the dishes get done at the end of the day, rather than after each meal, they still get done. And if you are in your studio working, you won't see them! You can go ahead and do that mailing to the list you have, and send out more later as you add to the list.

I find I need to reassess my routine every few months. How am I spending my time? Is it moving me toward what is most important to me, or is it pulling me away? Today, I am glad to say, I stopped myself from heading for the computer after getting home and making my cup of coffee. Instead, I went into the studio, and go some work done, and enjoyed it more than I would have enjoyed that same amount of time on the computer.

Do you have any habits that need re-evaluating? What are your priorities, and are your actions supporting them?

Sublte Shifts

About a month ago, I began working with a personal trainer. We meet every week or two for about a half an hour. I needed someone to be accountable to in order to make sure I would get myself to the gym on a regular basis. One of the downsides of working at home is that there is that it is too easy to stay home! Getting myself out of the house and to the gym has been a challenge. For three weeks this summer, I made it to the gym about four days a week, in large part because I was out of the house already bringing my daughter to camp each morning. It was easier. But when camp ended, I needed to create something that would motivate me to keep it up long enough to build the exercise habit into my life again. Thus, the personal trainer.

Linda, my trainer, is terrific. One of the things she does each time we meet, and with each exercise I perform, is to monitor my body position. Posture and body position are as important as repetitions and level of exertion. It is important in order to make sure the right muscles are engaged, and to reduce the risk of injury. I find myself throughout the day, at the gym, walking the dog, or just walking down the street, checking in. Knees soft, abdomen tight, pelvis tucked, rib cage lifted, shoulders back, and head up. From knees up to my head, small adjustments as I move my body into proper position.

What I have noticed, as I make these shifts, is that they affect how I look, how I move, and....surprisingly to me, how my knees feel, and my balance. I am left with a sense of discovery. So this is how it feels to be more coordinated or athletic in how you move through the world. As someone who never felt coordinated or athletic in any way, and I still don't,...there is a better sense of what it must be like.

And, it brings me to my point. The power of making subtle shifts. What makes the difference between the work of an artist that knocks your socks off, and someone who has not yet reached that level of mastery? I propose that it is small and subtle things, that cumulatively end up in a place that is refined, balance, and complete, in a way that other work is not.

The master has learned the nuances of the material. How to adjust there pressure just so, to accomplish with ease what they set out to do. That nuanced sensitivity takes time and hands on effort to develop. It does not come with the first time you sit down and do something. It is entirely possible to do most things adequately at first. But to master it, it takes an attention to details and nuances that are not seen by the amateur. It takes an understanding of when and how best to finish a piece. It takes a strong sense of design and balance. An ability to edit.

All these things may happen in almost an unconscious manner with a master of their craft. They are taken into consideration as they move through the process of creation. At one point, they were done with effort and concentration. And there is still effort, but it becomes second nature, and full anticipation of where they are going and what must be done. My goal in the gym is for those positions and movements to become second nature. And in the studio, I continue to learn about how to move my work to a place were it is fully balanced and aligned.

What do you think? Have you seen your work develop in a way that reflects an increased understanding of material, process, design, or finish? Are you integrating that understanding into your approach to design, and material? Does it give you a sense of accomplishment?

If not, maybe it is time for some focus on the essentials in the studio. Where do you need more attention? What are your weaknesses? Do you need someone to help you reach your goals?

The Elasticity of Time

It has happened once more. The time seems to stretch out in front of me. I am not panicked. Everything seems doable. And then,

SNAP!!!!

The time might have been stretching out there....much like a rubber band. And now someone let go and, Whoa!!! What happened. All the sudden days went to hours, and time is in compression. The to-do list far exceeds the time allotment. I am like a stressed out designer on Project Runway, as Tim Gunn is telling them they have one hour left "to finish their garments, and get their models to hair and make-up." "Make it work!" he exclaims.....and they are missing the skirt, or pants, or some important part of the outfit. You can literally read the panic on their face. "I am going home" it says.

Well, so far, no model has walked that runway half dressed. A few things have been glued and pinned together and sent down that runway with a prayer. But no one has been half dressed.

Things will get done. And some things won't. As I drove back from dropping my kids off for their afternoon class, and the list was cycling through my head, over and over again....how can I make this happen. It occurred to me.

I couldn't. But it was okay. I had the essentials together.

Pare back and breathe. Let the most important things come to the forefront.

Laundry. Packing. Finishing up the presentation. If I don't bring a single thing to sell, it would be fine. It is not the reason I am going to the National Polymer Clay Guild, Synergy Conference. It is an opportunity to spend time with other artists, and to give a presentation. Those are the things that matter. If I try to cram ten zillion other things into the next 18 hours, I will make myself and everyone around me insane. Not worth it. None of it would make as much of a difference to my experience as spending a bit more time on refining my presentation.

Sometimes it is easy for me to get caught up in the possibilities. Perhaps it is a hang over from Girl Scouts. Being prepared. Not disappointing anyone. But the price of that sometimes is a high degree of stress, and a lack of focus on what really matters.

Now, I can fit in that workout tonight before I go. Maybe, when I leave the house tomorrow, everyone won't be breathing a sigh of relief that I am gone!

The thing about rubber bands is when they are relaxed, they are more flexible. So, now that the tension is out of that rubber band of time, and everything is shorter, it is time for some of that flexibility. Time to let go of the things that don't matter.

Writing this blog. Completely optional. But when I have learned a lesson as important as the one I am learning today, I like to share. I hope it helps someone else.

Now, I have some packing to do.

Hope to post from Baltimore.

A New Focus

I have made a decision to focus on selling wholesale this year. My decision has come from several vantage points. First, I have seen terrific growth in this area of my business, and I want to be able to continue that growth. Second, retail shows have been more problematic for me.

Retail shows are a terrific way to get a first hand reaction to your work. This can be misleading and confusing though. I have had shows where the work flew out of my booth, and another show with the same work was dismal. Which information was correct? Both, most likely. Demographics, flucuations in the economy, weather, and many other factors can effect the outcome of a show. My energy level, or my display can also have an effect.

And retail shows are time consuming. Before the show I typically will do a mailing. This means updating my mailing list, printing out labels, and stamping postcards. A day to pack things up and organize. A day to travel and set up. Three days at a show, tearing down and traveling home on that last day. Crash and burn for at least a day. A week out of the studio. If the show was great, this was a week well spent. If not, it was a week away from family, and out of the studio. Then there are sales taxes to be paid, credit card sales to be entered, unloading the van, and putting everything away again. And more names to add to the mailing list.

In the past, I have felt unable to really think through, and follow through on developing a consistent and cohesive marketing plan for my work. It has been catch as catch can. Part of why I want to try focusing just on wholesale this year is because I want to be able to give enough attention to marketing that it can be more effective, and opportunities are not dropped or lost for lack of follow through.

Here is part of what I want to do;

1. Mailings. I still will do postcard mailings, but now they will be to galleries, and planned to promote some sort of special offer. A call to action, if you will. I also plan to mail out my new catalog to anyone who as ordered from me in the past or has asked for information. It will build on the past interest, and perhaps generate some sales. Too often in the past, I would send out a catalog after an inquiry, but leave it at that. I will make use of the mailing list of galleries I have built up over the last three years.

2. Newsletters. This is a step I have already begun. I sent out my first e-newsletter this week using Mail Chimp. They have a 30 day free trial, and flexible pricing plan that works for my volume and frequency. And it works! I had an order within 12 hours of my first mailing. I plan to send one out every other month, alternating with the postcard mailing. Not all galleries even use e-mail. But for those that do, it is a great way to stay in touch and let them know what is new with your work. These newsletter services would work well for retail as well. The nice thing about services such as Mail Chimp, or Constant Contact, is that they tell you how many people opened your email. How many times, and which links people clicked on. They clean up the list automatically, removing bounced e-mails. You could do this your self with a standard e-mail, but the background information is helpful to gauge the success of your newsletter.

3. Advertising. One of the tenets of effective advertising is repetition. Some people will contact you with the first advertisement. But others will have to see your ad repeated times before they take action. In the last year, I focused my advertising dollars on the Buyer's Guide put out by Wholesalecrafts.com. It is open to anyone who is on their site, and it goes out four times a year. I had planned to only do two ads last year, but ended up going with four. I also increased the size of my ad. The results were well worth the expense.

This year I plan to run ads in at least one, maybe two periodicals on an on-going basis. I am starting with Niche magazine, put out by the Rosen Group, and sent to galleries. I can run a co-op ad, again through Wholesalecrafts.com, and gain broader exposure for my work.

What I have learned in the last year of running the ads in the Buyer's Guide is that I get a different clientele contacting me as a result of these ads. I get phone calls from galleries who do not visit the Wholesalecrafts.com website, and do not want to place an order on-line. They prefer to talk to me on the phone. Perhaps have a catalog to peruse at their leisure. Some customers love the flexibility of ordering on-line, but others prefer a different approach. Being able to respond to all the various styles of your clientele is important.

4. Wholesale show(s). I will be doing the ACRE show in Las Vegas again this year. This show gave me exposure to buyers who like to come and see and touch the work in person before placing an order. Doing the show last year took me out of my comfort zone, but was well worth every minute of anxiety.

My approach to this is pretty much like it has been all along with my business. It is a trial. An experiment. I will allow myself this year of focus and see what happens. I may even do a retail show or two this year. But maybe not. I like the idea of traveling only once this year to do the wholesale show. I like the idea of taking the money I would have spent on retail shows this year, and using it to boost my advertising, and exposure.

I will let you know how this experiment works out. I am sure I will have more adjustments to make next year, but I feel like I have a map for the coming year. Each time we try something new, we learn new things. We may learn that it doesn't work for us, but we know it with certainty rather than fear.

Does Being in Business Make You a Better Artist?

I am teaching a class at the Synergy conference in Baltimore next month, called "Should I, or Shouldn't I?" The class is about how to decide whether or not you should try and make money with your craft. In preparation for that class, I sent out some surveys to various artists to get a sense of how being in or out of the business side of art has affected them. What did they learn? What did they wish they knew? How do they make money with their art/craft?

I received an e-mail back from Elise Winters that was full of insight. One of the things she said that has had me thinking all week is that is that sometimes artist believe that they must be in business to be taken seriously as artists. It is Elise's belief that sometimes, the business can become a diversion to developing as an artist.

The subtitle of my blog, "the collision of business and art" implies that there is not always a comfortable alliance between these two worlds of commerce and creation. Many firmly believe that you cannot be true to your art, and be successful in business. I guess I would like to believe that there are no hard and fast rules in this regard. In fact, while being in business did not make me a more authentic artist, it did help me develop as an artist in other ways.

For one thing, it got me in the studio on a regular (daily) basis. And I absolutely believe that you must spend time in the studio to develop you skills, and to develop your voice. Neither of those happen without time in the studio. You can hone other skills, like your powers of observation, without being in the studio. But ultimately your hands need to connect with your medium. You need to be able to know intuitively the limits of your medium. You don't learn this by reading about it, or by spending a few hours a week creating. You learn it by getting your hands dirty.

It also forced me to pay attention to details. Details that are often referred to as finish. Present your work to a gallery owner, or at a craft show, and the first thing someone does is pick it up and start turn it this way and that. Inspecting the finish. How does the back look? How does it feel? How does it fasten? What types of materials are you using? It is easy to ignore these details when you are starting out. Stopping work on a project before attending to these details. Hoping no one will notice that glob of glue on the back that you used to attach the pin back. Under the scruntiny of another person's eyes, you will look more critically at your own work.

But business can become a trap. You can find financial success with work, and get stuck in that style for too long. Long past the time that the public interest has peaked, and your own inspiration has faded. You may find yourself looking too much to external sources of inspiration....fashion, someone else's success....rather than internally to your own creative well spring.

Time spent building a business can be time out of the studio. If you want to create "art" for "art's sake", selling your work can be a distration. But financing that pursuit might be a bit more challenging.

In my own case, I had been looking around for what I was going to be doing in my life. I was half-heartedly trying to enter the world of children's book publishing. So when polymer clay fell into my lap, and I fell in love with the possibilities of this medium, I was soon thinking that I wanted to figure out how I could do this as a business. I had already run a business. I had a business background. I didn't know what form the business might take. But I knew that eventually that was my goal. Perhaps as someone who has a degree in business, and not in art, it was more comfortable terrain.

But first, I had to learn as much as I could about what I could do with this material. At one point my husband referred to this time, and money, spent on experimenting and learning as my art school tuition. I guess you could say I was "home schooled in art". A business professor might have looked at this time as one of research and product development. I probably dove into the world of commerce prematurely. But, as many have said before me, I would rather regret the action taken, than the opportunity passed. And once I dove in, I learned far more than I would have continuing to work away on my own. Even if what I learned was that I was not ready for prime time yet!

It is a delicate balancing act, juggling commerce and creation. And each person has their own tipping point where things go too far one way or another. We must know what our own motivations and goals are before we know if we are in balance.

If your in my class in Baltimore, I have much more wisdom from Elise and others to share. I hope I see you there!

"Time, Time, Time....is on My Mind..."

"Yeess, it is."


If there is one commodity I could use more of, it would be time. And that scarcity of time is what is driving some of my decisions and choices in the coming year. It is easy to lose track of time when I get engrossed in my work in the studio. Or to have a relatively simple task take much longer than expected for any number of reasons,....interruptions, distractions, equipment or material problems,...you name it.


In many ways, time is one of the main ingredients in our work. How we value that time depends upon the skills and experience we bring along. But ultimately, for many artists, (excluding those working with metals these days!), the cost of materials can be insignificant compared to the time put into creating their work. Yet, it can also be the most undervalued component by the new artist starting out.


Several things got me thinking about this issue of time. There was a great post I found through Alyson Stanfield's ArtBiz blog about tracking time spent in the studio. I have tracked how much time it takes me to do a particular task, but I have not tracked my overall studio time quite the way it is described by Lisa Call. She has been writing down her hours in the studio each day, in her sketchbook. I love the sketchbook idea, but I am afraid I would fall into the judgement and evaluation of the numbers if I had them. Knowing this about myself might be why I was particularly struck by her goal to not judge the hours she had spent (or not spent) in the studio. But instead, her goal was acceptance that the hours spent there were the right amount for her.

Too often we are looking externally for cues and measurement comparisons. How much time do they spend in the studio? How many hours? Days? How many shows? The probem with these comparisons is that they are always missing essential information. No one else is where we are with our work, or lives. We all bring different experience, and baggage, to the party. And we all have different styles of work. Trying to adapt yourself to another person's work style or schedule so that you can perhaps achieve what they have done will only end in frustration.

Several other discussions in on-line forums have caught my attention when they touch this issue of time. One was about how people track time to price their work. One artist had a price per minute that she factored in for labor. Another had calculated how many pieces she could produce during a week. By adding together a weekly overhead cost, her materials, and her "weekly salary", she could then calculate a wholesale price without worrying about her hourly rate, or the exact number of hours it took her to produce an individual piece of work. One person was more exacting, and another more global in their calculations. Both had figured out what worked for them.

Another discussion centered on retailers' concerns about artists undercutting them on websites or at retail shows. This has become more and more of an issue as there are more and more direct outlets available to artists to sell their work. Without getting into the pricing discussion, a comment made in the thread resonated for me. I will try to paraphrase the comments. One retailer commented that many artists she represented had stopped doing retail shows after they did the math and saw the true cost of the retail show...beyond the booth fee, ...and found that it did not pay. An artist chimed in with her experience that reinforced this observation. She had found that she made more money, and had more time at home, and in her studio when she went to two wholesale shows a year, supplemented with on-line wholesale sales.

This reflects where I am coming to as I look at my goals for the coming year. Sales at retail shows, with just a few exceptions, have been dismal for me this year. I am not ready to write off retail entirely, but I am backing away from it. I like the idea of making work to fill an order. I like the idea of more time at home, and less of my time spent selling. I want to spend my time in the way that is most efficient and enjoyable for me. Too often this year I would spend three or four days away at a show while I had wholesale orders waiting to be filled. This just added to the frustration of a disappointing show.

As I make this choice to focus even more on wholesale, I know that there are many others out there who are leery of wholesaling their work. We all need to look and find the right combination for our time, our temperament, and our work. The balance or approach that works for me might feel completely out of balance for you. But maybe, like me, analyzing the mix in the context of time might just be what you need to help make a decision that feels right.

Enough time out of the studio.....it is time for me to get back to work!

Topsy Turvy Holidays

I feel like I am suffering from holiday jet lag.


My holiday season began in late July or early August, when I began making work to send out to galleries, or for shows for the holiday season. It became the most intense through October and up until just before Thanksgiving, as I pushed to get as much work out the door as I possibly could.


When I shipped off the last package, I felt a sense of completion. A sigh of relief that I was largely done for this year with my holiday orders. I was able to have a bit of breathing space, even as a few other shipments went out, and one last show was done. I had room to experiment in the studio, and start thinking about where I was going in the next year, and what changes I might want to be making.


This weekend I was going through pictures on my computer looking for a specific photo, and I ran across a picture from a few years ago of my daughters decorating the Christmas tree. It hit me across the forehead with a smack! Christmas! It is coming. Not just in the stores. But here. I had to do something about our Christmas. I was done with the business of Christmas, but now I needed to start planning for and acting on a holiday that was right around the corner. Our tree had to go up. I had to seriously do some shopping, and gift making. Casual conversations with my husband about what to get for someone, or what he could bring to the office party had to come into focus and be acted upon.


Maybe this creates more short term stress for me, but I think I needed that breathing space of not jumping right into the holiday. I needed to have the closure from the business side of the season before I made the shift to the world around me. I see lights going up as I drive around town. Wreathes. Christmas cards have arrived. I feel completely out of sync with what is going on. But it is time for me to jump onto that moving sidewalk and get engaged in this season.


I must admit I have enjoyed the space it has given me...being out of sync. I have had the frenzy and stress already making and shipping my work. I am not anxious to feel that again. Maybe this topsy turvy holiday is a good thing. It helps to stay out of the fray of excess that can be overwhelming. Whether I am fully decorated or not, the holidays will come. And in the end, I will have gifts to give. But what I have enjoyed the most in the last few weeks is taking a bit more time to relax, and spend time with my family. If I jumped into the holiday craziness right away, I might have missed that.

Artists are already accused of marching to a different drummer. I guess if we have most of our sales at this time of year, we also need to march to a different rhythm. I have heard of artists who celebrate Christmas with their families in July, so they can enjoy it more. I don't think I want to be that far out of sync. But I have recognized that I need a pause.

Are you able to listen to your need for breathing space? To take care of your need to regroup after a prolonged push? Or are you able to jump right in? Perhaps energized by the holiday activity? Or do you just forego all this holiday madness?

Cleaning Out the Closet

Maybe you are one of those people who never seem to accumulate too much stuff. You quickly dispose of the old whenever the new arrives. I am more likely to suffer from "stuff creep". I go through periodic purges. Clearing out the accumlated stuff that begins to feel like it is suffocating. It feels great to re-establish order, and to give breathing room to the things that are most important to me.

If you watch Tim Gunn's new show, the first thing they do is get in to the closet of their client, and sort out what to keep, what to give away, and what to throw away. The same thing happens on the show Clean Sweep. People with rooms that are scarily filled with too much stuff (my studio??) are purged in the same process. This clearing out always comes with some anxiety. The emotional attachments to our stuff can even confound us, as we refuse to let go of that special "whatever", that the rest of the world sees as having little to no value. But this prepares the ground for the transformation. The new and improved. The metaphorical rebirth.

This post is not about cleaning out my studio...at least not directly! That will be happening over the next few weeks. What it is about is my work. It is time for me to move out the old, and make room for the new. Over the summer, and into the fall I have had so many new ideas that I have started to explore, and begun to bring out to the market. All the while, I have been carrying on with the work that I have been doing for the last few years.

At first, I could not imagine letting go of the "old". Old is relative, isn't it? But as the new work began to emerge, my interest in doing the other work waned. It seemed to slide to the bottom of the list. I have not made a new vessel in the last several months. I had a jewelry order to fill this fall, and as I made the pieces to fill the order, I realized how infrequently I had been doing this work in the last few months. Between crane orders, I was working on two new lines.

First the pods. I have had so much fun exploring the possibilities of this line. I still have lots of uncovered terrain. For awhile, I would wake up each morning with one or more new ideas churning away in my head. The ideas are still spilling out, just not quite as fast and furious.

Then, late this summer, and into the fall I began working on something that was so loose and undefined, that I questioned whether I was wasting my time whenever I worked on it. But there was something about it that I liked, and so I continued, without any real sense of where it was going. It began with pins, and then beads. I had no idea what I was going to do with the beads, but I liked them. So I made them here and there. Accumulating several hundred of them. In the last few weeks, I have begun to play with those beads, and I can see that there is something there for me to explore.

Back to that closet. The older work is like the clothing in the back of the closet. Taking up space. Worn less often, and with less enthusiasm. It feels crowded. It feels like it is time to clean out the closet. Let go of the old, and usher in the new.

I was up late last night. I had begun to try and put some of the new work on to my website. I was going to just load the pictures onto a page, but not make them accessible yet. But as I looked at all the lines of work on my website, I knew it was time. Time to shed the old, and make way for the new. I am calling my newest work "Shibori". The surface design reminds me of shibori fabric in some ways.

I have more work to do on the website, and developing these new lines. But the old is heading out. It feels good to be moving forward with this new work, and not feeling tied down by the work of the past. Lighter. Freer. And it feels a bit overwhelming to think of all the work I need to do as I move this work out into the world.

I will be doing a show at the Fitchburg Art Museum on the weekend of December 8th and 9th. It is a little show. Inexpensive. I plan to use this as an opportunity to clear out some of the old inventory. Marking things down to make way for the new. The emotional attachment I felt over the summer as I considered this possibility has begun to evaporate. And in it's place is excitement, and lots of possibilities.

Different Title and Theme??

Business and art are seen by some to be the antithesis of one another. Not just by artists, either. It is hard sometimes for others to recognize us as business people as well as artists. We are passionate about what we do, and what we create. But we may also need, or want, to make a living, just like any other working person. Business and art must intersect if we are to do this for a living. Helping other artists wrap their head around the business side of this equation is something I try to do here.


But my real world also includes kids, a husband and a dog. The kids are a little older now, so it is a bit more manageable,....but sometimes it feels like a three car pile up rather than a your more ordinary collision. The collision of art and business....and life!


Yesterday I was rushing around trying to get three or four orders out the door. I can't make the cranes fast enough right now. One of the orders was sent in by email, so it was easy enough for me to track down and double check quantities, styles, address, etc. No problem. Two others were phoned in. This is where I run into problems. And I know some of you will come up with some helpful solutions like a notebook and pen by the phone, or a white board, or immediately filing the paperwork, and updating my contact and order info when I get these calls. You are absolutely right. I should do those things. I sometimes even try to do those things. But then reality intervenes.

The call comes just after the kids get home from school. They are trying to signal to me, wanting to know if they can have ice cream and potato chips, and I am trying to signal they should go away, I am trying to talk. The signal is of course interpreted to have free rein on anything that is not tied down, or otherwise claimed. Or, Nickelodeon is on the TV in the background and I am trying to signal to them to turn down (or better yet, off!) the TV. I walk away, ...thank goodness for cordless phones....., kids left looking at me like I am losing my mind. Meanwhile, I am trying to take in every word they are telling me, but actually my brain is freaking out trying to remember the name they gave me in those first few seconds of shifting from mom to artrepreneur.

Inevitably there will be a need to write down information....an address, product, dates, etc. But in order to get all this down I would need a piece of paper and something to write with. If anyone goes through my files they will find way too many notes scribbled on the back of my kids homework, a bill, or the comics....whatever I can find in those panicked moments...in crayon, or dry erase marker...or again,....whatever I can find! Pens, pencils, normal writing utensils, enter our house on a regular basis. But somewhere, there is a black hole or vacuum. It may be the same one that absorbs socks. I don't know, but normal writing tools vaporize. Yet I manage, or at least I like to pretend I manage, to sound somewhat coherent, and copy down the information, do a bit of a plug for another product they might want to try, or a style that might work for them, and hang up the phone.

This is when I should do that filing, organizing, etc. But first, I have to pull my kid's head out of the potato chip bag, or turn off the television, and get them focused on doing some homework. If I am lucky, I will at least enter the quantities, and business name for the order onto the computer so I don't lose track of it. Then it is off to take the kids somewhere, or pick them up. No time to file that piece of paper away for easy retrieval. Goes into the "Later" pile.

The piece of paper with all that valuable information now may make a journey throughout the house. How else can I play scavenger hunt when it comes time to ship the order? I will remember seeing it on the dining room table. Nope. Maybe it was in my studio. Nope. Maybe it is still on the ottoman in the living room. Nope. Okay. Panic is beginning to set in. The order needs to go out, and it is now approaching noon. I have two hours to finish packing the order, print the invoice, and get it to the post office. Should be easy. Doesn't feel very easy right now. One more time around the cycle. Dining room. Studio. Living room. Looking paper by paper. Finally cleaning up the area as I go. Must be upstairs in the office. Four piles of paper sit on the desk waiting for filing, sorting, or entry. I am vowing to get organized.

Find it! No time to celebrate. Call in credit card. Print out invoice. Finish packing the box. Oh wait. They wanted a bio. Back upstairs to print it out. Ooops. Laptop now downstairs. Go get the laptop, and bring it upstairs to the printer, and print out a bio. Daughter number one will be home in half an hour. Write a note. Should be home before daughter number two. Rush to the post office, zip over to Staples for ink cartridges, and to send a fax, and it is back home to juggle.


It is crazy. But it is also wonderful. I have never worked under such challenging circumstances, but I am also lucky to be able to work at home. My older daughter has agreed to work a few hours a week for me, on a trial basis. My other daughter wants a piece of the action as well. They get to make a few dollars, I get some help, all the while getting to be there with my kids. They get to see what is involved in running a business. They are as excited as I am when good news comes. They have been living the business with me, my (not so) silent partners.


When I am racing around the house looking for that pink piece of paper that I swear I used to write down that order, I am questioning my sanity. But once the order is shipped, and I go home, and bounce between working and parenting, I know it is working as best as it can, for now. They will grow up, move out and move on. But they will carry with them a little bit of what they learned. I may be able to find pencil and paper more easily then. But, I may miss flipping over the order I just wrote down to see that it was the rough draft of someone's essay. Just because it is hard, doesn't mean it isn't worth it.

Helping Hands

As my business has grown, I have had to think a bit about how to manage the growth. I have been a one-woman show. Doing everything in the studio, and the marketing, the photography, packaging, selling, bookkeeping, webmaster......etc. You name the task, and I have probably done it. In part because doing it myself is usually the cheapest way to get it done.

Doing it all is getting harder and harder, and the outlook is that I will eventually have to get help. Some of what I do will have to be handled by others. Whether it is hiring a high school student...perhaps my own daughter??...or a stay at home mom looking for a few hours work...eventually I will have to face up to this issue.

In the meantime, I have come to realize I already have quite a few helping hands, ready to dive in when asked. Yesterday, and today, my dear husband has been helping out with stringing and packaging cranes. My youngest daughter loves to set up the boxes for the cranes, and place each crane inside the box. On Halloween evening, as my daughter went Trick-or-treating with her good friend, the friend's mother helped out with labeling packages, and folding inserts. In the past my daughters have helped get mailings out the door....stickering and stamping. And financial support has come from several sources as I build my business.

Yesterday was my largest output of cranes in a single day, thanks to the help of my husband with those little task that consume way too much time. It makes clear to me that soon I need to move from thinking about having someone help me, to finding the person a part-time assistant or helper. I am not ready to make that move yet, but before 2008 is over, I may well be there.

It takes time to move from doing it "all" on your own, to recognizing that having help can free you up to do what it is that you do best. I have talked about how I like doing wholesale because it gives me more time in the studio. Likewise, finding someone to take on some of the many small tasks will free up more time for me in the studio.

That studio time is why we get into this business. In the beginning it can be surprising how much time all the other work takes away from time creating. But ideally, we can work towards a new balance again. Finding the help we need to be more productive, and do more of the work we love. Are you a do it all yourself person? Or have you had help? What works best for you?

Spreading Out

My last post was a difficult one to write. It is not fun to share bad news. Yet, to omit it from what I am writing might create a false impression of what is going on in the world of craft today. It is not pretty. Very talented people are struggling, or at least feeling the pinch.

But it is not all bleak either.

One of the things I have learned in this business is the importance of having a balance. What kind of balance? A balance of price points, a balance of outlets for my work, and a balanced mix of products. Products tend to vary in how profitable they are, and their stage in development. Boston Consulting Group developed a matrix, many years ago, that placed products in various quadrants based on the product's growth or market share, and profitability, as a way to assess a company's portfolio of products.

A fast growing product, or one that has a good market share, and is very profitable is a Star. As much as companies want to have all stars in their portfolio of products, it is not likely. Stars may start out as Question Marks. Products that may have a good growth, but are not yet very profitable. At this stage, it is unclear if they will become Stars, or Dogs. Dogs are products that have a low market share or growth, and are unprofitable. Dogs need to either be rehabilitated, or dropped from the mix. Finally, there are Cash Cows. These are products that may not have the growth they once enjoyed but they are profitable. They generate cash to help fund the future Star products of the business. They do not need much investment beyond production, and occasional tweaking of design to generate cash for the business.

Thinking about where your products lie on this spectrum is a good way to start to think about what changes you might want to make in your product portfolio. Are there products that need to be shed? Are there products that need some more nurturing to be made more profitable? What are your Cash Cows and your Stars? What threats might exist to these products in the market? These threats can come from competition, new technology that can make a product obsolete, or from changes in the economy.

You may think new technology could not effect our businesses as artists/craftspeople. Well, what if you make cell phone or iPod cases or covers? Talk about a moving target! Yet, there has been good demand for these types of products. Being in a market such as this can be a wild ride, but a highly profitable one if you are quick to respond to the changes, and have a means to get your product to market very quickly.

A balance of price points is important as well. Low priced impulse items are important when the economy is soft. They could be great gift items, or personal indulgences. When the economy pulls back, these types of products can maintain their strength. A mid-point product is probably the backbone of most businesses. Although, I believe the midpoint is struggling the most right now in the craft market. Just as the middle class is being squeezed, the mid range of price points are selling more slowly. Some, such as Bruce Baker, have talked about the strength of the very high end of the market, as we have had an increased concentration in wealth at the upper levels. Do you have a product to offer this group?

Your focus might be on one price range, or on your Cash Cow. But having a diversified portfolio of products will give you more flexibility to withstand the economic strains of a tight market. It will allow you to adapt to serve the strongest part of the market. If you are selling all high end work, and the economy tanks, your business may have the legs cut out from under it. Strictly selling low priced impulse items might mean you are forever chasing the next trend, and looking over your shoulder to see who is trying to copy your success.

Finally, it is important to keep your eyes looking beyond the moment. What is your long range goal? Where are you heading? Are you still on the right path, in spite of some bumps in the road? If not, what adjustments do you need to make to get yourself back on track?

A bad show is just that. A bad show. Nothing more. Nothing less. Even in the worst of shows, something is learned, and connections are made. Having a broad base in your business means you are stronger to survive the economic swings. As much as I was disappointed in my sales at the show this past weekend, it is not a crisis. I have wholesale orders to fill, and interest from a catalog in carrying the cranes. In spite of the slow retail business, I have still grown my business over last year's sales. I am in this for the long term.

An investment advisor would tell you not to invest all in one stock or company. You should diversify your portfolio of investments. Your investment in your business should also be diversified. A range of products. A range of markets for your products. When the going gets tough, and it is looking tough these days, it is easier to withstand the shocks if you have a broader base.

Happy Halloween, and it is back to making cranes, for me!

Resigning From Meddling

I handed in my resignation to my kids today. I am resigning from helping with any and all art projects they may have at school. I will provide materials and supplies. But beyond that, they are on their own, or must call on their dad.

I wonder if people who write for a living have a problem with this when their kids have a writing assignment. I can't help myself. They start describing some school project that is at all visual and creative, and I want to dive in. I try to just give a few suggestions for how approach it. But soon I find myself spilling out ideas, making suggestions for layout, or color, ..... I can't stop myself. Pretty soon I am thinking about the poster or diorama, or whatever, that I would make.

As you might imagine, this is not the best scenario for my kids. Inevitably they feel like I am taking over (no!), and are trying to figure out how to get me to just go away. So, in order to protect them, their work, and our relationship, I have resigned from helping with any and all artwork for school. I will help with math, science, writing, etc. It is easy for me to keep my distance there. But I am vulnerable to meddling in the extreme when it comes to art projects.

Sometimes our intentions to help someone, because we have the knowledge or experience, can be good. But we can lose sight of what help is wanted and needed. We can get too involved in someone else's outcome. Offering help is good. But needing to have it taken and acted upon crosses the line. Then it is no longer helping. It is meddling. Guilty as charged. I know this is not the only place that this comes up for me. But I am working on some of those as well.

How about you? Do you suffer from the need to help/meddle? How do you disengage yourself? What things are the hardest for you to resist? For me, it tends to be the very things I am most passionate about. I guess the passion can overtake our normal boundaries. All I can do is try to be conscious, and work to pull back when I sense I have begun to cross the line. It ain't easy, but neither is annoying those around you because you've gone too far.

Where Have I Been??

I hear quite frequently from readers about how frequently I post to my blog....that is until the last several weeks! Usually people will wonder how I find the time to blog. Nowadays, all the blogging is virtual. Posts written in my head, and never entered into the computer. Thoughts about how I should come up with something to post...it has been awhile..but it has to be fast and easy. Then I realize all that needs to be done, and the days are flying by. Blogging gets put off once more.

So what have I been busy doing? This is the crazy time of year for me. First it is family crazy. Three birthdays in my immediate family of four...and one of them is not mine..all within a month's time. Birthdays are less demanding as my kids get older, but it still requires time and attention. Today we went to the afternoon tea at Cafe Fleuri in Boston to celebrate my older daughter's birthday. Tomorrow she turns 14. She and her friend sat at an adjoining table to my husband, other daughter, and me. We were her posse. Sitting in the background. There to transport and pay the bill. But we got to enjoy a quiet afternoon of indulgence. Tonight, her friend is sleeping over. Movies, music, gossip, and just hanging out.

Amidst all this, cranes have been flying out of my studio. I look in amazement at stacks and stacks of boxes in my dining room. The next thing I know, they have been packed into cartons, and are shipped off to all corners. And bare space again is in view. Dozens and dozens have left, dozens more need to head out this week. In those pauses of wondering what I should do next, invariably I will consider making a few more cranes. This big demand for cranes in the wholesale market has meant a decision to no longer sell them retail. I have more than enough demand from the wholesale market. And it simplifies my life. Make them, box them, ship them.

On our drive into Boston today, I was stickering and stamping postcards. I have added another retail show to my calendar. The Providence Fine Furnishing and Fine Craft Show. There will be several other polymer clay artists in attendance. Elise Winters, Sandra McCaw and Rachel Carren. And perhaps a few more that I do not know about. The show will be October 26th to 28th, at the Providence, RI convention center.

In addition to the Providence show, I will have my work at a few special holiday sales. The Brookfield Craft Center Holiday sale, in Brookfield, CT. Snow Farms in western Massachusetts has a sale for three weekends in November. Several other opportunities to participate in similar sales have come my way in the last few weeks, but I just don't think I have enough inventory to spread around.

I have been trying to build up inventory of the new pod work for the Providence show, and it has been a challenge to keep any in stock. I have brought work out to Serendipity in Hudson, MA, and the Fiber Art Center in Amherst, MA. In addition the Garden of the Gods Trading Post and Gallery in Manitou Springs, CO just recieved a large order of the new work. And Gallery Morada, in Islamorada, FL has a pick box of the new jewelry on its way right now. I have been pulling aside inventory for Five Crows in Natick, MA, and I need to put some together for some of the holiday sales coming up. The work for Brookfield has to go out in the next few days.

And then again, there are the cranes. I have a catalog company who is potentially interested in the cranes. I sent off a dozen samples this weekend. This could push my business into another place if I end up selling them through a catalog. I may need to consider hiring a high school student,...or my daughter??...to do some of the many tasks that could easily be transferred to someone else. But it may not even happen. So, I can put off worrying about that for now.

For now, it continues to be, head down, butt in my studio. Remembering to come up for air every now and then, and to breathe. Just breathe.

I promise I will post part 2 of the How of Wholesale shows soon. But my brain was just not up to the task tonight. Pardon my absence. I hope to be back to blogging on a regular basis sooner rather than later. But for now, it will have to be when I can fit a few coherent (or semi-coherent?) minutes together.

Leaving on a Jet Plane....

"My bags are packed. I'm ready to go...." Well, almost! I'm going computer free for the next week. No email. No blogging. Just play!

During the late 1980's and the early 90's, I traveled a fair amount. I had the drill down. Back then, garment bags were de rigeur for the frequent flyer. No need to check your bag. That was for amateurs. Just stuff it in the overhead bin. Well, we all know things have changed in the world of air travel. Now, everyone has one of those rolling black bags. I got one for myself when I headed for Las Vegas for the ACRE show this spring. Not the size that can be brought on board.

As I waited in Baggage Claim for my bag, I watched one black suitcase after another come down onto the carousel. Trying to figure out which bag was mine was a challenge. Ending up with the wrong black bag seemed to be a higher probability than I was comfortable with. Plus, somehow, that black back just seem to be more corporate than I felt now.

So, I did what we are always taught not to do when we are children. I painted my suitcase....or a part of it anyway. Now, when that suitcase comes sliding down onto the carousel, I will know who it belongs to.

My kids are learning to break rules around here. Painting my suitcase. Drawing on shirts. What kind of a parent am I?? I hope one that teaches them there are choices in life, and it is okay to go your own way if that is where your heart is leading you.

Have a great week!

Detours

I was heading out to the post office this afternoon, to mail a stack of postcards before my next show. I will be doing the Lyndhurst Show in Tarrytown, NY mid September, and I am a little late in getting these out...but better late than never, right?

On my way to the car, I was noticing all the butterflies in our yard. We have an enormous butterfly bush that is in bloom right now, and there are all sorts of butterflies flying around our yard. It is so cool! I decided to take a detour and take a closer look. After a minute or two of watching, I went and got my camera.

Can you see why I had to take a detour in my day, and just stop and watch for a while? What you can't see is the myriad butterflies, flying all over the bush, and over my head. And all the bees, weighing down blooms as they gather nectar. I had been meaning to take pictures of the hydrangea for some time, but....and the coneflowers are in bloom, so I got a picture of them as well.

There was even a hummingbird on the bush.....(tree???), but I couldn't get a picture of it. It moved too fast, and was too far away for the range of my camera. I am not sure what this bug in the picture at left is. It looked like a very small hummingbird, the way it flitted from bloom to bloom, and the way it's wings were going. But, it was much smaller than a hummingbird. I got a few pictures, and it was clear that it was an insect, not a hummingbird......But not one I had seen before. It has this very long probiscus....I think that is what they call it....the long, skinny thing it sticks into the flower to collect nectar.

Take the detour. When you are being pulled to take a few minutes to stop and notice and observe, do it! The rewards were so worth those few extra minutes in the driveway, watching nature do it's thing. I will carry those few minutes with me long beyond this day. And now I have some pictures to share as well.

Context

I wrote about the ingredients for growing into a successful artist. And then the ingredients for being a successful artist/entrepreneur. But what I left out of all this is context. And context matters a great deal.

The context is where we are in our lives.

It takes the right time and place as much as anything else to help bring all of this together. I could not do what I am doing without the support and encouragement of my family. If I had to be the sole breadwinner, and raise a family, and then try to fit in being creative too....I don't think I could manage it. If we didn't have healthcare coverage, then we would have to look for other solutions.
We can pay the mortgage. We can pay for a few extras. But there is not much breathing room in our budget. Not like when we had two paychecks and no kids. But we have what we need, and a bit more.

So all the things I talked about have to have the overlay of where you are in your life. How much sacrifice are you willing to make to make room for your art? How critical is it that you make money from your business right away? How much support can you expect from family and friends as you pursue your dream? It is your dream afterall. Not theirs. And they will be impacted by it. These are the hard questions we all have to face at times, and the answers are not always clear, nor are they universal. The answers are found deep inside ourselves, and may take time to work out. And the answer may be, not right now. The desire may be there, but the timing may be wrong. This doesn't mean we have to close the door forever. Just for right now, if need be.

So, if you read the last two posts, and thought,
"sure, sure....she just doesn't get it. I can't do that right now, not with my life."

I do get it. But sometimes we have to look at the utopian view, and then overlay the reality. But we can still hold onto the dream, no matter how much the current reality may hold us back. Postponing is different than walking away forever. Or slowing down, rather than going full speed ahead. We each need to measure our own pace. But still mindful of where we want to be.

Summertime Imbalance

The kids are off from school, and I am trying to find the new balance in my day between work and family. There have been more distractions, and more demands on my time. So what does an at-home artrepreneur do?

These are some of my solutions:

1. My studio is on the main floor of the house. We sacrificed the family room to become my studio. I am at the front of the house, so I can see outside to see what is going on there, and I can see and hear what is happening in the house. "Mom's ears" are vital. They let me know what is going on and when I need to stop what I am doing and investigate. This solution will not work for everyone, but if you can manage it, I highly recommend it.

2. My studio door is never shut. My kids are welcome to come in, sit down, look at what I am working on, or carry on a conversation. I have found that these conversations are much like the conversation you have in a car. I may be busy doing my work while I listen, so my eyes are not focused on whoever is talking. Sometimes it is easier to share things that might otherwise be hard to share under these circumstances. My kids know they can come talk to me about nearly anything, and they do.

3. Be able to work for 15 minutes if that is all you have. I have the luxury of working in a media that can be left for five hours or five days and not need special attention in that time away. It may be much more satisfying to work for five or even ten hours straight without interruptions or distractions. But that is a luxury I do not have. So I have to work with the time I have, in whatever form it comes. And if you can't possibly do your art work in small chunks, there is always some sort of business task that needs to be done. Emails to send. Papers to file. Postcards to address.

4. Books and videos. I am lucky to have two great readers. My youngest is actually a voracious reader. She can consume three or more good size books in a week. Yesterday we hit Borders, and later this week we will be visiting the library. This buys me chunks of time that is worth every penny I spent on those books. We also signed up for the program at Blockbuster this week where you can exchange out videos as often as you would like. We got two videos, and we have already done one trade. I would rather have them watching movies than much of what is on TV.

5. Putting the kids to work. The postcards were addressed this weekend while we were away, but now I need to stamp them and put the stickers with the information about the show on them. The kids love to do this, and I can pay them a minimal sum of money to do this job. It frees me up to do other work, and they are happy to be able to help out and make a few dollars.

6. Don't make deadlines that are too tight. You need as much flexibility as you can possibly get when you have kids. Too tight a deadline, and you may find yourself losing your temper with the kids or husband, and spending late nights trying to make up time. You need as much slack time as you can possibly give yourself.

7. If there is work that can be done sitting in front of the television, sit with the kids while they watch those movies. I have a laptop now, so I can sit and check my email, maybe write a blog, or otherwise get caught up while I am with my family. My drawing/coloring on my work is often done at this time. I may not "watch" television, as much as I listen to it, but being in the same room with everyone is important. A physical presence counts for a lot. And it is a way to keep an eye on what is being watched, or being there if something needs to be talked about.

8. Be flexible. This should be rule number one for any working mom. You need as much flexibility as you possibly can muster. Things will happen. Plans will need to be changed. Going with the flow is the main survival tool.

9. If you can afford it, camp. My kids will spend two or three weeks at day camp this summer. Those will be the weeks that will be the most productive of the summer. More time would be great, but it is not in the budget. The range of costs for camp is huge. And cost is not always an indicator of quality. Check around. Talk with other parents. My daughter's school has a summer camp fair each year around February. It is a chance to learn about some options that we might not have otherwise known about.

10. Don't be unrealistic about housekeeping or meals. Pare down to the essentials. Take out from time to time is acceptable. Trader Joe's is my best friend. Shopping is fast and easy because the choices are not overwhelming. The food is reasonably priced and reasonably healthy, and most of it is easy to prepare. If they are old enough, teach your kids how to put their dishes in the dishwasher. Familiarize them with the workings of the laundry room. The same can be said for spouses. This is the place where most people struggle. Ask yourself why you are doing what you are doing? Is it to satisfy someone else? Is it realistic for your life? Balance is the objective here. Give a little in one area, get a little somewhere else.

I work a lot. But I also have the luxury of being home when my kids get off the bus, or when there is no school, or when someone gets sick. I know what makes them tick, and they know they can come talk to me at nearly anytime...just stay away when I am on the phone with a customer! They have learned a lot. Not just about clay....but about what it takes to run a business. They know what Mom does at work. The juggling may be a struggle at times. But how many companies offer benefits like these?

Yes and You

I was thinking today about two simple words, Yes and No. We learn what they mean and how to say them very early on in life. And we learn that simple words can have a great deal of power. Saying "yes" to a request can bring a smile, while a "no" can bring disappointment. If you love to please, as many women do, we begin to feel very comfortable with yes, and not so at ease with no. It is an easy way to work our way into the favor of others. "Yes." "I can do that." "Sure. I'll help with that." Have kids, and the opportunities to say "yes" multiply dramatically. Not just with your kids, but with school, and activities, and friends. Without much thought, we can "yes" ourselves into exhaustion and oblivion.

Each time we say "yes" to someone else's request, we may well be saying "no" to ourselves. "No" to the time to pursue something important to us. "No" to five minutes to put our feet up, close our eyes and just be. "No" to whatever it is that we might be doing if we hadn't committed ourselves to another's agenda.

Now before I sound all self-centered and selfish, let me say I am all for volunteering time and effort. But, I have also learned to do it with consciousness. Make a choice to help when and where it really matters to you as well as to the person who is asking for your help. Are you bringing something of yourself, and your special talents to what you are giving? Or are you just another body filling in the space?

I am advocating saying "Yes" to yourself. Sometimes that means saying "no" to others. It is hard and scary to do if you are used to saying yes to any and all requests that come your way that you are physically able to do. But all those "yes's" can be exhausting.

You may find yourself working on that "simple, little project" one evening, while the rest of your family watches a video. You may feel the resentment starting to creep up, saying to yourself, "they won't even appreciate this." "Why am I doing this?" This is a clear sign that the word "no" needs way more exercise in your vocabulary. Or you may find yourself with a full calendar, and the constant complaint that you would love to do "whatever" but you just don't have the time. Saying no to the requests that someone else could just as easily do could mean a chance to say "yes" to spending an evening painting, reading, writing, or meeting a friend for an overdue lunch together.

If you are a Yes-aholic, catch yourself the next time you find yourself ready to let that word glide off your lips with such ease. Pause for a second and actually think about what you are agreeing to. Ask yourself a few questions.

Do I want to do this?

Could someone else just as easily do this?

Why am I doing this?

You may still say "yes", but you will have thought about it first. And when you do say "no", you might just see the world does not stop. The special activities do not cease, or if they do, perhaps there just was not enough interest to sustain it.

Say yes to others when you know that you want to do whatever it might be. But embrace the idea of saying yes to youself too. A "yes" to your dreams. A "yes" to your wishes. A "yes" to some time for You. You are worth it.

Why Compete?

Competition.

For some it is a dirty word. It connotes all that is dark in our spirits. But for others, it spurs them on to new heights of performance. Some seem to pass that boat all together....and are not necessarily any worse off for it.

When I worked in marketing, a lot of what I did was looking at the competition. Understanding their product. Analyzing the strengths and weaknesses. Figuring out how to improve our position. It was really all about competition.

Now that I am a craftsperson, I look at the "competition" differently. First off, my competition at a show is every single artist, in every single media who is there. Overwhelming in shear size and scope. We all, on some level, are competing for the dollars of the buyers who come to the show. My competition is not limited to those doing similar work to what I do. It is across the board.

Given that scenario, worrying about what everyone else is doing, within a framework of competition is a complete waste of time. Instead, I try to focus my attention on myself and my work. Is my work the best it can be? What can I do differently to improve it? I listen to the input I receive from others, and process it along the way.

I look at my booth and how my work is presented, and how I talk about my work. Merchandising and sales. Am I doing all I can to make the work shine? Is my booth an inviting space? Am I listening enough to what people are asking me or telling me?

The focus is not on what others are doing, or not doing, so much as it is on what I can do. The beauty of this is that it removes the "dark energy", lol! I can enjoy the work of my fellow artists at a show. I can recommend shows or galleries that might be a good fit for them. I can share information I have learned about selling, merchandising, marketing, etc. without fear or trepidation.

Life is not always a zero sum game. One person's win being another person's loss. Sometimes it is more viral. Sometimes success breeds success, which breeds more success. Celebrating others work and wins does not diminish our own. Likewise, a defensive and competitive attitude can close off the sharing of others.

I enter my work into competitions. Winning is nice. But truth be told, my motivation is more from a marketing perspective. It is exposure. It is credentials. With or without the competition, my work is what it is. And given the creative process it is always in evolution anyway. One piece, at one point in time, with one set of judges, may or may not do well. I make my work because I have to. I enter it in competitions because it may generate some publicity for my work, which will help my business. I don't make work specifically for a competition. I have never, ever, once, sat down and said, "Okay, I need to make a great piece for such and such a competition." That would be the kiss of death to my creative process. It would be too much of an all or nothing mentality for me. Remember Art & Fear. If a deadline is approaching, and I have the time, I will look around at what I have and decide what might be a good piece to enter. Perhaps this would seem as if I am not investing enough into the process of making a piece for a competition. Maybe. But being over invested in a contest just is not who I am.

Competition is not necessarily bad. Nor it is always so great. But in perspective and proportion, it can motivate. Are you driven by competition? Why do you compete? When and where does it feel safe, and when do you want to avoid it?

I have several pieces in competitions that I will learn about later this month. That may seem to have been the motivation for this post. But it wasn't. It was seeing someone whose work I love getting the recognition it deserved, and feeling thrilled to see it happen. Not only do I love her work, but I like her. She is a kind and generous person, with wisdom and humor. Seeing her achieve recognition for her work is exciting. Having kids gives us that experience over and over again. But it does not have to be limited to our relatives.

Celebrate someone else this week. Send them an e-mail or a note to convey your feelings. It will be viral. It will help them feel a little more special for the moment that the sun is shining on them.

Darn! I missed it! Did You?

Yesterday was Freedom from Self-Improvement Day and I missed it! I guess I can declare today a do-over for all of us who missed the announcement. You can get some e-coupons for yourself or for those you love, to get into the spirit of the day.

This holiday was declared by Jennifer Louden. She is a contributing editor to Martha Stewart's Body + Soul magazine. It seems a bit oxymoronic that someone from a magazine produced by the queen of "you can do it better", would be promoting "give yourself a break, already!" But, when I looked through the magazine in a waiting room recently, I was surprised to find out that Martha was the publisher. It has a nice balance and tone to it. I love Martha's sense of style, but it all seems "too" perfect for real people with a life to acheive.

Now why in the world would I embrace such a day as Freedom from Self Improvement? Isn't my blog all about work and doing it better? Perhaps. But I think I also want to understand and explore the idea of knowing when to look outside and when to turn inside to find the answers to the questions. At least I hope that is what I am getting at. Everyday should be freer. Freer from the external motivations to run our lives. Driven more from that deep voice within our gut which is the best guide to live the life we were meant to live.

It is hard to hear that small voice from inside when you are so used to being externally driven. It takes quiet and patience to discern. But what I have learned, is that the more you listen, the louder and truer it becomes, and the more we can find peace, grace and contentment in our lives. That sounds just so very new age-y, but it also seems true, based on my own experiences.

It is fine to have goals and ambition. But it is also important to have humility and grace. Can you let go? Can you adapt? Can you admit you were wrong without feeling a sense of humiliation and defeat? If not, you will forever feel out of balance. There is so little that is under our control. I think I have declared my motto here before, "One foot in front of the other." In the end that is often what it comes down to. Do what you are able, and have the grace to let go of the rest. Let go of shoulds, and just do what you can. Somedays you may be a phenom, and others a slug. That is okay. It is part of being the human beings.

So send a few coupons. Be sure to give at least one to yourself. And just breath............