Creative Business Toolbox: A Sense of Mystery
Today’s Topic: It’s Business
Around the year 2002, after running my own greeting card company for seven+ years, I decided to put my hard-earned experience towards an entirely new card line. I called my best reps, cranked out more than forty new card designs, figured out an in-house printing and packaging system, secured a booth at the National Stationery Show, and hit the ground running. The line burst through the starting gate, with reps and store buyers eager to put them on their shelves, and orders shipping immediately.
And then it happened – the crickets started chirping.
At the retail level, the cards weren’t selling. At all. So just as quickly as I put this idea into action, I shut it down.
There are two important aspects to this story, but today I am only going to address one of them. The part of this story I want to focus on is the part where my card line tanked (like a boat anchor.) It failed. The cards didn’t sell. Individual retail customers saw my cards on the shelves and they kept on walking.
Did this mean that I personally was a failure? Did I do something wrong? Did I create bad designs?
No, no, and no.
What that meant is that the cards didn’t sell. For whatever reason, customers did not find them compelling enough to purchase amongst the wide array of other card choices they had.
This story illustrates the fundamental truth about running a business. It is, in many ways, a great big experiment. It is throwing spaghetti on the wall to see what sticks. It is doing the best work I can do, then putting it out in the world and letting it do whatever it is going to do, which is a process I cannot control. I must do the work of marketing and promotion, yes, but no matter how much effort I put into that end of things my creations are either going to appeal to customers or they are not. They will either sell or they won’t.
What I need more than anything throughout this process is belief in my own work, my own voice, my own vision. Because most of what I do is not, at its core, wildly unique or earth-shattering. I started Swirly to create a line of inspirational stationery and gift items. Was that the first time that had been done? No. But it sold well because there was something about the illustrations and sentiments I created that appealed to a lot of people at a certain point in time. Was Eat, Pray, Love the first female-authored transformative/”finding herself” travel memoir? No. But it sold well because there was something about Elizabeth Gilbert’s experiences, voice, writing style, and honesty that appealed to a lot of people at a certain point in time.
That’s the way it goes. The market – meaning the customers – are going to do what they are going to do, and if I start trying to figure out that magic formula and create from that motivation, I’m doomed. I need to do my best work, plain and simple, and let go of two fundamental traps of the ego, two traps that totally contradict one another!
* The belief that the basis of what I am doing is so unique that I must stake some kind of proprietary claim on it. I do mixed media work and I write personal essays. I write about everything from relationships to the creative process to travel to inspiration. I still design greeting cards. I have a shop on Etsy. I teach workshops. The basis of my work – the art techniques, the subject matter, the sentiments, the ideas – of all of these things is not unique. I am one of many people working with these tools, concepts, and media.
* The belief that the expression of what I am doing is anything but magnificently, beautifully, wholly unique. I pull inspiration from a wide array of resources on any given day, and from these influences, I assemble new imaginings, ideas, and creations. Even if other people are doing something similar to what I am doing, I don’t need to feel threatened by that. I need to keep my head down and focus on doing my best work.
But here’s the thing – my magnificently, beautifully, wholly unique expression of whatever work I’m doing may or may not receive a warm welcome from the marketplace. Customers may or may not buy whatever I am selling. That is the reality of running a business. An idea might work. It might not. But I won’t know unless I try, and I won’t have any chance of success unless I stay committed to my own voice and vision.
There is a sense of mystery in running a business, and my ability to embrace that unknown element expands in direct proportion to my belief in my own work and voice and creations. I don’t know what will work, and just because something worked for me in the past, or works for someone else now, or worked 100 years ago doesn’t mean it will keep on working. My business is about flexibility and change and re-invention and experimentation. Always has been ~ always will be.
For more on this topic, head over to Scoutie Girl and see what Liz Kalloch has to say about it.
“The person who gets the farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore.” -Dale Carnegie
Tidbits
{This is how I get around town.}
My latest essay is up in The Wish Studio, and I’m a Guest Curator this week at Crescendoh, with a new story for their Art Saves series.
An Artful Attention to Details
In this age of online social networks, e-vites, and Kindles, I sometimes feel like a luddite. While I appreciate the way connections can now be made around the world, I also see that such “progress” is sending many artful practices and pastimes the way of the 8-track. Fifty years from now, will we be buying historical collections of emails on our electronic readers instead of beautifully scripted assemblages of handwritten letters? Sadly, I think so. My husband recently read an article to me discussing one school’s decision to stop teaching students cursive handwriting. Typing would be the replacement. It makes sense I suppose, but handwriting is such a deeply personal expression of ourselves, and I cannot help but feel a sense of loss for future generations who will be less and less encouraged to learn how to use something as simple as a pen.
All this to say I have a special fondness for those who take the time to live an artful life in large and small ways. Lisa Occhipinti is one of these rare souls, and I marvel at her attention to detail. She is not only the author of The Repurposed Library, but she sends me handwritten thank you notes on canvas, which I have framed in my studio. She is the creator of mixed-media assemblages, book sculptures, beeswax-dripped paper roses, jewelry, fabulous fashion ensembles, and, recently, a lovely little address change notice. She is an artist in every sense of the word, and The Repurposed Library is a gorgeous reflection of her talent and creative vision. With “33 Craft Projects That Give Old Books New Life”, the book gives readers easy to follow instructions on how to create his or her own repurposed creations.
I am thrilled to help spread the word for Lisa’s new book not only because it is an inspiring, artful creation, but because Lisa lives day in and day out as an ARTIST in every sense of the word. The energy behind The Repurposed Library is genuine, the love she has for her subject matter sincere. I started this entry the way I did – with a bit of a rant about the freight train our lives are taking towards all things digital – to acknowledge that, these days, it takes time and effort to keep details that are tactile and handmade flourishing. I am grateful there are artists like Lisa who are part of the movement to keep this unique kind of creativity alive.
Head here for her beautiful book trailer, and here for a recent feature of her in The New York Times. If that isn’t enough for you, Lisa has even given me a FREE downloadable project pattern, which can be yours for one quick click of the mouse below. Pick up your very own copy of The Repurposed Library today!
Five Things
1. AFAR ~ Where Travel Can Take You
2. Soaptopia ~ I love supporting the locals!
3. There are some great workshops in August at Teahouse Studios ~ check out what Alessandra, Marianne, Pixie & Marisa are offering.
4. I just ate at Hostaria del Piccolo last night for the first time and everything was delicious. It’s a new favorite.
5. Check out the Chain Letter Exhibit at Shoshana Wayne Gallery at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica. The opening is Saturday, July 23rd, 6:00-8:00pm. All details are right here.
Creative Business Toolbox: Punctuality
Today’s Creative Business Toolbox topic is simple and straightforward: Deadlines. Or, as the always inspiring Mary Anne Radmacher lovingly calls them - Targeted Completion Dates. Whatever term works for you – deadlines, due dates, targeted completion dates, or The Day to Be Officially Done With a Task – I am a firm believer in sticking to them.
Before I transitioned into full-time licensing with Swirly, it was a 1200+ account independent greeting card business with 20+ reps around the country. Some of my most vivid memories of the day-to-day upkeep of this business were moments when a rep would thank me for paying them on time. I always found that an extraordinary thing to be thanked for, since all I felt like I was doing was running my business. In other words, all I was doing was my job. My reps sent me orders everyday and kept my business running, and my job was to pay them for their services. On time.
Being on time and meeting deadlines is one of those areas of life and business that is simple in concept but for some reason challenging in the day-to-day. Procrastination, resistance, and just plain laziness can potentially derail the best laid plans for finishing a task or project and then having the freedom to move on to other things. I can’t claim to have met every single deadline I’ve been given and there have been plenty of jobs I’ve put off until the last minute. But I take due dates seriously for three simple reasons:
* Extending targeted completion dates only prevents me from moving on to other jobs, projects, and even wide open afternoons to spend outside. Moving a due date farther down the calendar might give me more time for whatever work needs to be completed, but it also takes time away from other work or time off.
* With particular regard to creative work, turning in and finishing work on time means I can let it go. If I have done my work to the best of my ability, then a deadline marks the moment I have permission to release it to the world (or an editor or art director), and after that, it is out of my hands. For a more poetic expression of this concept, read this.
* Remember when I shared the story of my reps thanking me for paying them on time? They thanked me because most of their clients did not pay them on time. I’ve found that by being on time, meeting deadlines, and turning in work when it is due, I stand out. Apparently being on time is the exception and not the rule. Because of this, it usually isn’t too long with a new client or colleague before I am acknowledged as someone who is reliable. In business and in life, this is one of those small details that can be a big contributor to success, not only because of how it reflects upon me, but also because it enables me to avoid the stress and anxiety of a extending deadlines and having certain work and tasks continue to loom over me – work that could have been finished and released.
You could try to trick yourself into getting things finished on time with rewards like a day off or a cupcake, but I’ve found that the more effective long term approach to punctuality is to consider a job well done the reward. Whether paying vendors, turning in a project, or posting a guest blog entry – do it as well as you can, and do it on time. This commitment alone will strengthen the foundation of your business and put you ahead of the curve.
Somerset Studio ~ July 2011
Somerset Studio, July/August 2011 A story about and collection of images from Japan, in celebration of the beauty that will always exist, even after the March 2011 earthquake.
Inspired Life
I am a big fan of giving credit where credit is due, and my recent string of posts about Carmen Torbus and her new book The Artist Unique warrant an inspired nod to the lovely Mary Anne Radmacher. It was her idea to bring a small circle of artists together to celebrate, promote, and enjoy Carmen’s book. Why? So we could have fun and support our kindred spirit’s beautiful creation.
Mary Anne Radmacher never fails to inspire me. Her books, writing, and always uplifting words have wrapped around the world like bright ribbons of color, and I am truly honored to know her. But beyond the bookshelves and license contracts, there is Mary Anne living in the day to day, and this is where I believe her light is at its brightest. She lives as she writes. She shares as she works. She is, through and through, in every word and action, an inspiring woman of the utmost creative integrity. I have sung her praises before, and I will likely sing them again. In the meantime, I will continue to look to her when I need guidance for how to live and breathe a truly inspired and mindful life.
Read Mary Anne’s The Artist Unique project wrap up right here.
Five Things
3. SouLodge: A Sanctuary for Wild Women
4. Instant Love Polaroid Retreat in Morocco with Susannah Conway
It’s True
I met Jenny Doh for the first time at Squam Art Workshops in 2009. She was the keynote speaker, and an all-around positive, inspiring force throughout the entire weekend. Jenny launched Crescendoh.com less than a year later, and it has been a wonderful experience to watch the way she took a simple yet potent idea – that ART SAVES – and ran with it. I feel a special sense of kindred spirit-ness with Jenny, as we share a passion for working hard, dreaming big, and finding unique ways of creative expression in small details. She is a consummate professional and I am honored to know and work with her.
It is a special privilege to be a part of the extraordinary circle of creative souls Jenny has assembled for Art Saves: Stories, Inspiration and Prompts Sharing the Power of Art. This book is a beautiful collection of stories that all attest to the power of art during times of healing, transition, disappointment, and even mundane moments. It is about the power of opening our hearts, trusting our intuition, and tapping into the creative goldmines within us to make meaning of our experiences.
Let yourself be inspired by these twenty astounding examples of the Truth that Art does, indeed, SAVE. Get your own signed copy right here, and then take a gander at all the other juicy goodness at Crescendoh.com.
“Listening to others and to oneself takes courage. Because when you listen, you sometimes find that the direction you ought to take with your life needs to shift, even if such a shift is risky. In the midst of enjoying success in the magazine publishing world, Jenny listened to her heart and made the leap to found www.crescendoh.com, a site that facilitates the telling of heartfelt stories about the power of art. This has been one of the most courageous moves she’s made, one that she hopes will rally a critical mass within the creative community to increase compassion for those in need.” ~excerpt about Jenny Doh from Art Saves
