Make Good Art- Neil Gaiman

Today’s blog is a short one to read… but longer than usual if you choose to watch or listen.

This week I re-watched Neil Gaiman’s commencement address at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. It’s a video I had seen when it first hit the internet and I loved it then… and I was chuffed to re-discover it last week. It is a beautiful and inspiring speech which hit home in several ways that weren’t as relevant to me the first time I watched it. The first is something he calls ‘imposter syndrome’ the fear that one day someone in a suit and tie will come and knock on the door and say “Sorry, it’s all over, you have to go and get a real job”. It must sound so irrational to someone not intimately in touch with the creative self employed lifestyle, but I understand the fear innately as it is one of the nightmarish fantasies I have often…

The second was the best piece of advice he received, ignored and wishes he hadn’t. Simply to appreciate the ride he was on, enjoy (and be aware of) his succcess instead of being too busy meeting the next deadline, creating the next idea, getting to the next job. This hit home for me quite hard, I try to fill my days as full as possible, always a new job lined up, I do stop to smell the roses, but not in the way he described and not nearly enough… It has made me change the way I work slightly, to have more fun in the moment and take advantage of the fact I work at home, my way.

So instead of writing a long blog, I leave you with the video to watch here. You won’t regret it… if you are creative or not.

The third was… Make. Good. Art.

Make Good Art Neil Gaiman

No man is an island- The pitfalls of working alone

I have always been quite a social person, put simply, I like to talk. At school I would distract others with my babble, at work I would distract others with my conversation… in life… umm, yeah, I’m sure there’s a pattern here… I don’t tend to go in for the Astrological, but I am a perfect fit for my star sign- Gemini- The twins. I talk enough for two of me.

Although I didn’t particularly like working in hospitality, or retail (the fields I’ve worked in for the last ten years) the social aspect of them made them both bearable. Customers to talk to, workmates, in the trenches together, battling it out.

The concern I heard the most from friends when I declared boldly that I would be quitting my 9-5 job was how solitary it would be, would I cope with not having people to talk to for 8 hours a day? I assured them I would be fine, regular outings to meet people for lunch, dropping things off and picking thing up from the post office, these everyday tasks would make it less solitary surely? Plus what’s giving up a bit of conversation in the grand scheme of things if I get to live my dream, follow my passion, and do what I want. I would just have to make sure I saw more of my friends, had better quality time with my husband…

All of that was awesome, in theory. In reality however… I have been so determined to make this work I have been working more hours a day than I imagined and have less time for my friends, not more. I hope this will change once I get into the swing of it, get used to the weekly demands and plan my weeks out a bit better. My husband has been unemployed, and been in the next room, the whole time I have been self employed (the pressure I felt as a result of that, in the early weeks, is a whole blog post in itself). So while I’ve been working at home, in my studio, he is never that far away. Although we take turns making lunch for each other, we often don’t eat together, and the majority of the day is spent apart. Unless I need an opinion on something, it’s like working alone, but the fact he is so close means I have never felt it.

Print from ‘FebruaryLane’ on Etsy

Till today.

Today is his first day at his new job and before lunch time I have already managed to psych myself out. I thought I would enjoy the time alone, I mean that’s what I signed up for isn’t it? Drinking my morning coffee (made for me by him) felt normal. Till the last two sips (after he left) which felt closer to drinking a shot of vodka- my head spun, my stomach hurt. It was akin to a panic attack but with no panicked breathing… It took me two hours of feeling that way to connect the dots, maybe I missed him. Nahhhh surely not, that’s ridiculous. Maybe I’m worried about working alone? That’s closer to being possible… what a wimp.

When the vomiting started I realised that no, not even I was that pathetic.

Being alone is one thing, having food poisoning a whole other…

Sick Day Blues

I have always been quite a sick person. As a child I had every cold, flu and ailment known to mankind. Sniffles were regular, sore throats common. If it was out there, I caught it. As I grew up, sadly nothing much changed in that department, and as a result sick days were commonplace, such a normal part of life they weren’t worth mentioning. However all that changed this year.

Perhaps because I’m happier? Perhaps because I come into contact with less people, after all I worked retail or hospo for as long as I’ve worked, both people saturated industries. Despite the change, the crazy amounts that went on and that I organised and have achieved I have been sick a total of twice this year, a record in my books! The second time snuck up on me, and hit just last week.

I had started to feel I was out of ‘firsts’ when it comes to the crafty self employment game. Although as soon as I typed that I realised what a silly thing to say that is, I’m so new, there are a million ‘firsts’ waiting. Perhaps it’s more correct to say I have become complacent about all the firsts I achieved before quitting my 9-5, things I already know how to do now that it’s my full time gig.  But last week was a definite first, my first sick day(s) where there was no one to answer to except myself. No one to call, to make my excuses, no matter how real or fake…

That’s something I always hated about the inevitable sick day phone call, no matter how real it was, no matter how close to death I felt, I always felt racked with guilt. It was never guilt about them having to get someone to cover me, or about not being there to do my job. Even though I was genuinely ill, I was always terrified they wouldn’t believe me. This has been true of every sick call I have ever made, in every job I have held.  Although there was the simple beauty of after ‘the’ call putting the phone down and that being it, back to bed, no more guilt, no more responsibility… time for more sleep, and healing of whatever sort.

What I discovered last week was although I could wake up, feel like crap, and go back to sleep instantly (without having to drag myself to the phone for a split second of acute guilt). The trade off was three days spent in bed with the dull thudding ache of guilt in the back of my head. I had one of those flu’s. The ones where you can’t achieve anything. Scrolling through Pinterest makes your head spin to the extent where you think you might throw up. Where you can’t concentrate on reading, where TV makes your brain strobe and eyes hurt.  So all I could do was lie on my back, with my eyes closed, hoping for sleep but instead thinking about all the things I could be doing if I was well.

One of the things I didn’t have the brain strength for, through the snot fog and brain throb, was writing my blog. I don’t write it a week ahead, or even a day ahead. I write it the Monday I post it, perhaps something I need to change as my Monday posting was thrown out the window totally last week.  Luckily the only person who brow bashed me for being out of action was me… the customers who’s orders were postponed a day or two were very understanding, and my lovely husband picked up the slack where he could…

Now to put a couple of practices in place to cover me in case it happens again… I’m off to write next week’s blog, in draft form, just in case, although knowing me next week I’ll probably start from scratch on a whim…

Stop to Smell the Roses

I received an email newsletter late last week from Kari Chapin (author of Handmade Marketplace & Grow Your Handmade Business). She talked about coming across a quote that stopped her in her tracks;

 “Be where you are, not where you think you should be”

It made her take stock, and realise she wasn’t living in the moment. We can all relate to this, I’m sure. We live busy lives… there never seems to be enough time to achieve everything, to stop and smell the roses. Kari said after she read it, she thought to herself;

“I should do that. I should think about that. I should let that sink in later, when I’m finished with this work. After I grade these business plans, answer those Tweets, and do that tiny to-do list since it’s only six items long. Then maybe after dinner and walking the dogs and cleaning the kitchen and answering emails… maybe tomorrow I can think about it on my walk or in the shower. I’ll try to remember.”

The quote resonated with me as it did with Kari, but I was pleasantly surprised that it spoke to me in a different way. I have always lived two (or three) steps ahead. Never thinking about where I am at that particular moment, this has been especially true of the year just been. Half way through last year I started planning my wedding, honeymoon, quitting my 9-5 job and starting self employment. From the point the planning began in early July 2012, except (luckily) on my wedding day in March, I was never in the moment. Always two months in the future, thinking of what I’d have to achieve to get there or wishing I was there already. Because I quit my job just before the wedding, and didn’t start proper self employment till we got back from travelling round Asia for our honeymoon for two months (while we spent most of our savings) most of the trip mentally I was ‘back at home’ working already.

This is not something, sadly, I can’t blame squarely on the busy wedding/honeymoon/change in job time in my life. It’s something I’ve always done, something I thought I would always do. I never thought about it in a negative way, just assumed I had a very organised, forward thinking brain!

Kari’s newsletter made me realise that now that I’m a bit more settled, and in the day to day swing of self employment I am right here, right now and very happy to be here. Making a choice to live my dream has meant that I am right here doing it, every day, mentally and physically. It’s chilled me out in a way I didn’t know was possible (or that I needed).

Of course the nature of what I do, requires a little planning ahead. Ranges to complete and release, deadlines and personal goals means it’s impossible to not look to the future in some way, to plan ahead. But it’s important that you don’t let it consume you. I am so thankful to Kari for making me realise that I no longer live like this! It’s nice being on the other side…

Why not give it a try today… “Be where you are, not where you think you should be“

Success List

This week I have decided to continue on from last weeks thought, only with a more positive spin. I talked about losing motivation, due to completing so much… but I didn’t feel happy I had completed so much like you’d expect… I felt overwhelmed, lost, directionless and doubt had started to set in. Then, just when I needed it I got the Create & Thrive newsletter delivered to my inbox. It was just the pick me up I needed. The thing that caught my eye was this post entitled ‘The Success List’ where Jess listed what success means to her. It sounded like she enjoyed the process quite a lot;

“It’s amazing how writing this list opens you up – not only to the possibilities, but also to the awesome things you already have in your life!”

Although I enjoyed reading hers, I wasn’t completely sold on writing my own… it all felt a bit narcissistic and when you think (as Jess points out early in the piece) that when you work for yourself business success and personal success are very closely related. At times it can be hard to see where one starts and the other stops. That said, it is quite a personal exercise. I mean it’s hardly shouting from the rooftops, writing it on my blog is a slightly smaller stage, but it seems just as scary and very public.

At the end of her post Jess goes on to challenge us to write our own. Never one to back down from a challenge I decided to give it shot. I was very surprised with the results!

Success Is…

…being brave enough to make the huge leap and quit my 9-5 job

…not being afraid to put myself out there, to email around, make connections, meet people. To promote not only my work, but at the end of the day myself

…being able to do my hobby, my passion, the thing I do by choice in my spare time everyday as my job

…having completed two ‘self employed tax returns’ myself

…wearing all the hats of the business process myself, from concept to shipping (and everything in between)

…learning something new everyday to make what I do easier and more efficient. If it’s going to work, and grow, I may as well work smarter not harder

…choosing my own hours

…working in my PJs if I feel like it

…having a cooked lunch on a cold day because the kitchen is right there

…going outside to have a coffee in the sun in the middle of the day, if I feel like it

…making things every day

…making things I want to wear which I am lucky enough that people also want to buy

…having more than just my husband reading my blog and my best friend commenting on my Facebook business page

…making connections with people all over the world who do the same kinds of things that I do, brought together by the power of the internet

…getting  up bright and early on a Monday morning and deciding to take a stroll to the beach first thing and start work a bit later (today!)

…doing the work I want to do and doing it when I want to (not working to someone else’s schedule)

…being happy

In the future, Success will be…

…supporting my husband and I both financially, so he can follow his dream too

…being able to employ someone to do the bit’s I don’t have time for any more as things have grown bigger…

…to take this dog and pony show on the road! I’d love to buy a wee caravan and travel round NZ working as we go and I love that what I am doing I can do anywhere if we decided to move city or country

…“teaching people that they CAN live life differently and make a living following their passion” This one I copied from Jess. She has been such an inspiration to me and I hope I can pay it forward and do the same for someone else in the future

…buying a house

Oh wait, it looks like we’re already there!

Gosh, what a learning curve writing that was. Firstly I was surprised how long it took me. It took me a good 15/20 minutes staring at my computer to come up with the firs two things… When I was finished I had to go through and take out all the negatives I had included… such as “Being brave enough, or possibly stupid enough to make the huge leap and quit my 9-5 job“. Before I started writing this I was pretty sceptical. It felt a bit egotistical… maybe because I’m publishing it on the internet? When I read it over to edit it at the end I had a bit of an emotional ‘moment’.  This exercise had left me feeling so lucky. I would highly recommend doing one yourself, even if you don’t want to publish it online…

Fake It Till You Make It

The week before last I talked about how, what I wear and when I get up affects how I work. The gist was; it doesn’t. In my three months of self employment I have never had a problem with motivation, keeping busy or keeping focussed. Yet by writing that simple blog post I seem to have jinxed myself in some horrible way.

It’s all or nothing…

To be fair, a couple of things happened simultaneously, not just the bad luck that comes with professing your own awesomeness publicly. I completed my To Do List. A mental list which, along the way, has taken at least 50 physical paper states and just as many digital. A list I started this time last year, that’s right a year long list… because that’s how I roll, apparently. Since the inception of this list I have been flat out, luckily for me I’ve never been particularly good at sitting still anyway, especially when there is a lot to do. Last June/ July I started wedding planning, which continued on through till October when the Christmas rush started and took over most of my focus (at both my full time day job and my Jewellery business) – this went on, as you’d imagine, till late December. Then there was actual Christmas, New Years, wedding planning was of course still ticking away in the background while all this was happening. January was full of the stress involved in deciding to, and then actually, quitting my 9-5 job. February was making sure all the shops I deal with had enough stock as I was about to go away, finishing up my day job, and jumping head first into the idea of self employment… but first I decided to add a huge dollop of stress to the equation of doing so by spending all my savings on… March, the wedding and all the related stress and good times that go along with such an occasion, then a two month honeymoon in Asia. While (don’t get me wrong) the honeymoon was great fun and relaxing for the most part we did it more like backpackers than normal honeymooners, so there were many logistics to organise, travelling, culture shock, new food, even when it was good… there was always something going on to think about and keep us busy. In May when we got back I started on the Jewellery related list that had been niggling un-resolved since August when I stopped having time for such things, contacting shops, taking new product shots, starting on some new lines, re-opening my Etsy shop, new packaging & logo design, getting a Facebook routine, opening a Pinterest account, starting a Blog, doing tax, getting a handle on accounting.. the list was endless… and I chipped away at it in some way every waking hour, every day of the week.

Two Thursdays ago I got up and realised I had nothing ‘To Do’. Don’t get me wrong, there is ALWAYS something to do in a business like this, and I still have many ideas sketched out, or things on the back burner. But for the first time since this time last year I felt like I deserved a day off, so I went back to bed.

It was a great day! I read, relaxed and stayed warm. I met a friend for a drink in the afternoon and then another for a big catch up in the evening (many beers followed).

The next day I was hungover, I slept in a wee bit. When I got up I had no direction… no purpose… I procrastinated finding something useful to do. Then the doubt set in, the ‘can I really do this’ moment we all have from time to time. It’s winter, it’s a slow time of year… nothing much sells in winter, bank levels dip as does confidence. What to do in the quiet months is an endless battle with your internal voice- ‘Make more stock, you’ll need it come the busy season when you’ll have no time to make it’ fights with ‘I have so much stock, no one will ever buy it all’. Being able to quell that inner voice, to busy it with next season’s products, getting a handle on accounts, a new project… is key. Fake it till you make it they say… I say let’s make another ‘To Do list’!

Hmmm, they might be on to something!

‘7 Simple Ways To…’ shut your browser

There were several factors that lead to my decision to be self employed, to make what i love and try to live off it. The first I read around a year ago, it was a blog post that I stumbled on purely by chance called ‘5 Lessons learnt from a Defunct Jewellery Business’ (written by Brooke McAlary) on Jess Van Den’s website. When i clicked further and further into Jess’ website i became more and more inspired. Jess makes a living from her successful jewellery business Epheriall, but she also teaches and inspires through her website/ blog Create & Thrive “If you want to turn your handmade hobby into a full-time business – to create AND thrive – you’ve found the right place to help you turn your dream into a reality! It’s a long road, and a lot of hard work… but it IS possible.” Jess’ approach is so honest it’s refreshing, she doesn’t paint a storybook picture of doing a tiny amount of work for a huge pay off, or of working from home so you can eat Bonbon’s in front of the TV while the money rolls in. She tells you how she succeeded, how much work it will be and how it won’t be for everyone (or necessarily work for everyone).

Jess van Den, manning her Epheriall stall

After discovering Jess I was inspired, packed with drive and I worked harder than ever. Receiving her weekly newsletters helped too, it was like I had a backer, someone who had been where I was and succeeded but also like a gym buddy, someone who made it easier for me to succeed as they had gotten up at 5am to go to the gym with me (if you’ll excuse the metaphor). I still hadn’t formed the connections that i would quit my job, but maybe if I’m honest it was a niggling idea at the back of my head. Who doesn’t dream of quitting their job and following their passion occasionally, right!? Then six months ago I discovered and devoured Kari Chapin’s book Handmade Marketplace. It was like it was written just for me, the advice was easy to understand, easy to digest and quite a bit of an ego stroke as i had already achieved half the things in the book. I suppose that was it, the moment the seed was officially planted and of course it helped that (mainly due to the Christmas rush) business was already booming. The timing was a bit rubbish as momentum was growing and I was planning on going away for nearly three months (probably not the cleverest move) but i made it all the same, here i am, self employed… week one.

Handmade Marketplace by Kari Chapin

Just to be clear I am under no illusions. I am no Jess van Den, no Kari Chapin, i am not writing this blog to inspire or help you grow your craft business (although if it does that is an added bonus). I am a humble maker and I have written it to document my own journey, and when I say to document I mean everything, when I am successful and when I fail. Hopefully we’ll have some laughs along the way and it won’t just be at the expense of my spelling…

My first week was far harder than I was expecting, but not for the reasons i was prepared for. I had no trouble getting up in the morning (my original concern), I was at my computer rearing to go on Monday morning at 9am (ok, ok, 9.30am). On Sunday night I had written myself some guidelines, a schedule if you will, for how Monday would ‘run’.  Not just Monday really, how every day should run, finding a balance is important and I thought I had found it. It went a little like this Morning: Read/ update social media/ internet. Middle of the day: Fill orders. Afternoon: Create new things. I had even written in scheduled food/ drink breaks, I thought it was genius, how could I fail with such a timetable!?

Everything I had read up until this point about growing or creating a successful craft business says you have to have a large internet presence. That you are pretty much dead in the water without one, both Jess and Kari spend a long time talking about it so i decided i better listen! That was my first job, THE INTERNET. No pressure. So i started by joining Pinterest, Pinned things, Pinned more things, Tried to close Pinterest, was unsuccessful. Started Blog. Wrote blog. Changed template about 6 times (and subsequently had to re-size/ re-colour/ add text to 6 different sized banners.) Banged head on table and said “this isn’t for me” several times. Joined Google Analytics’s, watched YouTube video of how to add the code to my website three times, banged hand on head in frustration, forwarded code to Lindsay (husband and website designer extraordinaire) to add for me, Lindsay informs me he installed Google Analytic’s when he designed the website, banged head on table again. Started collecting stock for three shop orders, made piles on the floor, even though I need the money very badly decided they could wait for tomorrow. Stayed in PJ’s all day.

So even though i worked an eight hour day it wasn’t quite the day I was expecting. Surely this will get easier, the balance will come.. however the rest of the week went a little like this…

Spent the morning with 15-25 tabs open in my browser, every management/ biz tip you can imagine. How to be more productive, how to handle fear of failure, how to handle un-productive days (ironic), how to market yourself through: Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Blogging, Websites, Newsletters and how to do it successfully, with a market in mind, what works for what, which is better (comparing each against each other). How to take a photo, how to Photoshop a photo, create a cohesive Etsy shop, follow up on an Etsy purchase, make Etsy friendships, connections, craft groups, interactions. Why interactions on all of these sites can make or break your business. How to choose yourself, why fear is good, why fear is bad. Why SEO is important to your business (quick Google search: What is SEO), why you are nothing without SEO, How to use SEO on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Blogging, Websites, Newsletters, Etsy and how to do it successfully, with a market in mind, what works for what…

I read them all.

Most days I missed my scheduled lunch break (who knew I’m such a mean boss!) because i was reading these ‘helpful’ tips. Then towards the end of the week I had a breakthrough moment, an article called ‘Ways to be Insanely Productive’ informed me (paraphrasing of course) that people procrastinate/ don’t achieve things because the things they are trying to achieve in the first place aren’t fun enough and we should just ignore all the boring stuff and only do the fun stuff. BAHAHAHAHAHAHA. It was an enlightening moment, I had been sucked completely into thinking everything I was reading was written by an expert on the subject, that it was important stuff for me to read, to know. That i was learning. Although I’m sure that is true in some cases, reading this gave me a much needed laugh and a jolt back into reality. Oh yes, and the oomph to shut the ridiculous number of tabs i had open. Well, all but one…

The Beginning

Hello and welcome to my first Blog post.

Ok, that isn’t completely honest. I, like so many of you, have blogged before. Years ago when i travelled around Europe i decided a blog was the best way to keep my family and friends in the know without sending the dreaded ‘group email’. If you’re interested in taking a trip down memory lane (my memory that is) the travel blog ‘Travels in a Teacup’ can be found here: http://imogenwilson.wordpress.com/2010/06/ but enough about the past, we are here to talk about the present and this new exciting blog!

…first a bit of background info though…

For the last three years i have been making jewellery and selling it at craft fairs and a handful of shops.

Craft 2.0 in Wellington, 2012

In fact the Europe trip mentioned above was how i got started, looking for something that i could make and then sell at fairs to fund the trip (on top of my 9-5 job). While at my first fair i was approached by the owner of a shop and asked if she could stock my creations! The rest as they say is history.

My first stockist Rex Royale, Cuba St, Wellington

Fast forward three years and i find myself planning a wedding, planning a honeymoon, stocking ten shops, AND working the Christmas rush at a different 9-5 job (that didn’t challenge me). So i decided to take a leap, a rather large leap, and quit the 9-5 job. To most this wouldn’t be much of a leap, quitting a job ‘so what’ you’re thinking! But my plan went much further than that- i was going to quit and try to support myself on the money i make from my craft business. As if this wasn’t enough of a challenge i planned on putting everything on hold for two months while i went on honeymoon, all the craft business momentum i had worked so hard to build lost while i jet set around Asia.

That brings us roughly up to speed. I returned three days ago from a whirlwind, sweaty trip around sweltering Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and tepid Japan, to freezing, windy Wellington with no ‘job’ but lots of ideas, passion and a belly full of fear.

In this blog i intend to take you along every step of the way as i try to grow my teeny craft business into something sustainable…

…watch this space!