The Boss of You

I'm asked a lot to be in books, to review books, to promote other's books and 99% of the time I decline. Everyone and their mamma seems to have a book nowadays and from what I've seen, a lot seem to just be riding the creative bandwagon which I hopped off long ago.

The thing is, I'm highly creative but I'm also business and it seems that books either address one or the other. Also, a lot of self-employed/creative books geared towards women tend to lack "meat" - they go for making a person feel good with words like "juicy" "blessings" and offer ideas that aren't appealing to me like pink markers, morning pages, breathing deeply and dancing wildly (ok - I like the last one). For someone like me who is a do-er, I want to be inspired with advice I can actually take from people who not just dish it, but have lived and are living it (I can't take another self-help guru with a messed-up life promoting how to live and work creatively!).

Bitter much? Yes but I'm sure you'll agree that there's a lot of bad books out there. And when you're starting out you might be tempted to buy them all (I almost did!).

That is why I am so, so, so thankful that Lauren Bacon and Emira Mear's new book, The Boss of You, is almost here (you can pre-order - so do!).

Over 5 years ago, Lauren and Emira ran an amazing site called Soap Box Girls which let women talk about what women talk about but also had tid bits on business (they really highlighted women-run business) politics and crafting. It was a great zine ahead of it's time. I was so in-love with what these women were doing (running their own graphic business on top) that I asked them to be profiled on Another Girl at Play. Lucky for me they said yes and a great friendship started.

It was in this interview that I received the best bit of business advice I've ever received: Don't undersell yourself!. Women undersell themselves on so many levels that to read this from them really, really stuck. And I've always asked for what I'm worth and have never settled financially or with projects. That's thanks to them.

They now run the site "Boss Lady which has lots of great info. It was also the base for their Boss Lady Panel at SXSW last year that I, along with Jenny Hart and Vickie Howell, were able to be a part of. The five of us meshed so well and we offered great advice and stories - some of which are found in The Boss of You.

Months ago, Lauren asked me if I'd review a proof of the book and if I liked it, would I send a blurb to the publisher. I read the book in one night because I kept thinking, "yes, yes, exactly! This is how it is. Oh I never thought of that. Great advice!" So yes, I wrote a blurb!

Whether you're starting an internet based business, something crafting or a brick a mortar store, this book is something you need - and I don't say that lightly. It doesn't talk down to you and it's not dry. It's personable with real advice to get you rocking out. Isn't that what a great book does?

January 2, 2008 | Link to this | Filed in Business Advice , Links & Adorations |

Purpose + Belief + Action = Magic

I think most artists, creative people, entrepreneurs go through very rough patches when they're young which then causes a lot of us to not do publicly what we were meant to do. In fact, I think we often hide behind "safe jobs/hobbies/days" whilst secretly engaging in our real passions/pursuits.

But when a person finally believes even just a little in themselves to say "My talent is worth something - I am worth something" and then does something (no matter how terrifying or impossible) the result is always magic and life changing.

For more related posts by me "Belief and Action" and my interview on All Things Girl.

October 3, 2007 | Link to this | Filed in Links & Adorations |

Rock yourself out.

May 31, 2007 | Link to this | Filed in Links & Adorations |

Tax Time

The Sheepdog Blog has a great post about taxes and freelancers.

April 11, 2007 | Link to this | Filed in Business Advice , Links & Adorations |

New Site to look at

Here's a great way to sell a book online. It's unique, creative and hasn't been done before. It breaks the rules - so many rules - and I love that. It's not safe, it's not standard, it's not "what's done" for an author site. It's what's done by a creative girl.

I think sometimes creative people (myself included) can be afraid of bursting outside the box. We stick to a formula that works (look at how many blogs look the same) or we want a formula to be successful (#1 question I'm asked - what do I do to be a successful artist? Or just look at the 1-2-3 self-help books). Or sometimes all we look at (out of our own sense of habit or lack of creativity elsewhere) is the same old same old so which can make it hard to become inspired and take a new risk.

That's why I'm loving Miranda July's new site - it's just helped me look at things very differently and to not be afraid to step outside the (3 column) box.

April 4, 2007 | Link to this | Filed in Links & Adorations |

Women Owned Companies Holiday Guide

It's that time of year when there's guides galore; on blogs, in magazines and on TV. Hard to escape it so I was hesitant about creating a list. But I know so many wonderful companies that I just had to share. They're all women owned, small and artisan for the most part. And I really believe that if you want to run your own business or be an artist or a writer, you must support others who have these careers.

Often I hear that people would love to create their own company but they fear not making money. Those same people then go to big retailers and spend money and complain how "expensive" artisan products are. You can't be a part of what you don't support. So please support small companies and artists. Lauren at Boss Lady wrote a really great article about this.

But let's move onto the fun of gift giving and online peaking from these wonderful online shops:

Continue reading "Women Owned Companies Holiday Guide" »

December 9, 2006 | Link to this | Filed in Links & Adorations |

Sites of note

- Great little entry from Emira on thanking those who refer clients to your business.

- Jenny Hart and Vickie Howell of Austin Craft Mafia talk about women groups and business. Great listen. Here is part 2.

- See Jane Work is how I make my office work and inspire. And I love that it's run by women who do a really fantastic job {it's one of the prettiest packages I receive!}.

- Sneak peek at Small Spiral Notebook

- Living Organised Blog

- I love Little Birds and the photo and words in this little post might make you too.

- Caterina asks if you can write a story in six words, like Hemmingway.

October 25, 2006 | Link to this | Filed in Links & Adorations |

Girls Guide to City Life

The sales pitch for renting six blocks from the beach is that you'll never need air conditioning. Obviously the realtors need to come up with a new one thanks to global warming. The past week we've hit record highs and my tiny flat has been hovering in the mid-90's (35C) with about 80% humidity. It has made for gruelling working conditions.

And you thought working from home was so much better than an office. Appreciate your cool temps my friends!

So, through literally sweat and tears, Girls Guide to City Life re-launches.

It's in the process of change as I try to incorporate more into it as I learn and hire more people to write and figure out a way to start generating income. It's a challenge but it keeps me off the streets so that's good. Especially since the streets are currently far too hot.

July 28, 2006 | Link to this | Filed in Announcements & Events , Links & Adorations | | Comments (6)

Sites of Note

It's always good to be inspired. It's always good to be fed with useful information. It's always good to enjoy a little, too. So, I offer to you a collection of this past weeks inspirations. (Thanks to Felicia for the idea):

• Lifehackers Top Ten Cheap/Free Productivity Tools. Productivity is a good thing, even for people like me.
• 43 Folders Tips for Remembering Names. I am terrible, terrible! with names. A face I will literally never forget but a name? Oh lordy. Hopefully this will help.
• Zaadz Website which seems to be a social networking site for people who are thinkers and changers. There's a little too much... what's the word... talk & buzzwords but for the most part, there's some really interesting thoughts and things happening on there. I'll keep following to see where it goes. I think we need something that's for business people who are also mindlfull. Maybe this is in the right direction?
• "There's magic in mistakes..." - a description from Heather on the latest issue of JPG Magazine, I think, is just perfect for more than photography.
• Big Ben. Don't judge a book by it's cover. Sure he's young but what he's saying about business, culture and economics is better than people twice his age. A great business blog to check out.
• Durham Townships Foggy Beach Photo - I was instantly smitten with this photograph. I think perhaps it is one of my all time favourites. In fact, this site is quickly becomming a daily bit of inspiration to me.
• The Lake House Movie - was not expecting to like it since the main actors have always bothered me some. But it was such a smart movie in terms of acting, script and direction that I fell in-love with it. And want that house.
• Photo Birds Photos - the way she captures home and simplicity makes me yearn to do the same - or at least buy some pretty bowls and fill with cherries.
• Domicile run by the fabulous Emira. She dishes about rennovating an older home, gardening and everything inbetween. She also runs the wonderful Boss Lady.
• The movie Little Miss Sunshine. You can read more about how it affected me.

Continue reading "Sites of Note" »

July 21, 2006 | Link to this | Filed in Links & Adorations |



Curvy Road Ahead



Felicia Sullivan wrote a beautiful post today. My favourite bit:

"because the path's not always linear, no matter how much we want it to be. and i'm learning this - in yoga, in writing, in life - by degrees. and maybe when it's when we move towards uncertainty, towards indecision, that we find clarity. it's only when we dive headfirst into the dark water, can we really rise up and see light."

She would know about paths not being linear; she's got one of the most beautiful, curvy lives I've ever met. When I first met her, she was working for a big, corporate company in NY. She was also a Republican. She quit her job to write a novel and became an eco-loving Democrat along the way. She runs the amazing publication Small Spiral Notebook and supports artists like mad. Her writing, by the way, is beautiful. It's stunned me, it's made me cry, opened my eyes and sometimes even made me pee my pants.

I'm sure had I asked her a few years ago when we met what she thought the next few years would be, it wouldn't match the reality of what her life has become. Likewise had she asked me.

Creative people, we create. We create beauty, drama, paths, life, jobs, challenges, pain, laughter. There's nothing linear about that. There's nothing linear about life. We just keep moving, things get clearer and we change to accommodate that. Slowly sometimes, fast others, but never straight.

Curvy, windey, wonderful.

July 12, 2006 | Link to this | Filed in Links & Adorations |



Boss Lady

Laura and Emira, two rock star women who I profiled on Another Girl at Play, are successful entrepreneurs (designers who run their own business Raised Eyebrow Studios) who just launched a great new site Boss Lady. Aimed at being a resource for other entrepreneurs as well as a launch pad for their book of the same name, this site looks really promising.

Why I love this idea so much is that a lot of books dedicated to running a business for women really do focus on the feelings side or the craftu side a lot. They say if we just wore glitter, accepted how we were right now, did mantras, wore pink, bought inexpensive soap and so forth we could be have a business.

Yes, we could have business but they wouldn't be successful.

I consider myself an artist, a creative girl but I always also think of myself as a business person. I treat all emails as business emails, I keep up to date on all my book keeping, I have investments, I work hard, I network, I do really great work all the time and never slack, I evolve and always aim higher. I don't just paint and wait - I paint and then do more. That is why I can live off of what I do and that's why I'm continously employed. According to most books on creativity and art you should just be content with writing morning pages every day or live juicy! Not. Great. Business. Advice.

But Emira and Lauren, I have no doubt, will make a really excellent book and site. They have the background in business to back up everything they say (they gave me the best advice ever: don't undersell yourself) and the creative caputz to keep you inspired.

If I could pull off a "you go girls" I'd put that in right here.

May 17, 2006 | Link to this | Filed in Links & Adorations |