Here she goes again

... trying to jam nearly a month of living into one post.

Since the start of the year, life around here has been a lot like that video in my last post ... balls flying everywhere and a lot of juggling ... only I'm a lot more spastic than Chris Bliss.

So here we go ...

A little backstory first (for context)

I've been a life/business coach for five years now, and while the clients and the work have been wonderful and very rewarding on some levels, one of the biggest rewards for me -- in addition to the wonderful tools you're exposed to and life skills you develop along the way -- is that coaching creative types has put me back in touch with those things I loved as a child ... namely crafty, creative things that can engage me for hours on end. I grew up around a father who was a carpenter and furniture maker, a mother who ran a knitting business out of our kitchen, and a sister whose embroidery and needlework were so beautiful that the nuns tried to fail her on the grounds that she couldn't possibly have done the work herself ( ... don't worry, mom went in and straightened them out but good).

About a year ago, through a combination of my work as a coach, my own inner work, and discovering the blogosphere and all its creative souls, the embers were lit again.

I registered the name believe street last year with the goal of producing various inspirational products, including cards, journals, clothing, and jewelry, and I still see things moving in that direction, perhaps. The jewelry piece, however, is what's really grabbed me for now, even though it was a brand new area for me. I jumped in last spring, loved it, and gave myself permission to play with it through the end of 2005 to see what would emerge before making any important decisions about my coaching work.

Of course, if you've been following along all these months, you already know that I am loving this new creative direction. So much so that I have been shifting more and more of my focus and energy to believe street and away from my coaching practice. Sometimes if you go where you're just naturally drawn, things evolve organically and the answers you're seeking become more apparent on their own in good time.

So, at the end of last year I decided -- or really just admitted what was becoming obvious -- that I really want to make my living from my creativity, and that I want to grow believe street into a vibrant and viable and profitable -- and sustainable -- business. That means I've decided to take at least a temporary hiatus from my coaching practice (Lifestylepreneur). At some point, I may feel drawn to coaching other crafters and artists who want to turn their passion into a business, but for now, actually doing it myself is all-consuming. There's a lot to learn, and even more to do ... but I'm having SO much fun!

These past two months, I've really been turning up the burners on the business aspects of believe street. Being addicted to beads is not only an expensive little habit, but with a child in college and bills to pay every month, it feels important to me that I put my heart and soul into this -- make a true commitment and give it my best effort -- and not simply dabble in it. Why? Because (a) it's not the type of business where you can make a good living unless you're very diligent and focused (... but then, what solo endeavor is?) ... and (b) if I ever reach a point where I feel like I have to go back to the corporate world (or some other full-time job) to make a living, I don't want it to be because I didn't give this all I had. That motivates me every day.

And so here I am ... giving it all I have ... and although the past two months have been utterly exhausting in a lot of ways ... they're also two of the most interesting and learning-packed months I've ever had.

And now, with that preamble (thanks for hanging in), here's what I've been up to ...

I've been busy, busy, busy

Here are some pictures of recent projects (click to enlarge):

If you read Kerstin's blog, you may have read the post where she spoke about this purple and blue necklace, bracelet, and earrings. Her husband, Tom, contacted me after the holidays and commissioned me to make a set that he could give her on her birthday and their one-year anniversary (no pressure), both of which were Feb. 15. I used a lot of different beads and had a lot of fun with this one!

Another client had a set of bracelets in aqua and green (one of which is in the picture), and wanted a necklace to match. I've been getting a number of orders like this, which is a good creative challenge. I was able to find beads that were a great match and made this necklace, and a set of earrings to go with it as a bonus.

Here's a black and silver set I also made recently (... which isn't nearly as beautiful and sparkly in the photo)

... and a pair of silver threaders I made for Deb ... which I liked so much that I decided to make a pair for myself ... and I'm wearing them in the new blog 'portrait' above. I sorta miss the baby picture, but change is good, right?

One order I'm currently excited about is making jewelry for a small wedding party. Jewelry for brides and wedding parties is a niche I think I'd really enjoy and want to develop over time.

Corporate office trunk shows

The second week of January, I started doing 'corporate office trunk shows.' I saw that phrase in an interview Andrea Scher did with Danny Gregory, and decided it sounded so much cooler than being a 'corporate vendor,' so that's what I call them now ... corporate office trunk shows. Thanks Andrea!

One or two days a week, I take myself and my stuff to one of the area companies and set it up for sale, usually in or around the cafeteria. I'm sure you'll be reading more about these in future posts, but basically, I arrive around 8:30, set up my stuff, sell through the lunch hour, and start packing up at 2:00. I'm usually home by 3:30 or 4:00 on those days.

When I first decided to try this, I thought two days a week would be totally doable. I mean, it doesn't sound like that much, right? Using this company, I created a schedule for the year that would have me out there a couple of days a week ... much faster than if I were calling each company individually trying to get a foot in the door. This part has worked out well and saved lots of time and stress.

I quickly found out, though, that even just two days a week can be exhausting. For starters, it's physical, which is okay because I definitely need the exercise. Aside from that, though, on the days I wasn't out, I was making new things to replenish my inventory, trying to fill custom orders (some of which I've had since the holidays), and take periodic trips to my parents to pick up some of their things. You see, I realized a few days before my first one that I would never have enough of my own jewelry to fill three whole tables (or in some cases four tables), so I've been selling not only my things, but also my father's hand-carved wood necklaces and leaves, and some of my mother's hand-made scarves. Their things have been selling well, and it seems that if one thing doesn't sell as well at a particular location, the other things do, so it balances out. It may actually be good that I have a variety of different things ... all handcrafted ... rather than just my own jewelry, after all. Plus, my parents get some extra income from this (as do I), and that's a good feeling.

Overall, these 'trunk shows' have been good and a really valuable learning experience. You get immediate feedback and get to learn who your ideal customer really is. You meet some cool people who really appreciate the work and creativity that goes into handcrafted items, and you always come home with money in your pocket ... some days it's a lot, some days not so much ... but all in all, it's been good enough that I think it's worth continuing. It's also great exposure and a good way to start building a following. I'm learning a lot by doing these ... including things I can improve on.

Going slow to go fast

For the first month of the trunk shows, I was really burning the candle at both ends. I was often up at 5:00 to make a few last pieces to take with me that day before showering and heading out. Many nights I worked until midnight (no all-nighters, though!), and worked through the weekend, just to stay on top of things. I must say all this didn't make me terribly popular around here. John started to feel like he was living single again. That's not good. I can easily be a workaholic, especially when my work feels like play, but working 24/7 does not a balanced life make.

So, for the past few weeks I've been trying out a new schedule ... I now work from 8:30 to 5:30 or so, and quit when John gets home. On evenings and weekends, I don't do work that needs to be done in the studio, though I may do some email or other things on my laptop (but not in the office), or I may look through supply catalogs, etc., but not to excess. This means I have to be 100% focused during the day. No blog reading or surfing for fun, except for a few minutes at lunch ... when I can't possibly resist peeking at Cute Overload, at the very least!

Also, I no longer do things like grocery shopping in the middle of the day, or cleaning ... now we do it together on weekends, which actually makes my life easier ( ... though I'm not so sure John is loving that piece of it yet). It's been good for me, I think. After spending 13 years in the corporate world, I really detested the 9-5 structure, but now I find that I have more balance and get a lot more done when I stay on task and put boundaries around the work, and I work faster, knowing I don't have all night to finish up a project. I get a greater sense of accomplishment this way, too ... and I'm less tired.

Since mid-February, I've cut back to just one 'trunk show' a week for a while so I can catch up on a number of important things -- like orders, getting ready for taxes (very soon), doing a major website update (on tap for next week), building up inventory, and getting organized. Yes, in the midst of all this work, a little chaos ensued.

One weekend, I made two trips to WalMart to get various bins and storage units to organize the wall unit in my studio ... behold! Everything has a place now and everything is in its place ... and there are even some empty bins for expansion :-). All of my bead containers are now in drawers. The bins in the bottom shelf hold a lot of art supplies, and I moved the small TV to the shelf with my stereo. A girl needs music to work by and an occasional hit of HGTV, after all.

I also got rid of a ton of books to make room ... at least 80 or so. I am much more willing these days. I'm a woman on a mission and that makes my priorities clearer and easier to commit to. So, some went to the local library for a used book sale, some were recycled, and some went on half.com, where they've been selling the past couple of weeks. I've decided my reward will be to take the money from the sale of my old books and put it toward the purchase of an iPod or MP3 player ... something I want for the walks I soon plan to start taking to lose these extra winter pounds (... and I don't mean just this winter's).

Since I'm giving a glimpse of my studio, here are a couple of other shots ... my work table sits by the window, which gives me great natural light for making jewelry during the day. I also have a straight-edge and a self-healing cutting mat installed on the table so it can double for art and paper projects.

Behind my work table, there's a little sitting area with two wicker chairs (... which is where Cloud, my office manager, likes to hang out all day, as you can see), and then behind that is my desk, which seems to be the perfect place for that plant, which thrives even though it's nowhere near the window and doesn't get watered too regularly. Go figure.

Finally, my Artist's Way update

I bet you thought I had ditched The Artist's Way in the midst of all this. Au contraire!

I may not have posted for a month, but I have been writing my morning pages every day. In fact, I made a conscious choice a few weeks ago when it seemed apparent that I couldn't keep up with morning pages, reading my favorite blogs, and posting, that I would give up the last one for a bit, but not the first two.

Here are all the daily envelopes, as of last week. I did skip a few days when I was completely in survival mode ... but that's only been six days since the beginning, which isn't bad considering we're almost in week 9, when we get to read them all. Yikes, that's gonna take a little time!

The biggest gem for me in AW has definitely been the morning pages. I have worked out so many questions and clarified so many priorities and goals in them these two months. They have been worth their weight in gold. They've helped me realize what it's going to take to turn believe street into the business I want it to be, and they've helped me feel really committed to it ... especially as I considered the alternatives in black and white. They've made me more focused (... or is that just because most days they end up becoming the place to write my long to-do list?), and they've given me a place to vent and release the pressure that builds up when you're going full-tilt.

I also have a set of nine affirmations that I write out every day (five times each) after I do the morning pages. And I've done most of the written exercises each week. I like the sentence completions ... very revealing if I get them out on paper instead of doing them in my head.

I can't say I've been terribly good about my artist's dates, though. After a great beginning with a trip to a fabric store and a trek to NYC to scout out bead shops, I fell off the map a bit. I still did things every week that nourished me, but not in an, 'Okay, now I'm going to go on an artist's date!' type of way. A lot of them have just been things I've done here at home ... like diving into Danny Gregory's The Creative License, which is a beautiful, gorgeous, and inspiring book ... or reading three issues at once of Crafts Business Magazine ... that type of thing. One week, I took myself out to Panera for a leisurely lunch of mandarin chicken salad while perusing a magazine. Not what I would really consider the kind of full-fledged artist's dates I'd like to be doing -- like spending an afternoon exploring an artsy town, for example -- but definitely better than nothing. Right now, though, my work so directly involves 'art' and creativity every day, that I haven't felt starved for true artist's dates ... but I'd still like to do some in the coming weeks anyway ... and I was thrilled to see that Kat has already made plans to keep this wonderful creative community going after the 12 weeks. Woohoo!

~ ~ ~ ~

I guess it's a good thing February was a short month, huh?

Part of my 'more structure' plans include really trying to share what's going on and what I'm learning in little bits and pieces instead of one big marathon post like this. Wish me luck with that!

I've also been way too much of a lurker lately, and not leaving many comments, though I have kept up with my favorite blogs all along, at least. I just wanted you to know I'm still here on the journey with you.

Comments

[The Bold Soul]

Love the new blog photo. I should have you take some new photos of me for my website sometime... clearly you know your way around a camera. Loved seeing you for lunch last week and glad you decided to blog again, too. And that gorgeous green handbag I put on layway? I'm still waiting to pick it up because I'm stuck in client negotiation hell right now (check my blog for details) and waiting to see how it will turn out before I pick up my "prize" at the Amber Tree. (I will eventually pick the purse up eventually anyway even if the deal goes sour, as a consolation prize.)

P.S. Today the ICF actually CALLED me to find out if I will be keeping or dropping my PCC coach credential. So it's now official... I dropped it and will even get some kind of official letter from the ICF. Closing another chapter...

[Laura]

Oh, wow - wow wow WOW. How incredible - how wonderful for you! Thank you for sharing all of that - definitely, blog posting comes behind such incredible involvement and creativity. It sounds like you're having a blast - and it is a joy to read about it!

[melba]

I love that new photo of you. So good to hear about what you have been up to. I like the pictures of your studio too. It is very interesting to me to see how other people live and work and play. I am so proud of you...being focused. I think it takes will power to make a plan and keep to it. I am here for you cheering you on!

[Marilyn]

You posted on 27th and I'm just seeing it? I swear I couldn't be more than 2 days behind in my Bloglines...sometimes it's a mystery why it takes feeds DAYS to show up. First of all, love the photo on the sidebar...AND the photos of your workspace--lovely! So excited for you that you've found a niche and path that feels right for you right now, although it's hardly a surprise since you've been headed in that direction for awhile. :) I miss your more frequent posts, but I totally understand that sometimes something's gotta give. For me it was morning pages...ha! Haven't done them in WEEKS and can't say I miss them. Maybe my impatience over 'having' to write longhand outweighed any benefits I was getting...don't know. But I've stopped flagellating myself over it and will just do what feels comfortable in AW and move on. Sounds like your're finding some balance in your life and that's always a good thing. Continued good luck with the business--sounds like it's a great fit for you. :)

[Stefani]

Love your new photo - and your work space is breathtaking! Organized containers within drawers - I'm salivating. Your dedication to your business is inspirational. I'm spending this afternoon working on updating my website - I'm hoping a big project will get me out of this funk I'm in. Enjoyed the post immensely, Maria!

[deb]

I totally get that place of overwhelm where blogging just feels like another thing on the damn to-do list ... and I'm glad to see you blogging again.

And dahlink, I LOVE my 'threaders'! xoxo d