Being a Candle in the Wind or keeping the passionate spark for our business burning without burning ourselves out - Part ll

So, I was totally going into Part ll of this series by talking about the kind of things we can do to prevent passion burnout, sort of
...
(because I don't think burnout is really preventable when we are doing work that demands our passionate connection

and is actually part of the ebb and flow of the creative process - the place that creates the space to do something new, paints us into a corner, forces us into the uncomfortable and unfamiliar and often turns out to be exactly where we need to go at exactly the moment we need to go there)

... things that are remarkably similar to those things that keep the passion going in our other relationship - things like time apart (from our regular makings), changes in our routine and studio (I can often give myself a second wind and whole new outlook just from rearranging the furniture in my studio space), connecting with other creatives, diversifying our makings, bringing in some fresh blood, etc and I will talk about these things, but am moving them into Part III which I have just decided there has to be, because I think Part II needs to be about us and our branding.

First thing to remember about your business and your brand is that it is a living, breathing "being" and other people's perception of us factors into it

(yes, I hate that part, too)

And it moves in strange ways. It's not about vertical movement - the ladder is gone (who the hell stole that ladder - I really want to thank that guy!) - that's not the way businesses grow anymore - at least I don't think so, at least not maker businesses.

(which are different than non-maker businesses in so many ways, it would take me days and days to write about all of them)

We grow like weeds and vines and have to think like Billy Joel here we're not "moving up" - we're "moving out"

(of boxes and comfort zones)

Your business moves like a game of chess. You go sideways, you go forward, you slide over on the diagonal, you even go backwards when that makes sense

(and sometimes even when it doesn't but you just need to catch your breath and you totally get to do that because this isn't really a game and no one is keeping score here)

And because this business that is you is going to be around a long time and move in so many ways and in so many places - you really need to get clear on your brand.

You need to know what you stand for here because you need to be able to change - change is good - and you need to be able to stay true to your brand because your brand is you. And if your brand is you this is actually an easy thing to do and a terribly hard thing to do ... at the same time.

What makes you different? What makes you remarkable? What is your “secret recipe”? (wait, don't tell me) - How do you add value to the people who buy from you? How do you add value to the people who interact with you? Is your brand consistent, is it authentic and honest?

(note - you will not see me rocking any major (or minor) bling or writing about hair care products or the power of crystals because they don't represent my brand and the reason I know they do not represent my brand is that they do not represent me and I am my brand)

So, if we are clear on our brand - what we do that makes us special and more importantly why we do it, any changes will make sense for us.

And if we are going to keep that "falling in love" passion for our businesses things are going to need to change now and then and yes, we can totally change things, and need to because this thing is alive, and we can totally still stay true to ourselves and our brand.

Often when you've lost that lovin' feeling it is a process problem. You need to make some changes to your process - which we will talk about in Part III on Friday.

In the meantime, if you are feeling a lack of passion for things just remember that very feeling (or lack of feeling) is a wonderful gift to us and the universe is stirring up a little (or a lot) of discontentment within us to spark the changes we need to make!

* candle in the wind photo by adesigna on flickr

Part lll of Being a Candle in the Wind on Friday

DISCLAIMER - Since I just got an email from someone saying this post made them feel bad because they really are just making stuff they like to make and trying to sell that stuff and they are not a brand and what I would say to that is first - you must take everything I say as just something someone out there is saying because I most often do not know what I am talking about.

And second - I would say that if you have a business you have a brand - it may be scattered and inconsistent at this point, but there is still a "why" behind what you do - why you choose to make the makings you make and why you sell them.

This is all a process and none of us gets this stuff right all the time, but if you are not having fun anymore whether you have sold 9 or 90 or 900 of your whatchamacallits, it may be helpful to get clear on what you are doing and why you are doing it and what makes you special (your brand) before making any changes.

Soda Crate Upcycled Tutorial - Soda Crate to Magnet Board - Xmas Countdown Week #4

Soda crates are super-easy to find online and at flea markets and this is another simple upcycle to turn one into an awesome magnet board organization shelf. Makes an especially cool gift for a teenager this holiday season!

(you can also make this with a cork bottom - just use foam under the cork to add stability and thickness for your pushpins!)

you will need : an old soda crate, sheetmetal (available at any hardware store or big box home center), foamboard, glue, sawtooth hangers, glazier points, ruler, drill, bottle caps

Measure the inner area of the bottom section of your crate - note - you can also use a soda crate with one opening and fill the entire area - cut pieces of foam core to fill the inner edge, glue foam core edges together and slide into bottom opening, cut sheetmetal to fit, add glazier points with flathead screwdriver, add sawtooth hangers to back, flatten bottle caps with a mallet

(optional, but I never miss a chance to hammer anything with a mallet - trust me, get yourself a mallet)

glue magnets to back of caps - I added little wood backings that I had from scrap cuttings and screwed my caps to them

To get yourself a soda crate check out these wonderful sellers on Etsy HERE

your relationship with your other ball and chain (at least if you are a jewelry maker) ...

Being a professional maker - which means making things that you sell -

no matter how many of those things you are actually selling

is kind of like having another marriage -

(or a first marriage for you singletons or another civil union for those who are unjustly unable to even get married in the first place)

a marriage - that hopefully started with the falling in love part -

maybe love at first sight

(which I am pretty sure I have never experienced with man or makings)

or maybe the love that grows on you over time until you are thinking "hey, I think I've got something here"

(which I find to be true of both man and makings ... *winks at hubs*)

And that marriage started out with passion with a capital P - it was red hot - you could have fried an egg on your brain it was working so hard

(or maybe that was when you were on drugs, I forget, but there was some egg frying at some point, I'm sure).

I mean we were up all night with this stuff - our heads and hands full of ideas. We couldn't sleep. We couldn't eat (well, except for me, I can always eat, actually). We were creating.

This is what we will call the "falling in love" part of building a business, the fun part, the part where dreams are made flesh in the form of ingenious and original little whoseewhatsees (yes, I said whoseewhatsee).

But, alas just like any marriage this honeymoon phase is destined to give way eventually to the "you must work at it - this stuff is work, did you think you were going to get to party like it's 1999 forever" part of building our business -

the part that separates the men from the boys, the one night stands from the relationships, the divorce lawyers from the 25 year anniversary dinners.

And this working part of our business is just as important as the working part of a marriage until ... well, until it just isn't working anymore ...

which is the reason you need a brand and not a business, a brand and not a product, a brand that is all about you - so when the working part isn't working for you anymore

(this is not a death til us part kind of marriage after all)

you can saunter off (yes, I said saunter) in a new direction and take your people (ie cohorts, friends, customers) with you while still staying true to your brand because you are your brand.

You are your brand, right? That is a kind of important part of my theory here because when the working part is just not working for you, you need to be able to make changes. A creative without that passionate honeymoon phase to fire 'em up once in a while (this is an open marriage after all) will find the work to be well ... work. And when your makings become just work to you, well, people can tell and most importantly you can tell.

When artists become business people who are left to be artists?

(disclaimer - I stole borrowed this line from an HBO mini series about doctors, but I think it applies equally to creatives)

Passion must come first or we are just business people who make things.

(and that sounds like an awful thing to be and would look just crappy on your business card)

And, keeping that passionate spark lit in the midst of production and business thinking can be a challenge; maybe the biggest challenge of your business.

Part II later this week - Being a Candle in the Wind

* just because I love you card by TheWallaroo