BUILDING BUSINESS
Running a business is hard work, as you probably all know by now! Not only do we
“make things”, we also design things, promote things, photograph things, edit things,
list things, sell things, do those account things, pack things, post things...you get the
picture. Never have enough time in the day? Here’s a few tips to make your creative
business run a little more smoothly.
Manage Your Time
Don’t Do It Alone
Some of us have “real jobs” and most of us
have family. Juggling the “other stuff” with
a creative business is really difficult and
almost no body that I’ve spoken to manages to do it well, all of the time. You know
yourself and your commitments better than
any body, so creating a schedule for your
creative business may help work more efficiently. If you know you have X amount
of hours each day, work out what you need
to do for the rest of the week and plan it to
fit in around those hours. You’re not wonderwoman and you don’t have ten pairs of
hands. Plan ahead, take breaks so you don’t
go stir crazy and don’t be afraid to ask for
help!
Find a community that you feel at home
with (like Creative Bead Chat!) and stick with
it! You will need like minded people who
know how frustrating it is when you drop a
whole tube of seed beads all over the floor.
You will be thankful for people to talk to
about beads and jewelry making with and
your family will love that you have people to
talk about beads and jewelry making with!
No matter how supportive your loved ones
are, they have limits and will begin to glaze
over or nod off at some stage! Not only can
networking and finding a group you feel at
home with be good for the soul, it can be
good for the purse too!
Believe In What You Do
Stay Creative!
Enjoy what you do. If you don’t believe in
what you do and you don’t enjoy it, it won’t
work for you. Try to be confident in your
work...this can take time, so be prepared to
feel like you’re not good enough, but know
deep down that the confidense will come
with time and experience. One amazing
thing about being an artist, is that you never
stop learning! This can only benefit you and
in turn, your business too. Have faith in the
product you create and strive to make it better each time. Ask your peers for feedback
and constructive critique, work out where
your weak points are and how you can make
them better...because you can!
creativebeadchat.com
Every artist loses their muse on ocassion
and sometimes it can be hard when you feel
like you “have” to be creative. Don’t force it.
Get off the computer and go do something
else...get out of the house, get some fresh
air, take a shower, walk the dog, have a nap.
If you want to cajool your muse into life,
tease it! Write lists, look at colour palettes,
browse Pinterest or Etsy or Creative Bead
Chat, take out a sketch book, read a book,
listen to some music and sing out loud,
drink coffee (lots!) and if all else fails, get
your beads out! Humblebeads “Muffin Tin
Challenge” will kick even the most stubborn
of muse’s into touch!