Lettergirl

Success, part 2.

Second in a series on habits for success in the studio.  The series starts here.

Get comfortable.

I am so much more successful during the day if I'm not distracted by "What's for lunch?"  If I've got my tea, a lunch (even better if it's warm), water, a snack, then I don't have to spend any energy thinking about it (other than the energy of looking forward to it). 

This would seem to be a no-brainer, but it's a strategy I often forget.  A couple of weeks ago I had a Friday all set aside for creative work, but I rushed out the door with just a mandarin for lunch.  I learned my lesson.

What's your favorite winter lunch?  You can find my recipe for Southwestern Corn Chowder here.

Setting myself up for success.

My etsy shop is closed February 4-18.

As I did last year, I've set it up so I can have a week of etsy organizing (new designs! new photos!) and a week of play.  However, as I got midway through the second week last year, I started to panic:  This is it! You've only got a few more days to play!  Are you using it wisely? 

So this year I've given it a little thought first:  How can I set myself up for success?  Each day during my break I'd like to share a habit with you about how I set myself up for success.

Make a list, then walk away.

Seriously girl, it's only a couple of weeks.  But I want to make the most of them, so my first step was to make a list of everything I wanted to do.  And then I closed the notebook and let the list sit there for a couple of weeks.  When I came back to it, I was able to cross a few things off and add a few other things.   Sure, random "play" sounds fun two months in advance, but as my break got closer, I realized that setting up projects would be more valuable to me than just walking into the studio and saying, "What do I feel like doing today?"

I really had two lists:  one for all the housekeeping tasks I want to take care of in the shop (by far, the longer list), and one list of creative projects I've been wanting to try.

I arranged my list into things that will take a half-day (about 3 hours) and things that are quicker (an hour or two).  Then I made sure that I didn't have 15 days worth of stuff to do.  In the end, I have nine days worth of stuff -- not as much wiggle room as I'd like, especially on the creative end, but it's a start. 

How do you set yourself up for success?  Over the next two weeks as I share my own strategies, I hope you'll comment with tips of your own.

Wednesday Book Club.

"It's not about ideas, it's about making ideas happen." 

While my shop is closed next month, I'm hoping to get the ball rolling on launching a new product and developing a new way of sharing my textile projects with a bigger audience (which is to say, bigger than my daughter and me, as we're the only ones who get to wear them so far).  Making Ideas Happen by Scott Belsky assumes you have the ideas already (I do!) and just need the right nudge to execute them.  Although it may sound a little dry, it's actually quite inspiring:  concrete ways to change the way you work, especially for creatives.  I am fairly left-brain driven for an artsy girl, always trying to work smarter, more efficiently.  Frankly, I love to prioritize.  But my real goal is to manage my time so that I have more time to create. 

Have you read any helpful business books lately? 

Quotation Friday.

Please note: my blog has moved.  Visit me at ginasekelsky.com

No problem there.  So far in December I've made 196 address stamps, 575 custom holiday cards, a handful of personalized gifts, and 50 handcolored calendars.  I've given myself over to it.  And am feeling blessed and grateful that I can share my gifts.  But also looking forward to sleeping more than six hours a night.  I'm in the home stretch.

If you have a moment, could you share the name and/or a description of your favorite card game?  I'm compiling a list of ideas for new card games to play as part of my son's present.  I'd love a little help!

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who joined me for my open house yesterday.  If you had half as much fun as I did, you're in good shape for the weekend.

Take a good look; it will probably never be this clean again.

There are lots of new names in my birthday book:

And Purnah was wearing a new outfit, with an obi sash I'm making out of scraps:

Behind Purnah is my inspiration wall -- I've wanted one for ages.  (Of course, it comes a year after my virtual inspiration wall on Pinterest...not sure yet how the two will intersect.)

A special shout out to Kayla and Sam, two etsy customers who came to see my new digs.  I enjoyed chatting with you!   Friends old and new, my pals from kettlebells, and anyone who fought traffic to get here from the suburbs -- Michael, Mary -- or further (Grettel), I'm so grateful for your efforts.  I'm counting on the positive energy from yesterday to fuel even more creative pursuits in this lovely new space.

And thanks to the boys who cleaned my floor at the end of the night!

New wall decals from Spoonflower.

As if printing my own fabric did not make me giddy enough, Spoonflower now prints custom wall decals.  I read their email announcement on a Wednesday and by Friday was placing my first order.  I made two decals, 15" square.  One is near my desk so that I can focus on it when I arrive, and the other is on the inside of the door so that I see it before I leave for the day.

They are inexpensive enough -- and repositionable -- and I didn't waste a lot of time choosing "the perfect quote."  Instead I chose four things I want to focus on at each end of my workday.  With all the digital work I've been doing over the last four years, that part of my home office has become the most prominent, and definitely where I spend the most time.  I wanted my new studio to have more hands-on creativity at its heart. 

So my Good Morning sign reminds me to Show up (be present), Say no (mainly to online activity, such a distraction), Get some fresh air (and try to interact with other people), and Shine (be my best creative self).

And my Good Night sign prompts me to shut the door on my work before I go home to my family.  Now of course, I love my work and sometimes it's an all-day-all-night endeavor, but I'm making a choice to be more consciously present with my family.  I'll take a moment each day before I leave to Be still, to Think small (all those little things that really matter), Say yes (be open), and really Listen (so easy to be distracted by what didn't get done).

I can't wait to start making wall decals with all my favorite quotes!

Quotation Friday.

A silly start to Friday...but it's true, right?  If you haven't read Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon, pop over to the library and get yourself a copy.  (It's perfect if you're behind on the Summer Reading Program, since you can read the whole thing in about 30 minutes, and still have no trouble coming up with content for a review.)  It's fairly simple stuff, but I dare you to read the whole thing and not find something that resonates with you.  For me, I'd been thinking about how much time I spend on the computer these days vs. how much time I used to spend doing hands-on art.  Kleon suggests having a digital workspace and an analog workspace.  Perfect and timely advice for me, as I'm in the giddy stage of planning a **new** studio, daydreaming about where and how I want to work.  (And a big thank you here to Susanna, for getting the ball rolling with a scale drawing of my new digs!)

My turn: something I'm proud of.

Last Wednesday's comment question was "What are you proud of?" and today I'm going to take my turn to answer.  (And yes, I meant to do this on Wednesday this week.)

I'm proud of my daughter for accepting her celiac diagnosis with incredible grace and strength.

I'm proud of myself every time I say it out loud and don't burst into tears.

I'm proud to be married to a French cookin' fiend.

I'm proud that my kids are best friends, there for each other through thick and thin.

I'm proud of the days I manage to remember that it could be worse, that most of the things I worried about didn't come true in the end (like lactose intolerance...bring on the cheese!  And the ice cream!  And the buttered popcorn!).

I'm proud that I have a knowledgeable family to help us and caring in-laws to support us.

I'm proud of my grandma, who had to eat gluten free in the 1970's when there was literally nothing out there for her.  (And I'm sorry if I ever wrinkled my nose at those corn pancakes she used to love.)

My new baking cupboard -- I've been using Annalise Roberts' Classical Blend for my gf baking the last few years (and which I store in the fridge), but I wanted to try some other brands too.  The Jules worked great for flour tortillas!  And I'm really looking forward to trying Domata, made locally.

15 Ways to Stay Creative (and a giveaway).

Now that I've finished my A to Z journal (or at least made it all the way to Z), I've compiled the creative habits I shared throughout the project into one list. 

1.  Let your ideas percolate.  Make lists, write notes, sketch, ponder.

2.  Build a bridge:  whenever you're working on a project, leave it in a place that makes it easy to start the next time.

3.  Find your balance:  recognize when you're in a rut (or when you're staying true to yourself in a groove).  I also seek the balance between planning and serendipity.

4.  Embrace (or at least accept) imperfection. 

5.  Remember your goal:  think big picture.

6.  Remember your intention:  think little picture.

7.  Exhaust an idea:  draw a pear every day for a month; create something green every day; use one word in your art over & over.

8.  Find a mentor.

9.  Do something (it's better than doing nothing).

10.  The right tools may not start your project for you, but they'll help you finish it. 

11.  Make your work portable.  Find different places to do your art, or make use of the places where you need to be anyway.

12.  When you're frustrated, go away.  Work on something else.  Clean your studio.  Take a walk.  Organize stuff.  Then come back.

13.  Have more than one iron in the fire.

14.  Think with your heart for a change. 

15.  Remind yourself that if you don't like the art you've made, it will at the very least teach you to make better art next time.

Now for the giveaway!

Meet Amery.  Amery is new in the shop this week, a cousin to Muriel.  You can win your very own self-inking Amery Address Stamp by leaving a comment on today's post:  in the spirit of my A to Z book, tell me one letter/word about yourself.  Randomness is encouraged!  I'll choose a winner on Friday morning.

A to Z.

My new creative habit:  Thanks to Amy at Spirit Out!, I have added a new creative habit to my toolbox.  Once a week (when I can), I like to have a mini-retreat.  I head down to the coffee shop with a notebook and pen (or sometimes a totebag full of notebooks and pens..and colored pencils), to do a little brainstorming.  Today's theme:  my upcoming 20th anniversary.  Woot woot!  But in addition to the usual fevered scribbling of ideas, I added a new layer:  I put the pen down, closed my eyes, and gave myself a few minutes to consider how I'm feeling about it.  (Really proud of myself for one, really grateful to my customers for another.) 

I'm excited about all the ways I could celebrate:  20 giveaways for 20 days?  one great big party?  I would love to hear your suggestions!