Getting Your Story Into the World

I was happy that my publicist, Mary Lower of Sterling Cross Communications attended our last Creativity & Tea: open studio. It was a great way for her to get a sense of what I do by experiencing it herself. Since I've hired her to get the PCF story out into the world, it feels important for her to have an authentic experience of an aspect of what we do. I find that when I'm trying to communicate what we do, it works best to give a sample.

Mary took this photo of one of the participants in the session. Photos and testimonials are ways that your potential clients can get a taste of what you do and better understand your story.

How do you communicate what you do? How do you get your story out? Are there ways people can sample what you do?

The Power of Expressive Art

Once again, I was amazed at the insights that expression through art can bring to issues that are otherwise stuck and stagnating in our logical, left brains. PCF facilitator, Tasha Burg's led us through her "Expressive Art: Transforming the Emotions of Pain" session on Saturday. We all experienced how to pay attention to what our bodies and emotions are trying to tell us about what we need to support our well-being. Tasha recommend's the book Visual Journaling, by Barbara Ganim to gain practice in using art for self-discovery and healing.

Symbiotic Collaboration

Collaborating can be so nice. I met Lenore Moritz Rabatin about a month ago when she contacted me to learn more about what we do at Purple Crayon Factory. Lenore is a former Public Relations executive who found creativity to be the balance she needed in her work. She is pursuing study in the connection between creativity and productivity. She asked if she could shadow a session sometime. In February, she participated in our Creativity and Tea session. She offered to help with another session and I invited her to co-facilitate a Nurture Your Creativity session for VISTA.

We got together and tailored the session for the college VISTAs. It was so fun bouncing ideas back and forth. She shared a great brainstorming technique that I'll use again now that I know how well it works. Yesterday, we co-facilitated the session for 40 VISTA participants. We had good interplay between us. I enjoyed the extra perspectives she shared as well as her assistance. Both of us felt we had gotten the better end of the deal and left delighted with the outcome.

I was reminded of how much I enjoy a good collaboration. What are your thoughts on collaboration? Are two heads really better than one? What does a productive collaboration entail?

Networking Cultures and Comparisons

I go to a lot of networking events and I'm always intrigued by the different networking cultures and ways of interacting.

Yesterday, I was a guest at the Midway Chamber of Commerce. There were probably over a 100 people in attendance. This particular event felt a little like culture shock for me. I've gotten used to both attending and orchestrating networking events that dissuade randomly handing out business cards before making a real and authentic connection. At this event, several attendees were passing cards to each other before they started talking. Instead of running for cover, I looked for the fun in it. I decided to have a prize drawing from all the business cards that had been given to me. That was a blast and it gave me a nice way to reconnect with everyone to announce the prize winner and perhaps lead to more communication. It also drew people to approach me who might not have otherwise. People who "get" what we offer and how we might be resources to each other. I found myself enjoying the networking even though it was more conventional than to what I'm accustomed and seek out. I'm happy I attended.

At the Midway Chamber event, St. Paul Police Chief Harrigan spoke about how character is most important to the quality of one's job. He talked about this in terms of supervising police. It's rare that a police officer is hired for not being able to properly write a report. The real problems come from having poor character for the job. It made me think about networking. Would I rather refer someone who had a lot of training but had poor character or someone with less training but initiative and character? I suppose it depends on the type of work (I'd prefer a highly trained brain surgeon). In general, when I give a referral the things I want to make sure of are: 1) that this person responsible and responsive, 2) is a good communicator, 3) has integrity and is honest about everything including capabilities, 4) will do a great job. Notice that I included that it is very important that the person do a good job. But the things I thought of first were all about character. When I looked at the St. Paul Police website, I found this quote:
“...Excellence, Ethics, Empathy, and Education!”-Chief John M. Harrington. I again notice that character, quality and training all go hand in hand with what he states as important.

What do you think? When you are going to give a referral, what weight do you give to character, quality and training? Are you able to determine these things by hearing an elevator speech about the other person's business? Or does it take something more to get a sense of these things?

A couple weeks ago, Lee Truer and I were hired to facilitate networking for the Cultural Creatives Network. This was a smaller group, between 20-24 in attendance. The networking activities got attendees really connecting with each other. I could tell that supportive, caring, working relationships were being established. Though there were less people in attendance, it's more likely that these participants will be able to give authentic referrals because they were able to get a good look into each other's character and what they bring to their work. This style of networking is what I'm personally drawn to since authenticity and strength of character are some of my core values.

Your own core values and character will shape the type of networking you prefer. When you seek networking opportunities, keep this in mind. It's a nice challenge to try out different ways of networking but it's also comforting when you find the networking that works best for you and helps you shine.

Happy networking!

Prioritizing time together

On most Tuesdays, my daughter doesn't have preschool and so she is home with me. There have been plenty of Tuesdays where I've had a hard time setting aside work, trying to sneak it in while she's occupied playing. Today was different. I put her first. Maybe it was because it was Valentine's Day or maybe it was because I've chosen to remember all that I love about my work. (Nudge to myself--Wasn't having more time with family one of the perks I'd wanted when I started this business?) My goal for the day was to focus on being together and not be distracted by the call of things I need to do for work. We took a leisurely walk to the grocery store, made a fancy heart-shaped cake (from scratch and decorated even!) and even heart-shaped home-made pizzas for dinner. Sure, I had a little work that needed to be done but I did it differently. The few e-mails I needed to send, I did while holding my daughter on my lap. A couple other things (like this blog) I waited to do after bedtime. Today felt really good, knowing that I was both honoring our time together and one of the reasons I've chosen to have my own business.

What are you choosing or remembering to prioritize?

Upsize Lifelines article in newstands!

My business lifeline, Jean Hanson and I were profiled in the February issue of Upsize Magazine (I wrote all Upsize Lifelines Awards Ceremony in the Feb. 1 blog-post). The article is about the value of a Virtual Assistant (Jean) to a small business (Purple Crayon Factory). Check it out on page 10 or by clicking here. You say you don't subscribe to Upsize? Here's your chance, for a limited time Upsize is offering a free subscription of 30 issues ($54 value), see the header on the Upsize homepage. Now, we just have to see about getting on the cover. ;)

Nurturing Friendship and Creativity

Tonight, I was honored to be a guest on the Jill Spiegel show on FM107. We spoke about creativity and friendship. This is what we talked about:

-Through a creative process, we let go of some of barriers and communication tends to flow more naturally and deeply. For example, I've found it really easy to get to know other women while doing beadwork. Our hands are occupied and it allows time for silence, without it being awkward. This same phenomenon happens in our Creativity and Tea sessions, allowing for easy, unintimidating networking.

-As a busy woman, I desire spending time in friendships but also like it when I feel I'm accomplishing something. By creating with friends, I'm able to nurture friendships, have fun, be inspired and support each other in our creativity all at the same time.

-Through creative processes, we express ourselves. We express our emotions, our thoughts that need to come out or even simply our aesthetics. We get to know each other more deeply and appreciate each other more fully.

-A lovely byproduct is that we also remember each other by what we have created. When I look at a piece I created while I was with friends, I not only see what I made, I recall the wonderful time we shared together and that positive energy infuses the piece.

-Once a month, I host an open creativity studio called Creativity and Tea. It's a time to come together, relax, play with creative materials. I serve tea and chocolate and do all the clean up. I want everyone there to feel like a kid again. I'm lucky because I get to be in a wonderful environment, inspire creativity and absorb all the positive energy in the room. I always leave glowing. I hear time and again from attendees that they really enjoy the connections they make. Informal networking naturally bubbles up during these sessions and often they follow up by working together in various ways.

-I'm also fortunate to be in a group called sister i, in which we support each other on our creative goals. And of course, we have developed powerful friendships with each other through this process.

Jill Spiegel shared about "walking in the direction that gives you energy" and staying "true to yourself and walk your own dream". I notice that whenever things start feeling difficult and draining, it's just a nudge to let me know I'm straying from my path. Jill gave exceptional advice to her listeners about paying attention to synchronicities, what feels easy and what people tell you you're great at to get on the path that feeds your passion.

What is a Virtual Assistant? A VA is a Business Lifeline

I nominated our Virtual Assistant, Jean Hanson for Upsize Magazine's Lifelines award. She was one of seven selected and I'm so happy that she's being publicly recognized for her outstanding work. Here is a picture of Jean and me at the awards ceremony yesterday.

Click here if I've got you wondering "What is a VA (Virtual Assistant)?"

The day I was referred to Jean Hanson was the day my business gained momentum. I decided to make an investment in the growth of my business by partnering with a VA who could take over some of the marketing projects I was handling myself. Jean skillfully stepped in, freed up my time from these projects, and inspired me to take steps I would not have felt ready to otherwise. She is worlds more than a task-keeper – she gets the big picture of what I’m trying to do with my business and helps me move towards my goals by brainstorming ideas and implementing a plan.

If you are a small business owner or solo entrepreneur and could use some assistance but aren't able to hire a part or full-time employee, I recommend you consider a VA. Many of us small business owners try to do everything under the sun and then run out of steam. My VA, Jean's assistance gives me more time to hold my vision and do what I'm good and passionate about.

What is my lesson from working with Jean? “As an entrepreneur, you can do anything, but in order to grow your business, you simply can’t do everything!”

Thank you and congratulations, Jean!