The world is a different place than it was on the eve of 2020, especially for small businesses. To survive, you need to be flexible, creative and inspired. So how the heck do you do that during a worldwide pandemic?
I've got three of my friends/ small biz owners/ Mums here who are managing to grow in an uncertain economic time. We want to share our advice with you because we believe in bringing our Sisters along with us.
All four of us are all finalists in a National Business award for women who are also Mothers (so we have lots of other priorities, too).
We want to lift you up.
Four of us gathered for an inspiring zoom chat on Friday. We spoke about everything from branding to marketing to community and creativity (which is of course, what I’m most interested in) so get your notepad out.
Humans make things for survival so we are all makers. It’s important to acknowledge that even if you are the queen (or king) of spreadsheets that you are still creative. It takes all kinds.
Jenn of, Social Media and Marketing with Jenn Donovan, claimed she didn't have a 'creative' bone in her body but the three of us quickly pounced on her to disagree. Jenn is highly clever, innovative and intuitive- as you need to be in marketing. Once we dug a bit more we, and Jenn herself, realised that she draws inspiration from the world around her- and she actively seeks it out too.
Podcasts, books, and paying attention to other talented marketers are what helps Jenn fill her brain then she needs to give herself time to download it all. For Jen, that can look like spending an hour just writing down ideas. It’s a vital process for her to stay current but also give herself time to think and plan.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CD2O8M7lbiJ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Get your ears onto Jenn's podcast here.
For Sarah, owner of Alined Design she studies (gets lost inside) Pinterest for visual inspo. She also belongs to several online communities where she can keep up with people who are the best in their field, and that inspires Sarah to keep reaching. Her business is growing and she’s always on the lookout for how to improve the experience for her customers, and sometimes that means paying attention to her own experience as a consumer. If she gets excellent service, she tries to implement it in her own business in some way.
Sarah would much rather continue to serve her own loyal customers than constantly hunt for new ones; she understands the importance that not only great design, but great service, and great relationships, play in small business.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDuoJNelgI0/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Find Alined Design on Insta, Facebook and LinkedIn
For Janelle of Buy From Tasmania, it’s all about her own backyard. If COVID taught her one thing, it would be the importance of supporting her local community. With Hobart’s infamous markets closed to the public, Jenelle set herself the task of creating an online marketplace that was more about making connections than making profits. She sought to serve not only vendors and consumers but her community, the environment and her children's futures.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDiLNYuhDAt/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Find BFT on Instagram here.
Being an Artist/ Overachiever is a conundrum in itself. I’ve experienced burnout and mental health consequences of no boundaries, not being able to say no, not shutting off and not leaving time for myself. I’ve learned that making time to potter is essential to my creativity. Turning off my business brain for a while is essential to my creativity. I need to fill my tank with seemingly unrelated things like walks, music, food, play, even cleaning (so many treasures to find in an art studio). When you work in a business that is also your passion, sometimes you don’t know when to stop. If this is you, schedule downtime if you have to. Go take a hot bath, or gaze at the clouds. Daydream. Give inspiration the space to drop in.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_Gqq06BV8Z/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Something all four of us have is that we are life-long-learners. We absorb inspiration from our worlds because we are doing our soul work and we are always hungry for more. I think we can stay focused, passionate and in love with what we do because we’ve finally been able to create businesses that offer our individual gifts.
There is something special about running a business that you love. We feel connected to and absorbed by the world around us, and we see how our services and our clients fit into that world. When you are able to have freedom, create boundaries, and do your soul work, it allows you to draw inspiration from everywhere (including COVID lockdown!)
If you want to support small businesses, go past page one of Google! There are some fantastic small, local businesses on the next few pages. Go treasure hunting!
What will your next step be?
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My future sister-in-law is doing a grad degree at one of the top art schools in the USA. Talent and passion are embedded in her work. I feel like we are at similar stages of 'living an Artist's life,' even though she's studying and I've been working for a few years.
I only met my FSIL once in person (cross-continental issues) but she immediately became one of my favourite people. We became pen-pals during isolation, writing to each other several times a week. A true gift, I look up to her the more I know her, even though she's nearly ten years younger. Many of her peers (and professors) have varying ideas of what it means to be a 'success' in the art world and she asked me what I thought...which inspired this entire post.
Art is a subjective field, so many of us seek common markers of success but everyone has different ideas about what that means. So for a couple of women trying to make sense of their identities as Artists in the world, how will we know if, or when, we've done well?
I studied at a University with a theoretical Art program. We learned about the conundrum of; “If you become a commercial success, you’re probably also a sell-out.” But, if you don’t sell out, you'll be a ‘starving artist,’ and no one will see your work- but integrity!
I never agreed with that model and luckily it’s completely outdated now because of the internet. Art critics and galleries are no longer the gatekeepers. Any artist, at any stage of his or her career, can share their work with the masses.
I used to think that if someone paid me for my art, that made me an artist. I sold my first piece to my friend, Hannah for $35.00. I probably spent most of that in shipping the small canvas from Australia to the USA (or maybe she paid the shipping, I can’t remember- thank you, lovely Hannah.) I painted this cute, little pear still-life with shitty brushes from the dollar shop and kids craft acrylic but I felt proud. Someone valued my work enough to exchange money for it.
Did that make me a real Artist? I wasn't sure.
In my mind, I had never exhibited my work, so I wasn’t a real Artist.
Years later I got invited to exhibit at a one-night multi-disciplinary RAW event and I sold a bunch of small pieces. Imposter Syndrome running high, I told myself it didn’t count because it was more like a market than an art show.
One year later a gallery I had actually heard of, invited me to participate in a small show called, Abstract. What a confidence boost. I thought that they must have been having a difficult time finding abstract artists for the show.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BoL0D52nChi/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
I was so nervous at the opening that my champagne glass was never empty for more than a few seconds. But I didn’t sell anything. So, how could I be a success? (I did sell all those pieces through Instagram shortly after, but do you think I let myself be proud of that for more than five minutes?)
Let's see. At that point, I sold artwork, had a website, participated in exhibitions….but I didn’t have a style. Most experts tell you to master one technique before trying others. I'm interested in too many mediums, it’s like I have art ADD. I even made the leap into resin art last year and it’s my newest, most frustrating obsession (because I'm not good at it yet).
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5_6CMwnlmb/
That model of scarcity and low confidence isn't helpful to anyone, especially a vulnerable creative.
Know what I DO have? A community. I bloomed when accepted into the art group, Thou Art Mum. They are a local group of Women Artists who are also Mothers. My people. We prop each other up, hold one another accountable, share ideas, and move through our busy lives carving out space to be both real people and real artists. We are all different ages, have different specialities, different businesses, and we are ALL ARTISTS.
Know what else I have now? Inner knowing. At 39-turns-around-the-sun, I’m starting to figure myself out. Just as I am now, I have been an artist since I could hold a crayon. It’s part of my core.
Success goes deeper than monetary exchange, exhibitions, fame, genres and techniques.
What is more fulfilling than bringing something into the world, where there was nothing before it? It starts inside, with a feeling, or idea. It bubbles out of you and into the world through your hands, your lens, your brushes, your tools. If you write, you can call yourself a writer. If you make art you call yourself an artist- louder for the people at the back.
Is that not, success?
Don’t seek validation outside yourself. Look inward. That is your life’s most successful and most celebrated work.
Recently I grabbed an opportunity by the ovaries. It’s kind of insane-but not really- and it fills one of my lifelong dreams, to be published in a book.
Change Makers, 20 Inspirational Stories from Women Making an Impact in the Lives of Others.
My co-authors are business owners, entrepreneurs and change-makers in their fields. I haven’t changed the world but in the last decade, I’ve changed myself. I’ve shed the obedient, good-girl people-pleaser, I’ve battled mental health issues but came through the other side and started chasing down my dreams like only a formerly-mad-woman could.
I keep seeing all these posts about how there are only # weeks left in THIS DECADE. The posts are all, “Get it, Sis! Take that risk!” I wholeheartedly agree to a point but some of us are slower movers, and that’s cool. Real, sustainable change takes time.
So for those of you who might need more than a few weeks to take a huge risk, I want you to know it’s okay to make small steps in the right direction.
When I look back at the last decade, the ’10’s, I see how some of my biggest challenges involved getting out of bed and into the shower (up there with moving across the globe on the difficulty scale at times). I’ve been to hell and back in my own mind. From complete darkness to total joy. I did it by building the bridge across one board at a time.
If I look back to 2009, the year I transferred my whole life from Buffalo, New York, to Melbourne, Australia, I’m in a completely different place, mentally, physically (obviously), and emotionally. But even after that bold move, it’s been a constant evolution.
Now I’m being called to share my experience with others with the hope to inspire, at the least and at the most help women express their true, wild selves at the very most.
If I can do it, then anyone can.
Love, peace and babysteps,
xoxoxoxo
Dawn
#changemakersbook
When I was in kindergarten I remember taking some sort of aptitude test. It required me to cut a circle out of a piece of red construction paper.
I started cutting. The sides looked uneven so I snipped and trimmed again and again until I had a red circle in my palm the size of a cherry. I remember being disappointed about the smallness of that dot. It still looked uneven. I wanted to start over.
Perfectionism stems from being a people pleaser. It is a behaviour that attempts to control other people’s perception of us. It’s not striving for excellence, nor is it healthy.
Dr Brene Brown refers to perfectionism as armour; “Perfection is, at its core, about trying to earn approval. Early praise for achievement and performance has become a dangerous and debilitating belief system.” She says that overall it’s not a mechanism to avoid shame, it’s a function of shame itself.
Most of my life I tried to control the way other people saw me when actually I was preventing them from seeing the REAL me. I feared that if people saw me in all of my brokenness than no one would like or love me.
Today I am comfortable in my discomfort. I like being different, difficult, strange, or as my lovely husband calls me “complex.” He says; “Complex different from complicated because complicated is hard.” He loves a challenge and life with me is never boring. I take it as a compliment.
This relates to creative pursuits. To use another cliche, perfectionism is the enemy of creativity. In order for me to create, my goal cannot and will not ever be ‘perfection.’ How could any of us possibly master a craft without making mistakes first? Mistakes are the best teachers (and trust me, sometimes the things you do to cover up mistakes offer the most incredible discoveries).
My daughter has this book called, Beautiful Oops. It’s about turning your drips, rips and tears into something lovely. We now refer to any artistic mistakes as ‘a beautiful oops’ (she’s already like me in that she’s hard on herself when she screws up). I highly recommend the book for mini perfectionist kiddos (or anyone really).
Be different. Be weird. Be messy & imperfect.
Running my fingers along the twisted scar on my abdomen I wince at the tissue’s thickness and what it represents.
The baby cries impatiently as I fumble for my glasses. I haven’t slept more than a three-hour clip in four months. For a moment I flopped back down in bed and pulled the blanket over my head. What if I just refused to get up?
Less than six months ago. I felt that close to giving up. Every. Single. Day.
I tried to prepare for my second child. Took all the preventative measures to avoid or minimise a second round of postnatal depression. The emergency caesarian was not part of my plan. Nor the reflux issues and sleeplessness that followed.
I retreated from my social networks. I couldn't taste food. I felt equal parts overwhelmingly busy and bored. My interests faded. The negative self-talk had a freaking field day on my self-esteem.
{There were several exceptional humans who helped with my responsibilities, allowed me to nap, brought me coffee, let me cry, DM'ed me the best midwife advice. Thank you, my village.}
My husband was also sleep-deprived and stressed beyond recognition. His usual positivity gave way to worry due to uncertainty at work. Lucky guy, he bounced from one stressful environment to another. It took every last breath in his tank to make sure I wasn't going to completely lose my marbles. We barely saw one another, he barely saw the girls.
This too shall pass, they say. But when you’re in the middle of it, the end alludes you.
When my Grandmother passed away in New York and I couldn’t get home for the funeral, it was the closest to a nervous breakdown I’ve ever felt.
It was time for the BIG question. What’s it all for?
That’s when we flipped the Goddamn table on our life.
Matt got his Commercial and Residential builders licenses. With this massive goal achieved, it was like someone flung open a window in our house full of closed doors. As a family, all four of us managed to squeeze out of that little escape hatch and bust into the sunlight.
1. By Being a Good Person
Matt worked his ass off for fifteen years in the construction industry. He made great relationships with subcontractors and built a reputation for himself as a fair, respectful and honest person. Don't burn bridges unless they're toxic, stand up for what's right, people will remember you for it. Protect your reputation.
2. Making Time
There's never enough 'time.' Never for anyone, ever. Throw out that excuse. Matt pursued a life-long dream of getting his builders license even though the timing was downright shitty after having our second baby. I supported him and complained every step of the way. Two days a week I only saw him during night feeds. We got through it and I wouldn't change a thing.
3. Sacrificing Something Big
We sold our dream home. At the end of the day, it’s sticks and bricks. Better that we have more autonomy, more time as a family. It was an emotional rollercoaster selling in today's market. But we've done it! Cashed-up, and cashed-in, ready to start our business. Something had to give and I’m glad it was the house and not one of our brains.
4. Creating The Scariest Thing We Could Think Of
We started our own construction company. Everyone Matt speaks to about starting a business says the same thing, “Starting my own business is the best thing I’ve ever done, my only regret is not doing it sooner.” It takes gonads. It takes teamwork. It takes trust. Our chips are in and we are high-fiving all the way to the starting line.
Matt has been home with the kids and I for the last few months. We’ve been tested with two deaths in the family, my depression, the four of us getting sick for a month, a baby who didn’t sleep through the night, selling our home in a declining market….I’m not sure how much more pressure you can place on a partnership.
The experience has absolutely galvanised us.
We made all the difficult decisions as a team. We trusted one another. We supported each other. We snuggled our babies and took turns sleeping-in (he only had a few turns).
My mental health is the best it’s been in years if not decades. THIS is what it's all about.
I know if all goes to plan, life will get busy again. Matt will be working long hours and the pressure will ramp up. The difference is that this time it's on our own terms. The risks are greater but so are the potential rewards.
Life is too short to stay on a socially constructed path. There are other ways to do things. Take a risk, get off the grid, travel, love, create. It’s probably going to involve a trade or a sacrifice but what’s more important, being safe or living?
“Life is all about not knowing, and then doing something anyway.” Mark Manson (from Screw Finding your Passion).
Please take care of your family, heads, and hearts, my friends.
What’s the biggest risk you ever took? What did you learn from it?
‘Padcicles.’ like popsicles but for your postpartum lady bits! Oh, how fun the name sounds for such an unpleasant situation.
This simple padcicle recipe promotes healing, reduces inflammation and soothes sore bottoms after giving birth. All it takes are two ingredients, five steps and ten minutes.
Padcicles are essential to care for your perineum post birth. They help numb and heal the painful area with a simple mixture of (alcohol-free) witch hazel and aloe vera. If there is a chance you’ll give birth vaginally you need to stock your freezer with these before your due date.
Seriously though- these things saved my life (and nethers) with my first baby and now that my second bub is locked and loaded, I’ll be DIY’ing these frozen 'treats' today.
Witch Hazel
Witch Hazel has been used as a natural skin toner and healer for hundreds of years. It’s anti-inflammatory and anti microbial. It’s also an astringent which helps heal and tighten skin proteins and stop bleeding.
Aloe Vera
Typically used to treat sunburns Aloe Vera is a skin soother. It promotes healing and reduces inflammation, itching and provides mild, natural pain relief. Aloe also acts as a non-greasy moisturiser and has vitamins and minerals that help feed and heal skin.
When the liquids are frozen on a maternity pad they provide a soothing, numbing sensation while the ingredients do their healing work.
Use as many as you need in the first few weeks. I would also recommend alternating this treatment with taking a shallow sitz bath (with Epsom salt) in the hottest water you can stand. This will help everything heal up nicely.
You’ll be able to sit down without pain in no time!
Brought to you by Spotlight
Last week I attended Spotlight's launch of National Craft Month.
The event was set in a funky, industrial part of town, which I feel naturally lends itself to creativity. There is so much you can do with a shell and raw materials! I mean, check out the pendant light in the photo above.
The venue looked completely gorgeous and showcased many products and crafts that you can find in Spotlight stores.
Mums- make Spotlight your first stop when it comes to birthday cakes! Roberts Confectionary products are Australian made mixes and decorations that require minimum effort. The batter is self-levelling which leaves way more time for the business of decorating.
The kid-friendly event played perfectly with my daughter because she already loves arts and crafts (and trips to Spotlight). Whenever I need supplies from Spotlight she gets to pick out a craft (call it a bribe but with purpose). I set her up at home with her stickers or paints and she tinkers while I get work done.
It's never too early to start kids on creative projects because it aids their little, developing imaginations, not to mention hand-eye coordination.
If baking, colouring and scrapbooking aren't your thing check out this gorgeous knitted throw made from Australian Marino wool. I need to make one of these for my living room. Chunky knit blanket 4 Lyfe. Learning to knit has been on my to-do list for YEARS.
The cherry on top of the event (pun intended) is getting to see the lovely and ever-stylish Elle from the blog Cherry and Me. Check it out for some gorgeous DIY inspo, styling tips and check out her new store with beautiful original art prints.
Spotlight are holding free in-store events on weekends throughout, Facebook live sessions and featured projects on their website throughout the month of March.
Click Here for a list of all March activities!
Sunday I completed a painting I’ve been working on since Christmas. I’ve been absolutely dying to hang it up and it's been a struggle to find the time to work on it between the pregnancy, visitors and life in general.
It’s finished, hung and I’m happy to have it off my easel in one way yet in another, I’m itching (and a bit nervous) to start the next one. I’m going BIG again, another six-footer for our stairwell.
The gun and flowers turned out well (preeeeeety much the way I planned) but I can’t help staring at it and wondering if it’s REALLY finished (is it ever?) Wondering if I would have done a few things differently if I could do it all again....Knowing, that I have zero interest in starting another one because I need to switch it up.
Do you ever feel that way? After finishing one thing you just need to start something completely different?
When I paint for others I feel a sense of relief when I finish a piece and I usually feel proud. I can’t quite work out what it is about painting for myself that unsettles me. I’m probably too critical but I’m honestly never completely satisfied.
Take this painting, for example.
It’s grown on me but it’s not what I pictured when I started. My intentions were to let intuition take over. So they did. And they ran away. The piece ended up being a mash-up of many of the styles I’ve experimented with over the last few years. Maybe I went right for my comfort zone or maybe I took what I learned and pushed it even further….Maybe it’s all the way you look at it.
I guess it does look pretty cool against the concrete wall...
If you have any insight I would love to hear it. How do you push from one project to the next?
A year for wake-up calls and broken hearts, 2016. We lost legendary artists (most to drug and alcohol addiction), a reality TV star won the US presidential election, and many of us grieved.
Personally, I started last year at a low point. We lost a cousin to suicide and I slipped back into depression. Again I found myself at the bottom of a pit with a tiny shovel.
Therapy, art, and writing all helped. At least I had already created a foundation with those things after earnestly pursuing my passion earnest almost three years ago.
With head down, shovel (pen and brushes) in hand, I got startled by a blog award nomination. The thought of it sent me flying. At first, I felt like an imposter then later, pride. Somehow I landed myself in a room among incredible bloggers and they accepted me into the fold.
The night of the awards, I could hardly feel sorry for myself for not winning because another milestone/ bucket list/ goal glimmered on the horizon...my first art exhibition.
Many happy hours were spent in my new studio (and in outer space) painting until my hands and fingernails were caked with acrylic. Building up stock, churning out ideas.
Driving to the show in a car loaded to the ceiling with artwork, the annoying and negative voice started telling me that I didn't deserve this. I took a few deep breaths, turned up the music and pushed through traffic. The show was an incredible success. I made friends, sold stuff and felt completely loved and supported.
How was it all possible? I learned to set boundaries. To say no to some things so in order to say yes to others. I wandered WAY outside my comfort zone.
A few other highlights- I taught my first two art workshops. I'm still playing with the format but plan on doing more in the future. Also, I tried building a community with my project, Makers Monthly. Each month (or so) I invited my Australian Etsy peers to post links to their shops and items and I paid to promote the post in the hopes that we would all get some eyeballs and sales. It worked for some and the posts were shared widely on social media.
This year I'm going inward. I plan on finally learning photography. I've loved it since childhood and always felt like it was a way to show people how I saw the world. At Uni I took digital photography, felt intimidated by photoshop, and thought 'it's just not my thing.' This year I'm allowing my secret creative desires to step into the light and will continue to work on my self-esteem with all of it.
When I look back at 2016 I will remember it as the year of professional rewards and of governmental failure. The year I learned there is so much more work to do in our communities, as women and with our children. The year that taught us we need to buckle down, to work harder, to be better.
These are my most popular posts for 2016 I think you can see they are reflective of everything that happened in my family, in my art, and in the wider world.
I'm a writer who hates journaling (but I'll explain why I still think it's essential).
{Side Note: A blog is not a journal.}
Back when I had a poodle perm I desperately wanted to fill diaries like other tween girls but it never really worked for me.
I could never fill one and I hated leaving projects unfinished. Maybe it was diary ADD, I would start one and loose interest, or hide them too well from my Mom. But the thing is…Journaling is like cleaning out the rubbish. And who likes to work in a mess? Not this girl (geez I’m so Type A sometimes.)
When I started blogging I thought; “Great, I’m writing again, no need for any of this ‘writing practise stuff,’ which comes highly recommended by professional writers. Contrary to popular belief it’s important for writers to write stuff that people will never read. Seriously. It for-realisies helps with writer’s block or blogstipation.
After reading the Artist’s way I was determined to do ‘morning pages’ (three pages of handwritten daily scribble) yet I resisted the idea (which means I probably needed it).
When I started reaching for the notebook instead of Facebook each morning my day felt better planned, I was more focused. Some days it was just a matter of writing a to-do list, others a vague description of dreams or ideas but usually nonsensical free writing. Sometimes I wrote at night which helped me sleep better without tasks building up in my anxious mind.
True to form I’ve trailed off here and there but then recently something happened to prove the journal's worth.
I had a really big comedown after my first Art Exhibition in October. The negative voices in my head turnt-up. Feeling flat, I grabbed the notebook off my night table to tried and make some sense of my feelings. It had been ages since I'd written so after flipping back to the first page I noticed it had been exactly one year to the day since I started. There were twelve months worth of goals, check marks, errands, lists and thoughts. So many little wins right there in the background that all deserve some credit.
Rather than getting down on myself for not having the ‘next thing’ booked I was able to feel proud of how far I had come. It’s easy to focus hard on the future without looking back but what a great idea it is to keep a list of our achievements and movements along the way.
Throat Punch that inner-critic!
When you’re a parent like I am, trying to start a business or just trying to survive, maybe you have to do your own performance review. So go on, jot down your goals, your intentions, your to-do list, weird dreams and then look back in a year. You might not even imagine where you’ll end up.
If you could start one thing today what would it be? Write it Down!
