The Only Answer That Matters
…asked what was the hardest part about running my business. I thought about it. My response was "deciding to keep doing it every day."
Why Buy Local (No Really)
Let's be real here, I love to support local businesses, but I don't think that the $7 I just spent on some fancy cheese is going to repave the potholes out front.
Fair Weather Followers; Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Aplomb
Establishing the real impact and value of your business is important. Especially if it is a business that you have built yourself.
Down the Rabbit Hole: Don't Believe Your Own Hype
When you really boil it down social media (and branding in general) is all hype. You are basically taking your message (look at what I make, I like cats, I'm important, here is something that needs attention in the world, high school was awesome, high school is over...) and putting it out there in the hope that other people will be affected by it (they read it, relate to it, like you more, take action, buy something). There is nothing good or bad about this.
Alternate Realities: The Dangers of Social Media for a Fledgling Business
People do amazing things every day with what is available to them. Most of them don't even live in the Pacific Northwest. All you need is the desire for change, the will to take action, and the determination to keep moving forward.
Developing Artistic Vision
Since starting my business and fully devoting myself to my craft I've discovered something really interesting. You don't start out with a vision. You end up with one. I'll be the first person to admit I didn't start out with a vision. I started because I was sick of waiting tables and working nights. It has been only recently that I have really been able to say what kind of work I make and why I make it. This is not a process that you can rush no matter how much energy you devote to it. It's kind of like growing up.
The Hard Way
I don't remember Dr. Saunders very well. For some reason he looks kind of like Orville Redenbacher in my recollections of him. He also had a big, brusk nurse who must have modeled for Nurse Ratched at some point. He was an old man when he said these words to me. He was a young man when he said them to my mother for the first time. He was her pediatrician too.
It's All In the Wrists
I use to spend a lot of time worrying about people stealing my ideas. In fact there are a lot of things I have missed out on because I spent so much time sheltering my good ideas that I never got to use them. I have only recently come to understand that this is not only harmful but pointless. If you have a successful idea people are going to steal it.
Value Remains
A personal belief that one maintains despite the pressures of the outside world. A work of art that has inspired countless people and been preserved through centuries. A cast iron skillet bought at a hardware store that gets better and better, but only if you take care of it. A grandfather's journal from World War II which sailed across oceans, was sheltered from bombs and bullets, and carried through all the years of his life. These are things of value.