Part II
Part III
The final article in the series, Laying the Foundation for Your Creative Corral. You're juggling life priorities and you know why you want to start a creative business. Now what?
Obstacles
What obstacles are in your way toward following your life priorities? I like the creative approach of writing a mind-map to anticipate obstacles that prevent me from achieving my life's priorities. When I did this exercise, it made me realize that my creative business was at the bottom of the priority heap. I know! Shocking! Yet, this revelation helped me create some boundaries:
- Time Budget. I created a maximum weekly limit, a monthly schedule, and budgeted my blog-surfing, computer work, research, design work, production, etc.
- Money Budget. I have some other financial goals I want to achieve before I am ready to invest in growing the business. This helped me to make some decisions of living within my creative budget and utilizing the stash I had already accumulated rather that continuing to try new things. It also contributed to the decision to slow down and become really skilled in one medium.
- Attitude Budget. I have a tendency to throw myself at something I really like. I came to the understanding that, at this point in time, the creative business was currently an extra, a bonus, a Life Seasoning. Amazingly, doing my activities in priority order, has actually allowed me to find ways to become more efficient and effective with my regular priorities. I also approach my business in a more organized fashion, too. By letting the jewelry business flow around all of my other activities, I get to indulge quite often (a newsletter! a blog! jewelry! glass! a shop!) without guilt.
Next month's newsletter: understanding your value system and how it applies to your online presence. The internet has some feelings of a modern wild, wild west. How can you translate your IRL (In Real Life) values into a principled business and online presence? Want to read the whole article on the first of June? Sign up for the newsletter over to the left.
Great stuff, Jenn!
ReplyDeleteI was reading something somewhere about how the demarcation lines of the distinct portion of our lives is getting blurred. Business and private time is often combined. We may be sitting in the living room with the family browsing a movies while we're browsing blogs or engaging in social media for marketing.
When personal life and business life are intertwined, setting priorities can be quite challenging!
I know what you mean when the personal and business lives become interwined. My home business is completely wrapped up in personal time. But, that's where knowing where it falls in the rest of my life priorities helps. I can get off balance on the home business part. If I just work my activities in order of priority. It's made a difference for me.
ReplyDelete