Working from Home

It seems like such a good idea in the beginning. No commute, no rent, work funky hours, be there when the kids get home, be there when the cable guy shows up, be there when something is delivered, be there when the pest guy shows up, clean the house before your in-laws show up...

Wait a minute. That list had a lot more personal than work stuff in it. An therein lies the biggest pitfall to working from your home.

Not actually working.

The solution is pretty easy but it takes a bit of discipline. I talked before about creating a schedule for yourself in "Are Your Running Your Business Like a Horror Film? III". Well, I meant it. If you schedule work and personal time you can still get the benefits of working from home (being there for your kids, getting the cable guy sooner or getting a haircut in the middle of the week) without sacrificing overall productivity.

P.S. If you aren't going anywhere and no one is going to see you, it is OK to work in your PJ's or skip a shower every once in awhile. That is the beauty of working from home after all.

Marketing Pointers

Do you have a specific client, organization, corporation, designer, or firm you want to hire you?

Court them.

A regular postcard or letter just isn't going to get their attention. You're creative. Come up with something unique and then do it. Make an impression.

Art Break

Changing New York: Pgotographs by Bernice Abbott. 1935-1938

Hundreds of black and white photographs by Berenice Abbott (1898-1991) from her Changing New York Works Progress Administration/ Federal Art Project. The Library's collection holds about 80% of the project's 302 images; this presentation includes variant and discarded images, plus other work Abbott produced as a project employee.

Image: Berenice Abbott (1898-1991). Blossom Restaurant, 103 Bowery, Manhattan, October 03, 1935. Digital ID: 482799

Creative Resources

A professional trade association representing the interests of landscape designers, APLD offers a certification program, educational conferences, local chapter involvement, a quarterly newsletter, monthly online publications, listing of members on the website, landscape design awards, and much more.

Art Break

Art in Second Life

The arts are everywhere even in virtual worlds. Second Life has created an entire art scene which gallery's, shows, theatre, music and more. Check out the blog sl-art-news for some great pictures and links.

Marketing Pointers

Former clients don't know you want them to refer you unless you tell them.

They aren't mind readers so every once in awhile remind them.

" You were a great client and I would love to work with more people just like you. Do you know anyone else who is looking to have _____ done? I am always looking to grow my business."

The Power of a Second Opinion

Thanks to Glen at LifeDev for this one.

It’s easy to think of ideas in terms of ownership. “I thought of it first so it’s my idea.” We cling to these ideas because we feel that if we share them, there’s a chance someone will steal them. Or worse… they might hate the idea. So we keep them to ourselves.

Did you know that the term for a “Creative Type” in Swahili translates to “Greedy Idea Monkey”?

Ok, totally made that up. But it should mean that.

As creative people, we tend to get lost in our ideas. We can become consumed by them, thinking that our ideas are the best thing since sliced bread. The next thing we know, we’re so attached to our ideas that any criticism we hear concerning them we take personally.

Yet criticism can sometimes be our best friend, allowing us to gauge what needs to happen before our idea can become really successful. Criticisms help us shape the idea. Yet creative people tend to take criticisms very personally. When it comes to criticizing our ideas… you best watch your mouth.

Read the rest...