back from the woods

quite weary, yet very thankful, i returned home yesterday afternoon from the big craft fair in the woods of michigan. it's an interesting challenge to create a retail space in the woods, off the grid. also, for me, camping for days and days is, um, let's just call it an adventure. with the typical highs and lows of any classic adventure story.

above, a shot of the booth on the second day. already, the belt buckle selection was declining, as so many sold on the first day! it is always interesting to see what sells well and what doesn't at these events. you put so much work into bringing a beefy inventory of choices, yet you never really know which of your efforts in getting ready will bear the most fruit.

i am thrilled to say, it was a prosperous show. given our current economy, i did not think the higher ticket items, like the belt buckles, would be big movers. how wonderful to be wrong about that one!

i shared my booth with another artisan, heather smith of fly plaid designs. her recycled wool and vintage fabric cuff bracelets, all beautifully hand embroidered, were a big hit as well.

i'll be updating my etsy shop and honey & milk over the next few days, so if you are looking for something, take heart. more jewelry is on the way...

Honey & Milk: sustainable loveliness

happy friday, dear readers! it's been an intense couple of weeks over here, working on writing my business plan for honey & milk. what an undertaking. it's kicked my butt, that is certain. through it all, i plugged away and am happy to report that the thing is done! well, it was done on tuesday, but now the program that is coaching me at mercy corps northwest has made their suggestions and sent it back to me for revision. so i'm feeling a bit deflated at the moment.

starting your own business and building something vibrant, something successful that sustains you, is challenging to say the least. yet, i've never wanted to do anything else as much as this. for me, the challenge is largely within my own mind. when i went to the count me in conference a couple of weeks ago, nell merino the founder spoke to us about what gets in our way as women. she said something that has stuck with me - that "women need to bring their confidence level up to their skill level." 

when i look at my project from that perspective, it's much less daunting. most of my skill sets are in place, fully developed. above is a draft of my new business card. i've been tossing around taglines for weeks and finally think i've hit on one that really does it for me: sustainable loveliness.

are you starting a business or do you have one? leave me a comment and tell me about it. 

simon sinek and the golden circle: a honey & milk report

remember this post from a few weeks ago?  well, the most wonderful thing happened this week- i was given the opportunity to attend an eye-opening, inspiring and energizing conference by count me in -make mine a million $ business program. the day long event was in seattle and when i read that simon sinek of inspireaction was a guest speaker, i knew i had to try to go. i put it out into the universe. within a few days, signs were pouring in that i should, could and would indeed, attend.

just that quick, free tickets arrived, a place to stay was offered and the perfect companion said yes, yes i'll go with you.

the event brought together women entrepreneurs from the pacific northwest (a very impressive group!) and experts in business. from financing to marketing to networking -it was a deeply inspiring and affirming event, yet focused on the nuts and bolts of turning an idea into a million dollar business. i came away from the experience with a vision for my own business path that is both broader and deeper. it's clear to me now that what i need to do is find other people that believe what i believe, that are invested in my why, and form a team. 

i met simon sinek after the program and thanked him. at the end of our brief conversation, he pressed this metal object into my palm. it was a lucky charm of sorts, a truly charming version of the golden circle idea, held in my hand. he calls it a token of inspiration. this object asks the question: why do you do what you do? it's good to stay focused on that why. my why drives me to take action against doubt and fear, to build the life i envision. to grow a small business into a big business and help change the world for the better. simon also writes a blog called re:focus, worth reading for anyone running their own business or wondering how to find their purpose in this world.

 

i'm going to try something new at found object. to write about my business, honey & milk, once a week on fridays. so for those of you who are curious and following the story of how i grow my ideas into a successful company -it should be an interesting ride. for others that might be thinking about starting their own business and need a little inspiration, i hope you will find that here as well. and for yet other readers, who just want the beautiful pictures and features on art -well you know which day to cruise right by found object. i do hope you'll all hang around, of course. and tell your friends. 

sharing the vision: HONEY & MILK, part 4

 

the primary reason it's been difficult in the past to share my larger vision for my life and business is that i don't have it all figured out. it's not a perfectly polished plan, even in my brain. there's the liability of the perfectionist, we want to get it all just so, before it's open for judgement. yet putting this out there, opening to the possibility of great feedback and support, to the potential of collaboration - that's what is driving me now. i can't afford to hold on to this, if it's going to fly, i need to be fearless and ask for help.

and if i didn't have fear, i certainly wouldn't be human. i just don't want fear to be my boss anymore.

what i have had figured out is what simon sinek calls my "why". he's got a brilliant interview on video here and i highly recommend it -very inspiring and empowering. he talks about the "golden circle", a visual that looks like a target with three rings. the image above is from my sketchbook, as i took notes on the video. as you can see, the outer ring is your "what", and one that is easy for most people and companies to figure out. for me, it's making beautiful objects and teaching. and the very center of the circle is your "why", that too, is pretty easy for me to articulate. i've been writing indepth about my "why" the past few days here. then the middle ring is your "how". quite simply, it's how does your "what" support your "why"? how does it all come together?

that is the connection piece, the piece i need help with. i've been stuck on the "how".

funding, logistics, all of the nuts and bolts that will bring this big vision for honey & milk into being - that's what i have been struggling to figure out. i turn to you, my dear readers in hopes that you will get excited about honey & milk, really excited. and that excitement will produce conversations and exchange of ideas. the blogging world (at least the corner of it i travel most frequently in) is a beautiful place, bursting with kind people, creative energy and amazing connections. i am setting down here my positive intention to do this thing.

i believe that even the act of writing it down and publishing it here is important, possibly vital. 

so, how do i start on my "how"? i am well aware it takes more than a grand vision. as my track record shows, i am willing to work very hard to bring a project to fruition. when i look at the logistics of the whole big thing, it's as overwhelming as it is exciting. here is a preliminary list of what honey & milk needs to get from vision to reality:

1) research and development. i need connections with people in the know, in the field. i need to travel to scout locations and find communities that would fit the project. i need language skills and translators.

2) financial and legal advising. everything has to be set up correctly for growth. import and export regulations and costs need to be nailed down. proposals and contracts will need to be created to secure funding. 

3) investors and funding. i need people and companies with the need to invest in social good. deep pockets and kind hearts. companies that see the value in saving the world, one community at a time.

4) marketing and hitting the tipping point. i need hot pr, great press and loads of sales savvy to get into those high-end markets. i need to get the fashion world's attention. honey & milk wares need to be worn and loved by celebrities. 

5) my personal logistics. when would i leave my part time job as a rental property manager? i live at that job, so leaving means moving. during the research/scouting phase, how will i fund travel and living expenses and if i leave that job, where will i return to? what about my little dog? what is the best way to make the transition from my independent life here in portland and my studio to working in a salaried position for my own company?

i know making this dream into a profitable business will be challenging, hard work and at times humbling. without a doubt, there will be many, many things to learn and overcome. i'll need to be adaptable and figure it out as i go. i know for certain i am up to meeting those challenges. i want to be part of the generation of entrepreneurs that really changes the world for the better, that truly lifts people out of poverty . i absolutely believe that you can center your business around valuing people first and the profits will follow suit.

the majority of jewelry and objects you see in high-end boutiques and department stores are produced in the developing world, but not in fair-trade workshops. i've personally never accepted that people have to be exploited for a company to make it. that business model need to be retired. in this life, the only person i'm comfortable exploiting just a bit is myself. me and my endless stream of ideas and designs need to be exploited, need to be put to good use, to their highest use.

it's time. 

i want to thank-you all for reading these four parts of this long essay on honey & milk. it's very exciting to be finally putting this idea out into the public! i also want to thank the women in the portland chapter of ladies who launch that encouraged me. please, don't hold back with your comments and suggestions. a lack of comments is way more scary than any constructive criticism you might have. i am certain all the feedback will only help me and this project to grow. if you can only do one small thing to help me get started, please do forward these posts to anyone you can think of that might be interested in the project.

the quote from albert einstein printed on the page of my journal above says: "if an idea is not first thought to be absurd, then there is no hope for it."

sharing the vision: HONEY & MILK, part 3

 

today i'm going to fill in a bit of the back-story of how i came to this exact moment, this moment of pushing honey & milk out into the world. a few years ago i had a series of bright epiphanies. in 2001, i was teaching middle school and high school art and had just survived my first go 'round with breast cancer, that story is here. i spent the bulk of the following summer at two amazing buddhist centers, in a personal mediation retreat at gampo abby in nova scotia and then weeks as part of the scupture crew finishing the great stupa of dharmakaya at the mountain shambhala center. i got very, very quiet that summer. my heart cracked wide open. then by fall, the whole world was reeling from the trauma of september 11.

during this extraordinary time the seed that grew into this idea for honey & milk floated into my brain and took hold.

looking back now, especially with the overlay of the past seven years we've been at war, i remember that i wanted to do something that would show the world the best that we americans can be. i didn't want to stay in this country, i wanted to distance myself from the war-machine and connect with healing between peoples. i didn't have a name for it then, what i wanted to do. but change was clearly called for in my life and the need out in the world was growing. also, as much as i adored teaching, life in a small, ultra-conservative michigan town was squashing some of my essential parts.

so, inspired by the idea of "saving the world", i envisioned a life where i could bring together my life-long love of travel and adventure, my artistic talents, my deep desire to live outside the united states for part of each year and my natural gifts as a teacher and communicator. i figured that a life made from these things would be one that a) i'd have to create myself, and b) would be sustaining on many levels. having a business of my own had been a long time dream and i come from quirky self-starting entrepreneur stock on my mom's side. i actually launched my first successful line of handmade products at age eleven - several collections of holiday tree ornaments!

i do believe this direction for honey & milk is my spiritual path. i still have so much to learn! i've been so blessed and i want to give back. even though i grew up in some very difficult circumstances and my adult life has had major challenges as well, i am so blessed to even be here, alive and able to dream, plan, create. and even as i struggle daily with making a living as a full time artist (ok, one who is just barely on the other side of cancer treatment ~my friends remind me to cut myself some slack here) even with all of that, i know i am wealthy. wealthy in comfort and resources compared to people living in poverty in many places. wealthy in emotional support and sustaining friendships. my life is blessed with connection, love, inspiration. my improving health is a great gift. i don't ever what to take that for granted. 

tomorrow i will post on more specifics of the project, where i can see it going in 5-10 years and what my needs are to bring the first honey & milk fair-trade workshop into being. i also want to write about the challenges i see on this path and i hope you all will chime in with ideas and feedback. if you don't feel comfortable posting a public comment, please do send me an email. the link is on my about page. i really look forward to what i hope will be a growing dialogue around honey & milk. 

and don't worry, found object is not going to be all about this, all the time. i'll be returning to posting inspiring images soon. if you haven't subscribed yet to this blog, please do. the RSS feed link is down in my side bar and it's a great way to be alerted when i do update so you don't miss a single bit of the story!

the image above is of gambo abby, one of the most beautiful places on earth.