This is a great article from Superhero and one I need to save for sure.
The Superhero Guide to Designing a Creative Business
by Andrea Scher
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1) Create a work space that feel nourishing and creative:
Play music you love, use colorful office supplies, paint the walls, etc. Create a space that inspires you to work in it. If it looks too "officey" and that makes you feel rigid and dry, design it differently!
For example, I have a "clothes line" above my computer. It is a long piece of fishing line running horizontally across the wall. Clipped to it with clothes pins, are photos, quotes, images from magazines, drawings, postcards, etc. This is a rotating gallery of delight for me.
I also have a big work table for my jewelry. I let myself keep it in various states of confusion, with beads spilling all over the place. It resembles a tornado of c o l o r. This helps me create new work and keeps things spontaneous. If things are too organized, I feel less free.
However, the rest of my office is very organized. If my bills and files are in a state of confusion, it creates a lot of STRESS.
2) Design your work schedule to fit the natural rhythms of your mind and body.
Some creative people I know work well during the late hours of the night. They go to sleep at 3AM and wake up at 11AM. This is one of the benefits of having your own business! You can honor the particular rhythm of your own body. My own ideal schedule is to begin at 8 AM and work until about 3:30pm. My attention span is zilch after that so I don't even bother working. Instead I go to a yoga class, go on a walk, or do errands.
I find that a shorter work day that is focused, is more efficient than a long day where I am half-conscious.
3) Keep structure and creativity/flexibility in balance.
This represents both sides of your brain. I believe that both are important in running a business. If you feel like you are pure artist without any "left brain" skills, you might reconsider working for yourself! Both are essential in creating a business that works well.
I think of it this way... If you are a body without a skeleton (rigid structure) you would be a mush of flesh and would fall to the ground, right? The structure of the skeleton supports you! A reasonable amount of rigid structure (i.e. having regular hours, being your own boss and assigning tasks each day, having a business plan, etc. ) actually supports the flexible nature of the creative elements of the business. Find a balance that works for you! This balance can also be created by contracting out work that you don't feel inspired or capable of doing. For me, this is accounting!
4) Make it FUN, EASY and SIMPLE
If you're going to go through the trouble of designing your own business and work life, you might as well design it so that you maximize fun, ease and joy, right? Believe it or not though, you will be tempted to do things in the way you think you are supposed to and forget that you are in the driver's seat.
There will definitely be tasks that you do that you don't love, but generally you should be enjoying yourself or why bother? If you are going to create a job that you don't like, you might as well get someone else to hire you!
5) Make your business an authentic expression of YOU and also be professional.
Create a culture around your business that resonates for you. If you want your business culture to be casual, creative, fun, and also professional (these happen to be my own values) you can have that! Design your website, catalog, voicemail message, newsletter, etc. so that they reflect the general culture of your company.
Again, balance is important. If your company is too casual, clients might wonder if they can trust your product or service. If you are a photographer, they might ask themselves if you would show up to appointments on time or do high quality professional work. Keep in mind that all of the elements of your company (from the way you answer the phone, to the look of your web site) communicates information to your potential clients. Since they don't know you, this is all they have to go on. Be sure that you are communicating clearly who you want to be!
6) Create ways to make your job work for you!
You can begin by asking yourself, "What do I love to do?"
My list looks something like this:
1) playing with color
2) making beautiful things with my hands
3) taking photographs
4) designing visual journals
5) connecting with people in meaningful and inspiring ways
6) traveling
Make your own list, and design your work life so that you are able to incorporate your favorite things into it. You are not just designing a business; you are designing a life. If travel is a priority, create ways for travel to be an important (and profitable) part of your business. I like to design business trips around cities that I've always wanted to see, or where there are friends of mine who I'd like to visit.
Another example is my love of taking pictures. I have created several ways to make photography a big part of what I do. My web site is full of photos of friends and a collage of images that complement my jewelry. Not only can I write off these expenses, but my job is more pleasurable because it incorporates more of what I love.
7) Establish a community of support
This is especially important for people who are working alone. For the first two years of my business, I struggled with feeling lonely, afraid and overburdened by responsibility. What saved me was an awesome community of friends who offered support in various ways. Sometimes this showed up in the form of web design help or sales assistance at a trunk show. Other times it was a much needed phone call of encouragement. I discovered that I didn't feel so alone when my tribe of friends surrounded me.
I liken it to a marriage. The relationship belongs to the bride and groom, but the community holds the vision of the relationship for the couple. They have the job of supporting the couple in their promise to one another. By including my community (locally and via the internet) I have rallied a tribe of support that holds the vision for my company. They support me in tangible ways, but also in less tangible ones. They reflect back to me the promises I've made and give me faith to move forward when I feel like quitting.
They remind me that I really am my own superhero.
Cheers and blessings to you
in all of your superheroic endeavors,
andrea
