In the Winter 2012 issue of The Professional Quilter, Sue Tucker, Chief Financial Officer of Studio 180 Design and our financial columnist, wrote about seven resolutions you won’t want to break. One of them was “Look at Your Financial Numbers on a Monthly Basis.” Now that we are at the end of month two, how are you doing on this resolution? I know that lots of creative types just aren’t that interested in numbers. And, that’s great if you’ve got someone to input your data, but you still need to look at the numbers on a regular basis. Here’s an excerpt of the Winter issue with Sue’s article on this resolution:

How do you know if you’re making money and reaching your goals? How do you know if you need to change an approach that’s not working or cut back on expenses to make up for a shortfall in revenue? If you aren’t looking at your financial numbers on a monthly basis, you don’t. Some people look at their bank balance when the statement comes, and if there’s money there they think they’re OK. But let’s say they’ve started a slow slide. How many months will it take for that slow slide to wipe out everything in their account, at which point they’ll realize they aren’t OK? If they’d been looking at monthly numbers they would have seen the problem right at the start and been able to take action before their bank account ran out of money.

If you don’t know how you’re doing month-to-month, you can’t be making the right decisions as quickly as you should be to keep your business strong and growing. At the least you should be looking at your revenue and expenses for the month and year-to-date. That will tell you if you are making money. But in addition, many of you should be looking at month-to-month changes, annual growth, receivables and your balance sheet. Your accountant can help you identify what you should be looking at based on your business situation and help you plan the best way to get the numbers you need.

Please share how you’re doing with tracking your financials below.

Modern Mix
Jessica Levitt
Stash Books; $21.95

When Jessica Levitt set out to write her book, she challenged herself to create projects that used both designer prints and solid colors. What sets the projects apart is that she uses a full range of colors. To me the modern quilt movement quilts seem crisp and fresh because of the white or lighter backgrounds. Many of Jessica’s quilts used dark backgrounds or dark accent pieces. For those unfamiliar with color, she includes a basic discussion of color theory and quiltmaking. The 16 projects range from full-sized quilts to a quilted camera case. As someone who has been quilting many years, it was also fun to see a string quilt.

Look for the book at your favorite book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

During the Creative Arts Business Training Series I did a couple of weeks ago, I talked about clarity in a number of areas. One of those areas is getting clear on what your “Big Why” is. That’s the term that both of my coaches have used. I look at your Big Why as the piece behind the vision for your business and how it fits into your life, why you do what you do.

For years I never really gave it much thought. I was working to add income to our family coffers. When I first started my business, it was actually at my accountant’s suggestion. He saw I loved quilting and thought I could turn it into a business on the side. That was great, though I never really gave it much more thought. As the years went by, the business grew and changed. I earned a graduate degree in journalism and thought how wonderful it would be to combine the quilting and journalism together, which I did. Again, not really giving it a huge amount of thought. The past couple of years, I decide to actually put real thought into the process and can now articulate what I do and why. I can tell you that knowing this absolutely makes a difference. Once you figure our your “big why,” you complete your tasks, reach your goals, lifve your life with so much more ease.

OK, so how do you figure out your Big Why? Here are a couple ideas.

1. If you are having a hard time asking yourself why, instead complete the sentence: “I am doing this because ….”  or “I’m doing this so that….”

2. Take a look at your top passions and try to see what they have in common. That can lead you to your why.

3. What gets you out of bed in the morning and drives you to take inspired action.

4. Remember that the why is the driving force behind our actions. We need strong, or Big, Whys to keep going.

5. Our Big Whys can change over time so it’s a good exercise to look at yours on a yearly basis.

Please share your Big Why below.

Jelly Roll Quilt Magic
Kimberly Einmo
AQS Publishing; $26.95

No sign in sight for jelly roll and other precuts to disappear. If you haven’t jumped onto the bandwagon, this is a great book to start with. Kimberly”s engaging spirit shows up on each page as she guides you through creating sub-units to basic blocks to any of the 12 projects in the book, both pieced and appliqué. I found so many quilts to like in this book, and I think it’s because Kimberly has a wonderful color sense with so many of the quilts filled with light or sparkle. Extras include Kimberly’s Top Tips – love the one about dealing with fuzz from the Jelly Roll; tips for using leftovers, or “bitlits,” as she calls them; and ideas on how to host a Jelly Roll Round Robin. And, if the food theme still grabs you, Kimberly offers recipes to compliment optional quilt layouts on her website.

Look for the book at your favorite book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

In the current issue of The Professional Quilter, Gloria Hansen, our regular technology columnist, deals with the challenge of taking the best photos possible for gallery, print and show submissions. Here are five tips from her article:

1. If you are shopping for a new camera, look for one with the ability to shoot  RAW images. This allows you to alter the image after you’ve taken the picture.

2. Use the correct white balance setting on your camera. This removes unwanted color casts by considering the “color temperature” of the light source.

3. If you use additional lighting, add two lights, one from each side at a 45-degree angle to your work.

4. Use a tripod, center the camera lens on your work and keep it perpendicular to the work.

5. Read the manual and experiment. Remember the only way to get good is to practice.

Please share your experiences taking photos below.

If you want to know more about taking good photos, Gloria’s comprehensive article is available in the Winter 2012 issue of The Professional Quilter. This journal is a benefit of membership in the International Association of Professional Quilters. To learn more and join, click here.

Sisterhood – A Quilting Tradition
Nancy Murty
C&T Publishing; $24.95

I’ll admit it was the title that got me. I am the eldest of five sisters, and unfortunately, I’ve not turned any into quilters, yet. Nancy Murty has one sister who quilts, as well as her mother. Her mother’s sister and daughter also quilt. Nancy wanted to not only share the quilting sisterhood of her family, but also what she has discovered in her own quilting journey. In addition, this fabric artist, fabric and pattern designer set out to encourage readers to find their own creative voice in quilting. The book includes 11 quilts, table runners and wall hangings. The pieces are traditional patchwork and applique pieces, and I found the coloration and scale to have a sophisticated look. I particularly liked “Family and Friends,” an applique quilt that incorporated photos into the border, and the patchwork “Heritage,” that seemed to have a glow.

Look for the book at your favorite book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

During my call on Monday I talked about my CREATE! system for building and growing your creative arts business. The A in the system stands for Action. Action is what drives your results, yet so many of us get stuck here. What should I do first? I need to know all the steps. It has to be perfect before I go on. None of us is immune from getting in our own way.

Yet if you look at successful people, you’ll see they all have one thing in common: They take action. And taking action is really a habit that you can develop. Here are five ideas to help you build your action muscle:

1. Don’t get overwhelmed with the big picture, with having to know all the steps to accomplish your goal. You only need to know the next thing to do and act on it. After that, then pick the next step. Remember Martin Luther King said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

2. Write your SMART goals on paper or index cards and keep them in front of you. What you focus on makes a difference.

3. Decide that you will take three action steps towards your goal each day.

4. Plan your day the night before so you are ready to hit the ground running. And, you’ll find that your brain will even work on those plans while you sleep. I know that sounds odd, but I find it really happens.

5. Do it now! As you’ve probably heard, there’s no time like the present, so just start!

Here’s a wonderful quote about taking action from Leonardo da Vinci:

Please share your tips for taking action below.

I had a great time shooting the videos for our Creative Arts Business Summit recently. I also got questions about how I set up my studio. Well, it’s not exactly a studio. It’s my guest room that I took over for a week. Good thing guests weren’t scheduled to arrive! Here’s a shot:

The room has windows equidistant from the corner where I filmed, and I picked a sunny time of the day so I could use natural light. If I had used additional lighting I would have wanted to place it on both sides of where I was standing and the room didn’t allow that.  I moved the wing chair out of the space and set up my foam core on the back of a bookcase. I’ve got my camera, a Kodak Zi8, set on a tripod. In front of the tripod, I placed a stool with another piece of foam core. On that piece of foam core, I had written bullet points of what I wanted to cover. I’d love to create a full set-up with good lighting, and until then, this will work.

Create Your Own Dream Feathers
Peggy Holt
AQS Publishing; $26.95

Feathers. Everyone appreciates the elaborate look of feathers across their quilt. Peggy Holt’s take on feathers goes a step further than the standard feather and it did come to her in a dream. The dream feather builds upon itself or another shape and is independent of a spine. They are not as formal as the standard feather, but they are just as elegant. In her book, Peggy covers three concepts: the standard feather, the dream feather and using base shapes to help unify your quilting designs. Once you have all the concepts, she shows you how to embellish them with furls and flourishes, borders and swags, folded paper applications, medallions, and butterflies and hearts. While Peggy is a longarmer, the designs can be used for domestic machine and hand quilters.

Look for the book at your favorite book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

A couple of weeks ago I was talking with one of my private coaching clients, and she was very excited about what she had accomplished since our previous call. She has big goals and is right on track with them. When I mentioned how thrilled I was for her, she noted that she was ready to pick something from her Reward Jar during her weekly Success and Strategies Summit.

Last month during our IAPQ member goal setting call, I mentioned that it’s a good idea to create a way to celebrate our successes. SInce we often work in isolated environments, i.e., not an outside workplace with lots of co-workers, it’s up to us to reward ourselves. I like the idea of putting a reward on a piece of paper, putting it in the jar and then picking something out for yourself when it’s time to celebrate.

As for what kind of reward you create, you need to think about what motivates you. We all have different motivators. A bike ride through the park may be just what you need. For someone else it’s a painful reminder of exercise. And, not everyone enjoys a hot bubble bath or a massage. For you, maybe it’s a trip to a nice restaurant, a visit to a new gallery, a game of toss with your dog or a shopping spree for a new pair of shoes.

How to figure out what really motivates you? It’s often that activity that brings a smile to your face. Spend some time making a list of those activities, write them on individual pieces of paper and collect them in a jar or even a fabric bowl. As you look back over your successes this week, don’t forget to reward yourself.

Please share your what’s in your reward jar below.