Does this sound familiar?

You are headed to the office or studio, only you pass through the kitchen and see the dishwasher needs to be emptied. Well, it won’t take that long. You do it first and just get it done.

Now you are back on track headed to the office or studio only you are now  distracted by the stack of laundry as you pass by the washer. Well, let’s just throw that one load in. You decide it will only take a minute or two.

You pause to looking at the messages that came in the night before. One was from a friend down the street. Well, what could she want? It’s just a quick phone call, and it will be out of the way.

Finally you’ve made it to your studio and are ready to get to work. Wait, you decide to quickly check your email. Oh, some of these look really quick to answer. So you decide to do them first and get them out of the way.

Did you just lose half your day because you had what I’ve termed “gotta-do-it-first-itis”?
Any chance this problem crops up more than one day a week?

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Last week while I was caught in yet another rainstorm on the East Coast, I remembered something I had read about the difference between the bison and the cow.

Not having experienced it, I am not sure if it is anecdotal or always holds true. Even if it is only anecdotal, it holds some good lessons for all of us.

When storms come, the bison and the cow approach the storm differently.

Most storms come from the west and move east.

When cows sense that a storm is coming, they will start to run to the east, to try to outrun it. Ever watch cows run? I have, since my uncle and cousins raise grass-fed cattle. They do not really move all that fast. So the storm will catch up to the cows and they will be caught up in it and actually run with it. They won’t get out of the storm until the storm passes them by.

Bison, on the other hand, will run right into the storm. They will get through the storm more quickly and with less pain and frustration.

Both animals face exactly same storm yet their approach is the opposite.

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I’m hosting our eighth Creative Arts Business Summit this week. It’s inspiring to be around so many creative people. People with big dreams.

One problem is that while we all have big dreams, they can often get stalled. And, you seem to be repeating what you did yesterday without moving further ahead with your dreams.

You are stuck in a permanent Groundhog Day.

Do you see yourself there?

You’ve spent hours talking about your business ideas. You have the perfect name. You have idea pictures of your website on a Pinterest board. You have a strategy to launch your business. You even have potential customers.

And, then you stop. You start the next day in the same place. Dreaming of starting your own creative arts business. You know you could make a difference. You know the world needs what you have to offer, your art.

And, you look around and realize that you never took the leap. You never even really took the first step to making your dream a reality.

You stayed in your safe spot. Dreaming.

What often holds people back from making this leap is they lack clarity. They lack confidence. They lack support. All three are needed to take the leap.

At CABS I opened the doors for enrollment to our Members’ Studio. Most of those attending are already members and see the difference every day in how their business grows.

They gain clarity. They build confidence. And they have the best support network to move their business forward.

Take this chance to join us and leave Groundhog Day behind.

We are in a stage of change here at the International Association of Creative Arts Professionals. Our biggest change is that we are no longer hosting our annual Creative Arts Business Summit after next weekend.

It was hard for me to decide to stop doing a successful event. After seven years, I felt rewarded by all the growth I saw in the creatives who had come to CABS, as we call it.

People who were pattern designers opened brick and mortar stores. One person saw her dream of a B&B/Retreat Center come to fruition. Someone created a “million dollar” idea. Many others also realized that they were capable of doing bigger things, and as one attendee said, she was so “much more than a stay at home mom with a hobby.”

People felt their lives were changed both personally and professionally.

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I believe that anyone who is serious about starting or growing a creative arts business should have a chance to learn the best success and business strategies.

I also believe this is best done away from your studio with other like-minded creatives who will understand and continue to support you.

Your place to do that is the eighth annual Creative Arts Business Summit on March 21-23, 2019.

That’s why when someone turned in her ticket for this year’s Creative Arts Business Summit (CABS), I decided to offer two partial scholarships. Two lucky winners will be able to work directly with me and a group of other creatives for three days in the middle of March.

For many who have attended CABS over the past seven years, this has been life changing. I want that for you, too.

Here are the rules:

• Send us a note or a video indicating why YOU should receive the scholarship. Be sure to mention how this will make a difference in your business and life.
• Written entries should be no longer than 300 words and videos should be no longer than 3 minutes!
• If you choose to do a video, clearly mention the website www.CreativeArtsBusinessSummit.com in your video so people who watch it know where to learn more about this event you’re talking about.
• Send your written response or a link to the video to support@creativeartsprofessional.com.
• We must receive your entry no later than 11:59 pm Eastern on Sunday, February 24th.
• Be sure to include your contact info, as I will notify the winners directly.

You can learn more about CABS and read the success stories of some those who’ve attended here.

Time is limited so don’t delay. We must receive your entry no later than 11:59 pm Eastern on Sunday, February 24th.

Don’t miss this chance to uplevel your business this year with some financial assistance. Before you know it, you’ll wish you had joined us.

You’ve probably heard people talk about leverage. And not the TV show of recent years. Leverage is about using a resource to its maximum advantage.

When I think of leverage in your business, I think of it as a triangle with Time, Money, and Knowledge + Talents + Passion as the three sides. When you start your business, you have all these elements in varying degrees. And likely some are limited.

As you grow your business, you begin to have more of each and can use each to its maximum advantage. And, you can leverage other people’s time, money and knowledge, too.

You invest in each of them because you want something back in your business. You have an expectation of a return on this investment.

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You have just finished your latest piece of art — your quilt. You are proud of your accomplishment and want to show it off. You first share it with your family, then with your small quilting “bee” and finally take it to show and tell at your next guild meeting.

For some quilters, this is enough. For others, it is not.

Many quilters and fiber artists want to see how their work stacks up against the competition, whether that is hanging it in a local, non-judged show or entering it in a major juried and judged competition. In addition to gaining recognition for your quilts, you also educate other quilters and the general public about quilting and its standards. For local guild shows, this is often a primary reason for holding a show.

Additionally, if your quilt is entered in a judged show, you can set goals for improvement based on feedback from the judges or your own comparison with winning quilts. And, of course, you might just win a prize, either a ribbon, cash, or merchandise.

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Have you ever had so much on your plate that you’re stuck with where to start? I know I have. Last week I started thinking about all the ideas I have to grow ICAP. There is the weekly blog/ezine, the monthly coaching and interview calls, and some content that is already planned to write. Then there is book in progress, the podcast in the works, and the work I want to have happen in our Facebook groups. Wait, I forgot about the webinar I am creating. I know I can look at the my projects and figure out which to pick first, so overwhelm is not the problem.

It really is about uncertainty and where to start or how to move forward on the one project. And, if you are like me, having so much to sort through can keep you stuck. You end up studying the issue to death, over-thinking it, over-revising it, and, yes, staying stuck. I think a good term for this in my case might be analysis-paralysis.

Does this sound familiar? What is the solution?

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We’re into the last six months of the year. Just where did the first six months go?!

Our ICAP Members’ Studio peeps regularly look at their numbers. How about you?

Have you look at your numbers for the first six months? What did you discover? Were you on track or were your results not quite what you were expecting?

I talked with one of my private clients recently about this, and she said she needed a cash infusion. I think finding that cash infusion comes down to two items: ideas you didn’t take action on and things you didn’t follow-up on.

Ideas that you didn’t act on

First are those items you didn’t take action on. One of my good friends has something she calls “the $5,000 notebook.” I bet you have a similar notebook full of cash and you don’t even know it.

Do you often make notes of the great ideas you had? You know, the new pattern you wanted to create, the class you think you should develop, the cards to print based on your paintings, the new line of jewelry you want to work on.

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