There's a goal in the bucket dear Liza.

Now that I'm not feeding a baby every 45 minutes, and I'm not up half the night (only a quarter of it) it's time to get serious about my business, and there's nothing more serious than a list.  Unless it's a funny list, although even then it can be seriously funny. To make my serious lists businessy, I'm going to make them about business goals.  The first list is about the goals I've achieved so far this year, and the second list (which I will post tomorrow or the next day) will be about the goals I'm going to try to reach in the second half of the year.  Ready, set, GO(al).

Achievement number one this year, I got business cards printed.  FINALLY.  It was getting pretty unprofessional to potential clients who would be all "oh cool you have a business.  Do you have a card?" and I would be all "no."  Thanks to my rad spouse who designed them for me, I now have a sweet piece of card I can hand out to the many people who ask for them.

The second goal I've accomplished this year was that I hassled my spouse to get an electrician over to install a new outlet so I could have my conveyor dryer on site.  Not having to drive across town to cure my shirts has really increased my productivity!  It also forced me to clean up and rearrange my studio *again*, but it's so functional now and easy to move around in.  I can actually sew and draw and do a jig in there if I want.

The third goal I've accomplished (maybe it's actually the first, since Sebastien really did the first 2) is that I got equipment to do large prints.  It was a bit of a learning curve at first, and I discovered that I either have to stand on a platform or wear platform high heeled shoes to be able to reach the bottom of the screen.  Unfortunately I don't have a platform, so I've been sporting some pretty fancy shoes with my jogging pants at 10:00 a.m. while printing.

These are some pretty sweet things that have happened this year, but I have a LOT left to do.  Some of it is gonna be fun, some of it is NOT gonna be fun.  Stay tuned for part 2 of serious business lists: future goals.

Always leave room for error. ALWAYS.

I'm a reasonably time efficient person.  Over the years I've learned that there are some things you really shouldn't leave to the last minute.  Start working on school projects a few weeks in advance.  Don't wait until the night before an exam to study for it.  Don't wax your back the day before a big date (in case you get a rash).  You get the idea.  The same goes for my work.  I ask for at least 2 weeks between the time that an order is placed with me (and shirts get ordered THAT day, or first thing in the morning if the order was placed after business hours) and the deadline for the shirts to be finished.  That gives me 2 days to prep my screens and get ready to print before the shirts arrive, and then I have at least 10 days usually to get the shirts printed.  Because I work this way, people almost always get their shirts earlier than expected.  I get it done in case another order comes in.  I like to keep a clear plate, you know?

Now, I understand that not everyone is going to be able to give me 2 weeks notice.  Sometimes there are rush jobs, and that's fine.  This week I had a job like that.  A large order (over 200 shirts) was placed on a Friday and the deadline was the following Thursday, effectively giving me a 3 business day turnover time.  That means the shirts were shipped on Friday, but then didn't move over the weekend, then Monday was a frickin' holiday, so the shirts didn't even arrive until Tuesday.  That is NOT a lot of room for error. Also, Murphy's Law must be obeyed so of course the shipment was wrong.  The wrong amount of the wrong size kid's shirts were sent (luckily the bulk of the order was correct) so I had to return the shirts, and they sent out a new shipment. 

I did get these beauties printed though.  

It's now Friday and my shirts still aren't here.  The deadline has come and gone.  My screen is still up and inked and waiting to go.  Around lunchtime I started to worry, as the last shipment only took 24 hours and was here at 10 in the morning.  When I finally got hold of the supplier for the tracking number, I discovered that some asshole named "C. Cassie" had received and signed for my shirts.  Um, WHAT? 

The event that the shirts are for is OVER on Sunday, so there is no more time to ship me new shirts, since it's already Friday.  Plus, some jackass is enjoying 24 kid's shirts on my tab.  C.Cassie better watch their self.  They'll get more than a back-waxing if I ever get hold of them.  The worst part is that this all looks really bad on me, though I did warn the client that I couldn't guarantee his shirts on such short notice.  This is why I have my 2 week turnover time.  It allows me to make a promise to my client, and to keep that promise.  I've never not come through in time, and whether it is or isn't my fault (for the record it's isn't) the fact remains that my client didn't get what they wanted.  I cannot convey my disappointment and aggravation at this fact.  Why did C.Cassie sign for a package that was not intended for C.Cassie?  Can I sue C.Cassie for taking my mail?  That's a crime, right?  Arrgh.

I haven't really got a closing solution or gem of wisdom to end this post.  I will say this though, always give yourself enough time to do a job twice, in case you screw it the first time.  I will also say that C.Cassie is in for a world of pain, providing I ever find out who it is....

It's a Mom-lemma.

The slow moving change of my life is about to get another jolt, and I am nervous.  I've been a work at home mom since my baby was 6 weeks old, but up until now I've had my spouse home to share the domestic and child care duties.  This allowed me to get lots of work done during the day and not have to worry if my 6 month old was upstairs lighting fires or eating paint.  However, as of June 6th, the man is going back to work and the woman (me, I'm a woman) is staying home to hold down the fort, mind the youngster, AND run a business.

I thought I was going to have it made when my neighbour, a stay at home dad who has a child the same age as mine, suggested we team up.  I was all "shit yea, son, let's do it up", until I  heard what he had in mind for the division of labour.  He would be "taking care" of all the hanging out, sleeping in, and playing video games, while I took over all the mom duties. Needless to say, I think I can manage without the "help".

I think what's going to happen is that I'll be doing a lot of evening and weekend work, while taking care of Mimi during the day.  Sure I can do the odd thing like invoicing, ordering stock and supplies, printing transparencies etc. while Myriam is chilling next to me.  But the more time sensitive tasks (like exposing and coating screens) or the tasks that require a substantial chunk of time (printing 300 shirts, for example) can not be done while tending to a small child.  

Even a baby this cute throws fits and needs her mom sometimes.

A friend of mine is a graphic designer with 2 kids, and she has someone come to her home to babysit the youngest while the oldest is in daycare.  That way she can be productive for 2 or 3 hours during the day and not have to scamper away to work the second her husband gets home. I'd love to do the same, but other than my sister in law  (who may or may not have the time to come) I don't really know anybody who can help out! 

I've got a mom-lemma...or I'm a dilem-mom...or I make really terrible jokes.  At least I've got a hierarchy of stuff in my life which removes the burden of choice. I can't choose between making a deadline or taking care of my baby. Even when she has boogs in her nose and inflicts grievous bodily harm (her nails are sharp!) she's still going to be more important than my work.  Alternatively, my work is going to take precedence over my sleep, but sleep is usually more important than eating, or at least eating healthy.  Seriously, when you're up early every morning, what would you rather do at night when you finish work:  take an hour to prepare a healthy meal, then have to spend another 20 or 30 minutes eating said meal, or cram some chips in your face and then crawl into bed and pass out?

I guess I'll have to start getting even more creative with my time management.  I just thought of my first time saver!  I'll eat the chips IN bed!  If anyone has any other helpful short cuts like that, do me a solid and send them my way.  I'll be sure to share all mine with you!

The learning curve is a bitch...or is it?

With everything in life there is a learning curve.  Aside from breathing, there is a period of development for every skill we possess during which we are crap at said skill (although, new research suggests there may even be a learning curve for breathing, particularly through the night around 3 months of age).  Think about how long it takes to learn to walk.  How many years it takes to learn a language, something which few people ever fully master (unless lolspeak counts as a language).  As we age, it seems to take less and less time to learn something new.  Take, for example, the stupid 3 year old who attempts to tie a shoe 500 times in a row and still fails vs. the 2 or 3 attempts it takes me to learn a new crochet stitch.  (I'm superior to 3 year olds!)

The learning curve is ever present in your professional life, too.  I've personally never felt fully comfortable in a new job until several months have passed.  Now that I work for myself, the learning curve has become a bit more tricky.  On one hand, I don't have anyone breathing down my neck, threatening my job security while I learn the ins and outs of how to run the studio.  On the other hand, there's no one there to help me learn how to do it, so I'm stuck making mistakes and learning from them (learning things "the hard way", I think they call it :P )

This past month has been a long one, full of "learning" (i.e. mistakes).It seems like every job I take on has a different set of challenges.  I printed giant posters for the first time ever. Turns out, the ink is quite sticky when applied to paper, and the palette adhesive makes the back of the posters really tacky too!  Learning curve.  I printed a design with a large area of solid color in light colored ink on a dark colored t shirt.  I discovered halfway through that 3 hits of ink looks a bit better than 2 hits, but had to continue doing 2 hits to keep the shirts consistent.  Learning curve.  I printed a design with both large blocks of color, and intricate detail.  If I pressed too hard, the detail was lost.  If i didn't apply adequate pressure, the ink failed to penetrate the fabric and the color of the shirt remained visible under the print.  Learning curve.

Thankfully, I'm not a dumb ass 3 year old and it's not going to take 500 tries to get it right.  I do learn from every mistake, but every job is different so there are always new ways to shag it all up.  No matter what you do, errors will be made.  That's just life!  It just sucks to feel like your clients are guinea pigs, and they're paying you while you learn (I hope they're not reading this, hahah).  In the eyes of a client, either you have a skill or you don't.  Can you or can you NOT do a job properly?  If NOT, then stop offering the service.  On the other hand, skills must be acquired, and I can't really purchase 1,000 shirts just to practice on, can I?

At the end of the day, I still feel like I'm a good printer, I still know more about it than 99% of the people I know, and I still get lots of repeat business so I must be doing something right.  I dont' think you can ever be fully happy with everything you do all the time anyway.  If you're always satisfied with your performance, where is the room for growth?

When you stop using a critical eye to find your mistakes, you can't learn from them.  You'll get stagnant, flies will start buzzing around you, people start throwing garbage on you, suddenly you're the epicenter of a West Nile outbreak.  Ew.  I guess being on the learning curve isn't such a bad thing.  Perhaps the learning curve is endless, and if you find yourself not on it, it means you've given up. 

When you're flying solo.

I have so many creative friends.  More of my friends than not are working in creative fields.  Back in the day, we would get together and bounce ideas around, talk about art and design, look at art books together, hit art shows and spend hours drawing and designing.  I've written before about how surrounding yourself with like-minded people is a great way to keep your own creative juices flowing.  What happens, though, when the group disbands and moves to different parts of this gigantic country?  What happens when you stop creating because life gets in the way? How do you get back to being the lean, mean drawing machine you used to be, when much of your inspiration and motivation is now over a thousand miles away?

The first thing that I've done is to make an effort to follow my friend's blogs.  It's cool to see how they all keep the flame burning, and how they're growing and changing as time goes by.  Two friends are more into photography these days.  One friend is getting into interior design and vintage furniture restoration.  Following their blogs and talking to them about their projects every now and then helps me get motivated to start some projects to talk about as well.  That way I'll have something to say aside from how the baby is, and what new skill she's developing this week (it's commando style crawling, if you must know).

The second thing that I'm planning on doing is frivilous, but inspires me just the same.  I'm really into fashion, but with the cold weather and time restraints, I'm unable to pursue that interest at the moment.  To compensate for my constant attire of jogging pants and drool covered hoodies, I'm starting a fashion look book.  I have a huge stack of fashion magazines, and I'm gonna cut out all my favorite pieces and glue them in an empty sketch book.  Fashiony stuff doesn't only inspire me when i'm sewing, but it also inspires my illustration work.  I loves a drop of interdisciplinary inspiration b'y..

The third thing that I'm hoping to accomplish this week or next is to rethink my studio concept.  Right now, there is a computer and a buttload of music gear in the big studio, and all my other art stuff is in the little blue room (images in this post).  We're planning on making the little blue room a music/computer room for Sebas, and then the large space will be ALL studio, with all my gear, tables, sewing machine, paper, etc. stored in one place.  I'm looking forward to it, because now I do all my non-printing work at the kitchen table, and it is FAR too easy to get distracted here!  The phone, the baby, my computer, delicious foods, it's all within my reach at the moment.  Part of being creative is having the time to work through an idea without having to constantly stop every 2 minutes for some reason.  It's actually taken me all day to write this post.  I can't imagine if I was trying to draw something, or draft a pattern.  It'd be in the garbage by now!

Anywhoot, those are my starting points for pulling myself back into the "art world", so to speak.  I'll let everyone know if they work.  What does everyone else to do stay motivated and inspired?

on creativity

 So, there's this awesome video of Thom Yorke dancing to "Lotus Flower" that came out this week (I think?).  Both myself and Myri really enjoyed watching it the other morning when it popped up a bunch of times on my facebook news feed.  As I was watching it again this morning, it got me wondering about how people get to moving like that, and then how people get to making music like that, or how people get to drawing the way they do.  I asked myself how people get to be creative in general. 

It's a pertinent issue to me, as I myself am pretty creative (and working on being more so), and I want to foster my daughter's creativity as she grows.  It will strike me as odd if she turns out to be a world class Muay Thai fighter, and never touches a Staedtler or a Micron in her life.  Though I'm assuming that her impressive musical and visual arts lineage will impart some type of creativity to her, I also want to know how best to augment whatever it is in her nature to be.

When I think back to my own childhood and what might have made me the way I am (besides my awesome genetics), I recall spending lots of time alone.  That's it.  Except for a few months of gymnastics when I was 6, and piano once a week for a few years, my time was all my own.  I can't imagine a life where every day of the week was a different class, along with homework, studying, and family time.  After all that, when is there time to think and develop one's own ideas?  It takes more than 15 minutes of free time before bed to become a Kahlo, or a Dostoevsky.

Perhaps in the end it's all genetics.  Maybe some kids, when left to their own devices become shiftless hooligans, out dealing crack at all hours of the night.  I won't say I wasn't a shiftless hooligan, it's just that I was up drawing or writing poetry by candle light at all hours of the night (I was such a tortured soul when I was 15) instead of pushing drugs on street corners.

No art classes, no summer camps, no weekend creative writing groups.  Just me and my sketchbook, which never left my side from the age of 13 onward.  I guess what I'm trying to get at is that even the most well intentioned structure can be stifling for creativity, especially when there's a lot of it.  I guess I'll wait and see when it comes to Mimi.  If she wants to take kickboxing after school, I'm not going to stop her.  But I'm certainly not going to force her into classes she doesn't want to take.  I mean, just think of how Thom Yorke would dance if he had been sent to dance classes after school?  Or if he was also in Cadets, Boy Scouts, and the Chess Club? Not like he does in that video, that's for sure.

Waiting for the perfect moment.

I really like writing this blog.  For me, this blog is a link to a part of me that I don't get to express very much in my day to day life.  All day long my thoughts are consumed by Myriam, and my time is consumed by mundane tasks that pile up if they don't get taken care of right away (hello, cloth diapers).  I'm typically doing 2 or 3 things at once; cooking while I wash dishes and dance for M in her high chair, folding laundry while wearing the baby on my back.  Checking out facebook while M is hanging off my boob.  I've become remarkably domestic.  While it's nice that I've been able to adapt to my new role in life, it makes me sad that there's a substantial part of me that's being pushed to the backburner for now.

When the midget is out of my hair (either sleeping or downstairs with her dad) and the timing is just right (I'm not too hungry, there's not too many chores piled up, my online banking is done, the moon is in the seventh house, etc. etc.) then I can really let loose and write a post.  I know, how exciting, a blog post is how I let loose.  Whatever, shut up.  It IS exciting for me becuase it's the only occasion that I can focus on creativity, writing, business, and just random thoughts that *don't* revolve directly around the midget. 

Here's the problem though, Myriam needs me all the time, I'm always hungry, there are always chores piled up, I NEVER do my online banking, and I don't even know what the seventh house is!  So you see, the timing is never just right for me to let loose.  I am always waiting for the perfect moment, and that moment never seems to arrive.  My mother told me this, when I was not sure if it was the right time to try to have a baby.  She said to me "Jillian, there it's never a right time.  But you do it anyways".  Thanks mom.  No, seriously.  That is some good advice.

Maybe you want to start a business, or have a baby, or write a blog post, but you're waiting around for something (an invitation perhaps?)  It's never gonna happen.  I may as well shut down my blog if I'm only going to post during an ideal moment.  Right now, I am eating supper that I cooked while writing this post, nursing my baby, and finishing this post with my one free hand.   Evidently, the perfect moment is now.

Multi tasking: crocheting while caring for Myri.