Why Bother Getting Organized Again

by Elizabeth Symington

I spend more time getting organized than staying that way. Authors Dorothy Lehmkuhl and Dolores Cotter Lamping C.S.W. of Organizing for the Creative agree that it takes less time to stay organized than to get organized. Saving time and being less stressed are my motivation for getting my possessions in order. Being disorganized has also mentally held me back from running my own art-related venture. I know papers will exponentially grow when the doors open for business, so I feel that if I don’t get it under control now, how will I operate a professional business? (Don’t fret, this book goes into specifics on how to succeed at the catch-up game to get things into order and then how to stay ahead.)

According to this book, right brain dominant people (RBs), like artists, actually think differently in terms of organizing than from analytical, left brain dominant people (LBs). Since most organizing containers are tailored to LB’s way of thinking, it is a no wonder that RBs are often messy. So what kinds of organizing systems are a natural fit for us creative people?

Even though Organizing for the Creative is a paperback, it took me a while to get through. I’d be snuggled up on the couch reading when I’d come across a nugget. Being all excited, I’d immediately get up and implement what I just read. Compulsively I sketched out better suited organizing containers, by using the preferences that us creative people love that are listed in this book. It was like a game thinking of what areas I let be cluttered; analyze what gets left there and visualize in my mind the best kind of home for those specific items. Then I’d create or find these organizing containers and keep tabs on it to asses if anything needed to be altered. I love games!

Which is Your Dominate Brain Hemisphere?

Your toothpaste tube has the answer. The authors of Organizing for the Creative Person talk about how left brain people carefully roll up the tube as they go. Right brain folks squeeze it from wherever. The cap could even be missing! Who needs it anyways!?! Basically LBs are analytical and RBs are intuitive. This disparity of thought process makes is necessary to have different organizing systems.

Right and left brain traits can be learned to make you more balanced. In this book, it analyzes behaviors of LBs that RBs can learn to alter to fit their natural organizing style. There are lots of specifics on how to organize the home and office with an emphasis on problem areas like photos, recipes and papers. The book is also great for LBs to further understand how us RBs think, so there is less conflict.

Left Brain Preferences to Organizing:

• Vertical (filing cabinets)
• Hidden (drawers or closets with doors)
• Complex systems
• Linear (bullet points for brainstorming)
• Formal (expensive looking furniture, like wooden bookshelves)

Natural Fits for Creative People

Right brain dominate people prefer horizontal organizing.
We also like things to be informal, like using 2x4s to hang up tools.

Creative people also like their things exposed,
so they don't forget about them (fear of out of sight, out of mind).

Plus we prefer to simplify things by having easy access.

This means no drawers or cupboard doors.

Creative People Prefer:

• Horizontal (storing papers flat in open cubbies)
• Exposed but also quickly covered up to eliminate visual clutter (secretaries desk)
• Simple
• Circular (mind mapping technique for brainstorming)
• Fun
• colorful

Nothing is Wrong with Me

Organizing habits come from your thoughts, so Organizing for the Creative Person talks about common thought patterns for right brain dominate people. This was by far the most helpful part of the book! By analyzing why I think certain thoughts, I’m more in control of keeping my possessions in order. It also made me feel less alone in my struggle to stay neat and tidy, since other creative people deal with the same issues.

While reading, the biggest Aha! moment happened when I realized I think globally. Let’s say my art studio is trashed. I’d weigh how long it would take to clean the whole room. If there’s not enough time to start and finish in one session, I wouldn’t start cleaning. An LB looks at tasks in parts. They would see each section of the room as a separate task, like the desk, the floor, the tool bench… They would naturally attack one area, instead of doing the whole room at once.

Knowing the disadvantages and advantages of thinking globally has helped me to treat myself (and other artists) better. I have lightened up on giving myself a hard time about taking on too much, like cleaning the entire studio in one go, getting burnt out and not cleaning for a long time. I also have cut back on trash talking to myself for not cleaning the room at all, because I thought the task as a whole was too intimidating to even start. By seeing projects in sections, it feels more doable. I’m now less likely to put off a big project, since I started cutting it up into smaller tasks.

We are Creative in More Than Just Art

The great thing about right brain dominate people, is that we are naturally creative. Since creativity is not limited to the arts, you can use it in any aspect: running a business, financial, organizing… You don’t need to feel like you can’t be organized because you haven’t been or stayed that way. By reading Organizing for the Creative Person by Dorothy Lehmkuhl and Dolores Cotter Lamping you’ll get more tools on getting and staying organized.

Imagine how wonderful you’ll feel having a natural system for organizing. You’ll be less stressed and more in control. Now think about how much time you daily spend looking for things. Would it take more time to hunt for missing items than to daily clean-up for 20 minutes? Consider giving organizing another try.

2 Ways to Improve Your Street Cred

By Elizabeth Symington

When I first thought about creating a business card and website it sounded daunting, time consuming, costly and boring. I had to trick myself by designing the prototype with my hands instead of on the computer. Scented markers, fake grass, glue stick, large sheets of white paper, ruler, thin tipped pens and paints showed me how to have fun with making creative and interesting marketing tools.

Think about your web design and what colors and font best describe what you do. Aim for a cohesive look between the tactile business card and the virtual website. From there you can input the design into the computer or hire someone to be the webmaster.

Nowadays everyone asks if your art is online and for a business card with the web address. Here are the basics on setting these up for us creative types.

Business Card

There really is no good excuse for not having a business card. They are inexpensive. And you’ll probably find they are really fun to design. Keep your playful mindset and dare yourself to be funky by designing a mini business card or alter the shape. Maybe a more traditional card would be best. Think about how you want others to view your company and go from there.

There are free templates online or you can upload your own design, have it printed and shipped to your house super quick. Another option is to design your own card and have them printed at a local copy shop. If you want someone to take care of the designing for you, advertise on Craigslist or check out the local art college. They might even design it as a class project. You never know until you ask.

On the business card include your name, your title, phone number, email and website. If it’s relevant put your address and office hours.

You don’t want your email address to scream, “I made this account when I was 15 and I had a crush on Jonathan Taylor Thomas!!!” Think of something professional like yourname@gmail.com. If you don’t want to use your name (or if it’s already taken), consider the name of your business or something else respectable.

The image on the business card is your chance to showcase what you do. The entire back of the card could be a color image of your art. A logo would also work. To avoid having to constantly update your business card, avoid images that are too specific on your current artwork, but pick an image that shows where you are going as an artist.

Web Presence

Domain Name

There are lots of options online for showcasing what you do no matter your knowledge of web design. My recommendation is to buy your domain name, even before you think about who should host or design it. You don’t want someone to snag your web address!

For fine artists it’s standard to go with your full name for the web address for your portfolio site. If that is taken, think of something that gives an idea of what you do without being too limited. You want a domain that describes where you are going as an artist. ElizabethSymingtonCeramics.com is very specific. If I even wanted to try another medium, like photography, then this web address wouldn’t work anymore. If my name was taken I would have bought ElizabethSymingtonArtwork.com. It gives the general idea of what I do and it has flexibility for when I branch out.

Types of Art Sites

1) Design your own website or hire out. Check out other artist’s websites for ideas of what you do and don’t like. This is also a good way to find a designer that you like.

2) Set up a free art blog with Blogger or Wordpress. They are user friendly and allow you to share articles, slideshows, photos and videos. This is a good way to include customers and make them feel special by letting them be the first to see the art in progress.

3) Depending on your art business, using a free online portfolio could be the way to go. It is a virtual mall of artists that are searchable by medium and subject matter. Everyone has the same page layout that they customize by uploading photos of their art, descriptions, artist’s statement, resume and contact info.

Recommended sites for posting your portfolio:

http://artslant.com
http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk
http://www.myartspace.com

4) Set up an etsy store to display and sell your inventory. There are minimal fees per item posted. Very user friendly and like the online portfolio sites, being a part of a community could help with networking and bringing in more traffic.

5) Facebook is very well connected and has the capability for sharing photos. Perhaps it is not the most professional if it’s your only site, but it is better than nothing.

HTML Basics that will Serve You

If you know some HTML it can help a lot to make your free online portfolio site and Craigslist ads look more polished. For reference I use Facebook’s html cheat sheet (please hyperlink: http://www.facebook.com/notes_cheatsheet.php) for simple changes like bolding words.

Photos

When you share images of your art, the quality of the photo reflects on your business. Unless it’s an obvious work-in-progress there shouldn’t be other things in the shot like ladders, art supplies, people, pets, clutter….

Prospective clients are judging the quality of your art through a 2D image. After spending X amount of time on the art, do you want a mediocre photo to advertise your hard work? You might want to take photography classes or hire a professional.

Keeping Organized

To keep track of where your art is online and for ease of adding new artwork, keep a master list of the urls, user IDs, and a clue for the password. It is best not to save it on your computer, but on a removable drive. This spreadsheet is also helpful for when you move and need to change your contact info.

To make things go faster, when I signed up for multiple artist portfolio sites, I made a file folder that contained my resume, statement, images, and image list.

Share your url

Besides having your web address on your business card put it other places, like after your signature on your email.

You can share new artwork and promotions on various sites like digg, kirsty, and twitter by leaving your url. I love twitter, because mine is set up to automatically update my status on Facebook and on my art blog. When you post on youtube in the subject line give yourself credit and include a link to your site.

In closing

Don’t get overwhelmed. Instead have fun with designing business cards and a website. It doesn’t need to be super complicated or techno savvy with Flash components. You can always upgrade. Make it look professional and just get it done.

Moving out of your Comfort Zone to Advance Business

by Elizabeth Symington

It’s up to you to reflect on your productivity and how to enhance it since you call the shots. Think about your to-do list. Maybe it’s super long with lots of descriptive notes, or perhaps you don’t feel the need to make one. Is the to-do list typed up systematically in a spreadsheet or is it handwritten with colorful markers? How often do you find yourself having completed all of the “fun” tasks and stuck with the daunting one? Using Bernice McCarthy’s 4MAT for learning style I realized why I’ve been avoiding certain tasks and how that has held back my business.

The 4MAT learning style is a cycle where knowledge is acquired and retained through practical application. Each person naturally leans to one of the four learning quadrants: 1) establishing relationships, 2) understanding the essence, 3) searching for usefulness, and 4) creating personal adaptations and integrations.

Quadrant 1 individuals are intuitive people who thrive at talking and listening. They ask “why” this new knowledge is important and use their senses and past experiences to find that answer.

Quadrant 2 folks love to get the facts straight from the experts by attending lectures, watching videos, and reading. They love logic, charts and details. When learning things they question “what” is this new information?

Quadrant 3 people are also detail oriented but with a focus on “how does this work?” They like to practice, hypothesize and master practical life skills as fast as possible.

Quadrant 4 is made up of intuitive people who take the new found knowledge and ask “what if?” to adapt it to their lives. They are also flexible, focused on innovation and act on their dreams.

Applying Each Quadrants Preference of Tasks to the To-Do List:

Figuring out which quadrant you love to dwell in can help you ascertain how much time you spend on tasks of that genre and if the duties in the other quadrants are being neglected. I’m a diehard quadrant 3 since I adore taking information, applying it to my life and practicing it until mastery.

In relation to the to-do list, I tend to put off making phone calls since I prefer to stick to facts and objects and “getting things done,” instead of building relationships which is what quadrant 1 people love. Knowing that I put off phone calls since they “waste time,” I write on the to-do list an estimate of how long each call will take. This puts things into perspective, which usually adds up to being on the phone five minutes at a time, even though it feels like hours. It is also important to partake in small talk since quadrant one people would feel unloved if I called them and got straight to business.

The quadrant 2 tasks that I greatly love and adore are being systematic and organized with a fascination and thirst for facts. The only difference is that as a quadrant 3 person I prefer to take that information and put it to use in my life. As far as the to-do list is concerned quadrant 2 duties can include researching local government laws, new technology, and different business entities without regard to applying the information to your business. Being a quadrant 3 person, I occasionally feel overwhelmed with researching since the limitless amount of facts and details can give me “analysis paralysis.” This is where decision making is delayed until all of the facts have been investigated and analyzed. Knowing this, I give myself a time limit on when a decision needs to be made or have someone else do the research for me.

When writing this article I attacked it like a quadrant 3 person by focusing on a topic of relevance for business owners and artists. After brainstorming for a practical topic, I had to refamiliarlize myself with About Teaching, 4MAT in the Classroom by Bernice McCarthy, because it had been a few years since I read it. Instead of a typed outline, which I normally do, I drew a visual outline of a diagram of the learning cycle and began writing a rough draft for the article.

My tendency as a quadrant 3 person is to move straight to mastery, even before it’s time, so rough drafts are very difficult for me to write. I’d rather write the article perfectly the first time, but this approach can take a very long time and not have the best results. On my to-do list it says to write “an imperfect rough draft.” Being a stickler for rules, this helps me to write more freely and not worry about perfect formatting or sentence structure. I then let the article sit for about a day and tweaked it before handing it off to be proofread.

Quadrant 4 tasks on the to-do list can include how to adapt new found information for your business, like altering a production process that you heard from a friend. I shy away from quadrant 4 tasks since they often have unpredictable outcomes, making them riskier. In order to encourage myself to do these much needed tasks, I remind myself this is where progress happens and that “proud” feelings result when completing something scary.

Strategies for Finishing the Not-So-Fun-Tasks:

Aim for a balance of the quadrants; that way there will be fewer things on the to-do list you'll want to avoid. Until you reach this balance, acknowledge there is nothing wrong with preferring particular tasks and focus on solutions to complete the things you put off. Some solutions are:

• Do the least favorite task first to get it over with (like presenting first in speech class).

• Make it into a game by making the to-do list into a bingo card. When you have a bingo give yourself a reward! Or set a time limit or date as to when the project has to be done. Call up a friend and bet them you’ll get a specific amount of things done in 3 hours or you’ll owe them $20.

• Contract out or delegate to an employee.

• Partner up with someone to make the experience more enjoyable and to help with motivation.

• Imagine the sense of accomplishment and other rewards for finishing this daunting or unenjoyable task

Recognizing Limitations to Break New Ground

The breakthrough mentioned earlier was in relation to over planning which prevented me from taking the next step in running my first business. For the past nine years I have planned many businesses, but wanted to be completely prepared before opening the doors. I became a thorough planner, but no businesses were ever opened.

True to being a 3rd quadrant person, I prepared to be an owner by attending many seminars, taking classes, researching online and reading many books. Everything was planned and practiced, but it was the fear of not having a controlled outcome that held me back.

I was also stymied about not knowing where to find the legal forms for opening a business. The task felt overwhelming since there were lots of unfamiliar terms. It seemed like it would take hours to find the correct forms. Then a few days before this deadline, a friend surprised me by finding the two forms I needed to open a business. His encouragement and leading the way through the government sites helped me to move past the daunting details and into owning a business.

Acknowledging what you love to do and not do can speed up your productivity and reduce your stress. Best of luck with analyzing and assessing your productivity!

16 Bootstrapping Techniques to Preserve your Cash

by Elizabeth Symington

A major threat to new businesses is running out of cash. It can get tied down in places like the inventory or accounts receivable. One way to stretch your money further in these times is by "bootstrapping", which is doing without for as long as possible or using low or no-cost techniques to minimize cash flow.

I like to think of it as a game. What creative way can I get what I need without spending a lot of cash, if any? This can be done by knowing where to look for free, bartered or discounted products or services.

Free:
1. Technical Help - Ask a question on the “computer forum” on Craigslist. Often by the end of the day my frequent computer issues are solved. Also under “For Sale” there’s a section called “free” that has lots of random items.

2. Rummage – Ask businesses to save the things that they normally toss, like bike shops toss inner tubes that have holes. Now can you can reuse them for art. This will make the business owners feel better since it’s not going to the landfill.

3. Freecycle – They’re an online yahoo group that are all across the States who’s “goal is to reduce waste by connecting people who are throwing away unwanted items with others seeking the same items.” It’s a smorgasbord from Christmas lights, to clothes, to art supplies… http://www.freecycle.org/

4. Public Library - Next time you feel the impulse to buy a brand new book, try saving that cash and the hassle of moving heavy books and go to the library. In case it’s been a while since you’ve been there a lot of them have books, magazines, DVDs, VHS, CDs. My favorite features are being able to set holds on books by the Internet and renewal by phone or Internet.

5. Borrow - Network and borrow from fellow business owners, friends and family. You never know if you can use something until you ask.

6. $1 stores - Surprisingly enough, a lot of my tools came from the dollar store. It is a gamble, since you don’t know if they’ll hold up. I learned to avoid buying tools and hardware that take a beating like nails, screws, drill bits, caulking guns and hammers since they were made from flexible or crumbly metal. Most of my painting supplies and super glue were from the dollar store and they’ve been great.

7. Reuse - What do you have on hand that you could MacGyver? You could knit with wooden dowels sanded to a point or use a digital camera in place of a scanner.

8. Professional Business Advice - Talk to SCORE, SBA, or California Lawyers for the Arts. http://www.score.org, http://sba.gov/, http://www.calawyersforthearts.org/

9. Interns – When set up to benefit both parties, both you and the intern will be happy. Keep in mind to give challenging responsibilities, hold them to known expectations, and give timely constructive feedback, along with having fun. Be sure to check the state regulations for the differences between a paid intern versus an unpaid intern.

Bartered:
10. Check online for established barter systems between businesses. Or talk with local business about trading services like catering your gallery opening in exchange for photographing food for their menu.

Discounted:
11. Get to know your neighborhood - Some recycle centers sell back the donated items at a steep discount! It can also be a great place to pick up latex paint.

12. Rent instead of buy - This way you don’t have to worry about maintaining, insuring, storing, or disposing costs. You can rent just about anything: electronics, power tools, carpet cleaners, vehicles…

13. Buy used - Check out second hand shops, salvage yards, and creative reuse stores like Scrap and Urban Ore in the San Francisco Bay Area. http://www.scrap-sf.org/, http://urbanore.ypguides.net/

14. Advertising - Post products and services via etsy, Amazon, ebay, Facebook, Twitter…

15. Reuse - What do you regularly consume that could be swapped for something reusable? How about using rags instead of paper towels? A friend served beverages in glasses at his art show, instead of using the typical one-time-use plastic cups.

16. Labor – Hire eager college students or find freelancers on CraigsList.

The most challenging part of bootstrapping is to break the autopilot mode of buying something new to instantly fill a need. You don’t necessarily need five extra printer cartridges. How about replacing it when it’s the last one with a refurbished cartridge or the kind you refill yourself?

I find it rewarding to come up with creative solutions instead of buying brand new at the store. It not only increases the leverage of my cash, but it gives me stories to share with friends on how to save money.

11 Guidelines to Getting Art Grants

11 Guidelines to Getting Art Grants
-Elizabeth Symington

There are lots of places to find grants for your art projects. In fact there are so many it might be overwhelming. This is an investment of time and staying organized is very important. Grant deadlines are often in the spring, so start looking now for where you can apply and put the pertinent information into a database, like Excel. You don’t want to wait until the last minute and possibly run out of time.

One thing to keep in mind is that most grants are from non-profit organizations since the donator gets a tax benefit for giving to them. One way to work this to your advantage is by teaming up with a local non-profit group. For a list of grants for individuals check out the Foundation Center. (Hi Deb, would you please hyperlink to the foundation center? http://foundationcenter.org/) You can go to their brick and mortar location and search their database for free or pay a minimal fee to use it via the Internet.

Look for grants from the government on the Federal, State and City levels, along with private granters. The government offers grants because they need help fixing a problem. In the application write about how you can help them with their problem. Local grants attract less competition which works to your benefit.

The place to start is by writing out what you specifically need the funding for and how much of a budget is required for the project. Then look for granters who have similar goals. You can find this information on their web site under “Vision.”

How to Put the Odds in Your Favor:
1. Confirm Eligibility. Before going through the work of applying for a particular grant, make sure you are eligible. If you are unclear pick up the phone and ask. This will save everyone time. By talking on the phone you starts the relationship with the funder, which is key to getting selected.

2. Plan Your Time. Put the deadline for the application on your calendar and see if you have enough time to get all of the paperwork together, such as a proposal, budget, and letters of recommendation. Be sure to note when the deadline is and when the application needs to be either received or post marked. If you are late, most likely it won’t even be considered and your hard work will have been for nothing.

3. Follow Their Rules Exactly. Each application process is specific to the granter, so make sure you follow their rules to a T. If there are a lot of great applications, they might narrow down the list by eliminating those who have missing paperwork or who didn’t follow the guidelines exactly.

4. Create an Accurate Budget. Some applications will ask how much money you are requesting, so take the time to plan out a detailed and accurate budget. Be as thorough as possible to show that you are thoughtful and that their money will be safe in your hands. Some granters will let you include in the budget the cost of your labor. If you are unsure about including anything in the budget, give them a call.

5. Research Past Winners. It is a good idea to see who has received the grant in the past to get a feeling for what the grant readers are looking for. Often past winning applications are online for you to read.

6. Proof Read Your Application. Allow time for someone to proof read your proposal. Some granters that you apply to will even proof it for you.

7. Make Their Life Easier. Help the grant reader by making your application clean and professional. Be sure to type up your proposal, use a legible font size, and spell and grammar check everything. Often the grant readers are over worked and may even be a volunteer so make their job easier. They will appreciate it!

8. Create an Assessment Plan. In your proposal include how you will asses if the project was a success. The granters want to know how they can concretely determine if their money made a positive impact.

9. Apply for Multiple Grants. Apply to lots of places. It’s best to get so many offers that you have to turn them down, then to not get enough. If you get a grant, it will show the grant reading community someone considers you trustworthy, so be sure to note on your application (if asked) if you have received any grants. You might end up getting the funding you need from several sources.

10. Send a Thank You Note. Just like after a job interview, send a handwritten thank you note. It will put you in a favorable light as a considerate person and remind them of who you are.

11. Reapply Next Year. If you received a grant a previous grant from them and used the money responsibly, they will know that they can trust you and consider giving you another grant. If you have applied before, it shows you really want the grant and they will recognize your name.

There are lots of places to help you with finding funding. There are free classes on how to write a budget like at the Foundation Center (both in-person classes and online). Or, if you’d rather have someone else write the proposal, hire a grant writer and use the proposal as a template for future applications or purchase DIY grant hunting programs.

If you have any suggestions or when you get a grant, please leave a comment. I'd love to hear about your success!

Where to find Internships and Interns

My newest article is up on Capitalist Chicks called, "Where to find Internships and Interns."


"To elaborate on a past article, "2 ways to improve your street cred" about free and low cost labor, I’m covering how I got my various jobs in the creative field while still in college. Whether you are looking to gain knowledge and refine your skills or looking for some additional hands, these tips can help out."