CREATIVITY + INNOVATION Page 23 of 50

Love to be inspired – time for a touch of poetry

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lovetobeinspired

So we welcome in November – log fires, cosy chats, darker evenings, fireworks, bonfires, toffee apples. Many people, including us, often find that November is a good time to reflect on the year that is slowly coming to a close, and looking ahead to the next one. So we have decided to make November ‘Love to be inspired’ month here on the blog. We will be bringing you images, creative ideas, interviews and more to keep you inspired in the dark chilly weeks ahead. And we are starting today with one of our very favourite poems, which never fails to inspire us:

Desiderata of Happiness, by Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
 Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be critical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.

What’s your favourite poem?

Please share a link to it in the comments below – we’d love to seek out some extra inspiration ourselves!

Do What You Love Interview – Jo Packham

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thebiginterview

Jo Packham is something of a wonder woman. She has had a fantastic career in publishing, has reinvented herself several times over, and through her gorgeous magazines and books has helped celebrate and promote creative women. I have been lucky enough to be featured in her flagship magazine Where Women Create, and with Kelly Rae Roberts I co-write a column in her brilliant Where Women Create Business magazine. Today I am thrilled to share this interview to give you an insight into what makes this amazing lady tick – and what keeps her inspired. – Beth

This is how Jo describes herself: “I am Creator/Editor in Chief of, and partner with Stampington & Company to publish, Where Women Create, Where Women Cook, and Where Women Create Business magazines. I also partner with Quarry Books to publish books under the imprint of WWC Press. Where Women Create consults with Create-ologie, an on-line shopping site established on the concept of a creative community supporting each other through social media and retail sales. I believe that everyone has a story to tell, that women are creative in all that they do, and that they should be given an opportunity to tell their story in their own words and from their own perspective … and I make it possible for them to do that.”

Jo Packham

 Jo Packham

 1. How are you leading a life ‘doing what you love’?

I created my own publishing business 35 years ago. I think I was more of an entrepreneur at the time than a publisher. Publishing just presented an opportunity and I took it. Over the years we have re-invented ourselves from self-publishing soft bound needlework books, then to packaging hard bound how-to publications for major publishers, now to magazines and back to books. I love publishing because it gives me the enviable position of working with the most talented artisans in the world today. Through the magazines and books I am able to give these women the opportunity to tell their story, in their words, from their perspective. They can, for a minute, act as if they have their own magazine to tell their readers what they would most like them to know.

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Do What You Love Interview – Nicole Burnett

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thebiginterview

Nicole Burnett is the founder and publisher of Pretty Nostalgic, a British vintage lifestyle magazine. If you haven’t yet seen this gorgeous publication, take a look. It is a visual feast of British handmade and vintage loveliness, packed with delicious photos, illustrations and writing. Nicole has been on a fascinating journey to get to where she is now, bringing all the pieces together to put her in the perfect position to publish this magazine. Why not take a moment to read this and ask yourself what would YOUR magazine be about? ~ Beth

Nicole Burnett profile - RHS Hamption Court

Nicole says, “I still know very little about the publishing world, but I think that’s a good thing. I am trying to break the mould of traditional magazine publishing and as I don’t know the rules it’s not a problem for me when I break them! I am loving it – I get to be creative, can follow through on whatever ideas I want and work with totally amazing people. Every 8 weeks we produce a beautiful magazine and as soon as it goes to print I get to start all over again – I have a very low boredom threshold, but will never tire of this!”

1. How are you leading a life ‘doing what you love’?

Looking back, I think this is what I should have been doing from the very beginning, but I couldn’t have done it without the experiences and people I have met over the past 20 years. Now I am doing the perfect job at the perfect time in my life. I have had a fascination with historical objects and design from an early age and the founding of Pretty Nostalgic was an evolution of many things coming together. It has allowed me to combine everything I enjoy doing and hopefully build a very successful brand and business from it too.

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Do What You Love Interview – Caroline Hardman of Hardman & Swainson

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thebiginterview

Caroline Hardman is a literary agent and founding partner of Hardman & Swainson, a dynamic boutique literary agency with a diverse range of clients. We have shared several interviews with authors here on Do What You Love, but thought it would be fascinating to interview someone on the business side of books, who plays a vital role in helping authors get their books to market and into readers’ hands – so here you go… ~ Beth

Caroline HardmanCaroline

Caroline says, “We pride ourselves on our personal, hands-on care of our authors. I have a firm belief in the value and power of books and the magic of reading, and love working with authors to get books to market that people will enjoy and want to talk about.” 

1. How are you leading a life ‘doing what you love’?

As a fan of books and reading, working in publishing is an ideal career for me, and I think all the people we get approaching us about jobs would agree. I was lucky enough to find my metier within that broader industry: agenting. Being able to see a book through to publication from the very early states is incredibly rewarding and I love the key elements of working as an agent: close editorial work with writers, and, of course, negotiating deals!

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Do What You Love Interview – Kari Chapin

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thebiginterview

Kari Chapin is a writer, teacher, mentor, and consultant. She also runs a popular subscription-based community for creative makers, artists, and business owners. Kari writes books about starting and living with a business that you love. She works with creatives of all types, helping them to navigate their dreams that encompass freedom, writing, and building happy companies.

Kari Chapin

1 How are you leading a life ‘doing what you love’?

I am constantly learning, which I love. I am always discovering more about myself, which enhances all areas of my life. I can make sure that I love my life and all the details of it by staying in good touch with how I’m feeling. I also did a lot of self-study, beginning about five years ago, (and am still in process of doing so – I don’t believe this kind of work ever ends!) and came to realise what my main emotional motivators are.

For me, I need to feel that I have a lot of freedom and that I’m making a positive impact on others’ lives. I also need to really like what I’m doing. Staying connected to these core feelings helps me to make decisions, both personal and work related, and to choose the best people for me to work with and for. And honestly, viewing the choices I need to make through these filters of what feels best to me helps to ensure that I am happy almost all of the time.

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Life According to Mr K – If your business model isn’t working, change it

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lifeaccordingtomrk

“You have to do what you dream of doing even while you’re afraid” – Arianna Huffington (Co-Founder, The Huffington Post)

The evolution of our business part 2 (read part 1 here)

The inaugural DWYL retreat was a sellout success, which we were told affected many of the participants deeply. In the two years since, many of those who attended have told us very personal stories of how the retreat experience actually changed their life’s course, and how the people they met there have been a big part of those changes.

However, behind the scenes, based purely on return on investment of time and financial resources, the reality was that for as long as we had to rent a venue there was little to no future in a solely retreat driven business. When you consider the hours that went into the preparation and running of the event, the team had essentially been working for less than minimum wage, and it was not a sustainable business model. Diversification was required.

Having said that there was an undeniable vibrancy at the retreat that was almost tangible and could not be ignored, plus it was the source of a huge amount of valuable connections, both for us and for participants and teachers.

During one of the evenings Beth had arranged for an Oprah style interview with our special guest Matt Stinchcomb, Vice-President (and one of the Founders) of Etsy.com, who had travelled from Germany to come and speak. His interview was a great reminder that even businesses as large as Etsy can evolve from the most unlikely and humble beginnings – theirs is an amazing story for another day! It was the only interview that week I was able to listen to and I believe I was meant to hear what he said. It highlighted how businesses evolve due to a need that is not catered for, and how they have to be nimble and flexible to adjust to changing demands.

Seeing so many people sat in that room who had decided to travel from various countries to North Yorkshire also really struck a chord with me. I was starting to see what Beth saw. There were so many like-minded souls around the globe who just needed a purpose to meet and common ground to discuss. Do What You Love could be that vehicle – and an in-person retreat was only one way of bringing those people together.

It was from this realisation that our collaborative e-courses emerged. Beth had already developed and run her own flagship Do What You Love e-course for the first time with an astounding response, and we soon realised this was an incredible way to connect people facing similar issues in a safe, supportive environment. The next step was to start working with others at the top of their game to provide practical, valuable advice to people wanting to follow particular career paths, often challenging the norm and supporting them to make bold moves.

Over the past 2-3 years this has developed into a business model which is cashflow positive (without debt), responsive to changing needs and technology, relevant, sustainable and exciting. We turn down more offers for collaborations than we take on, and we build deep trusting relationships with those we do choose to work with. By collaborating with others we are constantly learning, improving and finding new ways to do things. Every day is different, and every day we support more and more people to do what they love. It’s not always easy – sometimes it is frustrating, sometimes it is overwhelming, sometimes it is exhausting. But always it is rewarding, profitable and totally worthwhile. And it allows US to do what WE love, creating the lives we want to live. And surely that is a massive part of what it is all about?

As for retreats and in-person workshops, for sure we will run these again in the future, but as one arm, rather than the lifeblood, of our business.

Challenging our assumptions about how we should deliver, what we should deliver, and what we knew about the people we were trying to serve was fundamental to an early major shift in our business model which has evolved into the Do What You Love we are today.

How about you? If you run a business, have you shifted your business model over time? If not, it it time you thought about doing that? What if you turned your business model on its head and tried the opposite of what you have been doing for years? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

Until next time (when I will share a behind-the-scenes glimpse at each of our collaborations),…

Mr K

Winners of the 2013 Global Talent Search announced…

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1728GTS winner 2013

After four months, 1500+ entrants from 30+ countries, three rounds of competition, more than 10,000 public votes and many hours of deliberating, we are over the moon to reveal the winners of the 2013 Global Talent Search! It was so hard to choose from our outstanding six Finalists that we have decided to give two awards – the Grand Prize and a second Special Studio Award.

Click here for the full announcement on Lilla Rogers’ blog, to find out who the winners are!

Do What You Love is proud to have produced this competition, which has helped raise the profile of so many artists, and will change the careers of the two talented winners forever!

Life According to Mr. K – On how Do What You Love was born…

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lifeaccordingtomrk

“If you can dream it, you can do it” – Walt Disney (Co-Founder, Walt Disney Productions)

This month’s theme is ‘Love Business’. I thought it would be interesting to give you a little insight to the birth and subsequent growth of our company.

Just over three years ago I was sat at home listening to Beth tell me that she had made a rather spontaneous decision to book a trip to San Jose in California. She was off to ‘An Artful Journey Retreat’ to take a class from two artists named Kelly Rae Roberts and Mati Rose McDonough. She had been reading Kelly Rae Roberts’ book ‘Taking Flight‘, and decided that she wanted to meet her. As always I told her to go for it. Sometimes we just have to spend some money and treat ourselves.

At that time she had been working tirelessly on the legacy aspect of England’s bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2018, in a very corporate environment. The trip was an opportunity to relax and get painting again after more than a decade on the back burner.

When she returned  from California her smile said it all. She looked like a different woman. She had met kindred spirits and rediscovered her love for ART. The enthusiasm was evident. She came away knowing she wanted to work with and for women like those she met on the retreat. She effusively explained this thing called blogging and the potential business model that she had observed. It was different – in fact worlds apart – from what she was doing at that point, but very intriguing.

She went in search of some relaxation and inspiration. She came back with a the beginnings of a whole new life for us. What was to transpire from the trip was more profound and pivotal than either of us could ever have imagined! The seeds of what would become Do What You Love Ltd were sown.

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Is selling your art selling out?

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jobs

From time to time we get an email, or a comment on Facebook, questioning whether monetizing your creativity is selling out. Often people speak about art and creativity as if it is something too precious to ‘sell’, and in limited supply. But I ask you this – what other talent can you think of that, if you shined brightly enough, you wouldn’t happily turn into a source of income, or the basis of a job? Professional-level sporting ability, economics genius, a flair for science, a way with teaching? So why is art and creativity any different?

When someone asks me if selling art is selling out my response is an unequivocal, “No”. In fact, I usually go on to say “If you are blessed with a creative gift so potent and true that people are willing to pay for access to it, in whatever form, why not share it? If it can support your lifestyle and family, allowing you to do what you love, why wouldn’t you do it?” Besides, every day our lives are enhanced by beautiful paintings, smart design, stirring words, gorgeous music, powerful journalism, striking photography and more. We are surrounded by creativity every day that, in more cases than most, has been paid for. If the creative behind each of these things weren’t paid for it, they’d probably have to get a ‘normal’ job and the world would be a duller, less inspiring place as a result.

So remember this: The world needs you to shine your creative light and do your thing, and the world might just be willing to pay for it.

The same goes for business. As Steve Jobs said, “Creativity is just connecting things.” Connect your talent to income possibilities and see what happens. Unleash your creativity and don’t be shy of making profits that you are proud of.

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DWYL Interview – Reuben Skinner

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thebiginterview

Reuben Skinner is one half of Show & Tell films, the company he runs with his wife Estelle. Reuben and Estelle made our beautiful wedding video, and were the perfect people to have at a tiny wedding like ours. They are lovely, sensitive to the day, and incredibly talented. We were excited to find out more about their young company, and what goes into making such very special videos. – Beth

Here’s how Reuben describes himself… “My video company may be small scale but I have big dreams and visions for my work. I believe that creativity is always letting my curiosity get the better of me, I also believe that stories can change the world. There is nothing more rewarding than to combine my creativity with a great story and ultimately return that to my clients, it is why I love being a cinematographer.”

Raw-1

1     How are you leading a life ‘doing what you love’?

I believe that we are born bursting with potential, sometimes our potential to excel in an area is lost in a job that doesn’t tap into those skills and abilities. Sometimes it might even have just gone unnoticed and we stumble upon it too late in life or at the wrong time. For me, my potential was film making. I took after my grandfather, who spent hours filming home films on his Super 8 and creating masterpieces. I fell into it almost by mistake and unearthed a deep passion for storytelling through video. I was a natural, or so I was told by friends and family, so with a little money and a lot of optimistic zeal I started doing what I love, making films for weddings and small businesses.

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