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.
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.
2 What did you do before this?
I have had more jobs than I can count! When I look back, I see a lot of the professional jobs I had before I owned my own business had some basic qualities in common. I was a publicist and marketer, a long time volunteer for arts organisations, a special events planner, a buyer for a boutique store, and for a while I was a working artist. Along the way I’ve also had my fair share of nanny gigs, coffee shop work, and I spent many years (when I was an artist) supplementing my art income with waitress and bartending jobs.
All of these various jobs allowed me to work directly with people, share news and information, and be in creative spaces. In some ways I was always helping others – even if I was just serving them dinner and a cocktail.
3 Why do you do what you do?
I do what I do because it makes me the happiest. I really want to support and lift people up. I love watching people’s faces light up when they have confidence or feel supported. I am in my element when I am teaching and guiding people, but being a school teacher was not the right path for me. I had to look at the core of what I do best, which is what makes me feel best, and then reframe that into a business model that would work for me. So for me to be a teacher that guides and inspires, I need to reach people through my writing and that leads them to other opportunities to work with me. I do this work because I cannot imagine spending one day of my life intentionally unhappy, and I would be unhappy doing anything else.
4. You have helped thousands of people create a handmade business through your bestselling books. Why do you think this has become such a popular way for women to generate income?
This is a really great and deep question. I think there are lots of surface reasons why making money through creativity has become more popular. For starters, it’s easier than ever. A woman wouldn’t need to know a lick of code or anything about websites really to have a shop online, thanks to the many online marketplaces. So it’s easier to do now.
I also think that we are all encouraged more to express ourselves in these creative ways, and so the trend part of it is very appealing.
But mostly I think that it feels to me as if the world is finally giving people permission to do this kind of work. When I was younger, having a creative outlook or doing work with your hands creating, crafting, or writing was either done for necessity, or late at night when no other kind of work could be done. It was a luxury activity – at least in my family. However, now it’s encouraged. We have permission to make whatever we like and society likes it! We have so many wonderful examples of people changing their own lives, and the lives of their families, with their handmade work and this gives people the courage to jump in and do it for themselves. I love it.
5. What are the biggest obstacles you see people facing time and time again as they try to start up or grow their handmade business?
People can put a lot of barriers in between themselves and their business dreams. These obstacles often appear in many different forms, for example:
“Too many people do what I like to do. Does the world really need more crocheted scarves?”
“I enjoy making motivational paintings, but they’re so popular right now.”
“I want to write a book about collage, but there are already so many out there.”
“My work isn’t as good as hers. No one will buy what I make.”
“I don’t have enough time,” or, “It takes so much money to start a business,” or, “I don’t have the skills to do the behind-the-scenes things that a business needs,” or, “I’m shy. I could never put myself out there!”
Most issues I encounter boil down to one thing: confidence. Any flavour of a confidence issue can really only be fixed from within; it’s something a person has to do for themselves. I help people with this often by working with them to reframe what success means to them or by leading them to figure out how they can get through their feelings. This gets them past the fear and right into the good stuff!
6. What aspect of your own business are you most proud of?
Every time I get a letter or email from a client or reader who says they learned something helpful or valuable from my work, my heart swells. It is such a good feeling. I feel so honoured when someone says their life is better because of something I created. I am so grateful everyday to connect with people and to help them achieve their dreams.
7. How do you balance your work and the rest of your life?
I am laughing as I read this question. Not because it’s funny, but because I change up what I’m doing to help my sense of balance all the time. My most recent strategy, and the one that has worked the best for me so far, is this: I just accept the ebb and flow of my business without trying to force my work into a timetable that looks good on paper. I just work on accepting my true nature and embrace my own natural working style.
Things that are “must-dos” for me in my daily life need special attention and I’ve come to recognise what charges me up. I try to structure my work within parameters that work for me. By realising how I work best, I can make the best schedule that allows for the most freedom that, in turn, provides some balance.
This hodge-podge style helps me to feel like I’m getting everything done that I need to do, but also allows me to do what I want to do. I tend to think that the concept of balance is a bit of a myth and I strive more for just feeling good when I go to bed. If I worked for 14 hours and it was all good work, I just focus on that rather than thinking, “but still – I only had popcorn for dinner and that wasn’t very nutritious.” When I feel unbalanced, to me it just means I need to let myself off the hook more and move on.
Plus, if you strive to do work that you love, the balance comes a lot easier. Lots of time my work doesn’t feel like work and the rest of my life absolutely never feels like work.
8. As a bestselling author what is the best advice you would give to aspiring new writers?
Begin! Start today! Trust yourself. If you have words you need to share with the world, that is the only reason you need to write. Your work is valuable. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING happens in any area of your life if you don’t start doing it. One thing, one step leads to another – and another – and before you know it, you’re making a path. Start now. Begin building your path and see where it leads you.
9. What does success mean to you?
I love this question! Success to me means people are being helped by my efforts. Success means I am true to my desire to be a positive force in my community. At the end of the day if I feel good about myself then I feel successful.
10. Where would you like to you see your business in five years time?
In five years time I would like three things for my business:
- To help more people write the books they have inside themselves.
- To have Kari’s Creative Community going strong and helping people all over the world.
- To have written more books of my own that encourage and support other people’s creative efforts.
You can find out more about Kari at her website, through her creative community, or you can follow her on Twitter.
GIVEAWAY
PRIZE: ONE prize which consists of:
- A signed copy of Kari’s bestselling book ‘The Handmade Marketplace’
- A signed copy of Kari’s bestselling book ‘Grow Your Handmade Business’
- Six months’ free membership to Kari’s Creative Community
TO ENTER: Think about how these books, and access to Kari’s Creative Community, could help you in your business right now, and then leave a comment below sharing this. Please be sure to include your full name and country in your comment.
DEADLINE: This giveaway will close at 5pm GMT on Tuesday 15 October 2013. Any comments left after then will not be counted. THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO ENTERED. The winner was announced here.
THE SMALL PRINT: There will be ONE winner who will be chosen from the entries after the deadline, and announced on this blog shortly afterward. The competition is open to anyone over 18 anywhere in the world. There is no cash alternative. Our decision on the winners is final and no correspondence will be entered into. By entering you agree for your email address to be added to the Do What You Love mailing list but you can unsubscribe at any time.
