It's Business Time: Week 1

How was your weekend? I hope it was lovely. Mine was glorious. I think it was so because last week I "weeded" a bit, although not in my garden, which is still under a foot of snow!  

No, "weeding" is the term I've decided to use for what I do when I feel overwhelmed by my to-do list, as I did last week. It's when I go through my planner and take out things that I said "yes" to when I was in a state of exuberance and enthusiasm, believing that time would stretch to accommodate All the Things. This post by Elise Blaha Cripe has been super influential to me in terms of (a) remembering it is totally OK to say No to things and (b) figuring out what I want to say No to and what I want to keep on my plate. It's brilliant, definitely read it if you're struggling too!

Anyway, this weekend past was really lovely, I think, because I allowed myself free time and down time. I slept in, I read a book, I hung out with my buddy (Adam), I took some long walks and poked around in the one bed that is not under snow. And feeling the fresh air, and seeing a bit of growth, felt so amazing! I didn't realize just how long this winter has been until I felt a bit of spring again.

  ****

So the "It's Business Time" program has started! This is the program that I thought I couldn't afford, then crowdfunded based on some encouragement from friends. And, it started last week. I am still pinching myself, as it's hard to believe it's really happening and that I'm really in it!! Thank you, for your support!

I thought I would share a bit with you each week as I go through the program. Here's how it works: on Mondays, the teachers send out a lesson and a worksheet. Then on Friday we meet via UberConference for an hour and talk about the lessons. In between Monday and Friday, and on the weekends, there is a private Facebook group for the participants to chat and share things.

The first week the lesson was about fears. What are the fears we feel that keep us from going after what we want? What do the voices in our heads -- what Michelle calls the Vampire Voices -- say to us that stop us from doing the work?

Last week, I learned that my biggest fear is that starting my own business will overwhelm me, overtake my life, and ruin my relationships. That it will be a whole lot of hard work that will totally swamp me and won't be worth it in the end.

Last week, I learned that I need to let go of the story that I cannot build a business that suits me and my family, and gives us what we need.

And here's what I'm going to do with this learning: I'm going to come up with rebuttals to those fears, to those "Vampire Voices". And I'm going to say to them, "Thanks for trying to protect me from harm, but I'm OK. I've got this. I can trust Michelle and Tiffany to help me figure out how to both build a good business, and still have a happy and balanced life."

Stay tuned! And have a lovely Monday.

xo Leah

On Blogging

My friend Tracy H. is a teacher who lives in England. We met ten years ago when I was a first-year university student in STU in Fredericton, New Brunswick and she was studying education at UNB. (Where does the time go?!) Anyway, she wrote to me the other day:

Hi Leah,

Hope all is well on the tropical island!  

I'm currently working on a scheme of work for grade 7 English students and we are looking at blogging as a form/ format of writing.  

As I happen to know that you are a very talented blogger, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind writing a few words about why you like blogging, what makes it effective and anything else you can think of- ie: special considerations for writing for a blog as opposed to an email, letter, website, etc.  

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Love,

Tracy

As I was getting ready to type up my answer to her in a private email, I realized, hey! I can make this a blog post! And kill two birds with one stone. And, how meta is that...

(Also, let me just point out that flattery will get you everywhere.)

So, here are my thoughts on her questions:

Why I Like Blogging: I had to stop and think about this. I've been blogging since 2002. (This is my first blog and this is my second. The one you're currently reading is my third and hopefully last. I want to stay here for a good long time!)

I started blogging when I was 18, and I'm about to turn 31. I've continued blogging, more or less, with a few breaks that each never lasted more than a few months, for all that time. So there has got to be something about it I like! But I don't know if I ever really stopped to think about what that is.

So here's what I've come up with:

• It's conversational. I can write how I talk, and I know there are readers reading it, so it's like having a convo with them.
• It's pretty easy to just start blogging. You sign up for a blog with a free provider, and away you go. You don't need a course or a certification!
• You're in control of what goes up when. There isn't another editor I'm dealing with, it's just me. I set my own schedule and if I want to post six times a day, I can!
• There are loads of other bloggers! So there is a real community to tap into, talk to, share with, and support.
• It's good plain fun. This one is subjective... I suppose you either like blogging or you don't! I happen to like it a lot.

What Makes It Effective: I'm drawn to personal stories. I like immediate, real, down-to-Earth language. I want to know how something felt. What you saw. What you learned, what you ate, what you dreamed for yourself. That's how I tend to learn anything: history, or geography, or political events, or cooking, or whatever! By being drawn in first by a personal story.

Special Considerations for Writing a Blog (as opposed to a letter, for example): I would recommend you read a few blogs to get a sense of the style of a blog post as a media type. You'll quickly realize that they are all pretty different styles! That's because a good blog post feels like it's written by a real person (because it is), but you still want to pay attention to your grammar and spelling. At least, I do.

I also try to keep my blog posts fairly short, while still having some good "meat," or content. It's not an academic essay; unless that's your niche and that's what you do well, and why people come to your site to read your stuff. If that were the case, though, I'd recommend posting once a week instead of daily, to let people "digest" the material.

I hope this helps, Tracy and anyone else reading it! Let me know if you have other questions. Just leave a comment on this post, or email me: leahcnoble@gmail.com

xo!

Day 18: Bloom and the Island Blooms

Today I wanted to share some behind-the-scenes shots from a graphic I made last year, a printed version of which is one of the perks for my crowdfunding campaign. 

This is the graphic:

It originally appeared on a Facebook Page that myself and my classmate/friend Jacquie Blanchard created, called Share That You Care - Cape Breton. The Facebook Page was for a class project we did that was all about using design for social good, and you can check it out and see all 12 graphics we did, at that link above.

I made the island out of lupin flowers in June of 2014. I went out into my backyard and picked a bowlful of lupins from the little patch in my garden.

Then I printed off a version of the Cape Breton vector I use in all my products (bumper stickers, etc) and started laying the petals on top.

When it was done how I liked, I got out my DSLR camera and took some photos of it from above. Then I used Photoshop to lay in the text and prepare it for the web.

And that's it! It was a fun day, and looking back at these photos this snowy spring has been a nice reminder that one day, the flowers will bloom again.

For the perk, I'll be getting this graphic printed at 8"X10" from a Cape Breton business on a beautiful stock, ready to be framed.

To see more about my crowdfunding campaign, click here!

Day 17: A Bit About Working With Me

If you've been looking at the perk of Design Credit over on my IndieGogo campaign, and wondering just what it's like to work with a freelance designer, well, let me explain it a bit! Or at least, explain the process I go through.

It all starts with a chat. Either we talk on the phone, or Skype, or we meet in person. This chat is free - I haven't started the "clock" yet. We talk about your project: what you're hoping to get created, what your inspirations are, what your timeline is, what your budget is. I make lots of notes and ask lots of questions.

Then usually a few days later, I give you an estimate. This is presented in the same sort of format as an invoice, but it's not an invoice. It comes via PDF in your email. It breaks down what I'll create for you and outlines the amount of money we've agreed upon exchanging. You accept this estimate and then my work begins.

(A note about asking for payment up front: every designer and businessperson works differently about payments. Up to this point in my business I haven't asked for payment up front but I think down the road that will change. And obviously the perks work differently... they're pre-paid.)

Charging by the hour is a bit tricky and there is no perfect formula; every designer figures out what works for them. Design is like other services like auto-mechanics or fashion design (and sometimes feels like a weird mix of the two). Nothing ever takes the same amount of time, but here are some general items and estimates of time (although of course it depends on the project):

• Business card: 1 hour
• Brochure: 6 hours
• Logo from scratch: 10 hours
• Vectorizing an existing logo: 1-2 hours
• Facebook header image/profile image using your existing branding: 1 hour
• Illustration: 2-4 hours

Revisions: this is the number of times we'll make changes. The higher the budget, the more revisions I can include. Designers put this in our estimates to avoid scope creep.

Basically, what I've learned from working in other people's businesses since I was 17 -- and from having a side hustle for the last two years -- is that customer service is key. I want to make sure you're happy! So these guidelines are just that: to guide us in making sure the exchange of service for money is fair and that we're both happy with the end result.

You can check out some of my work here in my portfolio, and view the IndieGogo campaign here to purchase some design time! And as always, if you have questions, hit me up at leahcnoble@gmail.com

Day 16: the point at which it's easy to slack off

Thoughts going through my head on my drive home today: "If I don't post something today, who will even notice?"

"I certainly can't just post random sentences."

"Well, but I was planning to write about the perks of the campaign this week, but that post isn't ready to go yet."

"Well, if I'm going to just post random sentences, I should at least link to the campaign."

And there you have it, folks. Day 16. The sloggy middle. The campaign total is at 51%. My energy for it is at about 20%! But, I'm in it. I may not have the posts up today that I wanted, but there is tomorrow. And the next day. And another twelve days beyond that.

The point, I guess? Don't give up. Do a little bit anyway. It's OK.

Day 15: Things I Know

It was a delightful long weekend. I took a break from thinking about or promoting the crowdfunding campaign, and indeed took a break from most things that take place on the Internet. (Except for Netflix, because that's where I stream my precious Downton Abbey from.) I spent time with my family, had a few meetings on Saturday, and also spent a lot of time either in bed or on the couch with Adam, napping or (I sound like a broken record but oh well) watching Downton.

And today, Easter Monday, I was off  but Adam had to work, so I got up when he did and then went out and met a friend for coffee. When I got home, I felt that familiar urge to "Do all the things!" Maybe you feel it too sometimes? It's a feeling I get often, especially when there is an open block of several hours. It's like my To-Do list comes alive and starts adding things to itself when I'm not looking, and I turn around and it has exploded.

Something Tiffany Han wrote in a recent Instagram post stuck with me today though, and helped me to both slow down and get a few things accomplished. She wrote: "I recently learned that the more I do, the more there is to do, and the more my body calls out for rest." And, whoa. That's so true. The more I get done, the more there seems to be to do.

Things I Know: It takes real courage to slow down. Because slowing down means admitting to myself that when I am in that "Do all the things!!" kinda-crazy mentality, that I believe I am only as worthy as what I get done. I'm so scared to only do a few things, even if it means I do them more peacefully and happily than if I tried to cram twenty things into an hour, because deep down I don't believe that I'm worth enough on my own, and that I must instead prove my worth to the world through a checklist of ticked-off items.

***

Another recent Instagram post by another friend of mine, Elizabeth Fein, encouraged people to share their expertise, instead of just their shoes or their brunch.

And as I read her words, I realized that I'm uncomfortable with the thought of doing that, because I unconsciously think I don't have any. Isn't that kinda messed up? I'm a thirty year old woman with many years of experience, and I don't have any expertise? So Elizabeth's post got me thinking about starting a blog series or something, about "Things I Know," perhaps written as if to myself ten years ago. And the first thing that popped into my head was "Things I know: time does not in fact stretch to accommodate all you plan." I mean, yes, you must have drive and goals, and tackle things and just "get er done," but an hour is an hour is an hour. Things take as long as they take. Recognizing that, for me, means being more realistic and ultimately more forgiving of myself. Which breeds peace and happiness.

***

Anyway, all of this is really just to say "HI!" and "I'm still here!" Ha...

I had big ideas and plans when I started the crowdfunding campaign fifteen days ago that I would come up with loads of content, that I would spend all my waking hours coming up with clever blog posts and partnerships to prove how amazing I am and worthy of funding. But then, life happens. Family dinners. Naps with my hubby. Walks in the fresh air. My day job. Doing groceries. Taking a shower. Et cetera... you have these things too, so you know: they are valuable. They are worthy. They are necessary.

A month is a month is a month. Things take as long as they take.

And now, I'm off to take a nap. And most likely watch some Downton Abbey.

xo Leah

happy easter!

Do you guys remember this post from three years ago? I hope you and your family have a wonderful long weekend celebrating rebirth and springtime. xoxo Leah