As I sit down to write this week’s Newsletter, I veered away from the planned topic and am now writing “off the cuff” to share with you some “Life Lessons” that can also apply to your art practice.
- Don’t let technology get the better of you (ironically, our members will be discussing art and technology next week)
- Work-life boundaries
- Be able/prepared to pivot
- Don’t overthink it
I’ll start with TECHNOLOGY – ugh! I went live on YouTube this past Saturday and it was a disaster not pretty. Long story short – my previous streaming software dramatically increased in price a few months ago and I dropped them. Found an Open Source (free) option and have been trying struggling to learn it for several months. Anyhow, I scheduled a YouTube Live because I really wanted to figure out the tech and share my favorite (and least favorite) art supplies and tools. This meant signing up for another streaming service, setting it up, etc. And realizing that my studio laptop was not up to the job (worked fine with the super expensive software, but not the new one). So I tested the streaming software, and moved the big computer into the studio. And went live. Problem was that the streaming settings from my test run weren’t saved, and the live ended up being super blurry – I feel so bad for the amazing people who joined me live, having to sit through a horribly blurry video.
This, of course, leads to some WORK-LIFE boundary stuff, as my big computer is where I do 90% of my computer work, in the house. The house is actually a small travel trailer, so I have a hard and fast rule about NEVER working on art at home. But working on the big computer in the studio means challenges and working on the laptop in the house means limitations. I thought I could do okay with that setup, but it just isn’t workable. Anyhow – I will sort that out, because the work-life stuff is critical in keeping my sanity and prioritizing my relationship with my boyfriend.
So, I’m pivoting – something that I did at the beginning of 2020 when the world shut down and I created this online space. I’d hoped to do our monthly free Play Dates on YouTube Live to grow that audience and, in turn, grow Collage-Lab. BUT I don’t want to continue the tech struggle at the moment AND I really enjoy the connections we make when the Play Dates are on Zoom. (And I get to see your faces!) The next Play Date was planned as a YouTube Live for this coming Friday, but I’m pivoting and returning to the Zoom format, and pushing the date out a bit so I have time to promote it.
While I was pivoting on the Play Date, I also decided to make a MAJOR change to my business model. Instead of only opening the doors to our full membership a few times a year, as of this morning, the memberships will be available ANYTIME. Anytime you discover Collage-Lab, anytime you decide you need a supportive community, anytime you are ready – you won’t need to wait. You’ll get immediate access to past membership content and be able to jump right in to whatever we are currently doing in the membership. I rewrote the entire sales page this morning – it’s not perfect, but it’s done, and that is the final lesson here. Don’t OVERTHINK and don’t wait for ideal circumstances. Just do it.
All of these points, while they apply to my one-person business on a regular basis, can also be applied to YOUR creative practice.
Keep cutting & pasting!
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