10 Things I’ve Learned in 10 Years As a Creative EntrepreneurN U M B E R  T E N: The Dark Night of the Creative Soul When your business hinges upon a mysterious, intangible, inspired and uncontrollable force known as creativity, a dark night void of that radiant magical energy is bound to descend upon you. “Are you afraid you’ll run out of ideas?” I get that question quite a bit. Well the answ...

10 Things I’ve Learned in 10 Years As a Creative EntrepreneurN U M B E R  N I N E: Break Up with Over Commitment 10 things I’ve learned? Honestly? Don’t say that you’re gonna write 10 things before you’ve actually written 10 THINGS!  Just cause you think you’re REAL CUTE and 10 “years” in biz matches up with 10 “lessons” doesn’t mean you should do the thang. It’s called OVER COMMITMENT. And we...

  10 Things I’ve Learned in 10 years as a Creative Entrepreneur  N U M B E R  E I G HT:  Nobody has a map.   Who has seen Dear Evan Hansen? I saw it this past weekend on Broadway and was ugly-snot-cry-moan-hiccup-sobbing. A big sign greets you when you walk in the theater: “Does Anybody Have A Map?” Just reading that ONE sign touched a nerve and brought tears before I even reached my seat. “Gum...

10 Things I’ve Learned in 10 years as a Creative Entrepreneur NUMBER SEVEN: Small Business is about the STORY Small business is about the STORY. The real one. Embellishments that make it prettier than it is are harmful. But perhaps more important these days: don’t make things sound worse than they are to be more “relatable.” Authenticity as a marketing ploy ceases to be authentic. Don’t cover ...

10 Things I’ve Learned in 10 years as a Creative Entrepreneur NUMBER SIX: Elephants are Pink. Elephants are Blue. Elephants are pink Elephants are blue A brain like mine Belongs in a zoo Creatives,  Do yourself a favor and have a creative outlet that you don't do for money OR approval. Something that is only yours and that feeds your soul.  Mine is POETRY and sometimes adding notes to the word...

10 Things I’ve Learned in 10 years as a Creative Entrepreneur NUMBER FIVE:  LIVING YOUR DREAM and other crazy Insta-age-isms. Even when you “Do what you love,” you STILL HAVE TO WORK. That stuff about doing what you love and “never working another day in your life” is a crock of $#%*!  We are in a crazy insta-age where “living your dream” and the girl boss lifestyle is so crazy glam...

10 Things I’ve Learned in 10 years as a Creative Entrepreneur NUMBER FOUR:  Self image and being the face of my brand. Lord help us all. Damn it y’all. I’m a grown ass woman. (Two cuss words already - can y’all tell this is a tough one for me?) I have tween-agers who I am teaching to accept themselves. And yet I - wife, mom, biz owner, and accidental face of my brand - have yet to fully ac...

10 Things I’ve Learned in 10 years as a Creative Entrepreneur NUMBER THREE: Discover the meaning of rest. My 6th grade teacher gave me the nickname “Perpetual Motion.” I love motion. But I’ve been trying to drop “perpetual” for years now and learn the real meaning of the word “rest.” Creatives never stop working. Inspiration doesn’t have set hours and it’s difficult to set boundaries. Somet...

10 Things I’ve Learned in 10 years as a Creative Entrepreneur NUMBER TWO: Don't make decisions out of fear. Obviously. But we ALL DO IT! Owning your own company is full of extreme highs and lows. Fear comes from the need to control, but deep down we all know we’re not in control anyway. This might sound shocking but “ANSWERS” can actually be the problem. When we try to have all the answers bef...

10 Things I’ve Learned in 10 years as a Creative Entrepreneur NUMBER ONE: Hire people better than you.   Don’t be intimidated or threatened, rather CELEBRATE their giftedness! Help them follow their dreams as they help you follow yours! Early on, when I was defining what success meant to me, a desire that frequently bubbled to the surface was creating a JOYFUL work environment where my team c...