sonya: new directions

If the Lord allows It ... is my plan to continue my business pursuits in a more divine, defined yet directed fashion. My plan is already in motion … due to my FATHER’s prompting … also, I'm the new Women's Ministry Coordinator for Southeast Baptist Church ... here in the Boro.  An invitation to Bible Study Fellowship is on my desk and I would super Love to meet Darren, right here in the US.

Laura: Finding My Style on Canvas

Hi Creative Biz Marathoners! I'm checking in to share an update on finding my creative style. It's been nearly a year since I started my art lessons with the lovely Kelly Thiel.  For the past few months, I've been art journaling and practicing as much as I can.  Painting is still new to me...my "art" has always been graphic design and jewelry making.  Like many other creatives, I felt called to sketching and painting.  I'm really, truly enjoying the ride, as Elizabeth would say.

Here's a sneak peek at one of my recent paintings.

Sonya: just getting my feet WET!

now that I've gotton my feet wet ... Single Mom of two ... working for HIM 2 inspire you ... so much more to come ... with HIM ... there is always more and I CAN wait for the special more HE has just for me ... WHAT about you ...

Can You Wait for HIS very best?

Sonya: Are we there yet ... ANYWAY

This song was on the radio as we got into the car ... to say goodbuy to Sanbrinia ... my good and new friend from the Congo ...

I was super sad to see her go ... but I knew in my heart ... at this very moment ... this was the only means of a true escape ... so

YES ... I will dream ANYway

Yes ... I will pray ANYway

Yes ... I will love ANYway

In my mind ... but yet to fall on paper ... I've made some adjustments to my Creative Biz Plan to include a new assignment ... Women's Ministry Cordorniator at my Church. This has been an unspoken dream of mine for many years and I Thank my Father for this opportunity! We are crafting coffee cans for our Sick & Shut Ins and a Love Thy neighbor project! I'm so excited to see just what my GOD can do with a recycled coffee can!

sonya la : Video Update

I know, I know ... it's not the 25th of May ... but the 25th of September ... anyway ... just wanted to share my talking head video ... I created the other day for a Marie Forleo contest (with some help of course).

Kelly: 6 month Check-In

Hi there!

Today is June 1st so it's time for me to give you guys an update on where I am in my creative business!  Here's a little video - it's just 5 minutes.

 Thanks for watching!

Robin: Six Month Review of This Journey

Am I There Yet? Enjoying the Process

What's happening with you guys? Share your business progress with me. Would love to hear from you.

Alease Michelle
School of Creative Business

Robin: Beginner Creativity/Christianity Workbook NOW in PDF Format

We are closing in on six months since the girls and I started this Creative Biz Marathon.  I am so impressed by what great strides each of us has been able to make.  Collaboration is a beautiful thing.  The right people with the right heart and mindset becomes a TRUE support system for what you wish to accomplish.  I HIGHLY recommend it.  This topic is actually the topic of my next creativity workbook COMING SOON...

IN THE MEANTIME, I now offer my FIRST creativity workbook in PDF format for $9.95.

CLICK HERE to purchase

Sonya: Creative Biz Marathon, dominating google's page one in less than six months

Out of 2,400,000 results ... Creative Biz Marathon ... now dominates page one ... Why, cause it's key word rich. We all want to dominate page one of Google. How did we do it ... well let's start at the beginning ... OK ... that's a completely separate post ... stay tuned 

Sonya: View it for FREE ... Mother's Day weekend only!

I forgot how much I love ... page turners and link clicking ... but today I was reminded!

Check out the latest issue of Inspired Magazine HERE

Sonya: Rich, Happy & Hot B-School and the sweet spot

get the above FREE PDF here from rhhbschool

get the above FREE PDF here from rhhbschool

Maria & Laura or Maria & Danielle are ... well yes ... HOT ... follow their smoke signals HERE & HERE and please by all means ... watch this video ... it's just so full of sweet spot info and both Laura & Maria agree on NOT creating custom orders, products & programs!

Robin: It's Friday and...I Have News!

 New and Improved Workbook (and official!)

 So I am pretty excited by this new development! I re-worked the title on the workbook and assigned it an ISBN and VERY SOON you will be able to find the workbook in the places you purchase books online.  This is something I am so pleased to finally complete.  The milestone is one that I want to just sit and rest in for a bit (oh who am I kidding?).

Sonya: the goods

my photography, my design = your story ... a Charley Davidson OWL

I am so not the best photographer
I am so not the best graphic designer
I am so not the best writer
I am so not the best web designer
I am so not the best artist or creative
I am so not the best biz person
but
my Father
has
supplied me with the TIME to
learn
to listen to the whispers
of your
story
and
share

find out more about Artistic Welding & Fabrication HERE

Robin: Dreams Coming True!

Here It is...

Suddenly... Available HERE

 

I am pleased to announce the arrival of the website for "My Creative Peace."

CLICK HERE TO VIEW FOR YOURSELF

Sonya: Woman, Thy Name is Entrepreneur

just for your viewing pleasure  ... and a few awesome links

IC4U
The Boss of yoU
Conference of Creative Entrepreneurs
Savor The Success


love is a verb ... sonya la

Robin: New Directions

Soon...

My new venture will begin with My Creative Peace, a website which will offer creativity workbooks and resources for those who are interested in integrating Creativity with Christianity in their daily lives. 

I will give you details as I move forward. But for now, my target date is Summer 2011.

I am incredibly excited about this and I hope you will be pleased by the evolution. 

You can learn more about the first workbook in the series by CLICKING HERE

Sonya: thoughts on the first quarter

The first quarter is almost over. The calendar announces the arrival of Spring. Trees are blooming in Tennessee. But hold on to your seed packets, cause it's time to plant spring bulbs not seeds.

It's time to tally your first quarter results ...

It's time to note the results ...

It's time to work the old spread sheets ... adjust your numbers ... REVISE the plan ...  and anything else that needs adjusting, cause we're just in one quarter and the best is yet to come ... soon and very soon ... you'll be scattering seeds for blossoms in May.

I shared the outside of my game board HERE. This is the inside ... the green dots represents, my photography and video or shall I just say shooting pictures. Shooting pictures and videos allows me to communicate with any and everyone. That's why the green dot ... dominates the game board. So, I'm wondering what dominates your creative biz game. Let us all know in the comments. 

Sonya: Creative Biz Marathon EVIDENCE of plans in ACTION

I am loving the Right Brainers in Business Video Summit ... the energy and the momentum reminds me of dancing with the marathon JV's here ... right after Christmas, but before the New Year. And, as I checked out Kelly's new logo and FB pages, I noted other changes for the CBM friends and I would like to note some of them here as well.

Alease has an awesome new header and a FREE product offer and a paid product offer

Kelly's new logo and FB pages ... new business approach ... welding class

Laura is working on a prototype for her jewelry line and painting ...
Kelly and Laura have an ART meeting day

Robin has a new header and a new business approach ... working on a new website ...
self published My Creative Peace.

Soon I'll be reveling my new website/blogsite and I'm self publishing my first book as well

I'M SO HAPPY to have found a few Joint Venture Partners last year! So we could begin to work our plan this year!

Kelly: New Business Image!

I just wanted to share a huge change that I announced yesterday - a completely new business image on Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, and my website!  It was something I've been thinking about for a couple of years now and I finally was able to move on it.  I think it reflects all the changes in me and in my business goals!  I think it is super important to have a logo that fits your style and unified look for your business, so that you can increase your brand recognition.  I am so excited that I'm finally able to present a much better and cleaner look!

And to celebrate, I am holding a Facebook Sweepstakes giveaway, where I am giving away one of my little birdies and an original mixed media painting.  This is the first time I've ever done this, but I am having a ball, so I may do these from time to time.  Come check it out!  The painting you see below is the one in the sweepstakes...

Whispered in Her Ear, mixed media, 6x6, 2011

I wrote about this biz change in my blog, and really touched on the inspiration behind it.  Please head on over and check it out, if you are curious.

The other thing I wanted to share, is that I knew when I decided to make this change, I would need help to do it properly.  So I enlisted the help of Laura Otero, (which most of you already know) to help me get it done.  This girl blew me away with her ideas and organization, and I will be forever grateful for all the care and attention she gave to my project.  If you EVER need any help with this sort of thing, please, go to Laura - you will not regret it!!

Hope you guys are starting to fly on your creative business! Isn't it fun????

~Kelly

Laura: What Were Your Top Words of 2010?

Last week I shared an epiphany that came to me: Your future is only as big as you dare to dream.

If you have big dreams for your future (I know you do!), have you taken a careful look at your words/thoughts/actions to make sure they are in line with what you are dreaming about?

As I was reviewing my Facebook apps, I came across an app called “Top 10 Words of 2010”.  I remembered installing it several months ago.   I thought it would be neat to review my Top 10 Words in 2010 one more time, to see if they in any way helped shape where I am in 2011.  While we may not be able to control everything that comes our way, we can control our attitude.  I have found many trials I have faced have helped shape me into the person that I am today. It’s difficult to feel grateful and hopeful when we are in the midst of a painful situation, which is why I think it’s so important to recite positive words/phrases and be gentle to ourselves as we get through those times.   

Here are my top 10 words used on Facebook in 2010, along with an analysis of each word.
I. am. amazed.

My Top Word	Definition
1. Today	: on or for this day : at the present time
2. Up	: in or into a higher position or level  : with greater intensity  : in or into a better or more advanced state
3. Hope	: to cherish a desire with anticipation : to desire with expectation of obtainment : to expect with confidence
4. Brianna	Of  Irish, Gaelicand Celtic origin, and the meaning of Brianna is "high, noble, exalted". May also possibly mean "strong"
5. Week	any of a series of 7-day cycles used in various calendars;
6. Great	: notably large in size :  large in number or measure : remarkable in magnitude, degree, or effectiveness
7. Time	: the point or period when something occurs : an appointed, fixed, or customary moment or hour for something to happen, begin, or end  : an opportune or suitable moment
8. Over	: across a barrier or intervening space  : forward beyond an edge or brink and often down
9. Post	a piece fixed firmly in an upright position especially as a stay or support  : a pole or stake set up to mark or indicate something
10. Tonight	: on this present night or the night following this present day

Robin: Results from Writing my Business Plan

ONE of the items on my list was to research the world of self pubishing. Doing something like this really helps you to assess whether or not what you are producing is what you TRULY BELIEVE IN. Are you willing to invest in yourself? Are you willing to do the marketing? Wait it out? Produce it and then keep moving forward despite the results? For me, I am so very happy that I did it and Lulu Publishing is PHENOMENAL.

Kelly: Lisa Sonora Beam's class

I just read a blog post from iHanna, which some of you may already know.  iHanna does a lot of fun things, one of which is art journaling.  Her post was about a class in Amsterdam by the author of The Creative Entrepreneur, Lisa Sonora Beam!  I'm not anywhere near Amsterdam, but if any of you are, I would recommend registering for her class!  I know it would be totally awesome and inspiring, and put you on the road to getting your business plan lined up.

The Creative Entrepreneur is business strategy designed especially for creative thinkers.

Read more: http://www.creativeentrepreneur.biz/about_the_book.html#ixzz1ES40UODc

I wanted to share this information with you, just in case you were anywhere near to this class.  I would definitely take this if I could!

Hope you all are well and journaling your way to fulfilling your creative business goals!!
~Kelly

Sonya: a bit of a head start for the CBM friends: The Right-Brainers in Business Video Summit

I just downloaded my Right-Brain Business Plan Goddies ...  after registering for The Right-Brainers in Business Video Summit (it's FREE)  and Lisa is in the line-up of creative  entrepreneurs shareN secrets! There's so many! The summit is February 28th - March 11th and Jennifer Lee has even created a day by day schedule for us. So, grab your  book today! ... oh it's  ... The Right-Brain Business Plan book by Jennifer Lee.

The goodies from  Jennifer include some awesome PDF's and spreadsheets. Since I already had my spreadsheet ready, I just moved my BIG numbers from my sheet to hers. A bit of a head start, would you not say! Yay, it feels like it's still my birthday!

The photos in this post are of the last page of my Creative Biz journal (the GAME board)  ... which folds out to revel all the steps of my game for this new year. inspired by Lisa and her book ... The Creative Entrepreneur .

Robin: Creative Girl

Fingerless Gloves back in the Shoppe...

You would think that as many creative business books I have read in the past year, I would reach a point where I have a solid formula in place.  Alas, this past week I again came to some realizations about how I am spending my time.  I will admit it.  My prices in my shop for my items have not been in line with the reality of how much time and care I take to give each individual who chooses to purchase an incredibly special connection.  So what tends to happen is I rush around with my mind all over the place because there are not enough hours in the day for the way I run my shop and the way I price my goods.  Does that make sense?

 

I am still at the place where I am justifying TO MYSELF the value of the work I offer to the world.  And I have had enough of it.  A worker IS WORTH her wages.  If I do not believe it, no one else will...

"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it." Buddha

School of Creative Business Facebook Like Page http://ping.fm/KElEt

Sonya: Creative Biz Marathon Journal part 1

My voice is a bit shaky and the video is a bit one sided
but this is my first EVER ... please forgive :)

Robin: Going Deeper

 

 The formula for a day of rest: QUIET + PAINT = GO DEEPER

When I woke up yesterday, I could feel the ingredients coming to together for a recipe of a different kind of day.  I have a new project that I am working on with a dear friend and fellow Christian yoga instructor that is vibrant and exciting but also stretching and terrifying...

But here I was with an open heart and an open schedule...

And I am so very pleased by the results on the page as well as in my heart.  I will share more soon on the continuation of My Creative Peace

 

I know without a doubt that the list making I implemented while organizing my business plan, the decluttering I performed a little over a week ago and the willingness to hear a new idea that I haden't thought to pursue before prepared me to sit and receive from my muse...

and move forward.

Sonya: plans & projections

Most of the plans & projections are in place

now it's time to start the work.

January is such an awesome month 

to travel and beef up for the new year

I've decided to adjust my 

projections yearly in that month.

I really like the way it turned out, 

especially after adding the tabs!

soon, I will be adding video to my blog and my plan is to 

revel the inside to you on my You Tube Channel

Sonya: Goals, Plans & Journals

Jim Rohn On Journals

Be a collector of good ideas, but don't trust your memory. 

The best collecting place for all of the ideas 

and information that comes your way is your journal.

The reason why I spend so much money for my journals 

is to press me to find something valuable to put in them.

There are three things to leave behind: your photographs, 

your library and your personal journals. 

These things are certainly going to be more 

valuable to future generations than your furniture!

Don't use your mind for a filing cabinet. 

Use your mind to work out problems and find answers; 

file away good ideas in your journal.

Jim Rohn on Goals

“If you go to work on your goals, 

your goals will go to work on you.

If you go to work on your plan, 

your plan will go to work on you.

Whatever good things 

we build end up building us.”

"Discipline is the bridge 

between goals and accomplishment.”

Quotes by Jim Rohn, America's Foremost Business Philosopher, reprinted with permission from Jim Rohn International 2010.

As a world-renowned author and success expert, Jim Rohn touched millions of lives during his 46-year career as a motivational speaker and messenger of positive life change.

For more information on Jim and his popular personal achievement resources or to subscribe to the weekly Jim Rohn Newsletter, visit Jim Rohn

Robin: Decluttered

 

    I have had a stack of journals in which I have collected ideas.  There are about 6 of them.  There is no rhyme or reason to them.  Pretty little journals with random thoughts and dreams and ideas.  This collection began to wear on me about the same time that I committed to writing out my business plan for the Creative Business marathon.  How will I ever find the time to look through these? What am I missing out on?  Do I keep re-inventing the wheel of my creativity without realizing it?

   

   I have this same awful habit when it comes to pictures as well.  Files and files of pictures on my computer.  Random files simply listed by date.  No wonder I feel so scattered all the time.  No wonder I can't seem to think my way clear to a concise plan.  I have these stacks of randomness.

   Until this weekend...I look through the pages of the journals.  And guess what I found?  Most of them are only half way full.  AND most of the ideas I am ALREADY IMPLEMENTING.  And the pictures? Well that was not as clean and tidy.  In fact, that took hours.  LOTS AND LOTS of hours.  But that too is complete.

I feel CLEANSED and ready for my NEXT STEPS...

photo credit

Sonya: external indicators

While looking at my taxes for last year. I noticed this profit & loss statement list seven categories of revenue. Of course today we label this row as income streams. Score has provided us with seven categories of income on this blank P&L statement.  Darren Rowse, a leader in the blog community, even shares this info on his blog. If your not following Darren, you should. 

Some pos·si·ble income streams for eastwindproductions & sonyamacdesigns 

01. Art

02. Licence art

03. Books

04. eBooks

05. Ad sells

06. Magazines

07. Amazon

08. eclass

09. Art Classes (community)

10. Affilate

11. Custom graphic design work

12. photography portrait

13. photography 

14. sewn products

15. patterns for sewn products

Man, that was easy, now it's time to do the work. Oh, and check out Small Business TV

Robin: The Waiting Period

 

"For it is GOD who works in you to will and to act according to HIS good purpose"

Phillipians 2:13, New Testament of the Bible

So I looked up the following words in Biblical Greek, the original language in which the new Testament was written:

Work - to put forth power

Will - to desire, to wish, to be resolved, to determine

act (also "do") - be at work

For it is GOD who puts forth power to desire, to wish, to determine and to be at work according to HIS good purpose.

       There are times where I can feel this occurring in my life and I am not happy about the process by which GOD is bringing circumstances together.  But time and again I am AMAZED that while I think I would prefer to be in control of my own destiny (and to some extent I can unravel the good/hard/uncomfortable in my life) when I yield to the DISCOMFORT, the things I wish do not begin to compare to the things HE WISHES FOR ME...

 

      So while I am feeling my momentum waning, I realize I am downright exhausted. But I have to recognize the huge amounts of forward movement I have put into place and let the seeds root down.  And stop constantly gazing at the seeds.

photo credit

Sonya: Preparing for RAIN

I began working on my teaching plans, that's right Teaching plans. In High School ... I pursued Art, Graphic Arts and Home Economics with the hope of becoming an Art Teacher ... but the economy was bad and Art was being cut from most public school programs, so design school looked awesome & Bill Blass was on the Board at O'More College of Design.

The Classes ... 

Wake UP ... http://www.inspiringcreativecollaboration.com/

A ten week workshop designed to renew the artist in you. Rediscover & develop your creativity as you embrace the idea of  collaborating  with the Holy Spirit.

Journey 2 Mixed Media ... http://www.journey2mixedmedia.com/

learn to develop techniques which uses a range of different materials to create artwork

(for example, ink, paint, newspaper, card, cut paper, pencil, or pastel and can incorporate photographs, computer printouts, newspaper articles. (ten weeks)

Flip your Passion ... http://www.flipyourpassion.com/

Flip your creative passion into an online business & blog and make good money working from home. (ten weeks)

Creative Biz Workshop ... http://www.creativebizworkshop.com/

Create a visual business plan/journal & turn your creative passion into an opportunity for 

business bliss. (ten weeks)

I went ahead & purchased the dot coms as part of my creative biz plans.

My three words for this year are dominion, dominate and domain. 

super scary baby steps ... but I must prepare my fields for RAIN .... 
cause I'm that farmer.

Oh, I almost forgot about a new yearly project  ... 

project 365 ... http://www.365daughtersoftheking.com