I landed my first international client. These handmade trackable gemstones are on their way to France. oui oui and wee wee
They will serve as Christmas gifts and the recipients will get to see all the places the stones go as they trek the globe.
This was a fun project.
If you’d like some for you, your kids, for geocaching, or for gifts, visit this page. 100% free shipping in the U.S. puts them well under $2 each. Or, just go to Geotrackable.org to start your own project!
Sometimes when we’ve been working hard or spinning our wheels, rest it what we need most.
But, never forget about WHIMSY!
This week I was working on a new project and I could just tell I needed whimsy.
What is it exactly?
Whimsy is caprice. It’s playful or humorous behavior. It’s the opposite of work and taking yourself too seriously.
If you are burned out, give it a try.
Here are some ways:
• Do something you did as a kid (a game, an activity, a piece of art, hopscotch, legos, build a card house, color, whatever you want.)
• Whistle. (People don’t whistle much anymore. It’s a crisis of scarce whimsy. Just pick something and do it.)
• Create something for nothing but the fun of it. No one even has to see it. Exuberance and a no-holds-barred attitude is key!
• Sing or hum or play an instrument.
• Whatever made you belly laugh last time? Do that again.
• Tell a friend or family member a funny (or whimsically embarrassing) story and invite one from them.
Just 5-10 minutes of pure whimsy works wonders!
What did I do? I made something whimsical. I call it a “Whimsy Box”.
(People have said that just looking at this makes them feel a creative burst coming on!)
Each Whimsy Box is one-of-a-kind and tells a story.
It’s part art, part whimsical tale, part conversation piece, and part interactive inducer of creative tsunamis. Some Whimsy Boxes have a bona fide riddle about them or mystery to solve. Others play music, make a noise, have moving parts, or light up somehow–like this one!
(Sorry…this one is SOLD. If you’d like one, though, contact me.)
So, that’s how I took my break.
What will you do?
Cory Brown via Compfight
It’s crazy!
4 times this week I’ve been approached for my brain!
I’ve heard things like, “You’ve done a great job strategizing and promoting so-in-so, and I don’t know what I’m doing. I’d like to ________ (be a published author, sell my ebook, get speaking gigs, create a following, etc.)”
So I thought maybe instead of giving the info out time and again I could create a post with strategy tips to get you started if you fall into that category, too.
If you’re a musician, expert, artist, writer, speaker or whatever…it’s harder than ever to get noticed and build a following of those who will want what you have to offer.
It’s the problem of TOO MANY OPTIONS. (It’s paralyzing)
Most publishers, for instance, won’t even look at your stuff without an agent. They have cut their staffs and gone with sure-bets, like celebrities who hire ghostwriters. (I’m contractually obligated to avoid specifics on that bit.) But, you know what ? Agents want sure-bets too. You’re stuck researching and writing endless proposals to prove you are a good bet that just get rejected after all the hard work most of the time.
It’s even worse if you don’t know your way around a blog, promotion, social media, or ways to integrate what you are doing with the right people. You get stalled!
In the end, making something great is only half the battle.
You have to execute. As Seth Godin says, “You have to ship.”
I’ve found that great “crafts-people” (think good at a certain field: experts, academics, talented artists, experts, artisan, inventors, writers, signers, etc) often lack in the area of marketing themselves well and creating connections that pay off. They do something great, but don’t have the lateral thinking prowess outside their niche to know how to get it sold or stake their claim in their field.
As one person put it, “I’m an academic. I stay in my study and write and hope someone magically wants to read it.”
Well, that won’t work, of course. Others have to know about you to realize that you are amazing.
It’s hard to be good at both craft and marketing / connecting, but those are the people who really make it. Or the people who make it know how to delegate properly for what they aren’t expert in. That’s a KEY point. (Keep that nugget. it’s free.) :) You just can’t do it all.
Here’s the hopeful part!
Even if your aren’t a celebrity or infamous or have someone huge to vouch for you to land a deal, there is a lot you can do to generate buzz, especial if you can mobilize your fans/audience that already trust you. It the wilderness route, but with a little bit of $ and lots of hard work (a.k.a. “bootstrapping”) it can make a dent.
Through bootstrapping and almost no money I get 100,000 visitors. That’s nice and all, but it’s not as fun as helping others realize their goals and dreams.
So, I want to help. This below is some of what I’ve been telling other people as they get started.
Get a piece of paper! (seriously)
If you have something you want to share and make a name for yourself, or you want to start getting compensated for your goods, services, or talents be prepared to answer these questions specifically:
(yes, on paper or in a digital document, right now)
1. Who is your audience and how many people would buy the book (or service or product) from you *right now*?
2. What is your budget for marketing and promotion? (This of course will determine how much can be done.) You shouldn’t go forward if you can’t spend $500 – 1,000 to get the ball rolling. If you don’t have the money, you should save and do a bunch of leg work first on your own. Again, with the bootstrapping.
(This means you have to put what you love to do on hold, or hire out help.)
3. What are you doing already to promote what you have, if anything (website? Facebook page or group? speaking? workshops? readings at the library? church groups? MOPS? social media accounts? gathering an email list of fans?) (Be able to show what, if anything is already being done so it can be can ramped it up, or started if it hasn’t been.)
And what could you do, if you started? (write it down)
4. What connections do you have or people do you know who would help you get the word out? colleagues? teachers? librarians? leaders? church folks? groups, camps, and clubs? anyone famous or well connected (like to Focus on the Family, for example? ) People in tv, radio, bloggers, local newspapers, or journalists and writers to feature you?
5. What can you offer for free to build trust and gain a following?
That’s it!
…But, sometimes it’s overwhelming! If you’ve haven’t thought to ask these questions, you fall into the category of craft-person more that of “marketer” or “promotion and communications guru”…and that’s fine, but you’ll need help.
I can help. Contact me!
Here’s the adventure this summer: GEOCACHING! There are more life lessons in this activity than you can shake a stick at…if you shake sticks.
You can literally find treasure TODAY.
1. Just get an App for your smart phone FREE, and
2. start finding treasure using standard GPS technology.
There are (likely) dozens of treasures hidden within 5 miles of your home. It’s the best family fun we’ve had in a while. Plus, when we go camping, we look up where the treasures are close by. My two tips: Wear comfortable shoes and bring a towel. All of all got wet looking for treasure.
Here’s a quick tutorial video:
Or, maybe you’d like to hide a treasure? HIGHLY FUN! Watch a short video and learn how here.
This summer I’m also creating a limited run of Trackable Gemstones that will be discovered by treasure hunters all over, and I’m hoping they quickly move to different geocache spots around the globe. Want one?
FIND OUT ABOUT THAT HERE.
In the last two posts I talked about numbness.
Here and here. (if you missed them, read them. It’ll help a lot.)
The solution is to connect with others, in real life…but here’s a way to jump start that, because it can be harder to do than it seems.
TRY THIS:
1. Open a new document or grab a notebook & pen (easy-peasey). Writing it down is the secret sauce. Seriously.
2. List your 3-5 closest relationships. …go ahead, do it! It’ll only take a second.
3. List several blessings and rewards associated with each one. (This is the fun part. It’ll make you happier, I promise.)
So, think about it. You are blessed. What would you like to do with and for those people in your life?
Who else would you like to know better and get closer to?
What one thing will you do to make a step toward that TODAY?
(It just takes one thing to get an A+ today! GO. FOR. IT.)
Want to upgrade the experience and reflect on your life more deeply?
I recommend this book I’m using right now.
(Don’t miss the next post
. Get it delivered straight to you (sidebar) or check back very soon!)
(photo source)