Once Upon a Time…(How it All Began for Me)

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
– Ralph W. Emerson

…a few years or so ago, I had an idea.

I had just left my childhood dream of being an architect behind because it no longer filled my heart with joy and I couldn’t envision letting my computer mouse guide me there. Pent-up creative energy had seeped through and was slowly unraveling my carefully woven professional life so I had seized the moment and took the leap onto my own rustic, creaky ship.

I’ve been designing for more than 10 years at that time, albeit in built spaces and ways of presenting built spaces, but this was the first time I had an opportunity to fashion a living entirely of my own creation. Good friends had commissioned me to design a piece of art for their wedding and it was like lifting the dust covers off a long-buried passion, one of working from imagination and crafting whimsical ideas with pen, paper and colors.

I had all these ideas that were overflowing my soul jar and it had to go somewhere. So I gave it away for free on my fresh and awkward new blog. I called them ‘charettes’ , a term referring to a type of brainstorming session we built-world designers used in my previous professional life. I asked folks to challenge me to re-imagine their wedding invitations, their little hobby businesses, to visualize their dreams in a way they would have never considered.

It took off and from those little free charettes, amazing folks from all over the world showed incredible faith and paid me money to make them real and in a few short years, I was buried in work. I am still humbled and immensely grateful to those early, beloved clients.

What creative ways can you think of to get your work out there?

Some ideas on how to spread your creative seeds, Johnny Appleseed-style:

• Can you team up with a local favorite retailer and set up a pop-up shop to show off your wares and offer free advice/goodies?
• Throw a lovely tea party with your beautiful offerings as a special draw!
• Maybe ask a local vendor at a farmer’s market or craft fair if you can sit in with them at their stall and hand out free samples?
• Give away beautiful bridge pieces, if you are a handmade button-maker , you can hand out little vintage-inspired sewing kits with your buttons on them and suggestions to “sew it on to transform something!”
• If you are a teacher, a photographer or a designer, can you pick 5 people who would LOVE your services and help them out for free in exchange for valuable feedback?

Have fun and come from a place of genuine, heart-centered SERVICE.

……………………………………………………..

Today, my dreams have set sail. The charette, a soul-fitting tribute to my architecture days and the early beginnings of my little art + design studio, is now an official and integral part of the way I work. Its very first offering is a brand-to-design workshop that will unveil to you my personal design-storytelling system. I would be so honored if you’ll check it out and give our minds a chance to craft creative magic together.

Curious how it works? Click on the image below to take a peek.