How IG is Hurting your Creativity

I’ve been an avid user of Instagram for about 4 years and I confess, it’s my favorite social media platform. I love its visual, clean format and exchanging ideas and stories there. My clothing business, perspective and connections have all grown beautifully with IG. But I’ve also noticed that endless scrolling on Instagram has sometimes hampered my productivity and (gasp!) confidence. A close friend of mine always says, “It’s all about balance”. As we start a fresh year of bold goals, here are some thoughts on how IG can actually hurt your creativity.

Comparing yourself

IG has tons of inspiration, but it also makes it easy to compare yourself excessively and feel bad about your progress. I’ve literally scrolled myself into depression by dwelling on how amazing someone’s else feed is or how much their audience “loves” them. It’s tough to remember that IG is a highlight reel and that everyone’s journey (and water bill) is unique. Do yourself and your confidence a favor and avoid comparing yourself to others on IG. I’ve actually made the choice NOT to follow certain people/brands to minimize the daily temptation to compare myself.

Source: Florence Given Art

Conforming instead standing out

Again, it’s great to be aware of what’s working for others, but if you carbon copy what everyone else is doing and how they’re doing it, you rob the world of your secret sauce; you. This is especially true in spaces that seem crowded. What if Rihanna had not started Fenty Beauty because she figured there were too many make-up brands?? Or worse, if she had decided to play it safe and launch a copycat make-up brand? Do you, boo.

Wasting precious time

Recode* estimates that people spend an average of 53 min on IG everyday. I confess that my average is higher than that. I recently started using the Insight tool and whenever I feel pressed for time to work on my goals, I remind myself of how much time I’m wasting on IG. Mindlessly scrolling can take up chunks of time that could be used for strategizing, creating or networking. Go make something beautiful happen IRL.

*Source: Recode

Putting too much stock in “likes”

Likes are great, but they don’t always translate to real value. Some of my bestselling creations have received low to medium likes while items that turned out to be duds received tons of likes. IG a good source of input, but balance it out with other means of feedback and what your gut is telling you. I’ve seen brands/creatives who are killing it in real life and have a modest IG following/engagement. Of course, put your best foot forward on your feed, but try not to obsess over how many people are giving your posts a thumbs up. They don’t equate to your value as a creative or better yet, as a person.

For the record, I love Instagram and believe that it will continue to have a major impact on the creative world. But as a designer/businesswoman who wants to flourish, I’m learning to guard against comparing myself, conforming, wasting time and seeking validation on Instagram. Do you agree with these pitfalls? How do you manage your relationship with IG? While you’re thinking about that, let me go see what I just missed on IG, lol.

By: Charlene Dunbar

3 Ways to Beat Your Creative Block

There’s nothing worse than wanting to create, but not having the inspiration to create. Sometimes it feels like being stuck in the middle of a highway with no hope of getting rescued. But no worries! We have you covered. Here are three ways to beat your creative block.

Plan Ahead

Take some time to consider what you want to create. If it is something you already know how to do, go ahead and get your materials together. There’s nothing worse than wanting to create and being plagued with too many decisions. When you are ready to create, start with the projects for which you have materials you have on hand.

2.Tidy Up your workspace

When I am feel stuck in my craft life, I take a few minutes to tidy up my workspace. It not only inspires me when my space is clean, it also allows me to see the tools and materials I have. Typically, once I can actually see what I have, inspiration is soon to follow.

Show up anyway.

One of the worse things we can do during creative blocks is to quit. This means that even when the ideas are not flowing, I still suggest that you stick to your craft appointment. Maybe you won’t love the first or second thing you create, but one thing is sure: As you show up, inspiration will find her way into your craft room, into your mind and eventually, she will show up in your creation.

If crafting is a part of your business, then you definitely cannot afford to wait for inspiration to show up. You can show up expecting to get fresh ideas, fresh inspiration- show up and start working. Think of it this way, if our creative block is a wall, then we must be climbing in order to get over the wall. Staying inactive keeps us stuck and will not enable us to scale the wall.

How do you beat your creative block?

Craft Savvy Market #2 – Lessons Learned Part 2

We held our second Craft Savvy Market on November 3, 2018 and we had a blast. Apply to be a vendor for our upcoming market here.

We gave you our Market #2 reflections and thoughts Part 1 (here), and we are back for Part 2. Reflection allows us to the opportunity to identify what works for us and the things that do not work. As a team, we have incorporated reflection as a necessary practice because it allows us to look back and improve as well as celebrate. m

The importance of Confidence – Lessons From CSM #2

You can have the skills, and talent, but confidence will lead you to a success. A few months back when we started planning for Craft Savvy Market #2, we decided to take more risks, challenge/encourage each other, and boost our confidence in our abilities to produce a successful event. As a result, we pulled of a great market event. This personally encouraged me to step out with confidence in every area of my life. One specific example: was creating our photo wall backdrop. Charlene challenged us to make our own creative photo wall, and we accepted the challenge. As a result, we collectively created an amazing photo wall for our event. That added an extra boost to my self-confidence.

Did we have fears? YES!!! Did we doubt somethings? Of course we did. We decided to focus on the Big GOD we serve; and grow our confidence from what He did during our first market event. We grew confidence in our abilities, so we didn’t allow fears to rise within up. That confidence helped to free us to push even harder. It has helped me to move out of my self-restricted comfort zone. With that level of Confidence, I am ready to work harder for a greater outcome. With all this confidence, love, support, and teamwork, I am excited to see what happens next. I know that the next market day will be bigger and better. So with that been said, if you are embarking on a new undertaking, have supportive people around you to help build your confidence.

Mina

Pace Yourself – Lessons From CSM #2

This time around, I learned to pace myself in regards to creating products. One of the challenges of being selling handmade items is producing items to sell. Because many of us are a one / two man show, failure to adequately prepare in this area often times means we are left scrambling at the last minute, or we have a very limited supply of our products.

In preparation for market day, there was quite a few things that had to be taken care of from a market stand point and from a business owner’s stand point. Sometimes, it got overwhelming, but one thing I improved on was not waiting until the last minute to create products.

I intentionally set goals for the number of products I wanted to have on hand and broke down how many items I would need to produce over the time I had in order to be fully prepared. And every week, I made progress towards this goal. I didn’t necessarily meet my weekly goals every week, but it was much better than when I started. Instead of being a last minute producer (which impacts the quality of my product), I became more goal driven. This made a huge difference in the amount of products I was able to produce and it preserved my sanity and lowered my stress levels as well.

Jandi

Craft Savvy Market Atlanta — **Lillie Gwen Designs at Craft Savvy Market #2**

How do you reflect as a creative? Share your ideas and thoughts with us below.

Click here to read Part 1 of our lessons learned.

Craft Savvy Market #2 – Lessons Learned Part 1

We held our second Craft Savvy Market on November 3, 2018 and we had a blast. Apply to be a vendor for our upcoming market here.

We gave you our Market #1 reflections and thoughts (here and here) and Market #2 will be no different. Reflection allows us to the opportunity to identify what works for us and the things that do not work. As a team, we have incorporated reflection as a necessary practice because it allows us to look back and improve as well as celebrate.

The Power of A Gathering – Lessons From CSM #2

What l learned most from CSM is the “power of a gathering”. While we planned hard for the market and organized as much as we could, there are some things that you can never really plan but those things show up organically on Market Day. I knew the market would be successful but I truly underestimated the power of gathering a group of like minded makers. It is wonderful to make goods with your hands and then bring it to a space where others are doing the same. We were not just selling goods, we were affirming that there is value in what we made. When you look at the current marketplace or even glance historically into the past, some people may not see signs that they have value or that what they produce has value. But there is value in what we make and we do have value.

At the market I could purchase multiple butters, jewelry, clothes, cards and accessories – all handmade, all beautiful. I could purchase African black soap, butters made with an understanding of eczema, earrings with bright colors and Ankara fabric everywhere.

Purchasing those items didn’t add value, but the fact that a maker crafted these products and had a space to share it with the world, affirmed the value. I’m excited for the next market and will definitely be bringing more items to sell, but I also look forward to experiencing the joy of gathering by purchasing one of a kind goods from a multitude of talented makers.

Ciatta- Mae

Trusting God More – Lesson From CSM #2

This Craft Savvy Market was special because it felt like we had graduated from kindergarten to the first grade! After tasting success in the first market, we had confidence to believe for more, ask for more and expect more. And we did. We set higher goals and prayed bigger prayers. To our delight, we grew substantially, more than tripling our vendors and doubling our RSVPs!

Our second market taught, no, SHOWED me how to trust God more for my business.

Sometimes business and God are weird for me. I feel like there’s a laundry list of more appropriate things I should be asking God for. But the truth is, God cares about every facet of my life and wants to be glorified in my business, not just the “spiritual” or church stuff. For this market (as we did for the first), we prayed, fasted and stood on God’s promises from scripture. As we consistently looked to God and saw His provision and presence in our work, I grew more confident and comfortable in doing the same in my own business. Some lessons are best learned by example.

Thank you, Craft Savvy sisters!

Charlene

Read Part 2 of our Lessons Learned from Market #2.

Bird by Bird and Bit by Bit

by: Ciatta-Mae Stubblefield

Bird by Bird and Bit by Bit by Ciatta-Mae Stubblefield

I was on an airplane bound for Liberia in 2016 when I first read “Bird by Bird” by Anne Lamott. As a writer I knew it was a must-read on multiple top 5 books for writers. After reading it, I didn’t realize how Lamott’s non-nonsense, comical focus on writing would catapult my writing life forward. Fast forward two years, it has been in this current season of my life where this book has hit me the most – and it’s not even on my writing life. The title comes from a story Lamott shares in which her dad advised her brother to take a big project one step at a time or “Bird by Bird”. I’m in a season of my life where when I feel like I am doing the most, I take steps to reduce my load Bird by Bird, step by step and bit by bit.

For the past month my full time job as a teacher has been overwhelming. Add to that managing my house and prepping for Craft Savvy Market, I sometimes feel like I am running on empty and accomplishing very little. In order to not just survive but thrive, I had to take a deep breath and move forward bird by bird and bit by bit.

Moving forward at my day job – While I thoroughly enjoy my day job, God did not put me on this earth solely to teach. My current day job not the place where God will fully use me to accomplish the greater purposes for my life. I know this deep in my heart and deep in my spirit. This means I really don’t need to exhaust myself at work because I have to reserve my energy for the activities which will lead me to fulfilling my purpose. That doesn’t mean I don’t give my all at work not does this mean I cannot make an impact at work. It means I cannot overspend myself and I need to be more focused. I’m taking better inventory of what really needs to be done and then I do just that. That means I really don’t need to be chatting it up with other teachers like Lisa or Bobby. Instead I need to be at my desk focusing on getting the job done as swiftly as possible so I can move on to activities that truly grow my gifts and talents. I really can’t afford to get overwhelmed at work. I need to take inventory of my work, take each project one step at a time, remember that my current job is not my final destination and govern myself accordingly.

Moving forward with chores at home – I often feel like laundry at home is my arch nemesis. Undershirts, dresses, pants, shirts…. it just keeps piling up and piling up. Laundry just keeps coming in from all angles. But the truth is, I have the power to control my workload at home. I really don’t need to spend an afternoon doing laundry. I just need to complete it one step at a time. So instead of getting overwhelmed with baskets of laundry, I now set a timer. I work for 15 minutes to attack the laundry basket and do what I can. At the end of fifteen minutes, I walk away. It’s just that simple. Walk away from the basket. I also delegate laundry tasks to my daughters. Let them get in on the fun too!

Bit by bit. Step by step.

Moving forward with a craft market – Last year as I was prepping for Craft Savvy Market, I learned how NOT to prepare for a market. DO NOT wait until the last minute to complete projects. It will NOT come together. I repeat, it will NOT come together. In preparation of the upcoming November market, I committed to starting early and pacing myself by doing a little bit at a time. I learned to write down ideas I have and consider a real time plan for completing the projects. Every idea does not have to be implemented at every market. Save some ideas for down the road. It is more helpful to complete a craft project feeling whole and healthy then to take on too much and feel rushed and frazzled.

Bit by bit. Step by step. We’ve got this!

3 Things I Learned From Facebook Community Boost

By: Charlene Dunbar

Like most small business owners, I spend a lot of of time figuring out how to reach more customers and increase my sales. So I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to attend the Facebook Community Boost event in Atlanta and learn strategies for using Facebook to grow my business.

First of all, Facebook knows how to put on fabulous, engaging event. Throughout the day, there were 45-minute sessions that covered topics like “Instagram Stories School”, “Taking Facebook Ads to the Next Level” and “Getting Creative with Your Mobile Phone”. In between sessions, you could network with other attendees, get a free headshot or visit kiosks to get a free business page audit from Facebook team members. And super important, it was all free, from parking to a delicious catered Cobb salad for lunch. Ok, enough of me drooling over the event production, which was a user experience lesson in of itself.

Three takeaways from the “Connecting with Local Shoppers” session I attended.

#1 – Build your mobile presence

Customers looking for local experiences and businesses want to find YOU! Make it easy for them. This includes having a complete “About” section on your Facebook business page, such as the best hours to reach you. Even if you don’t have a physical shop or have a 9 to 5, are there certain hours that you can be reached? List them, along with the best phone number (or physical address if applicable) to contact you. I added business hours and updated my dated business cover photo with a short video (videos are king!) after attending this session.

#2 – Communicate with your customers

I appreciated this one because I sometimes fall into a rut of talking AT my customers (“shop now”, “look at this new thing”, etc…) vs. talking WITH them. You can open up the lines of communication by asking more questions or seeking their input with tools like polls or live Q&A sessions. For example, a clothing business could run a poll on what new pant colors their audience would like to see in their next collection. Another key tip was responding quickly to messenger questions or using the autoresponder option to let potential customers know when you can get back to them. Communicating well with potential customers can drive engagement and keep them coming back to you.

#3 – Build community

Online shopping grew 16% in 2017 and is here to stay, but people still crave real life connections and experiences. In addition to having an helpful Facebook business page and communicating well, consider holding events or shopping experiences. In-person events can build customer trust, help you learn more about their needs and increase loyalty through memorable in-person experiences. The beauty of Facebook Events is their visibility on timelines. Users usually search for events happening near them and pay attention to events their buddies are attending (I always click those notices! FOMO is real). Using Facebook events is pretty much a free virtual billboard for your in-person event.

It took me about 20 minutes to improve my “about” section of my Facebook business page based on what I learned in the session. I also plan to use Facebook events to help get the word out about my next pop-up shop event. Check out Facebook Blueprint to learn more helpful tips and tricks for connecting with customers. Are you already putting these three tools to work and if not, what are your favorite tips/tricks for reaching new customers online?

Do you have a local craft business and want to build community with potential customers? Consider becoming a vendor at our next Craft Savvy Market on November 3rd in Decatur. It’s a fantastic, affordable way to reach to new customers in a beautiful venue. Click here to sign up and here’s to reaching new customers!

Spice Up Your Gift Set

Spice Up Your Gift Set
By – Ciatta–Mae Stubblefield

I can remember the first time I bit into my first beignets. Where had you been all my life? It was a December 2016 trip to New Orleans and all the best offerings of the city were mesmerizing my heart and creating memories that will last forever – soulful food, strangers who were warm like family and a deep sense of community.

While I can’t head back to New Orleans right now, I can create the taste of New Orleans through a homemade Cajun spice rub. Spice runs are wonderful gifts because they are practical and you can personalize a gift set by simply adding a homemade spice rub. To give the taste of New Orleans to a loved one, simply mix the ingredients of the dry rub and seal it in an airtight bottle. Make it a gift set by adding your Cajun mix to a basket and personalize by adding pics from New Orleans, a journal, kitchen mitts and aprons. You could even make a list of top 5 – favorite slogans in New Orleans, top 5 restaurants or activities. Happy Crafting!

Here’s a Cajun dry mix recipe from Allrecipes.com to get you started.

2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

Stir all ingredients and store in an airtight container.

Laissez les bon temps rouler (Let the good times roll).

5 Craft Blogs for Kids & Parents Who Love to Craft

Written by Jandi Harris

I’m sure you’ve been there before. Maybe your kids were home for an extended period of time (i.e. summer break, winter break, a weekend) or perhaps they had limited access to technology and all you kept hearing were the infamous words “We’re bored.” Those two words can either spark creativity in parents / adults or they can irritate the heck out of parents.

Nothing beats bored kids than the opportunity to have them get creative with crafts. Here are five blogs that have awesome ideas for kids who enjoy crafting. You can thank us later, when your kids are occupied for hours at a time.

Hello, Wonderful Crafts here range from paper crafts to crafts using recycled items.

Photo Credit: Hello Wonderful – DIY Paper Hydrangea Flowers

2. Lia Griffith Most of the crafts listed here utilize felt! Who know you could do so much with felt? Felt pencil toppers are perfect for a back to school craft with your kids.

Photo credit: Lia Griffith

3. Childhood 101 – This site has great ideas for tweens, who are not as easy to impress with craft ideas. There are ideas for jewelry and accessories, paper crafts, and wearable arts.

Photo credit: Childhood 101-Create Your Own Decorated Tennis Shoes

4. Tinker Lab – What I love most about this site is that it breaks activities down by age. The activities range from babies (4 months +) through elementary school. There are many awesome art and science crafts projects that boys and girls would enjoy.

Photo Credit: Tinker Lab –Kids Printable Postcard

5. Kids Craft Room – This site has printable galore as well as kids crafts, art projects for kids, holiday specific crafts, just for fun crafts and seasonal crafts. Sign me up! With this site on board, your kids will never say the dreaded “I’m bored, mom” again.

Photo Credit: Kids Craft Room (Emoji Bath Bombs)

It’s Important to Believe in Yourself

By: Mina Jartu-Mantor
Self-belief is very important as a creative. The equation for success is confidence and trusting yourself as an artist. To live life to your full potential, you must fully believe in yourself and your ability. I’m learning that I don’t need to be great at everything and that has taken away a great deal of self-doubt. Sometimes your difficulty in believing in yourself can stem from not really giving yourself anything to believe in. Other people cannot make you believe in yourself; they can only support you.

When you believe in yourself, things are made easy. If you feel that you are lacking in this area, or just want an extra boost, consider these ideas to help improve your self-belief.
A. Have confidence in your own abilities to get something done.
B. Trust yourself, and even if you fail you will learn from your mistakes.

Speaking of confidence, a few months ago my back was against the wall. I was faced with fear and doubt. Around Mother’s day this year, a few women at my church were given fabric to sew and wear on Mother’s Day. Unfortunately, I got my fabric late and didn’t have anyone to help me sew it. So at 10 pm on the Saturday before the service, I decided to sew my own dress, but still had some doubts within myself. I kept on telling myself, “Mina you can do this” so I went ahead, cut the fabric and went from there.

During the process my husband stayed up to encourage me to the finish line. Long story short, I sewed the dress and wore it to church the next day. It turned out great and I had a lot of compliments! That boosted my self-confidence. From that moment on my confidence got stronger.
The Importance of believing in yourself comes with some benefits:
1. You have faith, no matter what happens to you
2. You are motivated to get things done
3. You recognize your ability to accomplish your goals
4. You know you can do anything, deep down inside
5. Others become attracted to you

7 Days from Start to Finish with a New Creative Idea

7 Days from Start to Finish with a New Creative Idea – By Ciatta-Mae Stubblefield

“GUURRL! You have plenty of great ideas but what you really need is to execute.”

As I rattled off new craft ideas for items to sell at the November 2018 Craft Savvy Market, a good friend jolted me out of my dream clouds by looking me squarely in the eyes and telling me that I needed less talking and more action. While I initially gave her a side eye, I knew she was right. I quickly needed to go from thinking about new items to having a product in my hand. If you are planning to sell in a craft market and you’re stuck in the brainstorming phase or you’re like me and are great with ideas but struggle sometimes with execution, here is a plan for developing new craft products in seven days.

Day 1 – Search for inspiration and brainstorm new craft ideas – What would you like to make? How will you incorporate your own flair and style? Are you passionate about your product? (If you’re not passionate about it, it’s tough to expect people to pay for it) At this point, keep your craft idea to yourself. Sometimes when you share your idea, you end up getting more feedback then you probably need. Instead, reach out to a friend or family member, tell them you are working on a new product and would like for them to hold you accountable to completing it in a week. Your goal is to quickly move from thinking about a product to creating a product.

Day 2 – Research current products on the market and costs – What products already exist? How will your product fulfill a need in the market? What will be your profit margin? Consider the costs of the new product and your overall profit. While it may be a beautiful product, keep in mind your profit ratio and the overall investment (time and funds) for this product.

Day 3 – Finalize idea – Make a decision on your new product and move forward. This would be a great day to head to the store and purchase supplies. If you purchase your supplies online, simply adjust your timeline. You may spend less time brainstorming in order to accommodate for your supply order delivery.

Days 4-5 – Give yourself about two days to craft your new product. If you work with a manufacturer, keep this in mind as you review your timeline.

Day 6 –Evaluate your product – Is this what you envisioned? Do you need more time to craft?

Day 7 – Celebrate! You did it! Reach out to your accountability partner and share your final product.

If you already have supplies at home or if you can complete your product in a shorter timeline, adjust your timeline accordingly. The bottom line is to recruit an accountability partner, brainstorm/develop your product, research your field, execute and then celebrate by sharing with your accountability partner.

Hope to see you at Craft Savvy Market at the Decatur Recreation Center on Nov 3, 2018.

Plan Ahead

2.Tidy Up your workspace

Show up anyway.