August 1, 2019  • Newsletter

Happy August! Here’s hoping you have a rotary telephone to slow yourself down this month. Or at least something a bit old fashioned.

So it’s not a rotary telephone. But it still may slow you down.

It’s easy to get busy. Sometimes it is even delightful to get busy. Busy can mean productive work; busy can mean affirmation; and busy can mean being surrounded by others who value you and your work.

But busy can also be a distraction. Busy can mean not enough time to pay attention to small things. Busy can mean impatience. Busy can mean too much time doing things you don’t love.

So this month, your main job is to slow down. Depending on the type of work you do, that may be completely impossible. (I’m looking at you, art educators and artists who thrive in the summer festival season.) But for the rest of us, August is a time to slow down and savor. To help us refresh and prepare for the fall.

August Tasks

While you are slowing down, don’t forget to take care of a few things for your business as well.

  • Check in with July. How did things go last month? Did you make money? Spend money? Take care of the things you wanted to do? During this first week (ish) of August, check in with last month and your year so far to see if you are on track.
  • Reflect. Think about the last money decision you made. (It doesn’t have to be a big one.) What assumptions or biases influenced your decision? Were you happy with how things turned out? Sometimes there is so much noise influencing our financial habits it can be hard to figure out what we are doing on purpose and what we are doing “just because.” While you are slowing down this month, take a moment to acknowledge your own noise. Then you can embrace it (if it still works for you), or work to quiet it going forward.
  • Prepare. What do you need to do to get ready for the fall? Do you need to update your inventory system? Update your pricing strategy? Add a few more names to your database? Reach out to key partners, allies, or mentors? Now is a good time to do all of those things. December will be here before you know it.
  • Make Great Work. Are you still making work? Are you still creating? Good. Keep going. Keep making great work.

What We’re Doing

Honestly, we’re trying to NOT do too much this month. We have some personal vacation plans and a webinar here and there, but not too much else. And that’s intentional.

NCIF / Tamarack Foundation Web Series

On Wednesday, August 14, Elaine will lead the first of a three-part webinar series for West Virginia artists and entrepreneurs. Visit Tamarack Foundation to learn more and register.

Clark Hulings Fund Accelerator Program

The Clark Hulings Fund offers a business accelerator program for artists, and Elaine leads a series of workshops and labs on–you guessed it–money and finance for the fellows. August marks the second-to-last meeting with this group for 2019, which means applications to be part of the 2020 cohort are probably opening soon. Visit CHF for more information.

What We’re Talking About

This month we can’t stop talking about Alicia R. Peterson’s incredible art. If you missed her interview with Katie last month, check it out here.

But beyond that, we’re mostly talking about sunshine, summer, and vacation. Here’s hoping your month is full of relaxation as well. Until next time…

~Elaine





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