On the White Line

While we were at the One of a Kind Show in Chicago, we were blessed with good neighbors (this can be an important little detail… did I ever tell you about the lady who zipped up three-and-a-half walls on her tent and then smoked like a chimney inside?)

Right across from us in Chicago was Patricia Coleman-Cobb, the creator of the most amazing sculptured figures. These are museum-quality dolls that reflect the story of Pat’s life… we didn’t realize that detail until we got home and started reading her book.

We were completely charmed by her personality and inspired by her work. So much so, that we had to take a bit of her home with us. This is quite a rarity. We seldom leave a show with a purchase… we just can’t justify cutting into the profits.

Pat and her work, however, were that special to us. She gave us permission to “adopt” a little girl figure named “Patsy.” It’s already been decided that Patsy will be traveling with us this winter. A special travel home for her is already in the works.

On Patsy’s first day in Milwaukee, it snowed. Since Patsy has spent her entire life in Georgia, this was her first snowfall! I couldn’t resist snapping a photo.

You are invited to see some of Pat’s work at www.patcobb.com.

For six years, the pattern has been clear; the more time I put in to my business, the better the results. But I was still holding on to a little piece of safety net known as a “day job.”

Sure I was only working 15 hours a week, and the wage was standard fare, but it was a reliable pay check. With all the grumbling about the bum economy and the “uncertainly” ahead, no one expected me to let go of that wee bit of stability.

But even my colorful brain, which doesn’t have any native number-crunching tendencies was able to calculate this formula. If my business was to grow, I needed to give it 100% of my energy.

I had my doubts, but there really wasn’t a risk giving up a part-time job. If things didn’t work out, I could find another gig… it’s those pesky high-paying, full-time jobs that can be tricky to walk in and out of.

Coveting Time

For the last three months “at the office,” I had a pattern. For every task I started, I asked myself what I would be doing if I wasn’t working for “the man” (okay, so her name was Barb and she was an awesome boss, but that’s besides the point). I made a list of all the things that weren’t getting done because the “day job” was getting in the way.

That little exercise made it pretty easy to visualize what my day would look like when I wasn’t on someone else’s time clock. I had no romantic ideas of mornings at the coffee shop and afternoons running a mix of personal and business errands. Trading the hours I gained for things like espressos and laundry was not going to grow my business.

Funny thing though, because I have more control over my schedule, I do have more time for coffee and errands.

Liam and I are just coming down from one of our busiest months ever.

On November 19th, Liam unveiled his new collection to about 200 special guests a his one-man show at the Knickerbocker on the Lake Hotel. Then from December third through the sixth, we were set up at the One of a Kind Show and Sale in Chicago… our first large-scale show. I’m happy to report that both were remarkably successful.

The last two days have been spent cleaning up all the details from the show… organizing, fulfilling online orders, cleaning and paying Illinois sales tax (10.25% ouch!).

Now that we’ve got all that behind us, we can start blogging again. Whew.

Here are a few photos from the New Collection Show: