incubate, marinate and meditate

This past week has been hectic to say the least, running around the garment district speed-dating sewing contractors, fabric suppliers, and freezing my cheeks off.  It’s beautiful, sunny and COLD in New York.

 

I came to NYC with the intention to find production workshops that would enable me to broaden my product line and make running my business a little bit smoother.  Alas, sticker-shock abounds.  From materials, to labor, everything is exponentially more expensive and I find myself weighing the ease of running my business in NYC would offer vs. the cramped conditions that I’d be downsizing to.  For example: here’s the tiny shoebox of an apartment I’m staying in this week.

The crowds of cattle-like tourists are starting to annoy me, and I really welcomed the opportunity to attend a two-day class at FIT called FutureLab. I just completed my first full day of class –  and instead of going out for dinner or a bar,  I’m sitting in a coffee shop in Greenwich Village re-typing my notes and digesting the wealth of inspiration of action steps brought to light today.  There’s just so much to soak in.

 

 

“You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet, still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.” – Franz Kafka

 

  1. I don’t need to force anything. In fact, I need to take the time to let it incubate, marinate, and meditate.
  2. Take the shame out of screwing up.  I’m going to mess something (and maybe everything) up.  But there’s no shame in it.  It’s actually the best way for me to learn something.
  3. Solve the real ‘problem’, don’t just put a band aid on and hope for the best.  I can’t run my business completely “on my own” no matter where I live. Moving to NYC isn’t going to fix my overwhelmed brain. It’s about HOW I run my business and live my life is what really needs to be tweaked.
  4. Backload:  envision the finished project and work my way backward: thinking of the steps in reverse.

 


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