Marketing Your Creativity

The die-hards will be at your door at 6:10 am even though your ad and signage clearly state an 8:00 am start time.  They are looking for things that they can re-sell to someone else at a higher price.  Jewelry, cameras, computers bikes, jeans, leather and tools are popular among this set (usually male).  If the item holds any value (and you have it priced right) they will snap it up before (more…)

The other day my friend (and marketing guru) posted on Facebook a photo of a current 2012 Olympian standing casually next to the Olympic legend, Bruce Jenner.  My friends comment was that the young female Olympian has no clue about the power of celebrity and was not making the most of meeting the 1976 Decathlon Champion and now of Kardashian fame.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, a memory tickled of another young woman, meeting the very same legend with no knowledge of the power of celebrity photos in marketing.

The year was 2004, Bruce Jenner and his team were teaching a pre-conference seminar at a Training Conference in New Orleans (this was a year prior to Katrina).  I signed up for the session, not to meet Bruce Jenner (duh!), but because the topic intrigued me.  I don’t remember the exact title, but it was something about mind over matter.

I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into, (more…)

I am proud of the Olympians like Gabby Douglas taking home gold for gymnastics all-around and Serena Williams beating Maria Sharapova 6-0, 6-1 for the singles gold.  The very next day, she and her older sister, Venus, took gold in the doubles.  Wow!

I find all of it very inspiring, including the stories of the under-dogs like Oscar Pistorius.  (more…)

I have to say that I have seen the light, so to speak.  For years, I have heard about the power of social media; however, this past week, I truly witnessed it in action.

My 2 year old niece and her Father (my brother-in-law) were in town to get my 17 year old niece settled here in beautiful Altadena (LA adjacent).  Anyway, Dad and the 17 year old had a meeting on Monday to which the 2 year old was not invited. We needed a babysitter.

Unfortunately, I could not stay home and all of my friends that I could think of work full-time.  (more…)

1. Create a PotteryDaily.com account – the Clay (Basic) Level account is FREE.  If you have a Facebook account, you can use this to create your PotteryDaily.com account.
2. Once you are approved (within 24 hours) you can begin posting ceramic pieces for sale in your PotteryDaily.com shop.
3. You DO NOT have to login each day to post a piece of pottery, the PotteryDaily.com website allows you to pick the date the item will be shared with the world.
4. When you post a ceramic piece to PotteryDaily.com, you also have the option to post it to the PotteryDaily.com Facebook Fan Page and your own Facebook Wall.
5. (more…)

Last week I was in Nashville and I went to the Opryland Hotel to see their world-renowned lights.  I have to say, I was skeptical and my expectations were very low; however, I was blown away.  All of the trees leading up to the hotel are completely decorated in lights.  They also have a greater than life size nativity scene with a recording of the story of the birth of Christ playing in the background.  Now, please keep in mind that I am not the Opryland’s ideal customer, and if I was taken by the Christmas themed entrance – imagine how their ideal customer feels.

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As Thanksgiving approaches we (as a collective nation) focus on gratitude for all of the good things that have come into our lives throughout the previous year.  After all, this is what the holiday is all about.  Long before Black Friday and Cyber Monday existed, we would join with our family and friends to give thanks to the universe for the abundance bestowed through Mother Nature and our ability to harvest a full cornucopia in order to survive the upcoming harsh winter.

I believe that we should be giving thanks and expressing our gratitude every day, not just on the 4^th Thursday of November.  For years, I kept a gratitude journal and before going to bed would write 5 things I was grateful for that day.  Most times, I wrote, I am grateful for:

• my house
• my job
• my creativity
• my family
• my dogs

However, sometimes I would reflect on more specific things:

• a flower blooming in my garden
• the humming bird chasing me out to the car
• the clean air after a brisk rain fall
• a smile from a stranger
• a reassuring/inspiring email
• a phone call to reconnect with a friend
• a great haircut
• true joy
• electricity
• time to read a good book
• an unexpected sale
• ice cream
• my porch swing
• fruit from my trees

In reflecting on the more specific items in my life with gratitude, I found more peace within myself and a desire to share it with the world.

When I was a child, I was taught to say, “Thank You”.  Although the words are nice to hear, it is even better if they are truly expressed in gratitude.  It is not just about saying the words, it’s about truly receiving/accepting what is offered, reflecting on it and then sharing it back.  This can happen in just a few seconds – a genuine giving of thanks.

I am so very grateful for you, my readers.  I truly appreciate that you take the time to read my articles, leave comments on this blog and send me email messages telling me how you have been moved.  You all inspire me to continue writing more.

So, what things are you grateful for?

© 2011 Heather C. Morrow.  All rights reserved

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE?  Of course you can, as long as you include the following with it:

Heather C. Morrow, owner of Pottery Daily, helps emerging artists express their true value and get paid what they are worth.  Her products and services show you how to make more money, save more time while enjoying the freedom in your art.  For your FREE audio go to www.marketandsellyourart.com.

I would probably not be considered a risk taker – I haven’t been skydiving or bungee jumping. The thing is, being a risk taker is not really something that can be measured other than by the person taking the risk.  This is because taking a risk is based on your own personal comfort zone.

What one person considers risky another might think is something fun to do on a regular basis (e.g., cliff diving).  So, by measure of my own comfort zone (which is somewhere between the couch and my regular paying job), I take risks on a pretty regular basis.

Why should you take risks? (more…)

Heather Morrow & One of her Skeletons

I wish I could say that I don’t have anything hiding in my closet or under my bed that is not scary, but the reality is that I have both imagined and real skeletons in my closet and ghouls under my bed.

They might not seem so bad to you; however, hiding them increases their power and potential influence if revealed by someone other than myself.

Before tackling my skeletons, I wanted to talk about why this is important for your business and how coming clean can help your customers relate to you. (more…)

Heather Morrow & Dr. Martha Beck (2010)

In January of 2010, I had the honor of meeting Dr. Martha Beck and hear her give an inspirational keynote speech at the Craft & Hobby Association Convention.   If you follow Oprah, you might recognize the name — Dr. Beck (call me Marty) is an author of many self-help books and is a regular columnist in O: The Oprah Magazine.

At the time, I wrote a brief article for my Creative Souls eZine.  I have been working on getting myself back on center with organizing the piles of piles and I came across the notes I had taken that day in this tiny little notebook.  So, I thought I would share them to maybe inspire you to Follow Your North Star.

As I took these notes, I felt as if she was talking just to me.   (more…)