Lessons

Lesson Info

Discovering Your Mission

So now we're gonna move into a really entertaining portion and this is called the blue sky session there's the sky it's actually a picture of the sky that I took yes I'm not a photographer the police will remember me telling you the story about the gm saturn car and when I went to napa and the ideation process that we went through and that you just we had a group of people looking for innovative and creative ways to sell the saturn car and we were there to discontinued our ideas and recorder ideas with no editing and no but but this won't work right now the guy from texas obviously violated that rule and started pounding his fist on the table you're going to find an inclination and either you're going if you're going to say well sure if that's gonna work or but but you really are gonna have to check yourself before you wreck yourself because it's know any idea could be silly as you want it could be like I said monkeys and monkeys dress up in a monkey suit and sell your photography I me...

an just just we're going to write that down because that's an idea all right so let me give you some of the ground rules for a blue sky session besides the the over arching rule is that every idea is valuable that this is a everyone's going to participate everyone's going to contribute um you're also going to just um what I'm gonna do is I'm going to take someone from the hot from the audience and take him through a little bit of a process to find out a little bit more about who they are and what they stand for and then we're just gonna start throwing out ideas and weak may come up with the magic answer or it may go nowhere and that's okay we'll get somewhere by even going even getting to know where we will actually have work through something something's does this make sense so far okay all right and by the way if their people in the chat room who want to participate in this that would be fantastic so these are some of the questions that I'm gonna ask and um uh let's get all set up jane would you like to come up? Thank you okay so what could I have waited my whole life it work so you're fine with this do you think they do this at ibm boring right? All right, so I'm gonna ask you some questions and you just I just this is first of all you're very brave and thank you for being so brave I think it shows a lot of courage because I already I already tipped off that you know, this is an emotional thing and very, you know she's willing to be very vulnerable and that's very brave okay, so honest and on and be honest and that's. What you have to bill, you have to be honest in order for this to work, right? Wait. Talked about that, right? You think you've got a clear body of evidence that you have to be honest, you have to be true to yourself in order for any of this to work. Okay, so let's, just get right in there. Um, so, uh, what I want to ask you is and, um, take your time answering these questions. What was the most painful time in your life when I got married when you got me and when I got married, okay? And what was painful about because I felt it was the only option, and I brought in somebody that I thought was safe, that we can't really be like a rock for me, but I just I was out of my I just wasn't. I couldn't do anything for myself at that time, so I was using I was basically using somebody else. Okay, so you felt like it. It's also kind of a generational thing to write. Like I mean, that was the big aspiration for the girls I went to high school with was to get married and work in the grocery store. Well, I thought I was I was waiting till I was older so when it would be different you know, I was thirty four I got married I thought it would know better by then so what was painful about that you got married and then what was what was actually a painful realization that I couldn't um I didn't know where I was in it I just knew does that make sense? I felt that I just have to have somebody to save me that there was that I was using a person as a life boat so it sounds to me like you didn't have a really strong grounded sense of self and then this marriage was a wayto define yourself it wass but if that artist and you know what? Yeah no not yet, but we're going we're going we're gonna record some ideas in a bit we're gonna deep we're going right now we're just going to flow into this so how did that make you feel just awful about myself? I felt like I wasn't I was using somebody in a way I mean I loved him but I felt I just felt wrong that I couldn't but I also was a survivor so I just it was what I had to dio when you say we're survivor, you talk more about that I just knew at that time that there's probably something major that happened in my past and the only thing I knew how to do was like okay what's what's this person going to do with this situation how's it gonna keep me from floating off so it sounds like you have do you have a difficult childhood and what was difficult about it uh well this is a generational thing because my parents were married in the fifties they probably win today probably never got married right and uh they just probably want to be parents but that's what you did you just have the choices so then they had four children right and I was the oldest so right so I'm gonna win it I guess that was kind of a bumpy ride very bumpy right okay and so um you shared with some things with me about ongoing again it's very personal right so it sounds like you had some challenges with addiction or people who are addicted around being attracted to people with addiction you were trying to people with addictions and so you shared that al anon is an important part of your life right yeah twelve steps right so um I guess what I would ask for you so it sounds like painful relationships have kind of haunted todo with your family relationships are then you're your husband right and there's nothing more painful than I speak from experience here there's nothing moves no more painful relationship than a relationship with an addict would you agree? Uh yes I mean, I just don't think a healthy loving relationship is available with an addict crows there they don't have the capacity right? Obviously you've had a lot of pain, but you're also mature and articulate woman at this point in your life and you probably learn something from it I have what I'm learning now through this whole valuing is that that's what I have to speak about is these you know, the really tough places which is what you talk about but that's the dynamism proverb too but the obstacle is the path so to get out for me it's that shame so I mean I feel funny using that word shame like, oh my gosh, I'm gonna be people feel sorry for me or you know, whatever I might tell myself about that but I think that's the word that I want to use yeah, okay, yeah, I drink this from that identifying the mailings and talking about them because I don't know anybody who doesn't feel shameful right? We were talking about universal universal experiences is human beings on the planet and shame is a big one for a lot of us three right? So I mean, how empowering would it be for you to talk about it? You just be right out with it, you see that I do and I think that's pretty recent realization it is it is that I have to be front son about what I'm about yeah I can't I can't you use other people's words so much so is that is that really the breakthrough then use other people's worth you have to give you use your words and your experience like you couldn't live your life through your marriage or find your identity through your husband you sounds like your life's journey is coming to that lesson that is using your own war in my own words and breaking through the shame bread I was pretty powerful I hope so I mean it feels like the only one who matters for though I'm going that's what you say but to know it for myself and then that that somehow was going to help somebody else to be able to talk about it well, do you guys think it would help someone else? I mean if someone talked about shame in a way that was really authentic and honest you think it might help you might heal you I can really tell her story you can relate already all right? We don't even know what she did I don't even care which does we already connect yet you already interested idly and what she does is really interesting yeah it's really interesting and it's going to get even more interesting I know it well may yeah so I see how this works there's no marketing hook here right now we have come of your tag line the way tio enjoy your pain mastercard visa are very good but you know, I think that it's naive not to acknowledge the fact that most of us have encountered abusive relationships dealt with addictions and marry in various sorts and the dynamic of addiction is that it keeps you locked in destructive relationships and it makes you feel very, very ashamed of who you are right? So I mean you could shine a huge bright light on yourself and heal yourself and just stand in your power one of things you said when you were sitting there is you know you're you're just going to tell the truth and you're going toe to toe look at being older being mature is an asset and it is because you could have come to this conclusion at thirty four great years later you got the wisdom of perspective to share shame is huge huge huge comes from all different places all right, so what do your deepest values what do you think they are? Freedom and beauty, freedom, beauty okay, anyone identified with those values freedom and beauty certainly dial it in right? We have your business plan or you're making money plan written no, but can you see how we're getting warmer and we're circling around and circling around is a process it's everybody holmes is a process it's an emotional process all right what interests you have besides art uh ter design gardening so you're pretty aesthetically minded way to describe a little bit about what you do creatively what you what your interest is our creatively in my work yeah I'm doing your work that you're doing a rubber stamping so it's works of paper ink rubber stamp paper and then so I do an analog version of it and then I take it into it will take a photograph of it and take it into different filters but their specific words right you don't just started chairs a row or started with quotes that were inspiring or I could just really to just work truth to may so that's where I started with it and I started as a gift and I want a creek content for my clients so that so I just thought what can I do besides bog post something that would be fine to get right right now it's started okay so are there any well we talked about a group the anonymous group bring very about that finger there shall be named um so what are they were there any other groups or affiliations that you have I have since I'm more of an introvert I have a lot of one on one relationships with people we can anyone relate to that a lot of artists are like that yeah okay. All right great. So getting a better sense of who you are all right. And what professional skills do you possess besides making lord interior design organization buying and selling properties really real estate property management okay, so you're organized well that's the funny thing about the I understand what it what it takes one artist to be what you know what the challenges are great so I have a unique into organizing right? Okay and what do you love besides making art question now what's connecting with people and just to see that you know when when somebody understands what I'm talking about and um I have that I have a daughter that I love sing her thrive um the relationship so it is you they are going back to relationship right? Okay, we all gotta live in relationships unless we live it's hermits right and again it goes back to a lot of artists are primarily in isolation and their studios and to my surprise that includes filmmakers and musicians I didn't know that but after talking to some filmmakers musicians they realize that they have a lot of isolation have to deal with too all right and so give it your best shot who are you? What do you stand for? See I'm somebody was never given up and I felt like there's something deep inside me that had come out that I have gone through so much adversity and concede that that's my strength as well there's there must be other people that feel that same a way there must be a point where it turned from feeling like a weakness and liability teo actually understanding it as as strength and wisdom have you ever thought about that? Uh, not on those terms, but I think it's fairly recent probably doing the artwork because that was a big part of my life that I wouldn't admit it was a part of my life. I was, you know, with our artist, I was just on a professional part of art for me to say, you know what? I want to make a mark in this world. That was I think that was really changed before the lights go out, right? Right. I mean, that's, what I have is my age. Look, what? Not now, when? Great, if not now. When I keep saying this someday, if you want to make you want to sell art someday someday is today do it now take action. Now today, today and tomorrow take consistent action, right? I mean, you already made a lot of progress and creating a body of work right now. And so I think what's really interesting is that somehow through your, you know, collecting quote, that you've actually started to turn the corner and started to change this experience of shame, experience of struggle into understanding it's part of the human condition I mean, the dalai lama says in his book and happiness he says I don't know why they call it happy birthday they should call it happy birth of your suffering day because one of the first booze precepts is actually the fact that with a reality we all suffer so we can you know just funny was jonathan fields interview me on the good life project and he was I was talking to him about my struggles in my suffering and I said, yeah, but suffering makes great art and he almost had a heart attack they said well, I don't mean just park it there you mean it's about it's about the depth of human experience and feeling and then transforming it that makes it art that's my view of art anyway holding the both the pain and the beauties is where right where it is so did what colleen a tara due to that somehow resonate with you in any way everything go do what colleen does but I mean did it resonate with you somewhat? Well, honestly um her work itself I have to think about that because I would answer that right now I'm not sure you're not sure so I have to say what say what her mission I'm not talking about it because remember there's an art agnostic right? They're gonna buy it what do you think about her mission in her value proposition? Great okay that's what great so in the end that framework yeah fantastic that's the framework were operating in our agnostic which means you know we're not critics here because we already know that you're not buying eileen fisher that's not gonna happen but that doesn't mean that eileen fisher isn't a great viable brand right the same thing okay so now we're going to move into where doesn't throw out some ideas we have a little bit of understanding about what jane does who she stands for she makes thiss stamped word art she looks for quotes right so it's let's just start throwing out some ideas all right who wants to jump in good uh twelve step quotes I mean twelve quote twelve months okay all right, love all right, I got magic one here so here's what I want to do um I'm gonna start with you and then I'm gonna go back to the audience we'll go back and forth I got a magic wand and it works so I just wanted to you could answer this question and it could be related to our or have nothing to do with our it doesn't matter just answer this question wouldn't it be great if I made a living of fantastic living making art great all right all right would be great it er I meant like so many people in the world and I felt comfortable and I could just really one on one that you connected the people one on one one on one okay all right great. You're doing a good job would be great. Uh let's see that there's a happy ending like I'm going to go on jane's life about her proclaiming to the world that she is an artist right? Awesome alright would be great if, uh we all have that you share that same ship shape here we'll be great is a bit in second guessed myself after I say something. Okay, so where does that get you? Yeah, no, we're second confident right when you feel confident confidence go all right and wouldn't it be great if oh if um uh c got a magic wand and it worked so anything is game just you know it's in your head so spit it out that people just love my work and I yeah, they love my work all right? And would it be great if if um uh you have so much time and I get my own wand but actually that you think I am I have integrated by the time tomorrow ends that wand is so deep inside me I'm gonna like her own one I don't need you want, you know, eyes there's somewhere you want to go to paris when you be great if I go to paris for months this summer, okay and would it be great if I read books again read books again okay on would be great if if I just walked on the street just happy and just couldn't meet people and just connects you want to connect with people just running buddy so funny for being so shy my whole life well, you have good relationships now because I have given you a blessing thank you thank you. No more creepy people for quite a while they're not coming area there okay and then one more wouldn't be great at it um you see uh I have to do this did I start living being on the stage you know public speaking is like fine so you're confident in our public speaking ianto pokes ugo now I e o s so incredible okay is this cool all right so let's let's go if we could go to the next page we're gonna start to generate some ideas okay? This is the part where the buzzers are important pay attention you don't do anything okay? We're just going to sit here receive love and support from the audience in the studio. We might even get some people online who contribute to this so what I do what kind of what kind of value propositions or ideas do you guys have anyone have anything you do uh street booth were people pay amount and you give him a quote I love it okay you could do that at any fair actually, any fair one of your jewelry fares on dh then you could you gonna talk to change it for one another okay, so yeah, you could actually sell that I don't think that would be a problem I love that's a brilliant idea. Good job. Yes. Okay what's your idea setting up uh um bookstore tour in paris before you go I know a painting teacher who that's really how she made her living she had a small house in the south of france and she basically took people on vacation and she hired a local chef. She didn't really do any of the cooking or any of the cleaning any of that stuff it all she hired that all out and people got to live this fantasy of painting in the south of france and but she had someone else take care of the details so that's actually that's a great idea something you want to dio remember my story about going to france right? There was a way to make money wonderful anybody else I love the booth idea that is so cool and all sorts of merch is going to be in that merch is short for merchandise. Any other ideas are you still doing staging and anything having to do with real estate? I do for personal clients I mean just because I was just thinking that some of these pieces could you could just pop one in there and even if the house didn't sell two person a that person a might be so taken with that peace you know yeah, uh house blessing quote or no yeah there standing some value yeah, I love it a house blessing quote every new house needs they didn't know its true now they do know it if they want the house to have good energy and have a good blessing they need one of your blessing quote awesome one for every room maybe translate into any milestone in life. Someone's big birthday someone's anniversary in weddings, births all right, you know yeah and in front of you doing friend taking front you could do it in french that's awesome. I love that I love that chat room who is suggesting we do something in terms of the electronica like facebook quotes or something in the technology rome where you can share it that way? Yeah. Okay, so you can share it on faith you could share it uh through social media. Okay. Yes quote to their children no like words of advice to the children here's all the stuff up and through you know, I got some words air quotes of vital race rate that's sort of that's a very that's targeted um and it you know what I mean that's what parents want to do is teach their children right don't make these mistakes follow these words of wisdom yes and you remember a quote that your mother father auntie told you but it's our memory you go to this lady and she's going to do a custom piece for you your favorite colors better etcetera okay I love that I remember okay here's what my father used to say to me when you were when I was learning how to drive in a british accent you're driving a loaded gun what are you talking about? Teo breaking look way getting any scouts we get home, right? Yeah. No, thank you no tea for you okay, right, right. Okay is to have an accent like that one was a little girl so that's really specific and targeted and actually I love that idea because it could be a baby shower gift I mean there's so many ways to go with this right? If that's like if it's just creating words of wisdom to go you got following along it was making sense. Do you see how many possibilities we're creating with the magic wand in hand and anything and it's really grounded in what we know of jane khushi khushi is a person some of the just the whole journey she's been on a part of it right and she was open and willing tio share and I was open and willing to share for you thank you all right so who else what else do we have? We got more time. Any other ideas I like you like it I like the idea of going into the home and it's kind of like the woman who does the for the weddings or whatever that interviewing the person because jenny mcgee yeah could land right because one of my my strength has compassion and being able to just listen and you connected people want on the way so you yeah so something similar to what jenny's doing and that she actually has a meeting with people and then you determine what the commission will be when it could be but very specific right? Like so if you maybe you're talking to a grandmother now that she has a new granddaughter you wanted if you could you know the grandmother wants to give her that granddaughter leave her with one final piece of wisdom you know, maybe you can pull that out of her and I just think that would be I mean, would you connect with her that you connect with her in a really amazing, heartfelt way like that? That would be pretty magical, right? And you're doing what you love and you're profiting yeah wow ok any other ideas that you have? Well, this is so interesting because to take it to that step it's not about me what I think about who the client would be which was I would always think it be somebody like me has gone through such and such right on the other side but it's really you know, somebody wants to give something to their loved one to be a sort so we start with you we start with we start with you who you are who you are, what you stand for that's all a critical part of this but then what happens is you know then you have to think of okay well what's my mission what have I learned from that most painful time in my life what can I offer? You know, how can I be of service and in the quote booth idea or in the custom quote interview idea you're being of service and both of those way's right? So that's the key how we're going to be of service this is help. Okay? That is the mini marketing makeover within the context of a blue sky like it can you please all give jane amazing about that? Everything that was contributed with so positive but I think we do need to hear what would have happened. Justin went to all that trouble well least way but you're so good in which there is so much better behaved than my other audience I'm like all right, we're in the whole time with them so this is great thank you so much do you feel more hopeful about what you're gonna do? You have been so great just to share it great thank you everybody alright great thank you so much thank you so much all right so we're going to talk a little bit about very briefly I'm going to go over the fan plan okay, which is your marketing plan and what I want to do is just cover that and I'm gonna give you your homework assignment and s so let's start with let's just dive right into the fan plan it's a little similar to that making money plan what's the purpose of your marketing is it to secure more commissions is it tio uh you know, just get more followers and social media you know what do what you trying to accomplish so make them measurable and specific who's your tribe hopefully you're getting a pretty better much better understanding of who your tribe is and you know clothing, shoes, hair all those things are great tip offs but who is your tribe? How would you describe them? And you know, women between twenty five and fifty that's not targeted enough where you gotta dive in deeper fbi profile remember that where and when did they celebrate we look att cates example they sell their to her tribe celebrates on the tennis court in church at the country club and it's supper parties that's the other place that her tribe celebrates so if she wants to find more for tribe she's got to find herself amongst those celebrations mistress does actually wind up meeting a number of her patrons at church and she also meets them mostly through referrals so this is this is key, right? Your tribe hangs out of veselin right? Vernon they hang out there, right? Not everybody goes toe excellent, but vernon's tribe have all gone excellent at some point they've taken a workshop at some point at excellent if they haven't, they've heard about it and they thought about it a lot they're going to they're thinking about doing it. Does that make sense? Can you relate to this again? This is a part of eight part process, right? And it's you're not going unless you've identified your mission and your values really kind of hard to answer these questions and you don't want to skip ahead so don't feel like you need to know the answer to these questions just know that you need to work through the process that makes sense everybody like you start again start where you are start where you are you're fine exactly where you are if you've never sold a painting or a photograph in your life that's fine if you have the intention to that's where you're at that's where going to start with just that intention and hopefully with the intention now of thinking about how you could be of service to other people in a way that's true to who you are and true to your values were not going to feel like you're selling out to anyone okay um you know I have ah ah friend who's on my advisory board who owns a branding firm and he put together this whole branding architecture for me which is really complicated and elaborate and wonderful but I'd like to share with you something that a strategy that I've used to successfully help create designs when I was designer so if your graphic designer this is a good tip this has actually been very, very helpful and focusing my past design clients but what it's what it's going to be used for here is to help you focus your overall message so it's emotions that sell particularly with art right? So what you have to consider is what are the feelings you want to ignite? What of the feelings that you want to ignite in your tribe how are they going to feel they feel like they're going to war that's there's no judgment here is that how you want them to feel right? I mean if you look at army navy, air force graphics and messaging it's the feeling is I'm ready to fight right very different feeling than what jane made of oak in her enterprise right? So three feeling words right so for my paintings it's peaceful and it's calm and happy so when I'm putting together a marketing materials that's focusing on on that peaceful calm and happy because that's what my avatar feels when he or she experiences one of my paintings and inspired also so um I'm just gonna go through this I'm gonna go back to that little exercise because I think you probably might have some examples to site yourself this sun the fan plan is actually in your action if you're if you're wanting to see this one page is actually in the fifty step action plan so I just want to let you guys know that I want to give you some specific examples of what the strategies and tactics and goal this goals might look like. Um the the, um smarter stands for specific, measurable actionable results oriented time bound and the ours for evaluate and revise I want to get more collectors it's hard to take action on I want to get ten collectors in the next year that's something you can wrap your head around. So any time where you're listing objectives, you want to make sure that you're you know you're really being very specific I'm gonna give you some examples of strategy is to increase referrals, right? We already know that that would be a smart strategy for everybody here in the audience and everyone listening you want it do things to increase your referrals in other words to deepen relationships right so what some things you could do with tactics could you employ as part of your building your fan plan well it could do trunk shows like cheryl does you could do gospel sing alongs like fernand does the's air client cultivation events you could host a monthly studio event and that's what andy warhol did with his happenings of studio events make one college day right one thank you note a week um ask twelve patrons or one patron tau host an event in your behalf they're often very glad to do that's almost like a tupperware party right ee I think cheryl you had somebody do that right hosted a trunk party for you and you got collectors from that can you share a little bit about that how how did you how did that one strategy play out for you? Well my very first public offering was a trunk show hosted by one of my really great friends and your friends course it was yeah, of course and you know when I think back on it now e I obviously I made some mistakes I went to costco and I I bought food that would have fed three hundred people a nice dinner there wasn't but I thought that that's what I should d'oh yeah so we have you learned from that failure oh yes I did yeah because I'll the money that I made selling the jewelry went to pay the costco bill, but that's okay, you know, what is the cost of the costco bill, though, to learn that yes, it could have been a lot worse, right? And my friend's home was in is in kind of a it's, not on a main off a main street, right? And so it was a little bit of a schlep to get there, so that was another learning experience to try and if that happens, I'm lucky enough to have somebody else. So what did you get out of it? You got only got there, you pay the costco bill? How did that trunk show actually benefit you? While it was amazing because what I didn't expect, where the people that came expected me to give them a presentation and great, I tell your story yeah, and they were all interested and have all become regular customers, right? And there were a lot of people there that I didn't know that friends had brought and they were, of course, plenty overwhelming majority were people that I did know, but just the, um, ability tio be posted and be in front of all of these people talking about my passion was just an amazing experience and do they connect with you? Definitely do they buy from you? Yes okay, so it's just pretty simple right? It was a party that was hosted by a friend in her home she gathered together her tribal members great you really performed a ceremony on them by talking about your passion and your journey right? And they celebrated you by collecting your jewellery I'll bet some of them are still buying your jewelry yes, and I bet many of them are still telling friends right? So you see how that works? Pretty simple I mean, you could have, you know, broken out of a bag of doritos and some fizzy water and been fine, right? So you learn that lesson doesn't cost much to do that doesn't cost really anything at all to do that you don't have to pay for advertising, you don't have to you know you have to do those things that don't make it complicated keep it really simple keep it bite size pieces that you can actually manage don't make it hard on yourself don't you know what I mean? I really do so many of these current client cultivation events a week a month so take it a step at a time and start with where you are and get help in cheryl's case her friend helped write she didn't have to look for people teo invite and to attend this trunk show her friend did it for her and that's a great great place to start all right. So, are you guys ready for your homework assignment? Okay, so, really quickly. So in the homework assignment is this what I want you to do is I want you, teo, write a letter to your grandchild even if you don't have a grandchild and I want you to talk about the most painful time in your life and I want you to edit. I don't want to look for spelling. We're not going to read these out loud. This is personal, confidential and think about what the most painful time is your life and talk about it in great detail and then turn to that grandchild and tell him or her what you learned from that lesson. What you learn from that from that most painful time, I recommend that everyone read victor shrink victor frankel's book a man's search for meaning. It was played a significant role in my life and it's going to be very instructive in this exercise. We read it in the future. So that said, thank you so much for your time and your vulnerability and you're willing to contribute really appreciate it.