Novemberfest

Hello friends!I had the greatest experience at Novemberfest and I think it might encourage all of you small business owners to break out of your comfort zones!

As you are well aware, in the past I have had a difficult time keeping my confidence up at a show.  This time my wonderful husband decided he would man the booth for me so that I wouldn't feel that fear again.  (Thereby, keeping sells up; those of you who have read/seen "The Secret" know what I mean!) However, I was in charge the last hour of the last day so David could go home and eat.

I had made a conscious decision, this time, to accept whatever God wanted to give me whether nothing or an abundance of blessings!  Whatever the result, I wasn't going to let a number affect my self-worth.  When I got to the show, I found that we had only made 3 sells again falling short of breaking even.  I started to feel that fear and reminded myself of my commitment.

A fellow crafts-man had some ideas for my next show.  "Maybe you could hold a drawing" she suggested, "and give away a piece of art."  That peaked my interest because I felt God had been leading me in a certain direction; teaching me the law of abundance which is that "whatsoever you give shall be multiplied unto you".

I had less then an hour and I knew I had to do something big!  It was hard to take that leap of faith at first; I mean, logically, the idea would cause us to take more of a loss!  When I gathered up my courage I got to work and I ended up giving away 18 pieces of art (totaling $190 our cost) but I have never felt more excited about what I do!  I realized that giving it away felt just as good (if not better) than selling it and I was happy!

Another thing I realized is that people were really thrilled to get my art.  They really enjoyed it!  I just had to get through my own blocks and, though it sounded completely insane, I did just that and I loved every minute of it! 

I wonder if Van Gogh would have known the law of abundance if he wouldn't have killed himself.  How much joy could he have had standing on a street corner holing a contest of some sort and giving away his finest pieces!  Maybe he would have lived a full life and tasted of his immortalizing fame himself...

(check out my work at http://www.meloniepacker.com)

Fairytale

I started taking seriously taking photos in 2005.  I had just gotten married to my wonderful husband who felt terribly guilty for dunking my point-and-shoot into the Starvation Reservoir and bought me my 6 mega-pixel Cannon Rebel.  I loved that thing!  Who ever thought taking pictures could be so fun?

I worked as a nanny and those three little angles became my first guinea pigs and teachers.  I loved our walks and the beauty we saw in everything.  (Children are so good at that!)  I took pictures of flowers, lamp posts and Popsicles!  The kids loved it... my husband was glad the new camera was digital!

The day I turned my first waterfall purple was a magical day for me.  Who knew you could change a picture?  A realm of possibilities just opened up!  I don't remember the original reason we got Photo shop, but it has been my best friend ever since!

(check out my work at http://www.meloniepacker.com)Click here to see "Fairytale Waterfall"

Remember Mary Kay?

Remember that stint you had with Mary Kay several years ago?   Well, those 9-or-so months were not a total waste of time!  Here's why:

1. You've learned that you can make those scary phone calls!
2. You've learned that, when all else fails and you're feeling defeated, your best friends will buy a lip gloss from you!
3. You can depend on yourself to reach the goals you set your mind to but you can't depend on everyone else to earn your "red jacket".  (Lets face it; "red jackets" come and go and are as fickle as a U of U fan...)  You've learned to focus only on those goals you can control.
4. You've learned that you are not passionate about make-up and you have to find your own reason for succeeding!  And...
5. You've learned that if you don't ask for the sale you're not going to get it!

I had this really great team leader when I worked with Mary Kay company.  She was very compassionate and giving and would squeeze out twice as much product in those little trays than any guest needed!  I remember thinking, as a naive little first-time business owner,"How will she ever come out on top with her business if she keeps giving it away for free?!". 

I've learned quiet a lot since then.  No matter how silly it seems logistically; the world still runs on energy and emotion.  The law becomes resurrected that "whatever you give you will receive back ten-fold".   Coming from a family where if you didn't eat quick you didn't eat at all, it was rather difficult for me to digest this concept but I have evolved into a better human being and I have more faith that my needs will be met!

I realized that, out of fear of copyright infringement, I have held back my "intellectual property", as my husband calls it, (Is that funny to anyone else?  It's such a left-brained way of describing a right-brained product!) and have probably slowed down it's success!  An author I admire, James Redfield, gave out thousand(s) of copies of his book for free before he made it on the New York Times Best Sellers list!

Another artist I admire for his success suggested to "exhaust every free avenue before you go into debt for a business".  We have decided to make a Youtube video and share some pictures with you on this blog.  The book will be published soon and we will give away as many books as we can!

Here's to life!

(check out my work at http://www.meloniepacker.com)

The Package Has Arrived...

I was surprised to find a package on our front porch earlier this week. Not because it was early; because it was late! I'd begun to think of all the possibilities involving it's untimely arrival. David did something more productive and worked hard on a "game plan" for our business if the book wasn't accepted.

David has suddenly become way more motivated than me. It is great to have a husband who believes in you so much he's willing to quit his job and run our business out of a motor home! Needless to say, that idea will really be "put through the wringer"!

The publishing company was kind enough to reject the photo book... and we are currently in the process of starting up our own publishing company!

"I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process."
-Vincent Van Gogh

(check out my work at http://www.meloniepacker.com)

Down to the Nitty-Gritty

Summer is here and is being thoroughly enjoyed by my little family and me. I find it difficult to be indoors when so much is going on outside. However, I have managed to edit and finish my photo book! (Actually, it was quite exciting in spite of the sun-shiny weather that was beckoning me...) Also, I've tackled mounds of tedious research (not so fun).

We self-published one book through an Amazon company online for a small fee (about $14) so that we could share the copy with our friends and family then discuss it. I was thrilled to receive the published book with my name boldly written on the front cover! We passed it around and everyone liked it. Then... you guessed it, I got those dreaded butterflies again. The good news is that the book could be hid in a drawer to give me some space whenever I felt nauseated. (I am so grateful I'm not doing the fair thing anymore!)

A few weeks ago, I decided to print out a manuscript and send it in to a publisher. (The manuscript cost $95... so you see why we printed the book!) Rude awakening: most publishers wont even look at your manuscript without an agent! What's an agent? Oh, he's the profit-sucking middleman that jumps in between you and your potential publisher and banks off of your life's work. It seems you wont win out there without him... Brilliant really! I ended up finding one publisher that suggests an agent but promises to look at it without one!

David is reading this book for us about true self-publishing; as in starting your own publishing company then hiring out for the printing. Interesting idea... the rough part would then be all of the extra work you'd have to put into marketing. We really don't have any capitol left to get the ball rolling. So, meanwhile, we wait. Maybe we'll get lucky; maybe not... Anyhow, I got to see my name in print!

(check out my work at http://www.meloniepacker.com)

(check out my work at http://www.meloniepacker.com)

wi(ə)rd

Affirmation of the day:

"I am completely aware that there are people that are not going to like me... and that's okay!"

My photo book is finished! I have never had anything flow out of me so freely! It was as if the pages were already written and saved in an archive inside of me and all I had to do was open the file. I know that God is responsible for this and I thank Him profusely!

We are now editing and finding critics who will provide us with real feedback (no cushioning the tough stuff). I'm currently facing that familiar fear that has come to greet me on the eve of every art show. I know my stuff is weird... I am completely aware that there are people that are not going to like me; I will be misunderstood... and that should be okay!

I was pleased to find that if you Google "weird" definitions; this is what comes up:

weird/wi(ə)rd/
Adjective: Suggesting something supernatural; uncanny.
Noun: A person's destiny.

I like that! "Weird" is a person's destiny! So why do I fear being different? Would art really be art if it looked like everything else? Would I really be a creator if I never strayed from the mold? And if everyone liked the same things, would this world be very colorful?

"Do not quench your inspiration and your imagination; do not become the slave of your model."
Vincent Van Gogh

(check out my work at http://www.meloniepacker.com)

I Have Been "Hearted"...

I guess people still "dig" my art at $3,000+. My confidence has officially been raised!

Thanks to all my Etsy friends, I have come to realize that raising my prices won't change a thing (for the worse, anyway) like I had previously feared... (and also, that fear is a liar!)

I am so excited about this photo book idea! I think it is going to be great. I have spent several days on it now and I am having this really neat "deja-vu" like experience as it practically unfolds as if from a memory.

I remembered that 3 years ago, I had this idea for a book pop into my head while I was driving back to our temporary home from school. I wasn't sure what this book idea was about because I was in school and most of my efforts were divided in an engaging battle between finishing school and mothering our 2 children.

However, my husband had lost his job and we were in financial stress so I prayed a lot about what I could do to help. I must have been pondering about money then because I think it that God responded with an answer. This idea for a book with many pictures in it entrapped my mind and all I knew was that it was to be about enjoying the simple things in life.

A year or so later, I was drawn to a book in the store that was full of pictures and uplifting messages. I had another "Celestine Prophecy" experience and I knew that I needed to create a book like that. Unfortunately, someone must have pushed the "play" button on my internal answering machine and this bothersome message replayed in my head:

"I know you want to be an artist but you need a real job... something important!"

As a result, I immediately discounted any serious thought about becoming an artist... In that case, what was this book idea about? That belief put me behind a couple of years, I think...

Finally, as I begin work on this photo book, I've realized this is it! All my mentors told me to get out of Utah if I want to be a serious artist... I think this book will be my ticket! People are already "hearting" me on Etsy and I have a way to mass distribute my art without devaluing it's worth! It is exciting to me to finally be on the track I believe God intended.



(check out my work at http://www.meloniepacker.com)