Creation has its unique flows – sometimes you are burning with ideas and wishing the day was 100 hours long so you keep making and making… and sometimes, well, you’re a blank space. When the tide of creativity goes low, I see a lot of artists that get really frustrated – this is actually the worst attitude you can have on this situation. First of all, because it is natural to flow that way; second, because it is really unproductive. There is nothing wrong in being uninspired: every artist needs to reset and refresh ideas regularly, and that is just mental hygiene. The first thing to do when uninspired is to avoid insisting against the flow, and to accept that moment as something necessary and even desirable. But, how to make the most of that time?
I have heard artists complain a lot of times that they do not have time to do the business side of creation; well, this is exactly the right time! Here’s a list of 20 things that you can do during that uninspired times that will keep your business permanently updated:
1: Clean your studio and redecorate it – paint the walls, throw away/give away stuff, create inspiring vignettes;
2: Create a new business card/a new banner/a new avatar/new price tags;
3: Revise all your profiles on your shop, blog, website and social networking sites;
4: Revise your blog, updating broken links and removing useless posts;
5: Join a new group/social network;
6: Make inventory of your shop items and revise each item;
7: Read a few business/marketing articles and note down every idea that can be applied to your business;
8: Create a brochure, make a few photocopies and hand them down or add them to your shop orders;
9: Make promos for your business;
10: Make samples of your products to be added to your shop orders;
11: Start a business journal;
12: Make 10 new friends in your social networks;
13: Start an ezine, or submit work to an existing one;
14: Write a few blog posts and schedule them;
15: Revise your shop listings and update tags, pictures and descriptions;
16: Make products for a holiday months in advance;
17: Send discount cards to your ten best customers;
18: Write a business plan;
19: Make a special sale and advertise it;
20: Start a blog contest, a giveaway or any kind of community activity.
This ideas are not written in any particular order, and of course you shouldn’t choose more than one per day, but I’m sure there is at least one thing you can do today to make your business better. Good luck!!!



