Interview: Kate James, creative coach and mindfulness teacher
In our modern world of beeping notifications, competitive parenting and constant connectedness, mindfulness is becoming a sought-after approach for creative people looking to rest their busy minds. Kate James of Total Balance coaches her clients on balance, meditation and living purposefully.
What drew you to becoming a coach and mindfulness teacher?
I’ve always been interested in people and what makes them tick. I spent over a decade working as a business manager for creative businesses and while I loved the work I was doing, I wanted to help people in a more purposeful way. I considered psychology or a natural therapy but I wanted to incorporate my interest in creative business into my work so when I heard about coaching in the early 2000’s it seemed like the perfect option.
The mindfulness part came about six months after I started the business. Whenever a client was stressed, I would recommend that they learn meditation. It had changed my life and I wanted to share that with other people so despite a real fear in those early days of speaking in front of groups, I began teaching and a few years after that, it seemed like a natural progression to start running meditation and yoga retreats.
Who is your typical client?
My clients are generally quite similar to me! Most are introverts and deep thinkers. They want to do what they love and what they’re naturally good at. Most are creative in some way and many have their own creative businesses. They live to experience life. They care about making their lives beautiful in simple ways - good food, travel not just to tick a box to say ‘I’ve been there’ but more to learn about new cultures; they want to contribute to society in a meaningful way and they’re interested in the idea of discovering and living a purposeful life.
How would you describe your work?
I work with people who want clarity about their direction. Once they have a greater sense of where they want to go (either work wise or personally), I help them feel confident to pursue the things they care about. This often results in a client starting a creative business even if that business sits alongside a more mainstream role that helps pay the bills.
My interest in mindfulness influences how I work with clients and I’ve developed a framework about how to live and work mindfully which I share with clients who are interested in mindfulness.
The most common feedback I get about my work is that I help people to become conscious of how they hold themselves back. I help them to quiet the inner critic so they can tap into their own innate sense of creativity and wisdom.
What does a typical day involve for you?
These days I’m actually fairly structured in the way I manage my time. It’s taken me years to learn how to do this but it has made a huge difference to my stress levels and my productivity.
I wake pretty early and start every morning with meditation and yoga. I get emails out of the way first and if I don’t have early clients, I’ll work on one of my writing projects for a few hours. Occasionally, I take a notebook and a cup of tea into the garden and sit under the birch tree to write.
I always stop for lunch and I’m generally with clients in the afternoons. Some afternoons, I sneak off for a walk along the beach but this doesn’t happen often enough.
I do the financial stuff on Friday mornings and reward myself by taking the afternoon off to have lunch with a girlfriend.
What has been your proudest career achievement to date?
It’s hard to choose one because I’ve had a few opportunities over recent years that have blown me away. In 2009, Tourism NT took me on a weeklong trip to Darwin and Kakadu so I could help them with a PR campaign about the importance of taking holidays. It was the most amazing experience.
Getting my first publishing deal at the end of 2014 was pretty incredible and it’s been fantastic to see the book selling well and to have a second one published this year.
What do you do for fun?
I love to cook so we have friends or our girls and their partners for dinner here. Chris and I also head out of town every couple of months and we do lots of walking and taking photos (a shared passion). Our lives are pretty quiet these days but that’s my idea of pure joy.
What's the best piece of advice you've been given?
Be kind, be courageous and be authentic. Share your gifts with the world and dare to play a bigger game than you had imagined for yourself.
You can find out more about Kate at Total Balance.
How a vacation can help your business
Most of us find ourselves dreaming about our next vacation or travel holiday but don’t book anything. Many of us follow travel accounts on Instagram, commenting on how much we’d love to visit this destination, but then don’t take any steps to get there. We want more time in life to take holidays, spend time with the family and just relax but find ourselves at the end of the year with accrued paid leave owing to us. So what’s going on?
For many of us, taking time away from our work, whether we are in paid employment or run our own business, can feel overwhelming. But its one view to be busy and another to confuse it with having a negative impact on your success. I don’t know about you, but I’ve always felt a personal change upon returning from a vacation, for the better. And for the positive impacts it has on my work, taking a vacation is no longer perceived as a luxury, but rather an essential part in the outcome of my busy work/life schedule. Here are five reasons why I make taking the time to travel each year, a necessity in my life:
A change in perspective. Travel gives you the opportunity to get away from your usual routine, the people you meet, what you eat, how you sleep and where you work… You begin to view things differently, think outside the box and allow yourself to take on something new.
When you travel, especially to underdeveloped nations or unknown destinations, you open yourself up to new ideas. You begin to appreciate how different life can be and you return to your own lifestyle with a fresh perspective and point of view. Consequently, the flow-on effect leads to new ideas or solutions to problems you may have been facing prior to your vacation, by allowing yourself to think in new ways.
Take a break and recharge your batteries. Travel gives you a chance to renew your energy, find your balance and re-align yourself. Most people reach a point throughout the year when logic becomes cloudy. Productivity declines and enthusiasm wanes. Taking a break, relaxing and switching off are ways to refuel yourself and find your positive energy. This opportunity allows you to indulge in your own needs for a period of time. And when you return, improve your productivity at work with your new, positive outlook on life.
To push your limits. Travel allows you to break a routine that at the best of times, is designed to make you work efficiently and effectively each week. But in doing so, you also build yourself a comfort zone and forget your ability to push boundaries to grow your business and work opportunities. If you’re thinking about applying for a new role, starting a new business or growing an existing one - you need to think beyond the norm. You need to push your boundaries. If you expose yourself to this way of thinking, you will teach yourself how to build the courage to do this in other areas of life, i.e. work, fitness and health.
Find inspiration. Travel gives you the opportunity to think for yourself for uninterrupted periods of time. Taking a vacation allows you to consider and contemplate issues/topics/opportunities that have been sitting on your to-do list for some time. When you give yourself the chance to think about something else than your daily routine and work commitments, you open your mind to new possibilities.
Network and meet new people. Travel allows you to network organically, especially if you travel independently or on your own. Travel forces you to talk to people, ask for help, seek advice and start conversations with strangers. It also shows you your strengths and weaknesses in your ability to communicate, adapt to new situations and accommodate different cultures and customs.
Start changing your perception about taking time off from work to travel. Reverse the logic and the tendency to perceive a vacation as an indulgence in life, but rather, focus on the benefits travel can offer you at work and your general overall happiness.
Images by Pexels.
Self care for small business owners
By Monica Ng
No matter where you are on the spectrum of being a full-time small business owner or work a fulltime job alongside your small business pursuits, running your own business can seem like running the longest marathon of your life. Day in, day out, you work long hours at your day job and come home, tired but continue work for your own business. You hope to grow it into something that supports yourself and perhaps your family too. You spend every spare minute working on your sidepreneur gig. Any time that you are not working on your business, you are wracked with guilt and fear. In your mind you are constantly plagued with “what if” questions and try to rationalise your decisions for working on your business instead.
“What if I were to skip this (insert social occasion) and spend time doing X, Y and Z instead? I have an endless To-do list! There’ll always be next time…”
If you do take time out, you’re constantly thinking about or worried about your business. You’re glued to your phone, monitoring and updating your business. You’re not fully present. You feel inadequate and question whether you have the drive to really “make it.” Maybe you view this way of working like a badge of honour? Sacrificing things now for a better future? But really, if this is the mentality you’ve adopted, it can be all too easy to burn out. Your ability to be effective and efficient becomes diminished. You stop producing your best creative work. You’re stuck in a vicious cycle. Lose direction. Panic! Feel paralysed. Which is why the most vital thing for you to do for your business is to look after your number 1 and best asset: you.
This has been something I have always struggled with, especially most recently. Together with deadlines for my jewellery studies, last minute organization for my holiday (who gets stressed from organising a holiday, right?!) and tying up loose ends at home before flying overseas for said holiday – I felt completely deflated, unenthusiastic and a bit directionless about my business. But after being reminded that self-care as a small business owner is the most important thing I can do for myself and my business, here’s my top 5 action tips you can do too to look after yourself and your business.
Celebrate all your wins (whether small or big)
You’ve worked hard to achieve your goal – whether it’s big, like gaining a new client you’ve signed up or something 'smaller' – every achievement should be viewed as a win in your eyes and you should do something to celebrate these milestones! Whether its a nice meal out with loved ones, a candle lit bubble bath, or some time walking along the beach with your dog – take the time out to celebrate your achievement – because you worked hard to achieve it!
Look after your body
When you’re busy, it’s easy to forget that our bodies need regular exercise, nutritious food and plenty of sleep to be productive! Take the time to schedule into your calendar, regular times to do some exercise – whether it be an early morning walk with your pet, a midday yoga class or cycling around your neighbourhood, whatever activity you enjoy, make the time to do it! Life is too short to feel sluggish, be unfit and neglect your health. Not only will you feel better after exercising (hello endorphins!) but you’ll be so much more alert and energised to do the best work that you can.
The same goes for the food you eat too! Too often, we reach for the easiest and most convenient food options, which usually contains too much salt, fat or processed sugar. If you continue down this path of unhealthy eating, it’s no wonder you won’t feel at your best. If your schedule is busy, why not spend time planning your meals for the week, take a few hours and batch cooking some food and freezing it for the remainder of the week? You’ll be surprised how easy it can be to eat some nutritious home cooked meals when you put a little planning into the process.
Get enough sleep. Simple advice but often the first thing that gets sacrificed.
Go on a digital detox and recharge
Give yourself time to get away from the online world and reconnect with the natural world around you. Yes – this means disconnecting from all forms of social media, your blog, your online shop, forums etc etc.
Being constantly connected to the online world can be draining and counterproductive. Sometimes it may be best to just disconnect completely for a while, whether it is a few days, a week, a month or maybe more and spend time doing other things. Not only may this help you find new sources of inspiration, but also help you recharge so that when you do return to the online world – you’ll feel refreshed and ready to kick some butt again!
Allow yourself time to rest, catch up with friends and family and general “me time”
Give yourself permission to read a book and soak in the sun’s warm afternoon rays over a flat white, take a holiday (and don’t take work with you!) or do an activity you enjoy and don’t feel guilty about it!
For those that operate their small business from home, where this may mean a spare room, bedroom or kitchen is the “office”, the lines between work and play can be difficult to differentiate. Remember that for your business to be successful in the long-term, you need to draw some boundaries – just like you would if you worked a day job. Don’t fall into the mindset that you need every minute to work on your business to make it a success and that if you don’t do this, it means you’re not dedicated enough to your business. You’re not a failure for resting and relaxing! Our minds and bodies were not built to work 24/7. We need rest to recharge and you’ll be happier and healthier for it.
Remember why you decided to become a small business owner!
Think back to why you started your small business in the beginning. Did you start it up to gain financial freedom? To gain freedom away from the usual 9-5, operate during the hours you work best and pursue your passion? Whatever your reason may be - don’t forget it!
Sure there may be some late nights and early mornings – to grow a small business into a successful operation, it takes some serious hustling. But remember, that hustling means working efficiently, effectively, with excitement.
Now – don’t mind if I kickstart my own digital detox, recharge by immersing myself in Taiwan’s glorious luscious natural and urban landscapes and enjoy my holiday in Taipei!
Monica Ng left her accounting career at the end of 2013 to run Geometric Skies, her Etsy jewellery business, alongside her jewellery and object design studies at the Design Centre in Sydney. Find Monica at her blog or on Instagram @geometric_skies.
Meeting deadlines with kids underfoot
By Jasmine Mansbridge
Picasso once said that; “our goals can only be reached through the vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success”. I don’t imagine Picasso frantically making kids lunches, rushing to get out the door by eight in the morning, so he could then get back to his studio to paint in a three hour time frame, but I do like this quote as there were never truer words spoken. Basically if you add raising children to any plan that’s when the challenges truly begin.
Deadline stress is unavoidable and it seems that kids have inbuilt sensors which make them difficult when you least want them to be. So considering how to best manage your family as well as your creative work commitments will help you achieve maximum output with minimal stress.
I am a painter and a mother of four children, aged 3 to 17 years of age (with a baby due any day). So I have a broad range of needs to work around. I try and avoid overloading myself with commitments, but when an important date looms (for me that is usually an exhibition), there are things I do to make life easier for myself and my family.
I don’t recommend making a life out of living this way though. Seasons of work, and then rest, benefit everybody in a family. The wheels would come off my wagon if I did the things I am about to suggest all of the time. But, here goes: some things that work for me when facing deadlines with my business.
Simplify your wardrobe.
Get a “uniform”. Mine for a while now has been black converse shoes, jeans and simple T shirts. I just add a jacket or scarf if its cold. This means dressing requires little thought in the mornings and I can get ready in about ten minutes. I save dressing the way I want for weekends and when I am going somewhere “nice”! This also goes for hair, whats happening up there? If it takes you a half hour to dry and straighten it, maybe try a messy bun when you're flat out. You don't have to look unkempt, but streamlining your weekday wear will ease you into a busy day and give you time for other stuff.
Plan simple food.
I generally think about food for the week on a Sunday afternoon. Although I am not a menu planning/spreadsheet kind of girl, a little thought and a quick shop will make a big difference to your meal time stress levels for the week. When I mean simple food, I mean things such as one pot dinners like roasts and pastas. Children can get involved in making food which is also a great help. Lazy meals like soups with bread or slow cooked meals means you can put them on and forget about them until its time to eat.
Fill the fridge with fresh, easy to use ingredients.
When it comes to kids snacks, I cut back on baking and other foods that are time consuming to make. Instead I buy tubs of natural yoghurt and hommus, then for easy morning and afternoon teas I just have to add fruit or muesli to the yoghurt, or savoury biscuits, carrots and celery to the hommus. This keeps everyone full and healthy, without lots of preparation. It will stop you having to resort to the convenience of take away and it also saves money.
Negotiate with your partner/husband to share or take over bedtime and other household duties.
For example, when I am busy painting I can get so much more done if I can at least share the kids bedtime routine. If I can start working straight after dinner at night, I find that I have a lot more energy to paint and I am a lot more productive. If I wait until the kids are down for the night, I find it so much harder to restart my energy flow. Also, negotiate for weekend working time. My husband is really good at helping me get over the line when I am busy, but it does take good communication and verbalising your needs for this to happen. It is also about give and take, so be prepared for some compromise. When my husband is busy with his own work, I do of course try and pick up the slack and do the same for him.
Have an “in bed” and “out of bed” time for yourself!
When I am painting late into the night, I usually get a second wind at about eleven o'clock, even though I might have been exhausted at nine. So, I make myself go to bed by 12:30pm. The times I have broken this rule and stayed up half the night, I have paid for it by being very weary the next day and then I am not able to work the following night. I really have to be out of bed by seven to get everyone ready for school and to be prepared for the day ahead, so sleeping in is an impossibility. I seem to be able to function pretty well on seven or so hours sleep, so my set hours work for me, (though its still a commitment to work long hours). Work out what works for you and try to stick to it. To keep a bit of balance, I usually give myself a night off on a weekend, to watch a movie or do something with my husband.
Get a cleaner in on a regular basis, at least once a fortnight if you can.
If you have a busy life, this is probably my number one de-stressing tip! Having a cleaner won’t mean you don’t have to do housework, but it does ease the pressure on your household while you go AWOL into your creative workaholic zone. If you are worried about the cost of a cleaner, try tallying what you might spend on coffee, wine, or other extras, and all of a sudden a cleaner may seem cheap, (but be warned they are equally addictive).
Source some kind of childcare.
Childcare is a tough one I know, and it can be expensive, especially if your not making any money up front from your creative work. I have had different help at different times. My mother in law is wonderful and has had my youngest children many times when I have a deadline to meet. But mostly I have had to just work with my kids around (not ideal, but necessary at times). I have also paid my teenage children’s friends and other friends to play with and entertain my small children, (picnics or games in the back yard work for a couple of hours). I have used occasional childcare, in the form of two hour sessions available at my local gym. It does take focus to switch in and out of creative mode so quickly and work when you have limited time or you are sharing your head space, but it is better than no time to work at all.
Try and find creative ways to let your children work alongside of you, some of the time.
In my studio I have a couple of tubs of basic crafting materials. Pencils, colouring books, glue etc… My children don’t find me painting that exciting, as they are used to seeing me do it on a daily basis. This means they are happy to take up a corner (or half the studio) with their activities while I paint. Age is obviously a consideration, but stick some tunes on and you might get an hour or so of work done and they will get to use their own imaginations. It does take patience and tolerance and a certain kind of head space to make this work for you. If you have a deadline though, a couple of hours will be invaluable. If you are stuck for ideas, the internet is full of age appropriate kids activities, so get Googling!
Don’t take it all to seriously.
This is my last tip, and its because it’s probably the most important. While on the one hand it takes a hell of an effort and consistent commitment to pursue creative success and also raise a happy family, on the other hand , your family will always be your greatest measure of success. So, if you're having a day when you feel like you are banging your head against a wall and getting nowhere, or if you feel tired, frustrated and worn out, then the best thing you can probably do it take a deep breath, call a friend and head to the park or the beach, or somewhere that is not at home or your studio for a few hours! When I do do this I come home recharged and refreshed, my tank full again. Remember being a creative person should be fun! (at least most of the time).
Jasmine Mansbridge is a painter and mum to four (almost five) kids. She regularly blogs about the intersection of creative work and family life at www.jasminemansbridge.com, and you can also find her on Instagram @jasminemansbridge.
{All photos by Jasmine Mansbridge}
My Advice: Getting a creative business baby-ready
By Lizzie Stafford
My sister has just had her first baby, so my entire family has babies on the brain – hence the topic of today’s My Advice column. For my sister, taking a year’s maternity leave was a reasonably straightforward task: apply for leave, granted leave, leave and not have to think much about work for a year. Of course, going back is already a daunting thought for her as her job is challenging, high stress and long hours – but there wasn’t much work preparation needed in the lead up to having her baby.
For me, and anyone else who works for themselves or runs a small business, it’s a different story. Your business won’t keep running without you unless you put a lot of thought into how you’re going to manage. I couldn’t ignore the advice of Tess McCabe, publisher, designer and CWC director, about how she made it work. Tess had her first child in 2012 and made the transition look easy (I’m sure it was anything but). Amy Constable, founder of Saint Gertrude Letterpress, had her baby in April and her advice is simple but oh-so important: relax. Illustrator Alarna Zinn made some big changes to her business-life and shares some thoughts about the transition into working creatively post-bub. Thanks for your honesty and sage advice, ladies.
Pray for a sleeper, prepare for a screamer.
Tess McCabe, publisher, graphic designer and director, Creative Women’s Circle
"My mantra when I was pregnant with my son was 'pray for a sleeper, prepare for a screamer'. I basically lowered my expectations down to getting absolutely nothing done work-wise (being running CWC or my graphic design work for clients) for the first four months of his life. Why I settled on 4 months I am unsure... perhaps I thought naively that everything would be sorted routine-wise by then - ha!.
After that, I told my clients I would be on an indefinite break, and I did a few things in preparation to ensure that despite my mini absence, tumbleweeds wouldn't blow across CWC's cyberspace presence. I hired a trusted colleague to take over some of the basic CWC admin for a short time, such as preparing weekly blog posts and keeping up with social media enquiries. I prepared CWC events to be held just before he was born (with a backup plan in place should he have arrived early!) and then a few months after, so that the flurry of activity associated with an event day wouldn't coincide with those precious early weeks.
After those 4 months, and much deliberation about when I would be 'back' taking on client graphic design work, I had to relent that my 'many pots on the stove' career just wasn't going to cut it being at home with a young'un: a baby and deadline-driven client work AND another small business just didn't mix well for me. So I focused just on what I a) enjoyed and b) offered me the most flexibility and the least stress, and that was maintaining CWC."
Relax.
Amy Constable, founder and creative director, Saint Gertrude Letterpress
"Work as long as you feel fit and capable, but once that baby is born: clear your schedule! You have no idea what kind of baby you will have. Will they be laid back or clingy? Good sleeper or bad? And what kind of mummy will you be? Maybe you’ll be cool leaving your new baby to be looked after, maybe you’ll struggle to let go. These things can’t be predicted and it takes a good few months to work this stuff out. The last thing you need is work commitments, or a looming return to work date while you’re dealing with a baby behaving unexpectedly, not to mention your own hormones.
You won’t be left behind. It might feel like it as you check out all the cool things happening on Instagram while you're chained to the couch covered in spew, but the world won’t move on if you just take a little time off to get to know your new bub and your new life. In fact, people are pretty likely to say things like “that went fast!” when you do return to work. So relax, put an out-of-office on the email, and come back on terms that work for both of you."
Take things as they come and adjust if need be.
Alarna Zinn, illustrator
"We probably should have thought a little harder about what decisions would need to be made but it really is something you can never be prepared for. My husband and I both owned our own businesses, which took up a lot of our time and in the end we just decided having children was something we wanted to do. There was never going to be a 'perfect' time so we decided that we should just jump in and work things out as we went along! Firstly, I decided to close down my physical shop (Little Jane Street) in Brisbane's Winn Lane when I was about halfway through my pregnancy - which I was more than happy to do in exchange for daytime naps! After Ada was born, with a slightly heavier heart I also decided to close down my business completely as I just didn't feel like I could give it 100% anymore, which was important to me. A lot of pressure was lifted and I have been able take some time off and I actually feel like I have become more creative (not productive!) working on limited freelance jobs and personal projects around taking care of Ada.
You can certainly make plans for what you would like to do - things like when you would like to start back at work, get child care etc, however things don't always work out that way. In our family we tend to just take things as they come and re-adjust if need be to best suit everyone involved. It really is such a fleeting moment in time that they are little and if I am feeling frustrated with things not going to plan, I just think that I won't ever get this time again so I might as well just enjoy it because in a few years I will have all the time in the world to follow my dreams.
[Since Ada, my creativity] certainly isn't the same. For me, it is like my brain works on half power because the other half is trapped in the mundane everyday tasks and exhaustion of looking after a tiny person and that can sometimes be limiting. There is nothing inspiring about dirty nappies, food preparation, cleaning or entertaining a toddler. When I take all that away, I think the creativity is still there laying dormant but it is important to have that time to yourself to reconnect and tap into it. I definitely do not have lots of ideas popping into my head like I did before I had Ada. I find that I need to take the time away to do simple things - like explore the city, walk in the park, be by myself, read a book - to get inspired by something outside of our home. I am getting back into illustrating (very slowly) and I hope to do more this year as Ada spends a couple of days a week with our Nanny - this has been and important step for me to have assigned time to work so I will see if that creative drive comes back!"
Lizzie Stafford is a freelance writer and editor and owns and runs Künstler, an independent magazine and bookstore based in Winn Lane, Brisbane. She is the Brisbane events coordinator for CWC.
Interview – Kylie Lewis, Of Kin
By Andrea McArthur
Kylie Lewis is a Social Media Guru who guides businesses through the waters of online media and content. Her daily mission is to move and inspire people to think more about the things that truly matter to them. Kylie is a woman with a passion for what she does and has a passion for life.
Where did your passion for communication come from?
In primary school I wanted to be a nurse. Then a teacher. In high school I wanted to be journalist, then a youth counsellor. So way back in the day I did a double degree in psychology and sociology. While I was studying I also became a Fitness Instructor and taught group fitness classes. Graduating in a recession, the social sector didn’t seem so lucrative, so I tumbled my way into the business admin and then deliberately pursued ‘internet’ opportunities in the late 90s.
I landed in the first Melbourne Fairfax rollout team for US startup CitySearch, hitting the road selling template websites to small business. I loved how the web offered these little, local businesses a level playing field with the big guys, and that they had a new and powerful way to communicate their messages to the world (I still love this today). This was before most people even knew what a web address was. We were converting email messages to faxes, and Zuckerberg was in kindergarten (*sigh*).
Throughout the years I worked in startups in both the business-to-business and consumer sector, did a stint in a traditional marketing role and then came back to another startup, just as social media was starting to take off. I then jumped to head a small digital agency for a while before grabbing a dream role as Head of Digital for one of my all time favourite brands, kikki.K.
Somewhere in the midst of that I did a Masters in Business (eBusiness & Communication) and started a family. I went back to Fitness Instructing after I had my first child, and started freelance blog writing about 3 years after my second was born.
While I loved my time at kikki.K, I’d reached a point in my life when I needed more flexibility than the job would allow, and I craved the time and space to design a working life that could work around me. Deciding to leave was really tough, but I’d crafted myself a motivating Pinterest board (pinterest.com/kylielewis/wisely) to help push me in the right direction, and already had a few freelance gigs under my belt to help get me over the line. After that it was holding tight, taking a breath and making the jump.
A few of my biggest strengths are a love of learning and curiosity. These have definitely helped me work in the digital space, given how fast it changes, and the scope of knowledge there is to digest. And I love a good chat, a nice cup of tea and have a severe stationery addiction. So it wasn’t a stretch to become a consultant!
I realise now that my work as a digital strategist and fitness instructor, my childhood aspirations of becoming a nurse, teacher, journalist and counsellor have all actually come to be!
Can you describe the function of a Digital Strategist for us?
I help people come to grips with social media, content marketing and digital strategy in a way that makes sense for them. I’m driven to move people’s thinking and build their confidence, so that they’re empowered to help themselves. I do this by sharing what I know with people through one on one coaching, consulting with small business teams, and public workshops.
As a digital strategist, my favourite question to ask is ‘why do you do what you do?’ My next favourite question is ‘where do you want to be?’ And then ‘what are your biggest challenges right now?’ When we can get those three things sorted, we can start building a strategy and crafting solutions. This could be facilitating a team discussion to define their content marketing mission statement, to identifying their buyer personas, to category sorting their proposed blog content, to running customised masterclasses on Pinterest and Instagram, to planning out a content calendar. I’ve worked in digital for over 15 years, so you can throw pretty much anything ‘webby’ at me, and I’ll help you find your way through it.
What does a typical day at work involve for you?
At the moment I’m writing a book, so I’m trying to be an early riser and get a few hours writing in before the rest of my house wakes up. Then its making breakfasts, school lunches and going for a run while the kids get taken to school. I’m loving listening to podcasts while I’m running at the moment – NPR TED Radio Hour, and HBR Idea Cast and Dan Pink are my favourites at the moment. I bypass my local on the way home and while I’m waiting for my takeaway chai latte to steep, I get a bit of stretching in.
Home to shower where I do a LOT of thinking! I’ll reconfirm my priorities I set the night before (a great tip from Lyndall Mitchell, my life coach, is ‘tomorrow starts today’) and get started.
Sometimes I’m onsite with client doing a coaching session or a team workshop, sometimes I’m at my studio planning, researching and writing, and sometimes I’ll squeeze in a lunch with a friends or a nana nap (because those 5am starts catch up on you!). I’m constantly surprised with how much planning goes into managing my week – I spend a good portion of Mondays planning out the weeks ahead and setting myself up to be productive (well, that’s what I tell myself!).
I’m trying to get better at checking my emails only at set points during the day (another tip from Lyndall – only check your email when you’re ready to handle it), so that I find flow with my writing and thinking. I’m also drawing on the Pomodoro Technique (of working in 25 minute spurts) and using Focus at Will for music designed to help keep focus when writing.
School pick up zooms around pretty quickly, and then it’s the usual kids activities and food prep shenanigans. After the kids go to bed, I might do a few more hours work, teach a fitness class, read or actually have a meaningful conversation with my husband!
What was the experience like, to go from being full time employed to becoming a self employed Communications Consultant?
Terrifying. I woke up every day for three weeks in a heart pounding panic saying ‘what have I done?’ I loved my job, but was worn out and needed more flexibility than the position could offer. We spoke to our bank manager before I left my job and knew I could afford to take the risk for a decent length of time. I was still freelancing on the side which helped. I kept saying ‘worse case, I’ll get another job.’ So far, I haven’t needed Plan B.
My biggest challenge in working for myself is boundaries – trying to pace the amount of work I take on at a given time, and carefully choosing who I want to work with and the type of work I want to be doing. I’m a work in progress.
Who have been your business inspirations and how have they inspired yourself or your business practices?
Tony Schwartz and his Energy Project movement. I read ‘The Power of Full Engagement’ three summers ago and it changed my life. I knew in my heart of hearts I could not sustain the pace of full time work, running a family, a house and doing freelance, but it took me a while to work out how to find a way through it. I now try to honour my needs for rest and renewal and be mindful about managing my energy across my physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs. I don’t always get it right, but I’m chipping away at it.
Then along came Brené Brown and her work on vulnerability, perfectionism and scarcity – the ‘scarcity’ of never being/doing/having enough. This woman has decoded what it is to be human. I’m sure if her research was around when I was back studying sociology and psychology I would have run away and formed a cult in her hometown in Texas (I still might…!). Given the anxiety many business people feel about trying to do it all perfectly, particularly about participating online and in social media, I draw on her work a lot to build people’s confidence, and help give themselves a break.
In your CWC bio you write that you are a blogger. Is your blog a mirror of who you are as a person?
My personal blog/journal on my website is something new for me, which I’m still developing and exploring. For the last eight years I’ve blogged for the businesses I’ve worked for and rarely had the time to blog for myself. I still blog for businesses (over at Life Instyle and Reed Gift Fairs), but I’m loving curating my own stories in my own space. And yes, it’s very much a journal of the things, people and words that personally move me (and I hope you too!)
Your journal is an inspiring read, especially your journey of 2013. What a big year... how can you top that in 2014?
You know, I didn’t set out planning to have such a big year in 2013. In fact, my plan was to take a sabbatical for a few months! What I found was, when I started giving myself permission and space to go towards the people and places that I was drawn to, and honour my true interests, doors opened up. And then there was the serendipitous universe… a guy I hadn’t spoken to in 17 years contacted me on LinkedIn out of the blue with a job opportunity (and I hadn’t even changed my position title from kikki.K at that stage). That kind of thing happened a lot last year.
Stuff just happened when I learned to breathe. So for 2014, I really want to keep doing more of that.
Have there been any social media brand strategy's that have inspired or engaged you lately?
Most recently it would have be Target USA teaming with top pinners to create party products to sell in store. The first collection is with Joy Cho from Oh Joy who has over 13million Pinterest followers (while Target themselves have 150k). The collection is beautiful and my feeds are full of pretty party set ups. Well played, Target.
Who Give’s a Crap is a social enterprise selling toilet paper, with 50% of profits going to improving sanitation in developing countries. They crowdfunded their initial seed fun with a great campaign on IndieGoGo - they live streamed the founder sitting on a loo until the initial $50,000 was raised. You can watch the video and read all about it on their website. Their product is beautifully designed, surprising and delighting. You can’t help but Instagram when your order has arrived. I know. I never thought I’d 'gram TeePee either.
Wittner’s savvy collaboration with Australian fashion bloggers is brilliant. They cleverly use the content from the collaborations across all their platforms from their own blog content, to email marketing, to social media feeds. (Did I mention I have a shoe buying problem?)
I love, love, love Black Milk Clothing for their story, their nylon loving community and their furry friends. Read their About Us page on their website and see photos of their customers of all sizes and shapes wearing their R2D2 and C3PO leggings and getting the love. My Hans Solo and Chewbacca legging are in the post.
West Elm’s inclusion of Etsy sellers instore and doing events with high profile bloggers is awesome. Great excuse to party!
The Holistic Ingredient enticed her 50K Instagram followers to sign up to her subscriber database on her website with a free snack recipe book. Hooked me!
From your past experiences is there a consistent mistake that most small businesses make with their social media plan?
Firstly it’s about actually making a plan! Making a plan built on understanding your customers dilemmas and desires and then bringing your own expertise and passion to them isn’t as straightforward as it sounds. It requires some space and quiet time to be challenged and think. And many businesses get so caught up in the ‘doing’ of their businesses, they work against themselves by not stopping to plan, and make their load easier to carry.
Discipline to stick to the plan is the next thing. Setting up weekly rhythms, support systems and automated tool to help with that is key.
The other thing would be relying only on social media for communicating with customers, and forgetting to always be building their list of email addresses on their own database. I’ve read stories about Facebook and Instagram closing down business accounts to the horror of those businesses – businesses need to remember that they don’t ‘own’ spaces on social media, but they do own their database.
And lastly, in the online space ‘you are what you publish’. Publish regularly from your heart, to the heart of your customers.
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Thank you Kylie for your time and sharing your webby insights with us!
Kylie, alongside Belinda Langler of The Inkling Effect, recently held a Social Media and Content Marketing Class in Melbourne called "Content Kin" in early April. It was an extremely successful and informative event where the attendees made creative spaces, by utilising hands on tools and making actionable plans. The key tools used throughout the day were mindmaps, sharpies, post-its and big sheets of kraft paper, the end of the workshop concluded with each attendee walking away with their own content marketing mission, buyer personas, social media stats and a plan that they can implement over the next six months. If you missed this session contact Kylie kylie@ofkin.com for information on how she can help you develop your own content.
Follow Kylie's Of Kin blog at ofkin.com/blog, or find her @ofkin on Twitter and Instagram.
Andrea McArthur has a passion for all things visual and works as a Senior Graphic Designer at a branding agency in Dubai. Type is her true love and goes weak at the knees over beautiful design. You'll find her sharing design related musings via Twitter and Instagram
5 Tips for a More Productive Day
By Dannielle Cresp
Productivity and creativity aren’t always the best of friends. Sometimes you’re really feeling it and want to do all the things and other times it can feel a bit like you’re wading knee-deep through mud. Here are some of my favourite ways to push through and make a really productive day.
- Start with Two To-Do Lists. First write down all the things you need to get done, not just today, but all of them. Doesn’t matter about order or priority for the mean time, just get them all down on paper. Once they’re all there, take a highlighter and highlight all the ones you want or need to get done today. Put them on your second to-do list and put that first big one out of sight.
- Get your working environment ready. It might seem like procrastinating but think about what you need for the tasks on your to-do list and get them out so they are within reach before you start. Nothing makes it harder to stay productive than searching for something you need desperately mid-task. Also get a bottle of water so you’re keeping hydrated whilst working.
- Decide the order of your to-do list and eat the frog first! When deciding the order of tasks, do the hardest thing, or the one you don’t feel like doing the most, first. Then do something that’s quick and/or something you enjoy. Once that thing you didn’t want to do is out of the way you’ll feel lighter and more able to get on with everything else.
- Batch your tasks so you can stay in the right mindset. Need to write a series of blog posts? Do a few together whilst you’re focussed on writing. Need to organise your social media for the week? Schedule your posts and social media updates in one hit - guarateed to make you feel super on top of it all.
- Take proper scheduled breaks. It might seem counter-productive to be taking a break when trying to be productive but it’s amazing what 20 minutes of fresh air and slowing down will do for you during your efficiency and creativity. If you try to run at full speed all day, everyday, you will get tired and worn out and your productivity will suffer. Taking a break allows your body and your brain to reset and even in a world of deadlines, we all need that!
Just a little bit of planning at the beginning of the day can really help make it a more productive - and ultimately more creative -one. Giving yourself the permission not to do everything on your big to-do list and just taking it one day at a time can really make a big difference. Tackling each day like this really helps you to prioritise what the important things are to you and your creative business, which is the cherry on top!
Dannielle is a blogger, serial organiser and passionate traveller. She has a secret love of 90s teen movies and can often be found hanging out on Pinterest. She is on a mission to help people bring happiness (and fun) back into their homes with a dash of organisation and a sprinkle of their own awesome style over at her blog Style for a Happy Home.
Image from © Lime Lane Photography with text overlay