I arrived at the D&D Building in NYC this afternoon armed with a large tote bag filled with pillows not knowing exactly how this adventure would go. I had committed to take images of my handmade designs in decorative settings and thought the D&D Building...
I read the obituary for Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi this morning and recalled how influential his book, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience was for me when I read it in the early 90s. The Times article linked to his 2004 TED talk which I also watched today. It...
I'm not going away, entrepreneurially speaking, but I am shifting where my energy is being directed these days. If you've been following me, and I know what an amazingly loyal readership I've been privileged to address since 2008, you've read about my baby...
Let me describe her to you. She would like my constant attention and feedback. She needs more reassurance and affirmation than our thrice monthly commitment allows. Even though I preach otherwise, she regularly compares herself to the competition and comes up...
How easy is it for you to ask for help? In my experience, it used to be a deal-breaker. I'd rather struggle along solo than risk rejection. What I've come to understand is that I am able move on from rejection, and still be okay. But more important, when I do...
It's been years since I've walked a trade show at the Javits Center, but the NY NOW promotions caught my attention earlier this summer. What used to be separately the Gift Show and the Stationery Show have been fused together and re-branded. I attended it this...
My inner critic is whispering (hah!) in my ear, "Anyone with 2000 or more followers will never read this and wonder why you would even mention such a meager following." So, I just gave her an assignment while I write to you. Way back when, 1000 followers was a...
Following one lead after another, which I do, I was introduced to Melanie Falick, the author of Making a Life. During a phone conversation in early June, she described a friend of hers who lives near Wilkes Barre, PA, who has the most extensive felted wool...
I used to be so afraid of rejection that I'd rather let go of a goal or vision than hear the word, "no". On closer examination, most of my requests have been granted, but asking still doesn't come easily. Consider the acronym for fear, which is at the root of my...
How did you fill in the blank? Sing and dance? Run and hide? My gut response, appropriately, is puke. I didn't want that word choice in the headline, but believed that you'd click to find out more. I'm learning how to write catchy subject lines, so thank you for...
When watching the HBO series Succession, I was struck by a pillow that rests opposite Logan, the billionaire patriarch of the family, as he sits on the couch. The sets for the show are opulent, and the detail of a particular textile and the character’s harmony with...
I had the extraordinary privilege of connecting with Tollisha Joseph not once, but twice yesterday. There aren't many Saturdays (the rain helps) where I'm moved to blog, but after an infusion of The Official Glue, Tollisha's alias, I had to share! I'd attended a...
Of the over 100 actions I've taken to build my new business this past year, eleven of them revolved around networking. When you see the word networking, does it conjure up name tags, handshakes and fake smiles? I used to think that way, but it has become a favorite...
I participate in Caveday.org, an online study group, that starts off each 'cave' with a theme. Today's was a celebration of Star Wars. I drew a blank until the leader said, "It's May 4th, Star Wars Day. 'May the fourth be with you.'" Having seen one of the...
Do you ever have trouble discerning whether you've just received a lucky break or that all of your hard work is amounting to this stroke of kismet? A friend of mine used the expression, "The harder I work, the luckier I get," which answers that question for me....