In honor of my birthday (which was yesterday) I printed up birthday cards! The design is a drawing I made a little while back, but finally got around to printing, and the printing itself was actually quite fun. I mixed the ink live while printing, so they're all a little different, and sometimes there are neat streaks of color.I also had breakfast this morning with my friend-turned-consultant Tiffany. She's talented, and super-inspiring, and just gets my gears turning. It was really great. A nice pick-me-up on a rainy day. I feel freshly motivated.
Then I talked to my dad, and did my best to pay that motivation forward. He owns his own business as a housepainter/carpenter, and with the housing market (and the economy in general) in the tank, he's having a hard time making ends meet. We talked a little bit about a few jobs he's been working on, mostly custom woodworking of the problem-solving sort... Long story short, I'm going to whip him up a little portfolio website to showcase his custom woodwork because that's where his real talent - and passion - is. Plus, lots of guys can paint a wall, but not everybody can make great architectural details and furniture.
We also talked about how the down economy presents us small business owners with an opportunity (however forced it may be) to really look at our operations, specifically our weak spots, and see how we can improve. The work is slow, so at least there's time to disect all the little bits... and hopefully we'll all come out the other side having survived and improved because of it. But it takes commitment and determination - and a willingness to really examine and admit your own weaknesses - to do it.
