5 Reasons to Give Your Creative Biz a Break

5 Reasons to Give Your Creative Biz a Break Im on vacay until 10/15, but my blogs still hard at work. Enjoy this post from Patty of The Plaid Cupcake! The trick is to keep breathing by farouche What’s the one single tool most critical to your creative biz? Imagine that tool is suddenly gone, broken, or unavailable to you. Maybe it simply wore out; maybe you left it on the subway; or God forbid you lost it during a flood, earthquake or mudslide (these days, you certainly have your pick). A small, but critical part of my sewing machine recently made the dreaded “ka-plunk” sound that I knew right away meant trouble. Without my sewing machine,my business comes to a stand still. At the time I had four custom orders to get out the door, plus an upcoming craft fair that I was just starting to ramp up production on. Immediately I felt PANIC! DREAD! The most critical tool that fuels my creative mojo was dead. First step? Contact all of those customers who had placed a custom order and explain the situation. Fortunately for me, they were all very understanding. Next, I took down all of the items on my site that were “made to order” so that if anybodywent on to my site, they only had the option of purchasing items that were ready-to-ship. I also ordered the replacement part from TWO different sources (read my blog post for a fun take on my field trip to the repair shop!) After putting the “emergency plan” in place, I went from feelings of helplessness and worry to almost feeling a “zen” state of mind. Over the ten days my machine was out of commission, I felt calmer, and oddly more confident. I had come face-to-face with one of the utmost worst things that could happen to my business, and wound up thriving from it. So go ahead. I dare you. Quit the biz “cold-turkey” for a week, and see what happens. I don’t necessarily recommend the route I went by having your most critical tool break down- but if it does, put your contingency plan into place and then take a deep breath. Or, take your creative tools and put them behind lock and key for a week (and hand the key to a trusted friend!) Here are five reasons why: 1) Chill, pickle! If you’re like me, you live and breathe your business. When you wake up, when you’re in the shower, and even when you try to “relax.” Take a week and let your mind mellow and chill out. I’ve found some of my best ideas come when I’m not trying. 2) Brush the dust off the hobby you dropped when you made your creative endeavor a real business. Break out the ukulele! Attend a Pilates class. For me, it was knitting and jogging â€" two things I hadn’t done in months. I think we all need interests that are just for fun and non-business related. 3) Cross off that to-do list. If you find going cold-turkey is too hard and you’re really itching to be productive, how about all that stuff that you’ll “get around to” someday? Fix your website, write that blog post, stock up on supplies, and get your finances in order! 4) Rekindle the romance. No, not with your significant other! With your craft. We all know the expression “distance makes the heart grow fonder.” Sometimes we becomes so entrenched in the business aspects of our creative endeavors, we forget why we loved it in the first place. Some time away can make you remember what makes your creativity so special. 5) Become a better business person by knowing you can handle a semi-crisis. Often we get lulled into thinking the more and more we practice our craft, the better. But doing well in the face of adversity can give you that boost of confidence that you’re on the right track to face ANY challenge that is thrown your way. Patty Bachorz is the owner of The Plaid Cupcake, your go-to place for handmade pick-me-ups that brighten any day. She creates all of her items at home in NJ with her husband and reality television as her two constant companions. Shop her creative wares at her etsy store and keep up with her creative musings on The Plaid Cupcake blog.