I just finished reading the second book in an eventual trilogy that's already, in its unfinished state, found company amongst the most epic, popular and influential fantasy series of...
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Sean Low wrote a great short piece at DesignTAXI about not shortchanging the work we do as creatives. If... you fully embrace the notion that your clients hire you for...
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The weather has been so gorgeous here the last couple of weeks, it's all I can do to sit inside and work. It's like a proper northeast autumn –...
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It's that time of year. The time of year when I'm reminded we will never outdo our Halloween costumes from 2008.      
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I think it was the One of a Kind Show last month that did me in. It was awesome from start to finish, but I just never caught up after it. Slowly but steadily over the last few weeks, my energy stores leaked out my ear until eventually my productivity slowed to almost zero.

That is, until Wednesday, when Greg told me I need to take today off. “But Friday is a babysitter day! We pay her so we can work. It’s burning money to pay her when I don’t work!”

That Greg, though. He’s wise. “You’re not getting any work done anyway. Duh. You need a break. Take it. You deserve it.”

So today my feet are warm and dry because I finally bought myself winter boots that fit. I had time to try on every boot in the store, and it was relaxing and I felt good.

I had my eyebrows threaded, because primping feels good.

I spent well over an hour in my favourite store, and I left with four items I absolutely love (even though I didn’t actually want to spend lots of money, but I love them enough I know it’s worth it). And one of those items is skinny jeans that don’t make my ass look bigger than it actually is (which is big), and so I’m downright excited.

I walked the dog.

I’m drinking tea.

And I feel good. I feel clear-headed. I feel indulged and energetic.

I needed this.

And I bet you need this too. So I’ll play the role of Greg now, and give you permission to take a day off. Even if it costs you money. Because you’re no good to yourself or to your business if you’re rundown and sluggish.

So tell me, what are you going to do with your day?

I think it was the One of a Kind Show last month that did me in. It was awesome from start to finish, but I just never caught up after it. Slowly but steadily over the last few weeks, my energy stores leaked out my ear until eventually my productivity slowed to almost zero. That ...

A few years ago, during the brief time when I thought maybe I shouldn’t work in crafts and creativity and was instead working at a tech startup, I had the pleasure of having coffee with Alexandra Samuel. She’s a powerhouse thinker about social media – not in a slimy soc-med way, but in an intelligent, big-picture, empowering way.

She recently spoke at TEDxVictoria about why calling our offline life “real life” diminishes the legitimacy of our online experiences, contributions and relationships. I wish I’d been there to hear her speak, but the beauty of TED and YouTube is that we can all see her talk right here:

I used to apologize for my online life, much in the same way I’d shrug my shoulders and look away while I mumbled that for work I ran a crochet website. I stopped doing that a long time ago, and here’s why:

Through my online life – the relationships I’ve formed, the writing I’ve done, the ideas I’ve fleshed out, the things I’ve learned, the inspiration I’ve found – I developed my creative identity.

That’s no small feat, people. Before I got in touch with my creative side, I was a wreck. I was confused, depressed, directionless, self-conscious and generally lost. Not until I felt comfortable sharing my ideas in public, not until I met other people who felt (or had at some time felt) as confused as I did, not until I knew I had the freedom to try and fail and try and fail again, was I able to get in touch with what I need and want.

I found my people online, and that enabled me to find my people offline.

My whole life improved because of this. My offline relationships changed as I gained comfort and confidence. My ability to speak about my ideas in person benefited from my having fleshed those ideas out online. Running an online business informed my approach to doing business offline.

It’s all the same.

And as Alexandra says so well in her talk, not only does it undermine our personal experience to apologize for our online lives, it undermines the collective good that can can come from embracing online life as real life.

(My favourite of her ten points is #5. Which is yours?)

A few years ago, during the brief time when I thought maybe I shouldn't work in crafts and creativity and was instead working at a tech startup, I had the pleasure of having coffee with Alexandra Samuel. She's a powerhouse thinker about social media – not in a slimy soc-med way, but in an intelligent, ...