Finally the podcast from the panel I did at SXSW in March is up. Listening to it I felt really proud (yes, even with the embarrassment of realising I talked about vomit) of all that we said in it. The advice that Emira, Lauren, Jenny and Vickie shared I think is really valuable and I hope the fun we had really came through.

Successful, creative and self-taught entrepreneurs (from graphic designers, to producers, to crafters) will discuss and offer advice on what it’s really like to be the gal running the show. With experience running their own successful businesses on-line and off, each of these women has a wealth of information, advice and success stories to share. The panel will explore what makes business different from a female perspective, the particular challenges the panelists have faced, how to create/maintain a business with/without employees and how to achieve financial success all without boas or pink markers.

Listen Now to the Boss Lady Podcast

Edited to note: In the fall of 2006, the fantastic magazine All Things Girl asked to interview me. When they re-did their site a year later the interview file was lost and so I have pasted it below. Words bolded are ATG’s questions to me with my reply following.

We know you’re one busy girl. Tell us a little bit about the projects you currently have going on.

In the Spring of 2006, I decided that I wasn’t entirely satisfied with where I was creatively or professional. It was then I decided to stop taking on new projects and instead, have a quiet summer to figure out what my next move would be.

But reality stepped in and I’ve been busier in the past couple of months of “not working” than I have been in the past year. That’s because I’m in the midst of restructuring my company. I’m decided what it means to actually have your own business, what mine is going to be about, what my mission statement is, who I need to hire to make it work and what projects I will do.

I am also networking a lot right now which is very new for me and something I always thought was “dirty.” But I realized that I love connecting with people and there’s a way to do that in a genuine fashion and it doesn’t always have to be business related. Opening up to new friends I’ve discovered how to be more financially viable. Talking with my hair dresser I learned more about advertising. Talking with a man on the plane I had two new ideas for sites and so forth. I’m seeking answers to questions I didn’t know I had because I’m taking the time to listen now and that’s been one of the most valuable things. I love having coffee every day with new people – keeps me busy and working!

In August I’m driving across Canada for three weeks for the last of my travel assignments this year. That’s taken up a lot of time in preparation and obviously, will take up a lot of time in August. Because of this, I’ve not been able to jump into ideas as quickly as I’d like but I’m learning that this is a good thing. For the first time I’m letting things brew and mix in my brain without feeling like I must do something. Being held back is actually helping me move forward.

So, without being able (or wanting to) take on any new projects, I’m working on smaller things that I can do in-between. Things such as Girls Guide to City Life and launching a new lifestyle site Hygge House .

I’m also taking a lot of time to enjoy life right now which perhaps sounds cliché but it’s needed. I became so busy – too busy to call people, to go to the beach, to walk down a street, to sit and have a coffee. To busy for my own brain to ever rest. So now I take weekends off, I still go to Premieres and screenings, I’m connecting way more with people and I’m sitting at the beach a lot more often with an iced latte in hand. I believe that by working hard during the week, I can take guilt-free time off on the weekends. It’s needed. Without a break I’d burn out.

I’m a huge believer that you get results based on the effort you put into something; if you put a lot of effort into being miserable, you will be miserable. If you put a lot of effort into being overweight, you will be overweight. If you put a lot of effort into complaining about your current life, you will remain in your current life. However, if you put a lot of effort into moving forward and taking care of things you can take care of right now, you will move forward - even if it’s little steps done by even smaller movements.

If you want to have a different life but can’t jump into it completely right now, do something - even if it’s as simple as changing an old belief or picking up a pen to right down your company name. It’s the act of believing in your dreams and then acting on them that will manifest more and more. Just thinking about it, dreaming about it, wishing for it, won’t make anything happen. You must do something and keep doing something.

In order to grasp opportunity, one has to be prepared. So each day I do little by little - even if I don’t fully understand why.

(more…)

At the conference I kept referring people to my book page for information, only to realise today that it hasn’t been updated in over a year! So, slowly but surely I’m making my way to making additions to the book pageand adding reviews.

But since I keep getting asked what are my top-rated books, I’d offer the following:

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A little tootin’ of the horn here, but today it was announced that the site I created, Girls Guide to City Life is a finalist in the “blog” category for the 9th Annual SXSW Interactive Web Awards!

This is my second nomination (the last one was in 2003) and I’m so thrilled and excited.

Finally, after months of hard work, Girls Guide to City Life
has finally launched! A site dedicated to sharing the best the city has to offer from expensive outings to thrifty finds, if it’s something you need to know, it’s something we’ve covered.

SARK asked me to be in her new book and here’s my interview:

Do you have a creative dream?
I used to read books that would tell you to follow your dreams and I heard stories of people who had done just that. However, hearing those stories, would make me cringe because at twenty-seven I didn’t think I had a dream. I didn’t have a passion that I knew I was born to do or a road I felt I was meant to travel. I wanted a dream, but didn’t know how to get one and was jealous of those who did.

One day I ruffled through my childhood belongings and discovered story after story that I had written when I was young. I also found magazines I used to make and sell, books I had created complete with drawings and my journal from when I was eight years old. It was in that journal in which I boldly declared, “I am going to be a writer when I grow up.” Reading that line was like waking up; I not only remembered my dream, I remembered myself.

It would take me a while to be comfortable with that one dream and act on it, but once I did, I didn�t look back. In fact, it just led me to dream more and bigger.

Does anything stop or scare you?
The same thing that scares me about being creative is the same thing that excites me � possibility.

Knowing that any dream I have can become a reality if I just work at it both terrifies and thrills me. It’s scary to think that only I can hold myself back and that by working hard, I can have what I want. Sometimes this creates so much pressure that I just want to stop everything and wait until someone else will do it all for me, which, of course, never happens. At the same time, I enjoy the freedom of not having to rely on someone else to make my dream come true.

The challenge of making a dream real also excites me; it’s as though I test myself continuously by seeing if I can do something I’ve dreamed about. If someone says to me, “That’s not possible” or “You shouldn’t do that” I grin and think Oh, really� I get excited just by thinking about how I can do something someone told me I couldn’t.

Would you describe yourself as living your dream?
I know I’m living my dream because I wake up every day with wiggling toes and the feeling of possibility I didn�t have when I was an executive.

What have you done to live your creative dreams?
One day I decided to stop living the life I thought I was supposed to have and instead, began to live the life I was meant to have. To do this I had to stop listening to other people_s dreams and gain confidence in my own. I did that by reading books on writing, asking lots of questions but most of all, by doing something every day that would help make my dream real, instead of just remaining an idea.

What other creative dreams can you imagine doing?
I used to think my creative dream was to write, until I did that. Then I realized that the fantastic thing about creativity is that one idea leads to another and now, I have so many creative dreams that will last me until I am at least 102. Dreams such as selling artwork, opening an art collective, running a bed and breakfast in the South of France, acting, drawing the perfect stick figure, creating the most pink cake, writing travel books, singing in places other than my shower, and many more that I�m not aware of just yet.

Why are your creative dreams important to you?
When I began my corporate career in my mid-twenties, I gave up dreaming for being practical. When I did this, I became disconnected to myself; I was no longer happy, hopeful or excited about each day and instead of having dreams, I had nightmares. It took me years to remember a little dream I had of one day writing, but just remembering that one dream gave me hope. Having hope helped me to act on my possibilities and change from someone who existed to someone who lived. Without dreams, there is no hope, and that is essential for anyone�s survival.

I’m no longer going to pursue writing; I’ve outgrown it, I don’t find joy in it and I want to move on. I used to think writing was the entire dream, now I see it as a stepping stone to something larger. It got me to live creatively, which I’m going to continue to do, just in another form.

This has been a long time coming. It started when I was trying to write a book based on the Another Girl site. I was writing it because people kept telling me I should and I thought ok, I’m a writer, I’ll go along with it. But my heart was never in it and several months ago, I just decided to let it go. I didn’t want to write about creativity anymore, I didn’t want to be a poster child or just talk and teach. I wanted to live for me and if I happen to inspire someone that way, well, OK. I just didnt want to set out to do it anymore. I figure people are grown-up’s - they can get their own life. I don’t want to tell someone how to do it. That’s never been my goal. My goal was just to be a creative girl and share what happens along the way.

So, exactly how I’ll move forward into a new creative path I’m not sure. I’m not sure at all. I’m starting all over again - just like I did in April 2001. There’s still no manual, especially for people who seemed to have it made then started over again.

While I’m wrapping my head around all the new bits, wants, ideas and pursuits, things will most likely be quiet around here. I’m not sure how to transition or how to fit it in with the site(s) so patience is greatly appreciated.

Something happened over the weekend that really got me thinking hard about what I want for the future. There were a series of events that just happened so quickly and unplanned but it has changed a lot of things already - it might change even more. I’m still processing it and I’m afraid I’m just not brave enough to talk about it right now. Maybe one day, but not now.

So, while I’m wrapping my ahead around the new (and unexpected) movements, I won’t be taking on any new work for the next month. Also, I’ll be taking a communications break until June so there won’t be any updates/email until then.

Before I leave, however, I wanted to share a quote I discovered today:

“Creativity comes from trust. Trust your instincts. And never hope more than you work.” Rita Mae Brown

The Hip Traveller launched today, a fabulous travel web site with an article from my portfolio in it.

I believe in the cycle of support and not in the worry of competition. I believe if I want to continue to have a career in writing and in art, I must support it with either time, donations, work or purchases.

I’m anxiously awaiting my copy of Small Spiral Notebook’s first print edition to arrive in my mailbox. One of the reasons, besides loving their on-line versions and being inspired by Felicia Sullivan’s spirit, is that this was the first time I had ever done commissioned artwork for not only a magazine, but for a cover.

I wrote about the experience and how it changed things for me. It made me realise that I’m not just Alex the Writer but Alex the Creator. And that just gives me so many more possibilities.