The Makings of Chocolate Mousse | A Studio Reflection

Through Modern Entrepreneur, we did several reflective exercises, but I think the following one was my favorite. It was ME Launch Day. We each chose an image that represented how we currently felt about our business out of a huge table full of clippings. Here's the one I chose and my reflection on why it got my attention more than any of the others:

"Building my business is like making chocolate mousse. In both activities I’m dealing with an assortment of ingredients. My business recipe includes design, art direction, print management, project management, consultation, branding strategy....the list goes on and on. Each ingredient is really good on its own (think sugar, chocolate, whipped cream); when they’re combined they make something even better (melt-in-your-mouth mousse!). But, there are some ingredients I have on the table that really shouldn’t be there and need to be discarded (i.e. egg shells). Just like a skilled baker makes beautiful and delicious things based on tried-and-true recipes, I need to determine which ingredients are keepers and what my version of a chocolate mousse-flavored business tastes like.

My motivation walking into Modern Entrepreneur Launch Day is fear. I hate to say it, but it’s true. I’m afraid. I’m afraid that the business I’m building around myself isn’t being built for myself. Every decision I make, new client I take on and project I start sets me on a specific path. I’m afraid that the path I’m forging through these choices will end up being a dusty, bumpy gravel road and one that I’m not at all interested in traveling.

When working through my Memorable Moments and Influencers, I was overwhelmed with gratitude for all of the people who have shaped me. I’m struck with the thought that I’ve entrusted my life direction with so many others over the years and now I’m in a position to do that for myself – and for those who are journeying behind me. What a thrilling place to be. I have chosen my studio, full-time self-employment, and the life of a free agent. I’ve decided to continue my patterns of sharing and taking risks in this space. I was always told, “Some day you will own your own business.” They were right. That day has come. Now, just to see what those people saw in my for myself...

What the group saw through my story is that I am wise and skilled beyond my years. This wisdom and skill builds trust and trust invites leadership opportunities. The call to explore myself as a leader, an entrepreneur and maker of a chocolate mousse-flavored business is beckoning."

It's interesting...you can look at the same image at different times and notice different things, depending on your state of mind/being. Today when I opened the image to place it here the very first thing that caught my eye was the phone off the hook. Wonder what that means...

Click here to visit The Free Agent Formula.

Today's post is brought to you by the letter "C".

Sesame Street taught me how to read and how to love letters. So, in true Sesame Street fashion, today our sponsor is the letter 'C'. When our hi, friend DIY girl, Kirsten, sent me this guest post last week I was smitten.

Type + Craft = Love

This DIY found me outside in the rain with a flashlight and a pair of scissors, snipping my wee boxwood branches and stuffing them in my pockets. I can blame the odd behavior on the end of daylight savings time over the weekend, but my neighbors are probably still calling me "that Crazy Lady". 

Whatever. It's worth it to have the cutest (and only alphabetical) wreath on the block!

Are you kidding me!?

Crowdsourcing is a hot topic these days. (Here's a cool infographic that explains it and offers lots of examples.) Many have abused it, and continue to do so, particularly in it's manifestation as community-based design. Is it really evil? In my opinion, it is if it requires spec work, or work done for free before a work agreement is established. But, there are good ways to crowdsource, too. For instance, Simple Shoes recently put out a call via Behance for designers to submit logo portfolios (work previously done) to compete for a paid opportunity to design the new Simple logo. The exclamation used to title this post isn't because I'm frustrated with Simple's crowdsourcing tactics. No, not at all. But we'll get to that. Back to the competition...

It's called the Identity Design Showdown. 

The judges select five designers from the pool to proceed to Round 2 of the competition where they design and submit logo comps. From there, the judges select the final Simple logo. 

The top five were chosen from 700+ entries. 

I'm one of them.

(See my tiny name on that list above?)

One of the original five had to bow out. I'm the lucky alternate.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? 

I'm stunned. Shocked. Scared. Honored. Thrilled.

It's me vs. the other designers and the company's agency of record. 

Holy smokes.

Wish me luck. 

If I don't answer your call or respond to your email this week, you know what I'm doing. Because the finals are due Monday.

Yikes.

Senior Thesis Interview

Seth Terpstra, a senior design student at George Fox University, emailed me a while ago to ask if he could interview me for his Senior Thesis class. "Of course!" I said. I mean really, who doesn't like to talk about themselves? Just kidding. Well, I'm not completely kidding, but the real reason I said yes to Seth is because I've been in his shoes and remember the designer interviews I conducted to this day. Because they impacted me so powerfully and positively, I l-o-v-e offering the same experience to those coming behind me.

Seth asked some great questions including these:

• Can you give me a summary of your artistic actualization?
• How did you end up working at Livengood|Nowack?
• How does being a designer affect your life and relationships?
• How do you keep your life balanced?
• What's your ideal future for Clark & Company?
  

The audio is pretty informal, but is a great capture of our conversation. It runs right around 20 minutes. Click on the link below and the interview will play right in that window:

>> Seth Terpstra interviews Megan Clark <<

Happy Monday Morning

Pouring coffee out of a pink thermos just makes Monday morning a little more enjoyable. (Especially when you're pouring it before 7AM. Ugg.) The hubs and I got a matching set of Stanley thermoses for our wedding 4+ years ago. Mine's pink. His is blue. Today, I'm calling them the gift that keeps on giving. (Thanks, Katey & Kyle!)

A Jewish Calendar of Festive Foods | Completed!

Something pretty exciting came in the mail for me last week: A Jewish Calendar of Festive Foods! A whole bundle of them. And mine was signed. (Last week was a good mail week // I heart books.)

The sneak peek I posted for this project was eons ago it seems, so here's a little reiteration:
"Since December of 2008, I've been working with the author of this unique cookbook, Jane Portnoy, to create a professional and practical book design. But the beginnings of this book came long before I entered the picture. Jane is Assistant Professor of Clinical Ophthamology at the University of Pennsylvania. Which probably makes you think, "Sheesh. How in the world does she have time to write and publish a book?" Great question. I still haven't figured that one out! What I do know is that this project is a lifelong dream of hers. One tends to make time for those sorts of things."

And an excerpt from the introduction:

"I began collecting recipes from my mother’s friends when I was about twelve. At first, I collected only desserts. Then, whenever I encountered a special dish, I asked for the recipe. Recipes therefore became much more than food, but also links to special people, places, and memories. And that to me is the real meaning of tradition — taking the best of what you know and linking it to the future. To do this in the context of the Jewish calendar is a rare and special privilege. " (Copy courtesy of Jane Portnoy)

A Jewish Calendar of Festive Foods is an intelligent combination of the traditional foods and calendar of the rich Jewish heritage. After almost two years of testing and editing again and again, the book is complete, printed and ready to be enjoyed. If you're interested in purchasing a copy of the book for your own collection, you can do so here...and just in time for the holidays!

Illustrations by Robin Reikes.
Book printed by Jostens USA.
Primary Title Font: Bodoni
Primary Body Copy Font: Avenir

Home Free

Today, for the first time in a really really really really really really long time, I haven't brought any work home with me. This whole move-the-office-out-of-the-house thing might be working after all. Convenient how this day is also a 71-degree day in November. Le sigh.

So, I'm going to walk the dog, weed the yard and maybe even hit the gym. Three things that should be done much more frequently than they have been in the recent past. Ciao!