Your City // For Creatives: A Letter To San Francisco

I’m excited to share the next instalment of Your City // For Creatives. This week we are visiting San Francisco with Sarah and Lisa from Awfully Grand.

It’s hard for us to think of how we feel about San Francisco without the song It Had To Be You coming to mind.

For nobody else gave me a thrill

With all your faults, I love you still

It had to be you, wonderful you

It had to be you

Lisa moved from NY to SF in 1997, she was 20 and about to start art school. Living alone in a very small studio apartment in Russian Hill Lisa did everything solo. Lisa went to Golden Gate Park alone, ate alone, and even went to the Fillmore alone. San Francisco and Lisa were serious. She was in love. What began as down and dirty, hot young love, has grown into a 15-year love affair with the city by the bay. There simply is no place else Lisa would rather call home.

Sarah moved to San Francisco to escape the endless sunshine and bumper-to-bumper traffic that is Los Angeles. She had 48 hours to find an apartment and a job and did both. She worked for a wholesale basket importer in the Dog Patch and lived with a crazy girl in the TenderNob. She took her camera and went on endless walking adventures down Polk Street, through Russian Hill, down to Ghiradelli Square and she fell in love hard-core. Sarah started buying scarves and knew in her heart that San Francisco supported her in all of the ways she was impossible everywhere else.

There is not a corner of this city that does not inspire. From the amazing vistas that leave you breathless to the gritty street corners that break your heart, San Francisco is full of emotion. We do things differently here and I think at the core of this is an unspoken agreement to just be yourself. Whatever you are into, whatever inspires you, turns you on, lights your fire, you can find it here, so do it with great passion and abandonment. Get that neck tattoo you’ve always wanted, join a drum circle at hippie hill, eat at a food truck, start a Twitter account, buy that garish polyester orange dress at the thrift store, start collecting unemployment, ride a fixed gear bike, or start living out your wildest dreams. We follow our hearts here and cultivate the entrepreneurial spirit with everything we do.

Of all the neighborhoods, beaches, parks and streets that weave within San Francisco, The Golden Gate Bridge remains our favorite spot for inspiration. Rain or shine, it always takes our breath away. Peeking through the fog or standing out against the bluest of blue skies the Golden Gate is truly a thing of beauty. Feeling creatively blocked in San Francisco is an impossibility with the magnificence of the bridge close by. The color, texture, expansiveness, stories and history thrill us. One morning we ventured to walk half way across the bridge from the Marin side and here are photos of our adventure.

We heart you SF!

Forever yours,

Lisa & Sarah

All photos copyright of Portraits To The People 2012

Lisa is a full time stay at home mom and Maven of Make, designing for her business Zelma Rose Handmade Goods and crafting just about everything in between. Along with sharing her creative business adventures on the Awfully Grand blog, Lisa is also a licensed psychotherapist, blogger and resource writer for IndieMade, mildly afraid of peaches and ambidextrous! Lisa’s passion is to grow her business, Zelma Rose, by leaps and bounds and make this crafting life a viable reality.

Sarah is a natural light photographer who has been working, living, and loving in San Francisco for almost ten years. Specializing in portraits, not-so-corporate headshots, families, engagements and weddings. Her biggest thrill in life is to follow her passion and manifest her dreams of living full time as an artist. Sarah chronicles the adventures of her creative life on the blog Awfully Grand.

Why Social Media Amuses Me or Why Numbers Don’t Always Matter

{Heart Tree by Yael Berger, The Joy of Color}

For the most part I enjoy social media. I love interacting with other small creative businesses and customers/potential customers. But, more than that it fascinates me and amuses me. And, occasionally it irritates me, or rather people not grasping basic social media etiquette irritate me.

As an English graduate and teacher, I love to analyse texts and to apply my skills to tailoring content to suit purpose, audience and format. I find it interesting to see which facebook status stirs up the biggest interaction rate or which blog post created a lovely peak in my stats graph.

I also find it interesting to see what others do – both good and bad practice. Although, be warned if you’re too bad, I may eventually lose interest and remove you from my radar. Harsh, but that’s how social media works.

Just over two years ago, I had barely heard of twitter, had dabbled in blogging and facebook was a way to connect with friends.

I now have over 1000 facebook fans or likers and nearly 4000 followers on twitter. Yup, four thousand! I’ve lived in a little village with less residents than that! And, in many people’s eyes I’m a success and I know that many can’t see past the follower count I have. I’m often asked how one gains that number of followers. For some this is seen as the goal. To gather lots of followers. And this amuses me.

Without going through my followers one by one, because quite frankly I don’t have time, here is what I reckon:

• A good proportion are most likely spam. Profiles created with the intention of sending links that are spam or if you click will result in your account being hacked. Or people following me to get a follow back.
• A large number have seen my follower number, equate that to me being successful and follow me in the hope they’ll discover some secret. Occasionally someone will ask me directly how to get lots of followers, but for the most part this group is too busy tweeting constant links to their website and wondering how to get lots of followers.
• A small number don’t just follow me, they engage with me. These are the people I like best. They chat with me and I chat with them. I’m most likely to follow back these people, the ones who feature in my ‘@’ mentions column. We are building a relationship. At some point members of this group will spy something from Poppy Sparkles they like or have an occasion requiring some jewellery and I’m already on their radar.
• A smaller number have already purchased from me and every now and then a another follower joins the ‘customers’ group. A special elite group who provide valuable, money can’t buy, word of mouth marketing. A small group, but a powerful one.

Having a large number of followers is pretty meaningless. It’s quality over quantity. Of all my followers it’s the latter two groups above that I like and they probably equate to just a few hundred of my followers.

Of course the more followers you have, the bigger your potential reach. But, I’d rather have a smaller audience of people who were genuinely interested in me and my brand. An audience that is more likely to respond and engage.

My Poppy Sparkles facebook page has around nine times the likers that Nosiette Academy’s Facebook has. But, our reach as shown by facebook’s page insights is around the same number. Isa may have a smaller audience, but she has a greater proportion of her audience engaged.

Quality versus quantity. And I also need to work on my facebook page technique!

It isn’t all about having high numbers of followers. Numbers are just that, numbers. So, forget chasing followers or likers.

Be authentic, genuine, meaningful.

Provide great content and engage with your audience.

Nurture the audience you have, rather than wasting time chasing a bigger one. It will grow, not as quickly as you may like, but organic growth is more rewarding in the long term.

How do you feel about your social media numbers? Do you wish you had more followers? Or are you happy to nuture the relationships you have so far?

Viv Smith is the owner behind jewellery brand Poppy Sparkles. She aims to create lasting pieces of jewellery that are fresh and contemporary with a classic style, making them pieces to love, wear and cherish. As well as selling from her website, Viv also has a shop on Etsy.

The Empowerment Project Update: 59

59 women will receive sewing kits tomorrow.

59 businesses in Rwanda will now get off the ground

59 families will have a better future

59 of YOU will become more empowered using the Empowerment Kits

59 personal thank you emails I will be sending next week

If you have an idea and want to do something to change the world, start today. Start small, one person at a time.

Be the change.

To all who helped spread the word on our Empowerment Project, those who tweeted, blogged, bought a kit or shared on Facebook, thank you so much! After the final payments came through I bought all the sewing supplies, stuffed a huge suitcase and brought it with me to Rwanda. I will be delivering the sewing kits tomorrow and I can’t wait to share the photos!

Is it time to invest in your website? Insights from Easton Place

Having a professional website can help your business be taken more seriously. Consumers want to feel safe when shopping online and when your site looks professional you foster a sense of trust.

It is not always an option to use a professional web designer to build your site when you first start out but as your business grows it is something to consider.

But when is the right time to make that transition?

Patti from Easton Place is a wonderful online friend of mine. When I heard she was planning a website revamp with Aeolidia, I just knew I wanted to feature her new site here and see if she could share some tips on when you should start considering a move to a professionally designed website.

Hi Patti! Can you tell us a bit about what you do and why?

I own and design for Easton Place: “fine paper lovelies”… a small design studio specializing in fine stationery, gifts and graphic design. The why: I *need* to have a creative outlet. I say *need* because (and my family will attest to this, lol) I am quite cranky when I don’t have a creative outlet. I also truly want to help keep the handwritten note in fashion as is stated on my site, twitter, blog and facebook.

What do you love most about working for yourself?

The control and freedom. I’ve never been one to enjoy working for others. I have worked for others, but never really enjoyed positions where I had to answer to someone else. I also love the fact I can attend each and every event that my boys are involved in. I know that’s a luxury and a blessing.

It’s a big investment. When did you realise that you were ready for a new website?

My previous website was a lovely start to my business. It was a terrific way to “get my feet wet” in the e-commerce world. I really believe it was an important part of my growth. As my business grew and my product line expanded, my previous website was not meeting my needs. The look and shopping experience I wanted for my brand was not possible via my former site. When I started feeling that lack of control with the look of my site, I realized it was time for a change. Ultimately, I had grown as a business owner and my brand had evolved, but my shop wasn’t keeping up with those changes.

How did you decide on which web designers to use?

Time after time when I would chance upon a site I absolutely loved… it was designed by Aeolidia. I did look at other web designers, and there are several lovely and talented professionals to be found, but the fit was right with Aeolidia. Their sites all seem to be incredibly customer-friendly… easy to shop, easy to view, easy to purchase from etc. I wanted all of those things for my shop! To add to that, I appreciated the attention to detail their own website exhibited. When I was ready to expand & grow my web presence, I did my homework: I visited websites I was drawn to as well as those I didn’t care for. I kept a “website pros/cons list”. For each site I visited I listed 5 or more things I liked and didn’t like, and I noted the web designer of each site. I was then able to look at my lists and see where my ideals settled.

What advice would you give to someone thinking about investing in a professional website?

My biggest piece of advice: Don’t do anything you can’t afford. Businesses don’t fail because there is a lack of customers. They generally fail because of poor cash-flow, lack of a business plan and inadequate management. When I was starting Easton Place, I started with an Etsy shop… because that’s what I could afford at the time. As my business grew, I could afford to expand my web presence. Know your budget and work within your budget. Next: Do your homework. Have an idea of how you want your site to function. Visualize what you want your site to look like. Finally: Ask questions! It’s okay to reach out to site owners and inquire about their designer. Most people don’t mind answering a short question or two. Ask on Twitter… Ask on Facebook… Ask on your blog… Ask at your child’s school… As the saying goes, “The only dumb question is the one not asked.”

What are your plans for the coming year and beyond?

Though I’ve officially launched my new site and many new designs and products, I still have several more new designs and products launching over the next few months. My branding business is really taking off. I am currently booked through May. Pricing and information will be listed on my site in May. I have a brand new baby line launching Summer 2012 and I have a few more hostess products launching in May and June… just in time for all those Summer gatherings. I’m also looking to hire a sales rep for my wholesale line! I’m realizing it’s getting more and more difficult to do it all by myself

As for beyond 2012, I will be planning another Bar Mitzvah as my youngest son prepares to be called to the Torah next Summer! I would love to someday have a brick and mortar shop, but for now I’m incredibly happy with my online shop. It’s what works for my family needs and my creative needs. I feel very blessed and content.

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Exciting times! You can connect with Patti by visiting her Website | Twitter | Facebook | Blog

How do you feel about your current website?

Letting Go Of Perfection

Sometimes we get stuck thinking that everything has to be perfect before we launch a new project or unleash our latest product range. Often the little details that you focus on would not be noticed by anyone else other than yourself.

Why do we do that to ourselves?

We end up taking longer to complete or implement and idea than if we just let go of perfectionism and just got stuck in.

Do you want to be the kid on the sidelines who doesn’t have any fun because they don’t want to get dirty or do you want to be the kid who throws off their shoes with abandon to run and play in the mud?

I know which one I’d rather be.

Who honestly cares if your blog header isn’t perfect or if the shade of green you are using for your logo doesn’t print in the exact shade you envisioned?

Things can be fixed, amended and changed down the line. It is better to start, to launch and get somewhere than to never do anything. How else can you move forward?

Don’t let perfectionism hold you back.

If you are stuck on something, kick off you shoes, jump in and see where it takes you. It’s ok to get a little dirty and take a few risks.