do what you love Page 43 of 82

Wedding wobbles

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wedding inspiration

I have had my first wedding wobble this week – nothing to do with actually getting married – can’t wait for that! But more to do with the getting-things-done-by-the-wedding piece. My man and I spent a dreamy day on Sunday planning our service etc, but ever since the long to-do list we created has been weighing on my mind. Haven’t ordered the flowers yet! Or the cake! Or finalised the menu! I am normally a master of organisation and until now have been completely unstressed about it, but this week I just suddenly felt overwhelmed with the need for everything to be perfect, and done already.

But then my lovely man reminded me that whatever happens it will be perfect because we are going to become Mr & Mrs in the company of family and a tiny group of close friends, and it will be a happy celebration of love. It is so true, and deep down I know that, but that doesn’t stop me wanting to make everything by hand and make it all gorgeous.

I was up at 6am this morning sorting all my inspiration images and making lists (my default action when feeling worried about something), and two hours later I felt much better. Sometimes the big things can take on a life of their own which distracts you from the most important thing – WHY you are doing it in the first place. It’s true in business and it’s true in life.

So from now on, for the countdown weeks ahead, I am going to clear my diary of anything that isn’t a priority, breathe deeply, and focus what is really important: Transitioning from one phase of my life to another with the man that I love.

Stellar contributor line up for Make Art That Sells!

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Stellar contributor line up for Make Art That Sells! MATS landing page banner new 550

We are so thrilled to announce an incredible line up of top industry talent as contributors to the upcoming new course Make Art That Sells. Not only do you get access to Lilla Rogers, one of the world’s top agents, you will get industry insight and advice from a host of art directors, senior designers and others at the cutting edge. These include:

ANTHROPOLOGIE: Lauren Graham, Producer

CHRONICLE BOOKS: Kate Woodrow, Senior Acquisitions Editor

PAPERCHASE: Gemma Parris, Card Buyer

EK SUCCESS BRANDS: Deb Tagtalianidis, VP – Creative Direction

ROBERT KAUFMAN FABRICS: Evie Ashworth, Design Director, Retail Division

REAL SIMPLE MAGAZINE: Alexandra Mooney, Senior Designer

OOPSY DAISY: Carly Gray, Creative Director

… and more to be revealed soon!

We already have a MASSIVE waiting list for this course, so if you want to be among the first to be notified (and bag an exclusive discount) then get on the waiting list now. Registration opens next Tuesday February 26 2013 when all course details, price and date info will be released.

Stellar contributor line up for Make Art That Sells! waiting list button1

Love letter to you

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Love heart Rachael Taylor

‘Love’ by one of my talented business partners Rachael Taylor

I have never really made a big thing of Valentine’s day but this year… well I’m getting married in a few weeks’ time, people! So love is very much in the air, and I am feeling grateful and loved and excited and hopeful and all the good things that come with being about to embark on the rest of my life with someone amazing.

But I also feel the same about my dear business, Do What You Love. One of my treasured business partners Kelly Rae Roberts and I often talk about how our businesses are living breathing things, just like we are, and that we should care for them like people, talk to them, nurture them, champion them, love them. And that is something I am really feeling right now. I want to reach out and give mine a big hug.

There are so many awesome opportunities flying our way, new projects unfolding, spring cleaning of older projects, and on and on. In part that is due to the awesome collaborations I am truly grateful for – with Kelly Rae, with Rachael, with Lilla, and with others we haven’t announced yet (you know who you are!) – I love that I get to work with women like this (and our fab team!) day in day out.

But I want to take a moment to recognise that actually, the fact that I get to do what I love is largely because of YOU. Without your enthusiasm and support, your wholehearted participation in our classes, the stories you share about how they have changed things for you, and your being here, reading this, there would be no Do What You Love.

So this is a love letter to you.

Thank you for being here, for sharing this crazy wonderful business and life journey, and for your courage to follow your dreams.

May this day, and all your days, be filled with love

Beth

I love business trips – wandering Boston

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Wandering in Boston

A few days ago I got back from a fantastic trip to the US, where I filmed a series of videos for this exciting new project with Lilla Rogers (more on that in the coming days!). When we had wrapped up filming I had a couple of days to myself in Boston. I love having a bit of down time in a new place after several days of work, to explore it and be inspired whilst gathering my thoughts before plunging back into my life back home.

shop front

Boston is a particularly good city for walking, and for sitting in cafes, and I did much of both those things. I wanted to share a few photos from my wanderings, so here you go… I just love the wreaths hung on so many of the brick buildings and lampposts, even though Christmas is long gone. They are so pretty and welcoming, and bring a warmth to winter.

Boston signs

Boston Art

open sign

Boston street

I stayed at the lovely Encore B&B, a very cool little place inside a beautiful house owned by a former architect and theatre director. It is in the heart of South End, and I loved having the attic room with a balcony looking out over the snowy city.

Encore b&b

The Encore B&B – My home from home for the duration of my stay in Boston

I feel very lucky to have this kind of business trip!

Want to reach way more people and make significant profits? This helped me and it could help you…

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Beth working in Japan

Doing my own marketing ‘work’ on my iPad from a cafe in Kyoto [Image: Takeshi Kohari]

A couple of years back I took Marie Forleo’s ‘B-School’ online class, and I can say hand-on-heart it was a major part of helping me move from someone who didn’t know what a blog was, to someone who was a finalist in Digital Entrepreneur of the Year, in under three years.

It is an online marketing programme aimed at women who are doing it for themselves, and it offers detailed strategies and great advice for online marketing whatever your business model. Marketing is a massive part of any business, and has been crucial to allow me to do what I love.

I don’t often single out other people’s courses to share in this blog space, but I truly believe in this one as I have taken it myself and seen the results. If you want to learn more about online marketing, to grow your audience exponentially and boost your profits along the way, B-School is for you! It has launched today – check out this link to find out more!

Featured in Where Women Create!

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Where Women Create - cover

I have just got back from Boston (more on that soon!) where I was thrilled to walk into major bookstore Barnes & Noble and find the latest copy of Where Women Create, with a 10-page Do What You Love feature in it! It is always such a special moment when you see your writing and photography in a magazine, and especially when the publication is as beautiful as WWC. I have long loved this magazine, and am truly honoured to be included.

Featured in Where Women Create! WWC DWYL

In this article I shared my experience of spending six months in Japan, where I was surrounded by inspiration, and had luxurious time to think, but was without my studio all that time. I talk about how I came to realise that you can be creative anywhere, and sometimes it is worth leaving behind all the bits and pieces of a full studio to head out into the world and create wherever you are. It was quite an unusual article for a magazine which is filled with stunning photos of women’s physical studios and creative spaces all over the world, so I must send my grateful thanks to Jo Packham for including it, and recognising that a creative space can be different things to different people, and different for each of us at different moments in our lives. When I was in Japan my creative spaces ranged from temple gardens and paper factories to the riverbank and a bamboo forest.

You can download the first two pages of the article below, but I would encourage you to get the whole magazine if you can (from Stampington here), because it is filled with inspiring articles and delicious eye candy.

Download the first two pages here: BethNicholls_WWC0213

PS A four-page sneak peek of my new column (co-authored with Kelly Rae Roberts) from the new publication Where Women Create Business was included in the back of this issue of Where Women Create. What a treat and a lovely surprise!

A living worth scraping

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making a living worth scraping - Mickey Smith

Image via Mickey Smith

I don’t believe that doing what you love always has to be at the expense of a healthy income, but if ever there was a good argument for ‘making a living worth scraping’ this is it!

I promise it is worth 6 minutes of your time to watch this brilliant short film by surfer Mickey Smith.

Where does your heart beat fastest?