We are in the midst of times of change, and there's much benefit to embracing a creative approach to earning a living - and I have two businesses that involve communication on very different levels.
In 2007, at the suggestion of a friend, I founded NorthStar Pet Services. I am a pet sitter. And, I love it! I care for people's pets in the homes they live in. Becoming a compassionate professional requires a whole different set of communication skills! This year, I will be studying animal reiki and massage – new forms of communication to reach my pet clients.
Visit NorthStar Pet online.
I built a communications business over the past ten years, helping clients on two levels. First, with hands-on services focusing on marketing, branding, graphic design, content, and online presence. Second, as an agent of change, helping clients learn to embrace a new era of communication via the web, and more specifically, social media. My clients included Weight Watchers of Columbus, Costume Specialists, BPOE Lodge Number 3: San Francisco, and Amish Originals Furniture Co.
Now, on a communications level, it is time for a change - I want to focus on writing, which I love.
I am also in the process of creating a business that focuses on working with and empowering people to take the first steps on new paths in their own lives. It's a germ of an idea right now, that is starting with a blog called The Measure of a Day: Making sense in a mindful way. I am working on that blog right (or "write") now.
In the last seven years or so, I've gotten involved in my community - something I highly recommend. For three years I was Secretary of the Westerville Uptown Merchants Association. Uptown Westerville is the heart of the community and a historic, active marketplace destination. My experience with WUMA put me directly in the path of the Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market, which in 2006 opened for business at its current location.
I manage the Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market. It's something I volunteer to do to say thank you to my hometown. When I worked in politics, I crunched numbers, but the best part of my job was event management and logistics.
It is an amazing thing, each season, to watch a simple parking lot come alive for a few hours each week. A farmers‘ market is "food-interactive” where market patrons can meet, chat with, and shake the hand of the person who raised or made their food. It’s a family-friendly place to meet old friends and new, to try new flavors, and buy fresh, locally-grown nourishing foods. It is also a serious place of business for farmers and food artisans to earn their living.
I handle the branding, marketing, logistics, imaging, planning, growth, and outreach for the market. I designed the market logo, the signage, and the online presence. I administer the market, making the major decisions and maintaining market, customer, volunteer, outreach, and vendor relations.
Running the market is pretty much like a wild ride at an amusement park - so I have to think fast on my feet every week. (Keep your arms and legs inside the ride car at all times!) And, running the market is a great way to keep my skills sharp.
Market Wednesday's online presence (my designs, my images, my content):
The Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market website.
The Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market blog.
The Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market on facebook.
The Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market on twitter.
I also love words - so much so, I collect them, and they're here on my quotations blog:
Touchstone Quotations.