keep a list

She is like me: so many creative ideas, she hardly knows where to start!

When my cousin Kelly came to work on my wedding dress, she also brought samples of her newest business venture: caps. She makes welding caps, chef pill hats, and doo-rags.

This venture was birthed at last February’s Creative Women gathering: five women, including Kelly & me. At the time, Kelly was thinking hard about how to direct all her entrepreneurial and artistic energy. On Thursday, she reminded me about two nuggets of advice I had given:

     1. Add to an ongoing list every day for a month, and something will be there at the end.

     2. Find something you’re not emotionally attached to for your creative business.

So Kelly took my advice (!) and near the end of March, “Caps by Kelly” emerged, a division of “Kelly Mouse Closet”. She started sewing samples, sourcing materials and seeking customers.

Of course she has been dialoguing about it with her husband who both supports and challenges her. Other people, like Kelly’s mom, have taken a wait-and-see vantage, wondering if this will be another flash-in-the-pan idea. But when my aunt realized this was not just an idea but a serious business launch, she became a raving fan, eager to show samples to anyone who might want to buy some.

The business is still fledgling, but already Kelly has an account with a local college. One day I will post an interview with Kelly on my Creative Women blog (in process & parked here).