The Australian International Furniture Fair at Sydney Exhibition Centre 6-8 February 2013

The Australian International Fair is an exclusive event bringing together the  most exciting range of furniture from Australia and the world.  This offer visitors an unparalleled opportunity to preview the latest trends  for the Australian and New Zealand markets. This is your chance to register to gain fast entry.  Doors open in next week. Register now, skip the queues and be first to see  the latest in furniture and furnishing in 20123. See 100s of exhibitors showcasing their latest ranges in  furniture and furnishings. VIEW FULL  EXHIBITORS LIST Discover Australia’s next wave of furniture design talent, displaying their  work at The Edge design competition Hear from leading international and Australian design experts as they share  their insights on interiors, colours, lighting, design,sustainability,  and more as part of the International Industry SeminarSeries. Learn at the FREE business workshops covering social media,  customer loyalty, brand management, sales techniques, and other topics. Booknow. Meet Austalia’s vast furniture diversity at STILL MADE HERE, a new feature  showcasing local manufacturers with furniture distinctly Australian  and proudly still made here. We look forward to welcoming you soon.  Registernow

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7 Steps to Business Lifestyle Success in Your Creative Practice.

1. Your Daily Focus:

Start each day with a focus on what you can do to create income. What actions and activities can you put in place? They don’t have to be big, and they could be small tasks in your overall action plan. So, by setting yourself a goal to do at least three income producing activities you’ll begin each day with a focus on completing these activities first. Before you do anything else. What this means is that you'll finish your day knowing that you've invested your time well and you'll be contributing to the ongoing success of your creative business.

2. Your 90 Day Action Plan:

Your 90 day plan can be something as simple as a series of Goals and Tasks put together as a list of priorities. Think about the “easy step” or “quick win” tasks that you can do that will take you towards your “big picture”, life changing goals. Think of activities you need to undertake, and then stay focused on those mini tasks over the days, weeks, and months of your plan. Make a habit of reviewing and revisiting your goals regularly each week. Get as clear as you can about what you really want. Establish a vision for your passion and commit to what you want to achieve. Believe it and most importantly… Take action!

3. Leverage Your Time:

How are you spending your time? Everyone gets the same 24 hours in a day... What are you doing with yours? Decide what’s important for you and build some habits and plans around how you priorities all the demands for your time. Ask yourself what tasks and activities will bring you closer to your goals, versus what activities take you off your path.

As you go about building your creative practice and developing your Business LifeStyle you can start to identify the tasks and activities that bring you closer to your goals, and those that take you further from them. As you start to understand these priorities you can develop systems and processes that keep you on track.

4. The Power of Your Team:

Even if you’re a “Solo Practitioner” and operate your creative practice on your own, you can still have a team... Think about all your stakeholders, and that includes you if you are the face of your business. Your team can include people like your key suppliers, your financial supporters or shareholders, your family & friends, your business advisors, and of course, your clients. How can you better engage this team to achieve your goals?

5. Your Income:

At Quantum Compass we work with our clients to develop multiple streams of income that work for you to support your artistic endeavour. Imagine how your Business Lifestyle will be different when you have more than one income stream. And there’s so many ways we can achieve this... Workshops & Classes, Information products, and on line shops for example are all great places to start. As we work together we start to identify opportunities to create income that isn’t a direct exchange for your time too... So income can be generated quite separately from your daily activity.

6. Your Investment in Yourself:

Investing in yourself is the best investment that you can possibly make. If you want to see your creative practice grow, invest in a mentor or coach who will teach, inspire and motivate you and who will keep you in action and accountable. Think about what training and workshops that you could attend. How about networking events and seminars? Books and magazines? (From the local library, it doesn’t have to cost you much!)

7. Your Attitude is Gratitude:

Look around at where you are, and what you have. Being grateful for what you have, and showing gratitude is an important aspect in creating a successful Business Lifestyle. It’s important to think about what you have to be thankful for everyday, and to appreciate what you’ve got. Your family, supportive partner, friends. When we thank others for their actions they immediately feel like doing more for us too. Expressing gratitude calms the emotions. Expressing gratitude brings us into harmony and is good for the heart and soul. Expressing gratitude opens many doors to happiness, serenity and good health. Expressing gratitude is one of our tools for enhancing and increasing the good things in our lives.

So... What are you grateful for?

Want to find out more about creating a sustainable Business Lifestyle in your creative Fashion Design Practice?

It’s as simple as 1... 2... 3...

1:Like  ArtSHINE's Facebook page

2: Send an e-mail to this Quantum Compass address: ArtSHINEworkshopInfo@QuantumCompass.com.au and get more info about our workshops for creative professionals.

3: Contact Vinh for a no cost, no obligation coaching session: just call Vinh direct on  0410 636 138, Vinh@QuantumCompass.com.au, or go to: 

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ArtShineDiscovery

Costing & Pricing for Art, Craft & Design Business

As Business Lifestyle coaches working along side artists, crafters and designers we’ve come to realise that understanding the true nature of costing and pricing a product is a real issue for most creative practices, and a very big concern for every artist, crafter  and designer.

So, if you’re not too sure about how to calculate the costs for your designs... don’t worry; you’re certainly not alone!

But understanding your costs, your margins, your pricing, and how to calculate them will mean the difference between success and subsistence for you. So it’s critical that you learn the process.

Why are costings so important? 

If you don’t know exactly what to include in the production costing you will be underselling your designs and therefore you’ll lose money... 

The key to success in your business is to understand the costing process properly and price your items appropriately. That way, you can feel good about what you do and what you create. Most importantly, you’ll know what it’s cost you to create your products.

With an accurate costing you’re better placed to price your creations too.

At ArtSHINE we work with our creative design clients to ensure understanding of the true costs, and we share a costing & pricing system that’s tailored to your business lifestyle.

Do any of these resonate or ring bells with you?

 * I have a product in mind but don’t know what the costs involved are.

 * I have a product already but I don’t know what the real costs of production are.

 * I have a product and it is overly expensive to make so I can’t sell for  the price I need.

Here’s some quick questions to consider:

 * Are you taking into account total costs, and not just material costs?

 * Do you know how to work out your own hourly rate?

 * What’s the average mark-up in a retail shop?

 * What’s the best wholesale to retail price point ratio?

 * What’s your real profit margin on the products you create?

At the end of the day, there’s no point in under valuing and under selling your products.

You want the products that you’ve created to make good profit. Profit isn’t a dirty word. And you certainly can’t survive as a designer without it... Plus you deserve to earn money and receive a proper payment for all your hard work.

Building a sustainable business lifestyle means that you can keep creating; thus doing what you really love and enjoy.

Would you like an invitation to attend the next Quantum Compass ‘Costing & Pricing’ workshop? - contact us now here: CostingAndPricing@QuantumCompass.com.au

Want to know more? It’s as simple as 1... 2... 3...

1: Like  ArtSHINE's Facebook page

2: Send an e-mail to this Quantum Compass address: CostingAndPricing@QuantumCompass.com.au and get more info about our workshops for creative professionals.

3: Contact Vinh for a no cost, no obligation coaching session: just call Vinh direct on 0410 636 138, Vinh@QuantumCompass.com.au, or go to: 

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ArtShineDiscovery

Inspirational Quote!

"It doesn't matter which side of the fence you get off on sometimes. What matters most is getting off. You cannot make progress without making decisions". 
~Jim Rohn 

Happy Australia Day !

The Australia Day celebrations in Sydney are befitting of Australia's oldest and biggest city with events and activities spread far and wide, on the beaches, in the backyards, in the sky and in parks, it's a day to celebrate in true Aussie style.

Click Below to know more what 's on this Australia day

Happy Australia Day!

 source:

http://www.australiaday.com.au

How to leverage time in your Art, Craft and Design business

Photography by Monica Li

Le Petit Moni Photographie

         Tomorrow is a promise...

                                 Yesterday is gone...

                                                               
                                                           So Make tomorrow Today                   
                                                                                           -Quantum Compass

What would you do if you had “more time”?

Here’s what a lot of people have said in answer to that question:

*Have more time with family

* Relax and rest

* Travel and see the world.

Right now I’d like to share something with you that when I understood it seriously changed my life…

Time is the only resource that you have that can never be taken away from you. And no-one else has any more of it than you do… When it comes to time every-one is equal…

How many hours in a day does Richard Branson have? Bill Gates? Or anyone else I could name?

How many hours a day do you have?

24 hours in a day.

And what happens when you’ve spent your 24 hours? What happens when that day ends?

You get another one!

So the ”fallacy” about “spending” time, “saving” time, or “making more” time is that you can’t… You have exactly the same 24 hours that everyone else on the planet has. No more. No less.

The real secret to success is what you do with those 24 hours!

So,

·         You always have time.

·         You always have all the time there is.

·         You always have the same 24 hours as everybody else.

·         You always have all the time you need to do things right here, right now.

·         You always make the choices about how you use your time.

Now, let’s look at how you can leverage your time to the best effect…

Ways to leverage time:

Now is the perfect time (is there any other time?) to learn the difference between:

·         The urgent things

·         The important things.

Urgent things demand your time but can usually wait, even when they seem like emergencies.

Important things move you in the direction of your dreams and goals.

A clear focus on the difference between the urgent and the important will be critical to your future success in this, or any other business.

And a clear understanding of the activities you undertake that are important rather than urgent will see you succeed sooner.

It is not possible to manage time. But you can leverage it. Time is a most precious commodity, and your only natural resource. Only dead people don’t have time. They’re also the only ones with no problems. It’s not a matter of having time, but of arranging your priorities.

You can change your time effectiveness by changing the way you relate to the idea of time.

You can choose to live in a world of scarcity or abundance. Or you can choose to live in a world you create where you decide your own priorities.

It’s time to own your future. It’s time to focus on what you want by leveraging your time in activities that advance you directly towards your dreams and goals.

It’s your future after all. Procrastination is the thief of time and the graveyard of opportunity.

If you wait until you have time, you’ll be waiting forever. You will never have time. It’s the most elusive concept ever devised. That’s why there’s no such thing as tomorrow.

So make tomorrow today...

Have you ever found a calendar with a tomorrow on it?

There’s only today.

Tomorrow is a promise. Yesterday is gone. Do it right now! Do it in the moment that you’re in!

When your priorities are in order you know what you need to do right now. So just do it. Think in terms of moments of time. Grab those little bits of time and do the “little bits at a time” that will take you closer towards your goal.

Sometimes it’s the scary thought of those Herculean tasks and goals that we set ourselves that cause us to procrastinate and stall in our actions. By breaking down the task into smaller chunks, you‘ll soon find more things get done, and more things get done sooner.

Four DOs can assist you arrange your priorities:

·         Can Do:

Task can be done but neither urgent nor important

·         Could Do:

Task could be carried out but not so urgent nor so important

·         Would Do:

Essential but not so important

·         Must Do:

The important task that needs to be actioned right away!

These four Dos can help you to identify which task is urgent or important. When you are losing focus, these four Dos can bring you back on track with your priorities.

All you have to do is focus on what you want to achieve.

Useful tools to help you plan:

·         To Do List (use it daily)

·         Weekly Activities Planner

·         Follow up calls

·         Daily To Do tasks

·         Things to follow up

·         Diary Planner

·         Daily Journal

·         Plan your day

·         Set priority

·         OPIC Planning Sheet (From Quantum Compass)

Yellow as a colour Part 1- by Artist Pascale Rajek, Art on Surface

Yellow as a colour

Yellow on Trend

After a few weeks away in Europe in the cold weather, now coming back to Sydney and a warmer weather is a blessing. With some jet lag and the flu, I often find myself watching TV or reading at 3.00 am in the morning..

I have just bought the latest issue of Grazia and was so pleased to see that Yellow is on the TREND as it will be the up coming colour in fashion, therefore, I will use this example for my  first workshop. 

So..

Grazia Magazine

First thing first, let’s talk about colours

It has been known for a long time that colour plays a major role in setting up a particular mood or state of mind. Colours do affect one’s feelings, moods and emotions. Colours are wavelengths of electro-magnetic energy seen through our eyes. The colour we see is the part of the visible spectrum that is reflected back by a certain object.

Colours affect us in different ways:

• Colour is one of the languages of the soul, just look at inspired or meditative paintings.
• They influence our mood and emotions. Think about your last holiday.
• They have their impact on our sense of well-being or uneasiness.
• Using and avoiding certain colours is a way of self-expression; it sheds light on our personality.
• Colours affect our way of perception (light colours make a space look big, a high ceiling looks less high when painted in a dark colour)
• Colours have a symbolic meaning which is immediately recognized by our subconsciousness. It must be said that not all colours mean the same to all persons and all cultures. I will add that we do have emotions and feelings toward colours because of our life experience, what happened, when it happened, how did it happened and that will be the Pandora box of this particular colour. We associate our memories with the colours, the smells, the textures that surrounded us.
• They influence the flow and amount of energy in our bodies.
• Colours tell something about biological attraction and sexual availability. Think about animals.

YELLOW is used in many different situations and can have similar or different meanings for different individuals or cultures.

The following information provided below is for your general information. But please read it with an open mind and open heart, if certain words makes you sad or angry, take a moment to experience it, be aware of it and use it in your emotion painting to release it...

Preference for yellow:

• The colour of the sun, life-force, vividity, vitality and energy.
• The colour of cheerfulness, curiosity, alternation, flexibility, progress, amusement, contact through travelling and communication, learning and practical knowledge.
• A feeling for writing and speaking.

Aversion to yellow:

• A person who has aversion to yellow may be emotionally disappointed and bitter. May have tendency to rationalize feelings, or to avoid the depth of life by often changing relationships, many superficial relationships and/or constantly changing activities.

After reading this information, take a moment to see how you feel about Yellow and then have a play..

When I started to write this, my mind was able to see Yellow everywhere.. in shops, in food, on the street, people wearing yellow shoes, shirt, pants, yellow cars, flags..

When we are open to have a look at what is around us we discover more about ourselves but also about the world around us.

Happy Yellow Week!! and stay tuned for the first workshop on Yellow in two week time.

Where to find me and m Art:

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/artonsurface/

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ArtOnSurface

Art on Surface website:http://www.art-on-surface.net/

Infinite Creations: http://infinitecreations.com.au/shopping-centre/category/art-for-
sale/pascale-rajek/

Related Posts:

• Yellow as a colour Part 1- by Artist Pascale Rajek, Art on Surface

• Yellow as a colour Workshop 1- Part 2 by Artist Pascale Rajek, Art on Surface

• Close Up Interview with Colour Artist Pascale Rajek

  
  

Create positive habits for the New Year

I was asking myself the question today why so many of us love the idea of setting new year resolutions for the new year  and as the  year progresses some of us fail to execute what we committed  to do everyday. When you look back at the goals you might achieve half or not at all. I often ask why are we kept doing this ourselves year after year.

We are all creatures of habit.  In fact, most of what we do every single day we do unconsciously on auto-pilot and it is very difficult for new habits to become second nature.

So “Make Tomorrow Today”

We know, setting goals are easy, execution the goals are another story, despite our good intention and excitement we still fail. Why?

What we are lacking at time are:

·         The drive

·         The motivation

·         The encouragement

·          The passion to achieve it.

·         The Desire to get it

·         The purpose  why we need to achieve

The key to achieve your goals are to:

 Plan Well!+ Prepare Well! + Execute well!-> SUCCESS outcome

Well, here is a little tip that I use to easily help myself create new habits and routines that I want to stick to daily.

1. I use Google Calendar, if you have not tried it just go to   http://calendar.google.com

2. I enter the item that I want to remember into Google Calendar and I make it a task that repeats every single day.

3. I then request Google calendar to auto mail  me a daily reminder.

I have used this to develop powerful new habits such as:

·         My daily exercise

·         Reviewing my goal list and affirmations every day (I even add my goals and affirmations into the 

               description so that they end up in my inbox and I can review them instantly)

·         Set events and appointments

·         Share my calendar with my partner, clients  and public (our seminar events)

So, take full advantage of http://calendar.google.com and start creating new success habits today.

Introducing our new ArtSHINE associate blogger... Artist Pascale Rajek

Artist Pascale Rajek

The ArtSHINE project is not just about coaching Art, Craft, Designs and Creative Professionals, we're also about creating a community of practice, and sharing the knowledge and the experiences that will help you create your own Business LifeStyle too.

So, starting this Thursday, we'll be posting a fortnightly blog sharing artist Pascale Rajek's her passion for colours and textures. About 2 – 3 years ago after finishing her Diploma, Pascale has the desire to tap into the emotion of colours and textures. This was an amazing discovery to see that as human being we are drawn to colours and textures depending of our state of mind.

Pascale will be blogging about the Primary colours and different activities you can participate to get a close up to the colours that you like and dislike.

Pascale will contribute her articles on a fortnightly bases from this Thursday 24 September 2013.

One of the early stages of the ArtSHINE  coaching program is where we encourage you to set at least one personal goal around your Business LifeStyle.

That's why we've been seeking an Artist who's keen to share some of those goal setting experiences, and their Business LifeStyle journey, with the ArtSHINE community.

You may remember we featured Pascale in an ArtSHINE Close Up interview last August. To view the interview click below link:

       • Close Up Interview with Colour Artist Pascale Rajek

Here is a little bit more about Pascale Rajek;

Born in Noumea, New Caledonia, Pascale moved to Sydney in 2003 to be with her husband.

Being a Graphic Designer for years, she had the desire to draw and paint again and needed to be in touch with the art  and decided to paint with her hand.

Her artwork embraces the natural surroundings by creating and integrating the colour, texture, energy and emotion we experience from the land and the people. It is the inter relationships of the environment and human activity that is the focal point of her art.

Learn more about Pascale Rajek's Art  please click on the below links:

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/artonsurface/

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ArtOnSurface

Art on Surface website:http://www.art-on-surface.net/

Infinite Creations: http://infinitecreations.com.au/shopping-centre/category/art-for-sale/pascale-rajek