Chloe Hardisty, founder and owner of successful colourful craft-kit empire Cotton Clara, introduces us to the importance of persistent consistency and how it can pay off in the long-run.
"A line from a book I was listening to recently has stuck with me, so I thought I’d share it with you. This falls in the category of something you may have heard before in a different format or said a different way, and then it didn’t spark a thought, but hearing it a different way made me stop and think.
The book was Tools of Titans by Tim Ferris, one of the most ‘out there’ self help gurus I follow, but definitely worth a look. He was interviewing someone, I can’t remember who. But the part that stuck out was a comment about systems vs goals, and how you should work on developing systems rather than short term goals. (Goals are good, don’t get me wrong but in the context of this blog, we’ll make this binary distinction.)
The example he talked about was blog writing. The interviewee had started writing a blog years earlier, it was it seemed a thankless endeavour. But he carried on, regularly blogging. His wife questioned why he did it when it didn’t bring in any revenue (a short term goal) but he carried on. Using it as a practice of creative expression, a discipline and a way of honing his voice and message.
It was only years later that this well established system paid off. (Even though this was never why it was started). The New York Times noticed the blog, publishers noticed this blog and the weight and gravity of years of blogging lead to a lucrative book deal and speaking engagements, which have transformed the income and life of the interviewee.
So this got me thinking about systems. What are we putting in place, and faithfully delivering,
laying foundations for future unknowns? Practices that allow us to develop discipline and
character and hone our craft/art/voice?
For me regular posting and creating content for Instagram is one of those systems. I’ve worked
hard over the last 6 years to build a presence, a voice and a brand and this has lead to countless opportunities for me, things I could never imagined or achieve through short term planning or goal setting. They required the long game, a commitment to a system.
Another system I know I have felt the benefit of is reading personal development and self help
books. (Sometimes I questions myself, why do you have to listen and re-listen to what are
sometimes very similar messages? But we’re all human and need reminding of good ideas, and gradually the WILL stick.) I’ve been doing this for about 2 years and I know I’ve had so many ‘aha’ moments from listening to people from all over the world who have so much wisdom to give, this system, the hours of listening and reading is a solid foundation.
I know I need more systems, blogging for me is the next one to establish and cultivate. So how are your systems? Where do you need to invest for the long game? What system do you need to commit to cultivating? It could be committing to a drawing a day, or starting a podcast? You’ll know what it is that will build that strong foundation that might one day surprise you with the payback!"
WebinArt Members are invited to join Chloe on 8th September at 6pm for her webinar - 'How to: Nail your Instagram Marketing'.
We’ll look at how to fall in love with Instagram and become a natural marketer, study examples of people and organisations that are nailing it on Instagram and reveal some easy hacks to keep your content flowing! I really think that Instagram is your greatest creative challenge and something to be relished and enjoyed, we’ll talk about how you can feel the same.
We’ll learn how to:
- Produce authentic, engaging content
- Understand how to grow an audience on Instagram
- Build an online presence that supports your practice/business
Please note, this event is for members only. If you are interested in joining our Evolve membership to access this event and the recording, you can read more and sign up here - https://www.creativeleics.co.uk/webinart
Check out Cotton Clara here -
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