Dear Handmade Life

Diversity & Cultural Transformation in the Maker Community with Monica Tetteh of Black makers Matter and That’s Sew Monica. Monica and I talk about her journey as a creative, inclusion in the sewing and craft communities, how small business owners can authentically embody diversity, the difference between true allyship and performative allyship and more. Get ready because Monica and I both cry in this episode and we also collaborate on an idea for a quilt that honors the geographical, generational and cultural path of creativity.

Veering off from our usual interview format, this unique episode is a LIVE unscripted coaching session. I brought our operations manager Spaulding in to join me on the podcast so I could answer her questions as she embarks on starting her handmade business, Hot for Color. I learned how to run my creative business the hard way, through trial and error and I love consulting and coaching other makers to shorten their learning curve. I share insights about: -Where to start when building your online presence -Branding basics -How to determine your marketing sweet spot -How personal to get and boundaries on social media as well as how often to post and how to engage with your community -How to start with a newsletter from square one -Newsletter content ideas -Sourcing blanks and production

Uncovering Your Brand Story & Expertise with personal branding strategist Maya Elious. I talk with Maya about discovering your impact zone where your natural abilities converge with your purpose, passion and profession, how uncovering and sharing your brand story is key to success, the concept of charging your worth and Maya reveals the biggest thing that holds her clients back from their authentic brand.

Have you ever felt the starving artist mentality? Do you feel like your finances are in order? Today on our podcast, I’m chatting with bookkeeper and financial coach Ean of Moxie Bookkeeping about money mindset shifts and financial management techniques and actions we can take right now to improve our relationship with money and our bottom line. We cover the cultural shame of money, shifting your mindset away from starving artist syndrome, one small thing you can fo right now to improve your finances, how much to pay yourself, the five bank accounts every business owner needs, how to figure out your real profit and more!

Marketing & Community with marketing expert Pete Davis of Ampjar. Pete shares his biggest marketing tip for makers and how Ampjar helps brands grow authentically by focusing on community and karmic marketing, plus we explore our mutual love for marketing and chat about what to say in your marketing emails as well as how often to send them, how to determine how much of yourself to share online, how to utilize the marketing tool that big brands wish they had, how to leverage the fact that people care more about small brands than big ones and more.

We’re taking a break from the podcast for a bit to do some behind the scenes work here at Dear Handmade Life as well as get some quality time in with family including our new baby Luca! Check out our archives for over 100 episodes and we’ll see you soon!

Time management with writer, artist and art book editor Bridget Watson Payne. We talk about how to find hidden pockets of time, time management from a cultural perspective, aligning your to-do list with your values and ethics, techniques to tackle your inbox, priorities, her book How Time is On Your Side and more.

This week on the Dear Handmade Life podcast I’m chatting about Embracing Balance not Busyness with Ciji Tatum Townsend. We talk about our personal histories with familial busyness, how to discover break down your balance barriers, how to begin to unbusy your life, making time for wellness and more. 

Instagram insights with illustrator Becky Helms of The Pink Samurai. Becky and I chat about dealing with social media overwhelm, creating content for Instagram, batching your work, growing your following organically, the importance of determining your Instagram goals and more.

Parenting and Creative Business with self-taught oil painter Erika Lee Sears. Erika and I chat about trying to be a good parent instead of a perfect one, what her schedule looks like (aka how she squeezes everything in), her daily art practice, the benefits of making time to fill yourself up and more.

Life and Business Transitions with design and photography educator Chaitra Radhakrishna. Chaitra and I talk about her big leaps and transitions including moving from India to the United States, leaving a corporate job to start her own business and becoming a mother as well as how to prepare for big leaps and how to cope during transitions.

Radical Self Acceptance & Online Authenticity with Natalie Keller Pariano. I chat with Natalie about body positivity, childhood trauma and teasing, coping with chronic illness, dealing with push back and negativity online, weaving your personal authenticity into your brand’s online persona and more.

Coping with Crisis in Business with Sallie Miller and Gwen Gunheim of Miracle Plum. This is the third episode in our limited series where I chat with inspiring business owners that are pushing themselves and their businesses to survive and even thrive during COVID-19.

Coping with Crisis in Business with Phoebe Sherman of Girl Gang Craft. This is the second episode in our limited series where I chat with inspiring business owners that are pushing themselves and their businesses to survive and even thrive during COVID-19.

Coping with Crisis in Business with Lela Barker of Lucky Break Consulting. This is the first episode in our limited series where I’ll be chatting with inspiring business owners that are pushing themselves and their businesses to survive and even thrive during this unimaginable, unprecedented and unpredictable COVID-19 crisis. While we will be focusing on COVID-19, much of what we talk about will apply to other types of crises as well.

Breaking through Creative Blocks with Jeanetta Gonzales. Jeanetta and I talk about what to do when you have too many (or not enough) ideas, dealing with your inner critic, getting unstuck, the importance of creative community and more.

Marketing strategies for creatives with Mélissa Peng. Mélissa and I chat about how her corporate background and formal education inform her work helping creative small business owners with marketing, defining your ideal customer, her path to purchase strategy and more.

Doing your best work with Charlie Gilkey. I talk with Charlie about accountability, discovering and finishing your best work, working around vs. working on a project, how our identity relates to our work, truly feeling worthy, rewriting the negative stories we tell ourselves, the glory of failure, priorities and so much more.

Being a multi-genre creative with Krista Suh. I talk with Krista about being a Jane of all trades, how downtime is key for creativity, tools to balance the creative process, eliminating 'should' and 'have to' from your vocabulary, generating and choosing ideas, mental health and more.