Instagram For Business and Self

On the back of the post about my Christmas photo shoot, I wanted to share some of the photos I have been taking for Instagram lately, and the little photo shoots I put together for them. When I began Instagram, I took photos as I saw them. I posted them then and there, with no thought as to whether or not anyone was seeing them, if my gallery was beautiful, or what I was trying to achieve with Instagram. And while that is perfectly fine for a personal page, given that my IG is a part of my business, I decided to be more mindful with my time and energy in order to create an account that I could be proud of and that shares the story of my business.  In return I have found that a large majority of my sales now come from Instagram. (So if you have a small business, and you are not yet on Instagram, I urge you to start now. It is not too late!)

At first I was scared that I would loose my audience if I posted too many jewellery photos, but rather the opposite happened. People love to see photos of my jewellery, whether they are behind the scenes peeks in my workshop, pieces being worn, or beautiful still life's and flat lays. Not only has Instagram increased my sales, it has been such a wonderful creative tool for me, offering me a simple way to experiment with photography and styling. I found the wonderful The Photo School Online Class a great way to learn more about iPhone photography and capturing the pretty light. I watched a class with Sue B Zimmerman (the Instagram Expert) and learnt some really valuable information (you can get a free Instagram Strategy Guide on her site). And most recently I took part in the five day Makelight Online Taster Course, dedicated to creating beautiful photographs and flat lays.

I have little vintage bits and bobs all over my home, in printer trays, bowls and baskets, so using them as props made perfect sense. Adding leaves, flowers and berries to my collection is a joy shared with my three year old daughter. Usually once a week, I try to gather up some interesting bits and pieces, take my jewellery out of the safe, and start playing around with different back grounds, props and lighting. Then I edit the pics in VSCOcam, and I have a selection of images waiting to be used in my feed, while also taking photos as the mood takes me, or as I am working.

And it's not just jewellery. Sometimes it's just flowers, a shot of my work bench, or a video of my baby starting to walk. I only have one Instagram account, and it is still my account, just as it is my business and my name on the business cards, so I don't want it to become impersonal. I love the community that is a part of Instagram. I love that being a small business owner means that I am always dealing on a personal level. And I love being able to share my thoughts and creations both here on my blog and on Instagram.


A few links you might love -

Emily Quinton's Instagram Feed
Sell More With Instagram
How To Grow Your Instagram Following
Step By Step Flat Lay
And of course, my Instagram feed! xx

The Work Life Balance Myth

One of my greatest take away's from last year was that the idea of a 'work/life balance' that I could create and maintain was a myth, and one should stop wasting time and energy pursuing.

As a stay at home Mum to three and the owner and maker of a creative business, I have keenly sought advice on the best way to prioritise my children while still fulfilling my creative passion. Every day I undertake to fill my children's cups with love and attention and meet their individual needs, while still finding time to do at least one thing for my business. I know that 'you can have it all, just not all at once', I know that the time will come when all three children are at school and I will have more time to dedicate to my business. But in the meantime, I know I spent much of last year trying to find a balance between mothering and working from home.

I kept looking for a routine that would fit everything in, so that my to-do lists would be repeatedly crossed off. I looked for ways to lessen the load, cut down on house work, find a little extra time for myself, but stay on top of everything and connect with my family. I beat myself up if I posted a sale a day later than I had said I would, if I ran out of apples for the Cohen's lunch box, if I brought biscuits instead of making them myself. Each week something would interrupt my well planned routine, and something would have to give. A child would fall ill. The baby wouldn't settle. There would be guests for dinner. It would rain for three days straight. And all my meticulous plans for getting everything done would be thrown in to the gentle chaos that is everyday life.

I'm flexible though. I'd handle it. But I would still try again the next week, only to be disappointed yet again. I tried to compartmetalise everything. Break my days up in to blocks of time and dedicate that time to that one task. But I just ended up frustrated at being constantly interrupted. Until I realised, creating a week to be continually repeated, in which everything ran like clock work and nothing changed, would be rather boring. One of my strengths is my flexibility, so I shouldn't be going against that. Those days when all the house work was done by nine AM were so satisfying because the next day it might be lunch time before I got a chance to sweep the floor or make the beds. Three days of rain and no dryer makes me appreciate it even more when I get to the bottom of the laundry basket (for that three minutes before someone throws more dirty clothes in to the hamper.) And getting a two year old and a baby to nap at the same time during the day so I can work, well, that's not always going to happen.

The lesson has been that there is no perfect balance. There is no one routine that I can set for each week and follow to the letter. Some weeks life takes over and family sways the balance, other weeks there is lots of work on, deadlines to be met, and I am spending more time at the bench. Sometimes I will run out of apples, there will be a huge pile of clothes or I will pack store brought biscuits in Cohen's lunch, and the world will keep turning, life will go on. And I will appreciate the fact that there is nothing else I would rather be doing. I chose this. I chose to be a stay at home Mum. I chose to start my own business rather than return to work for someone else. And both of these jobs are the most satisfying and challenging jobs I have ever had.

I understand now that I can't create a divide between myself as a Mother and myself as a maker, particularly as I work from home. They are entwined and I am passionate about both. Instead I have relaxed more about blurring the lines between both and allowing circumstances to determine where my energy is spent, rather than trying to engineer a time table to squeeze everything in. Just letting go of the idea that there is a way to get this perfect work/life balance has been incredibly freeing. We all need balance in our lives, but trying to achieve and maintain one version of that balance just isn't viable for a creative person like myself.

So here's to letting go of the myth and enjoying a creative and connected 2015.

Instagram Snippets

1. On one of the worst days I have had recently, where nothing would go right and I could not seem to get myself out of the terrible mood I'd fallen in to, yellow roses, children's naps and cups of tea did the trick.

2. Making beads for the market - so fun and relaxing too.

3. A canvas painted for me by my dear boy. Self portrait, while walking a dog on a path next to grass, with sky, clouds and sun. Heart melts.

4. Blocks of colour and possibility.

5. Tea pot pendants and brooches in progress.

6. Hokey Pokey biscuits with honey instead of golden syrup - because we had run out. Both children approved, as did I.

7. Dinner from the garden - a simple veggie stir fry - quick, delicious and healthy.

8. Wise words from the Brisbane Writers Festival - If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.

9. Strawberries from the garden - we are averaging a punnet every day or two. Sometimes they only make it as far as the outside tap, where little hands rinse them and eat them. The rest of the time they find their way on to our breakfast.

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PS. Don't forget to enter the beautiful crochet heart bunting giveaway here. You have until Friday to enter. :)

Lately

Left to right:

1. A 'new' vintage toy for Emerson

2. Knitting inspiration at an antique store

3. 50 cent thrifted goodness

4. Heart says yes, budget says no

5. You can pick the craft bloggers child - Mama knitted cardigan, vintage shoes, dress and toy

6. An excuse to play with alphabet stamps

7. Kind hearted. Imaginative. Arguementative.

8. Origrami mail - Hooray for Instagram postcards!

9. Cheeky. Affectionate. Fearless.

Instagram snippets

1. Purchased on our lunch date - a new cardigan, and my first dress from Forever New

2. Love borrowing clothes from my twin - particularly when they have embroidered roses on them

3. He drives and I knit - making progress on my Larch cardigan

4. Do you ever stop being surprised at how your children have grown?

5. Vintage shopping at Mount Tamborine - recognising much that I already own

6. The funny things you find in the bottom of the pantry

7. Organic watermelon from my veggie patch

8. Sneaking up on Mama under the table

9. Feeling very Freida Kahlo - minus the mono-brow, and less beads

Instagram Snippets

1. A whole shop of vintage buttons at Paddington Antiques on Latrobe Terrace, Brisbane

2. Checking out pressed aluminium at Restoration Station for a renovation project

3. Everything looks better en mass

4. He drives, I knit

5. An oregano flower and a blown light bulb, resulting in candle lit dinners

6. Another batch of home made laundry liquid

7. Beads for a wholesale order

8. Baby snuggles

9. Dairy free short bread