The ABC's of Choosing Your Customers
by Ram Dutt / Coming Together
Choosing your customers can mean the difference between success and failure...seriously, really! For most of us this sounds pretty crazy and I would agree with you at first, but then if you really think about it, our customers are the ones who define our destiny in the long run. So, if we have the opportunity to choose the right customers, then our destiny becomes our choice rather than a random act.
10 Ways to Maximize Your Facebook Fan Page
by Courtney Dirks / Coming Together
In the past few weeks, we have had several requests for the best way to build and improve a Facebook fan page and just to show we're listening...we didn't just come up with the best way, we came up with TEN! So, without future ado...here are the 10 ways to maximize your Facebook fan page.
Artist in the Making: Shunny Banai, Photographer
by Ram Dutt / Coming Together
Last week I wrote about Nuturing Creativity in your Children and I was moved by the support and feedback we received. Being part of the creative community, I often get exposed to fantastic work by inspiring artists. Recently, I had the opportunity to see the work of Shunny Banai, a teenage photographer who lives in Seattle area. What caught my eye was not just her photography, but what she does with these images to express her passion. I connected with her to understand how she got started and why she enjoys photography so much.
Get Your Creative Business Started by Focusing on 3 Areas
by Jason Dirks / Coming Together
Setting up an online store is not enough to sell. In addition to offering a great product, you have to include your own personal touch and it’s all about telling your story to create awareness. In order to tell your story, start a blog and write about your products…for example, what inspires you to create them…how you make them…write about other creative individuals that interest you. A blog is a GREAT way to create buzz for your products and make potential customers aware of your products. Here are some wonderful articles on Meylah to help you:
What Do You Want to Read About on Meylah?
by Courtney Dirks / Coming Together
We’re listening! Are there any topics you are dying to read about on Meylah? Our goal here is to make creative entrepreneurs as productive and efficient as possible, without breaking the bank. We wanted to reach out to you to see if there are any topics you want us to cover. We have tons of ideas on our end, and we want to make sure we are on the right track and writing about topics that are captivating and useful to you.
Plan a Creative Party at Pratt Fine Arts Center
by Ram Dutt / Coming Together
Luckily, there are a number of opportunities to gather with family, friends, and co-workers throughout the year. Whether it's a birthday, anniversary, holiday, team building event or an awards ceremony, it's always fun to come up with an exciting and memorable experience to celebrate. Most of the time these parties and events take place in restaurants, banquet halls, public parks or our homes, but there might be something better the next time you plan a party.
Calling All Artists, Designers and Creators!
by Jason Dirks / Coming Together
We wanted to let all of you know our friends at the One of a Kind Show & Sale Vancouver are back for an exciting third year December 9 - 12, 2010. The early bird deadline is February 3rd and if you apply now you save $75 off your booth fee! Don't miss your opportunity to be a part of the One of a Kind Show & Sale Vancouver at the New Vancouver Convention Centre.
Creative Commons: The What, Why and How
by Courtney Dirks / Coming Together
Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that provides tools (licenses) for people to standardize the way they grant copyright permissions to their work (i.e. images, blogs, videos, etc). Creative Commons allows you to license and publish your work and make people aware of the ways they can use your work. Rather than the standard default of "all rights reserved" for your work, Creative Commons allows you to grant "some rights reserved," where the copyright for your work is still protected, but you can grant permissions for certain uses of your work. Basically, Creative Commons (CC) licensing allows you to share your work for free, but under the parameters you desire.
Creative Children for Charity: Simple Steps To Get Involved
by Ram Dutt / Coming Together
Philanthropy is a state of mind. Do people have to go through an epiphany in their lives to decide to support others in their community…we don’t think so. Today, we want to introduce you to a program started here in the Seattle area called Creative Children for Charity.
Interview with Stil Novo Design
by Courtney Dirks / Coming Together
Today, we have the pleasure of introducing Camilla of Stil Novo Design. We had the good fortune of meeting Stil Novo Design through our Fan Page on Facebook, which goes to show why social media is such a great tool for connecting with others! You get the privilege of meeting amazing people with incredible talents and stories that you may have never come across. You can see by the photos that Stil Novo Design's work speaks for itself, but learning about their name, their history, and the materials they use will impress you even more in our interview here today:
10 Money Saving Tips for Artists
by Ram Dutt / Coming Together
Happy New Year everyone! We hope all of you have rested well over the holidays and are getting ready for an exciting and profitable 2010! With that said, I want to talk a little bit about profitability...the key to survival for any business. There are several ways to be profitable including (but not limited to) increasing the price (or margins) of your products, reducing the quality or time spent producing your products, or reducing the cost of materials used to create your products. The one that is probably the best for your reputation and least likely to affect your customers is to reduce the cost of the materials used to create your products. So, how do you do this? Well, everyone has their own unique tricks and we've got the inside scoop on 10 money saving tips to help you lower your cost of materials.
10 Valuable Resources to Read Over the Holidays
by Ram Dutt / Coming Together
Happy Holidays everyone! I hope you all have had a fantastic 2009, I sure did. This year has been a special one for me, one that has been very rewarding and inspirational. When I look back on 2009 and assess what I did differently than the previous year, one thing that comes to mind is that I made a decision to change the direction of my personal growth. In doing so, I read A LOT of great books and partnered with wonderful people to consciously help creative individuals become more successful and Meylah was the genesis of this commitment.
What Matters Now...
by Ram Dutt / Coming Together
Here at Meylah, we have been blessed with the inspiration of many and today is a great day to hopefully inspire all of you! We are going to take a one day break from our 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway because we are so excited to spread the word about a fabulous and FREE eBook releasing today titled What Matters Now featuring wisdom and insight from over seventy amazing individuals who are changing the world today. Seth Godin (his new book LINCHPIN
6 Basic Principles for Organizing an Art and Craft Event
by Ram Dutt / Coming Together
I know we’ve all been to arts and crafts events, but have you ever organized one? A well organized event leaves a lasting memory and can help build lifetime customers for your business. In the past few weeks, I have attended several art and craft events and some of the best were organized by the artists themselves. The Fall City Stimulus Fair, which we highlighted in November, was one such event and the experience was amazing. The common theme throughout this event was the local community coming together as artists and attendees to share and connect with no pressure to buy or sell. And in fact, it turned out to be one of the most successful events for many of the artists.
Seattle Holiday Art and Craft Event Extravaganza!
by Courtney Dirks / Coming Together
If you love amazing art and handmade crafts, Seattle is the place to be this weekend, December 4-6th! Okay, close your eyes and think of a place to buy wonderful unique holiday gifts while also supporting the local creative community...now, open your eyes and check out these holiday shows this weekend:
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Wrap Up of the Fall City Stimulus Art Fair
by Ram Dutt / Coming Together
“It worked!” “It really helped!” “It was very enjoyable and warm!” These were just some of the comments and thoughts that were shared during the Fall City Stimulus Art Fair event held on November 14th in Fall City.
Giving Thanks and Reaching Out To Your Commmunity
by Courtney Dirks / Coming Together
Earlier this week, my husband reminded me that we should donate to Northwest Harvest, Washington’s statewide hunger relief agency. I had forgotten how far Northwest Harvest is able to stretch a dollar to tackle the fight to eliminate hunger – they can feed a family of three a nutritious meal for only 67 cents! You can’t even buy a pack of gum for that these days, it amazes me! In this down economy, I was so encouraged to read in the Northwest Harvest pamphlet that donations are up over 30% from last year. Way to step it up Washington State, especially during tough times!
The Benefits of Hooking Up With An Online Craft Community Part 2
by Del Sandeen / Coming Together
Support. Friendships. Visibility. Invitations to craft meet-ups.
These are just some of the opportunities that can come from clicking into your online craft niche. Today, I'm picking up where I left off yesterday on the subject of hooking into your online craft community. Even if you're comfortable with the idea of getting involved, you may be wondering, "Where do I start? Who do I talk to first? Do I have to wear a name tag?"
The Benefits of Hooking Up With An Online Craft Community Part 1
by Del Sandeen / Coming Together
One of the best things about being crafty today is that you don't have to craft alone – a subculture of crafters just like you is as close as your computer.
The Fall City Stimulus Art Fair
by Ram Dutt / Coming Together
On November 14, a special event will be taking place at the Miska Studio Gallery. Local artist Miska, a veteran of the Seattle art scene who has been painting since 1995 and showing in galleries since 1997, is organizing the Fall City Artists’ Economic Stimulus Fair. This festival aims to help local artists sell their creativity to the local community and since Meylah has a similar mission, I felt compelled to give you a heads up.