In Business pt 2

 

logo

Yesterday I mentioned one (generally misunderstood) aspect of being in business.  Another is your business 'identity'.

This morning I saw an article about how our brains 'see' symbols more quickly than words.  And why businesses generally have a 'logo' - a symbol that people can use to quickly identify a business.

Like the Nike swoop, the golden arches, etc.

When I started out I had an artist draw me a symbol but it really wasn't appropriate, nor was my first business 'name'.

Web Wizard.

A great pun.  But unless you were 'in the know' it was pretty useless.  Of course with the rise of the internet and the absorption of so many textile terms into computer language, it would have been impossible.

However, I quickly realized that it was inappropriate and changed it to Laura Fry Weaving Studio.  The first 'proper' logo was designed by me, and while it wasn't anything special, it worked.

However, when I had to re-tool my whole business, I asked another artist to design me a butterfly that I could use.  So my new logo and business name changed.  With more computer use I was able to design myself a letterhead, which I used for years (still do when I need to write a proper letter) and a local printer made business cards and hang tags.  Those were edited when I 'retired'.  

I have kept my website because it's an easy way for people to find me if they are looking for me, and there is a contact form which will send emails to me.  I got my website in the late 1990s when the internet was primarily educational and only after I retired did I do a major re-working of my site.  Because I'm not dead (yet), just not in 'business'.

That doesn't mean I don't want an income; it means I no longer apply for or submit things like sales taxes.  I DO still claim the minor 'income' I make as self-generated income on my income tax returns.  

Over the years since officially retiring I have been whittling away at income generating activities, but I *still* have inventory to be sold and I still teach.  

And I still expect to get paid for those activities.

I know.  Shocking, isn't it?

I mean, even in 1975 it was unheard of for anyone to actually earn an income from weaving.  Oh, there were a few, sprinkled here and there, but when I listed my occupation as 'weaver' for the local directory, I found myself listed with Weaver as my surname.  Because no one in the late 1970s was actually a weaver anymore, amirite?

The general public expected someone like me to be independently wealthy and weave as a hobby.  Sort of like farmer's wives selling eggs for 'pin money'.  I guess.

After 20 years of being a weaver, selling my textiles at the local craft fair I started getting 'ladies who lunch' coming by, seeing me in my booth, doing a double take and saying something like "OH!  You're still weaving!"  "Yes, I am" with a smile because yes, I was still weaving.  Then they would get a pensive look on their face and muse "Oh well, I guess you need something to keep you busy."

At which point I would mutter something to the effect that yes, I was keeping busy and turn away before the expression on my face could betray my actual thoughts.

I've had people work as my studio assistants be told by their family members that they needed to get a 'real' job instead of working for me.  As if the money I paid them wasn't real.

Choosing to weave as my career was partly an act of rebellion on my part.  I wanted to do something where I set the goals and deadlines and had creativity as a large component of what I did on a daily basis.  It turned into so much more and brought me experiences and people I never expected.

And while I have some regrets - usually about things I didn't do - I look back on these nearly 5 decades and realize that I made the correct choice all those years ago.  And I am eternally grateful that I took that leap into the unknown.

But as a career path in the 21st century?  Not sure I would recommend it as someone's sole income.  But mine was multi-layered - weaving, yes, but also teaching and writing.  I even took part time jobs when finances got really tight.  I hated every minute of those jobs, so I would return to weaving more determined than ever to keep weaving as my major income.  

But it was not easy.  And it was never a 'hobby'.