Wake UP. Kick Ass. Be Kind. Repeat – Excellent reminder to work at your best!

 

This is one of my favourite prints!

Learning to Work in an Open Environment

For those who know me very well, I’m a extremely introverted person..  I try to portray a friendly open extrovert at work but for the most part, I rather just go to work, do the job and go home to my family.  

I work at a 3rd Tier Electronics Company Manufacturer and the culture style is an open environment.  The primary purpose of offices who adopt an open environment workspace is to make is easy for team members to have open communication and easy collaboration of ideas.  This isn’t for everyone.  There are more distractions, noisy and more transparency between colleagues.  However despite the potential drawbacks, it’s an environment that works for my company and most of us thrive in this culture.

As a introvert, I had to adapt and developed a few things that helped me focus at the tasks on hand

Develop a ‘Invisible Wall’

People chat more in a open environment and often a lot longer then talking about the weather.  To get out of these conversations, these often work:

• Wearing headphones
• Put up a sign
• Block it out on your calendar (to avoid people booking your time)
• If you use intercompany communicator – set yourself as ‘busy’
• Close your email software – if it’s an emergency, they’ll find you

Step Away from the Desk

None of us are chained at our desks.  For more in-depth conversation with details that shouldn’t be shared, have it at a coffee shop or a spare meeting room.  Sometimes I borrow a company laptop and I work in spare room from time to time.

Personalize Your Work Space

Since we are at work 30% of the time 5 days a week, it’s natural to want to enjoy our space.  Bring a plant, small aquarium, pictures or decorations, things that that are acceptable for your company.

For me, I have a Lego mini-figure collection based on the Marvell super heroes.  Yes, I do play with them

Work During Quieter Times

Adjust your hours when it’s more quiet, maybe earlier before most people arrive or later when most people left for the day.  This ensures interruption time to focus on your projects.  Or once in a while and if you have work that flexible enough, work from home.

I’ve Never Met a Hater Doing Better Then You

When I first started my adventure with Cindy Ho Designs, it wasn’t an easy start.  Many hours designing and perfecting my work on top of setting up my shop on Etsy.  All the while, having others diminish my goals, dreams and classifying my work as a hobby shop.  In their mind, I started this business because I became a mom and started to make crappy craft stuff for a little extra pocket money. 

They got in my head in the beginning.  Today I’ve evolved and now dismiss my haters.   I have more supporters who love what I do.  My first supporters actually are my Creation family! (my day job)  May of my co-workers follow me on Instagram and asked me to make custom cards after posting some on a whim.   My biggest supporter who really helped me hold it together is my wonderful husband.  Couldn’t do it without him.

Importance of Branding

I was working through some ideas to find that signature item that would help define my store.  I’m find inspiration from two great print makers followed on Instagram, Read Between the Lines and Hello Tosha.  I see both these prints regularly on Instagram from their fans or other websites I might stumble upon

You are My Bucket List – Read Between the Lines

Pineapple of My Eye – Hello Tosha

Haven’t found my signature item just yet but it got me thinking about important branding is for any business.

I know someone who worked as a buyer for Starbucks.  He once had the supplier who couldn’t deliver shipments of the signature green straws.   To drive home the importance of this position.  He was responsible for consumable materials (which includes straws) for all of North America for Starbucks.   You would think, well if they ran out, they could just use any other brand right?   Nope. 

That issue actually caused ripples of controlled panic. 

There was no way they would allow their stores to run out of green straws.  Why?  It’s part of their branding.  All brand name products, you expect consistency.  If it makes you feel good, you want to repeat that experience over.  Every little thing of that last moment you enjoyed; it’s important for you to have it again.  Even something as different as drinking from a different straw changes that experience.

Yep, brand association.  There’s a lot of people who glimpse the green straw and think, “Mmm…I could go for a Frappuccino”.  If a store when with a white straw or something that is just a different shade of green, that “Mmm” moment may not happen.

You might be thinking:

Really, that’s just silly, how can anyone be so silly as to reject a drink due to drinking straw?

My sister-in-law works in the downtown core in a law firm.  The hustle and bustle of high end shops and career driven corporate executives.  She told me many people, including the lawyers she work for who view having a Starbucks every day, twice (or more) a day.  Some even brand them as a status symbols.  I get it.  If you pay $7.00 for a coffee twice a day 5 days a week, that’s $3640.  If I was CEO of Starbucks, I want to make sure they have the same satisfying experience every drink my customer has.  If those green straws are part of that encourage to buy the afternoon treat, my stores better of them well stocked.

Happy Canada Day 2014

Canada Gold Foil Print

Inspiration for my Foil Prints

If you have been following my Instagram feed, you’ve seen me posting my recent foil print illustrations and quotes.  I recently been asked where I’ve drawn inspiration.  Actually, the first print was really something I needed to gain some experience in foil printing.  Something that had a large surface area to ensure I can get a clean print.  I took a random quote I try to live by, more with my children in mind:

“I want to inspire people.  I want someone to look at me and say ‘because of you, I didn’t give up’

I actually printed many variations to test out different foil colours.  So many, I posted on my Etsy store.  Imagine my surprise that it’s become a popular seller!

The first inspired print was really from a rough period during my day job.  My co-workers and I were so stressed that we had to break tension by sending each other funny quotes, pictures and emails.  Some days, we just wanted to ‘give up’.  Instead I made these for each of my work friends:

A quote from Robert Downey Jr.:

“Listen, smile, agree.  and then do whatever the $%#@ you were going to do anyway”

My co-worker showed that to me on a email quip from her friend and I thought, PERFECT. 

So inspiration for me is situational.  With a full time job and a full time mom, trying to squeeze anything creative for Cindy Ho Designs has been tough.  Most of my art comes from all around me.