Networking

It's no secret that a good network is instrumental in the success of a small business and if I were to expand my own personal network as well as my own networking skills, success would come swifter. There is no shortage of networking opportunities available and it's simply a matter of deciding which ones are worth the investment. My services are caricatures for events, web content, humorous illustrations, art instruction, writing, merchandising and more. Surely, with all that I can do some rather productive networking for meeting the needs of other business.

 

I'm Not a Procrastinator. I'm Not, I'm Not, I'm Not.

I try not to procrastinate but that which I resist will persist. So goes the quote by "no one knows".  The more I try not to procrastinate, it seems the more procrastination I do. There's no secret to the cure. Just a series of marginal changes; habit development.

Procrastination itself is a habit and in my particular life it may have developed from childhood. Many of the habits I acquired then, are holdovers as an adult which doesn't bide well with my vision of success. 

"Just start it" is the mantra which seems the more helpful.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Last week I did a gig at the Astros Fan Fest which took place inside Minute Maid Park and this week I was outside the park doing the Astros home opener Street Fest. The fact is, since I've broken my arm and have been unable to work at my window cleaning job and focusing full time on drawing, I've actually been doing quite well. Not only have I had more drawing opportunities but my drawing is improving, little by little. Covid couldn't do it. Positive thinking alone couldn't do it. Trying harder couldn't do it but a broken arm is doing it. 

 

A Thousand Mile trip Begins With One Screw Up

Process is defined in Webster's dictionary as "a natural phenomenon marked by gradual changes that lead toward a particular result".  Another way of saying it is that it's an aggregation of marginal gains which I'll discuss another day.

W. Edwards Deming was an American engineer, statistician, professor, author, lecturer and management consultant who was instrumental in the study of the Japanese post-war economic miracle which in itself is a terrific story not to be covered here but suffice it to say that in the 60's and 70's, Japanese cars were preferred over American cars in the United States allowing Japan to emerge from the ashes of war to the worlds second biggest economy. Deming contributed to the miracle and instilled the same philosophy in American car manufacturing.

Deming said: "If you can't describe what you're doing as a process, you don't know what you're doing." 

I've made no secret of the fact that because of a recent injury I've suffered my entire vocational landscape has changed. Unable to perform at what I was doing, my focus has now shifted to what is available for me to do which, ironically, is what I'm more adept at doing and is something I've been eager to do for many years. However, to make it a truly successful endeavor that I can rely on for many years to come I need to take Mr. Deming's philosophy to heart and take it very seriously otherwise my newest undertaking will end up an exercise in frustration as was my previous enterprise.