To the Next Level..


“Good Things Come to Those Who Hustle”- unknown
In my last post I spoke about 2012 being the year like never before and brainstorming on the action that is going to have to take place for that to happen. I am determined to have my year hold true to this and build my CREATIVE EMPIRE!
So what ideas have I come up with to make this happen? Well oddly enough in my personal brainstorming discovery session, I realized I have to DO THE WORK PERIOD. Its not rocket science but when life happens and you have your hand in a lot of pots it is difficult to make sure everything you want to achieve.
So I have devised a plan of what I am going to do to take things to the next level. If you read business blogs then none of these “actions” are new but they will become active in my life as its time to step it up a notch or two or three LOL
My plan:
I’m picking 2 personal projects and working them until completion.-Thanks so much to Kesha Bruce and her master plan consulting on this one. I was able to tell her everything that I was working on and we chopped it down to small goals that will all lead up to the bigger picture. Much like what I do for the students that I work with but its totally different when its my own art, as my friend Lynn Renee once told me “its easier to tell someone things you should be doing yourself” that is so true. I need my own accountability partner.
I’m starting an emergency fund! - I have always invested my money, but it has been random, and without reason! I was like hmm I like Science and Technology so let me send some money off to invest in that. I didn’t really have a plan. Back at the beginning of winter I signed up for Dave Ramsey’s Financial PeaceUniversity at my church and it was awesome! So this year I have began to start saving for my emergency fund, and please join me in praying that once its completely funded that I don’t have to ever access it LOL
I have an unofficial advisory board- Birds of a feather stick together right? I am pretty lucky to have friends and colleagues whose grind is just as hard if not harder than mine to bounce ideas off of, but this time around and on a more consistent approach Im going to set up meeting with folks who I think are at top level (def more top level than I am) to check in with to get an outside perspective and make sure that I am staying on the right track! Basically this is a group of people that I don’t go out dancing with over the weekends, and thinking of fake names to give to the random man who has somehow managed to dance with me for about 3 songs, and now has me tied up in the corner professing his love for me. (Although everyone is invited to come!)

I think that’s a great start! What things do you have in mind to take you to the 2012 !

New Year ! New Words! My 3 Words for 2012

Happy New Year! 2012 Can you believe it! I hope you were able to bring in the New Year safely with a bang. I kept my New Year pretty low key attending church with my girlfriends Niehla and Teslyn, and watching fireworks at Navy Pier with the fella. The pastor shared that 2012 is THE YEAR OF NEVER BEFORE! That really energized me! I’m looking forward to seeing what 2012 will bring for my family, friends, and me and my business.
I spent this week doing a lot of goal setting for myself thinking about what I would like to accomplish and just like every other person that is blogging I too would like to share my goals here.
I am keeping up with my new tradition of selecting 3 words for the year, a idea I adopted from marketing/media man Chris Brogan. I still have goals and I have even stolen other goals (Heather over at Habitually Chic, has a resolution, I mean goal to wake up earlier that’s a really good one!) But the 3 words I feel throws all those goals and projects into one of the three words.. So lets get into it. Here they are and if you have 3 words for 2012 feel free to share them in the comments:

Stephanie's 3 Words for 2012:
Risk: I really want to step out of the box this year, changing up my hair, trying a new marketing plan, working on new projects and just all around make myself more vulnerable to my art and more open to sharing what I am working on. If I am feeling uncomfortable about going a certain direction that’s probably exactly what I should be doing.

Complete: This is so simple here, I just want to finish what I start. I have a lot of things on my plate and I am not complaining here. It’s crazy how the things that I want to happen in my life actually happen and being very busy, having lots going on is exactly what I want.  Thanks to artist consultant Kesha Bruce I have selected two personal projects that I am going to take on this year and complete and I am really looking forward to them. I should really blog about my experience with Kesha she is all that and a bag of chips and I would encourage all creative folks to sign up for her blog. I’m eager for movement in 2012

Discipline: From losing 50 lbs (already down 15 by the way) to saving for my emergency fund and living on a … BUDGET to returning emails in a timely matter and visiting my godson and cousins twice a month, there are  set of things that I need to complete on a daily basis and I just need to get them done. I thought that discipline and complete could be almost the same thing but I am going to keep them separate because Discipline will keep me moving forward and compete is , well completing whatever the task at hand is.

So there we have it Stephanie’s 2012 Goals in 3 Words, so just wish me luck because now I have to COMPLETE all that I have said in this goal. LOL

Share your goals or words with me in the comments.

Thanks for reading and enjoy your day


Stephanie Graham, Studio Blog. All rights reserved. © Maira Gall.