In the last few years, I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with hundreds of very creative, very brilliant people who find such joy in pursuing their art. But many of these same people find it difficult or impossible to see their art as a business-or, conversely, to make a business of their art. Art, some of them feel, has no place for business. It’s a place for passion and whimsy and discovery; how can business possibly fit in among these things?

Make no mistake: To make a business of your art takes courage; just not for the reasons many creatives think.

You don’t have to objectify or devalue your art in order to think like a businessperson. In fact, it’s quite Read the rest of this entry »

As some of you know, our client, Alesia Shute, was diagnosed with cancer when she was seven years old. At a time when most kids are learning to ride bikes, Alesia was overcoming obstacles that knock adults to their knees. As a child, she survived six major surgeries and several minor ones and endured years of pain and uncertainty. But Alesia didn’t want to tell a story that focused on the pain and struggles of her journey; she wanted to tell a story about overcoming, a story that would inspire other patients and survivors to live openly and joyfully.

Among the amazing things about Alesia is that she is donating 100% of the profits from her book, Everything’s Okay, to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, which is where she was treated as a child. In itself, this is an awesome way to give back, but Alesia wasn’t Read the rest of this entry »