collaboration

Being self-employed means that most of the time every aspect of the business is in my hands. Right now, I'm working on a new formulation of my business-- I'm trying to come up with a presentation that includes both the photography services I provide and the art of seeing workshops that I want to do more of. I've been nurturing these seeds of change for months now. These are changes that are all "in my hands" but so much feels beyond my reach. So, I've been reaching out...

Yesterday I met with a designer friend to talk about promotional material and our conversation was tremendously helpful in clarifying direction. Collaborating on the design of business cards and brochures brings out my creative energy in a way that just doesn't happen when I'm sitting alone with pen and paper, running ideas around in my head, my thoughts churning around like so much muddy water. When I have to explain and define and re-define the concepts for someone other than my inner critic, the silt settles and the waters run clear. Clearer, anyway.

Tonight I met friends for dinner and I asked them to help me come up with language to describe the workshop side of my business. Again, I had to get out of the muddy water I've been wading in for months. We batted around dozens of phrases. We laughed together, thought together, created and critiqued together and came up with "interactive visual inquiry workshops." It fits. And in the process, I've identified a dozen words to include in the text I use to present the workshops. Collaboration rocks.

I'm thankful for the wisdom that leads me to reach out with hands that would otherwise be grasping at straws. I'm thankful for the times when the confidence I need seems to surge up from some mysterious inner well. I'm thankful for the hands that now feel full and strong, thanks to the beauty of collaboration and the generosity of others.