My Summer Book Report

I posted, oh, 2 months ago, about an impromptu visit to a Borders and the craft biz books I bought.  I also probably warned you that I am horrible about finishing non-fiction books, but I did actually finish one - Craft Inc - Turn Your Creative Hobby Into a Business by Meg Mateo Ilasco.  A couple things I liked right off:  It's a purse sized book, it's made with luscious paper, and the graphic design is beautiful.  The book was also sprinkled with interviews of successful craft based business owners that covered the spectrum from a single mom that started selling her crocheted scarves to make some extra money for her family (Sunshine Scarves - very cool pictures!) to a struggling potter who grew his business into a "design empire" (Jonathan Adler).  I really LOVE personal stories - makes it seem less text book-y.

This book was the kind of read where I filled the inside front cover with a to do list as I read through the chapters, but I especially liked the very beginning.  Meg started with a couple pages on what she calls, "Creative Mythology," which speaks to the thoughts you have that are keeping you from launching a creative, crafty business:

1.  To be an artist you have to have a background in fine arts or design.
2.  I'm too old to tap into my creativity and start my own creative business.
3.  All the creative ideas have already been done.
4.  You need to quit your full time job to make time for your craft.
5.  You need to wait for the right time to start your creative business.

Have any of you had those thoughts?  I know I have!  So with that bit of "You CAN do it" confidence and a "Hey, this book is for ME" I finished it full of ideas for how to do what I am doing now better and where I can take my dream business.  And that was a run-on sentance worthy of Juls. :-)