When you start your own creative business . . . you know, if you’ve happen to dilly-dally in my upcoming e-books and/or e-course.

I’ve mentioned this bid-ness here & there & I’m sure you’re all wondering what in the hell I’m talking about because . . . well frankly there’s nothing to show for my efforts . . . & I don’t post anymore & it seems as though I’ve disappeared from the face of the Earth. I no longer cook & my children are starving, save for the cookie dough & fresh whipped crème in the fridge.

I am just doing this all for you, you see, so you have an example of what not to do, when you’re looking to me for advice. I swear I am the example for “careful what you ask for because you’ll get it”. In this case, all the things I have been wishing for & wanting all happened at once & also . . .

In addition to my usual life demands (that’s going pretty well I think), there have been loads of sick animals that require surgery (& Holy crapola; why is it like $600 every time I take the pets to the vet), & the holidays, you know the holidays, & oh & the wedding I’m in & the bridal shower I’m planning (Mad Hatter Themed – so fun!) & the conference I can’t wait to attend (Are you going perhaps?).

Basically I’m apologizing. I’m sorry.

Today at Starbucks (I swear I buy enough coffee to pay rent for another office), I was putting together the AWESOMENESS that will become my e-books/e-courses that should be out sometime in the near future (before summer 2013 I reckon). 

The e-books . . . well they are for the Creative peoples. You know who you are: artists, foodies, musicians, writers, photographers, designers, & anybody who uses even a smidgen of the right side of your brain. That’s the creative side.

If you are one of these peeps; & you have a dream that you want to fulfill via “working for yourself & starting your own bid-ness”. I want to help. I want to help you start your creative business. From the very bottom of my heart. I do. I do.

The most important part of that whole dealio is assembling some sort of plan for said business. [I hesitate to say “business plan” because I know that scares people; especially those “Creatives”; the fun & quirky right brained folks who hate math & planning.]

Quite honestly, the first thing I learned about business in the “real world” is that you have to have a plan, regardless of what type of brain you’ve got in that noggin. Plans are importante; you know, to make sure you actually reach the goals you are lusting after; whether they be to say “hasta luego” to that 9-5, or to have your book published, or your art licensed. You need a plan. All those things you need to do to reach those goals; well I’ll help you with that. & Boy have I got some goodies for you, you’ll just have to pop in & pick up what I’m laying down. You dig?

Seeing that I have been schooled in economics business MBA in left-brained thought and I have had peeps paying me pretty good cash for a little over a decade to put “plans” together for them, you know the people on the Fortune 50 list, the people who make lots & lots of money.

I’ve decided, I’m tired of making money for big companies & over the past few years I’ve stepped back & moved out of the “corporate world” into “small business” & have love love LOVED it.

I want to help the people who are BRAVE enough to put their hearts OUT THERE & live their full POTENTIAL. Because that is a really really big deal & we have to stick together, you know.  

I’m actually split brained; 55% left (logical) & 45% right (creative) –That explains a lot doesn’t it?

Back in the day, when I was rockin’ the brace-face & bike shorts, my artist medium of choice was oil pastels. I was pretty good at it too if I say so myself.  I have since moved onto acrylics & mixed media. AND of course there’s also my obsession/s with ANY type of design, photography, writing, cooking. Unfortunately I’m not coordinated enough to play an instrument or I’d probably be into that too.

I’m an artist. I’m a planner. I am going to be your new best friend if this is what you’re into.

But remember . . . when you’re skipping through that segment on Marketing Getting the Attention You Deserve, & it may or may not mention updating your website & blogging regularly (if you have a blog), & posting on twitter & facebook or whatever your social media weapon of choice is, remember the past few months I have been totally acting as an example of what NOT to do, totally on purpose I swear. ;)

Aren’t you glad?

Oh & one more thing . . . Because I’m so nice (don’t you know it) I want to give you a little early holiday present; i.e. whopping discount on my e-books. To do so you’ll need to shoot me your info with the subject “Gimee Gimee” at umami@livingwithumami.com .

I am spending literally every spare second I have putting these “little packages of creative bid-ness love” together. & throwing in fun little tid-bits & professional pointers & links & freebies & templates oh my. And you, yes you, will become a creative business ninja. Swear.

Oh & you’ll be hearing more from me . . .

Stay tuned to hear about how we almost died getting this year’s Christmas Tree & how I need to stop saying words I should not say because little ears can hear (& mouths repeat & tend to embarass), & all about how my son insists on wearing his underwears backwards so he can see the fancy super-hero prints designed for the bottom & makes for a cute little Brazilian-style tushy.

I’ve missed you so. Have you missed me?

Smooches!

xoxo

Meow Kitty. Meow So Pretty. Meow Said the Kitty when the cat came back . . .

Pink Grandma used to sing this when I was a little girl, mostly when we were petting “kit-kat”. She shared my love for felines! Did you know this was a song about a cat they were trying to get rid of? Like seriously mame & destroy the poor kitty? Why am I talking about cats?

Yesterday I mentioned the day I took Cole to work & after a few hours we came home . . .well with all the hulla-ba-loo I left the door between the house & garage open. Sneaky Mister Sneakerson (aka Aspen) got out before I realized my fault. In fact it was a while, a long long long while, badkittymomma.

Because about 18 EIGHTEEN 18 hours later I was getting ready to crank through some craziness at work & something told me to check our home email. I didn’t have time to check my email, I was busy, I didn’t need the distraction.

Thank goodness I did . . . Oh my H-e-double-hockey sticks. The email right at the top was a blanket email from my Homeowners Association titled: “Found: Lost Cat”. Wow “Poor kitty”.

We’ve lost our kitty before (Aspen!!!) & I remember how it felt to have my heart ripped out not knowing where he was, wondering if he would get hit by a car or eaten by some wolf that wandered down from the foothills into suburbia just to snack on our kitty.

I thought ”. DeMille sounds familiar . . .

She, hmm -Mia was asleep when I left this morning . . .

That sucks the micro chip doesn’t work . . .

beautiful pet . . . MY GAWD! THAT”S ASPEN!

I hadn’t seen Aspen all night & he’s persistent (read: annoying) at making his presence known. He loves to curl in my lap anytime every single time I sit down (even when I push him off over & over & OVER) & he usually does a pretty loud howl to his “ladies” outside in the foyer before we all go to bed, when he gets all “crazy kitty” on us & thumps across the top floor.

I called Eric & we were in the car on the way to the shelter before I could think. DId I mention I didn’t have time to open my email, let alone drive downtown to see if some cat they found belonged to me.

Eric had said the shelter couldn’t find a record of him & I began to silently “freak out”.

Aspen was our first baby. How could they not know where our kitty was? HOW COULD WE NOT KNOW WHERE OUR KITTY WAS???? He’s so “handsome” & sweet. I’m sure they would remember him if he was checked in. @#%#!

I looked at Eric & asked “What if we lost him? What will we do??? We walked into the shelter an hour before opening. I scanned the glass looking for our sweet boy. I knew he’d be restless & irritated that he wasn’t getting affection. He wasn’t there.

We walked through room after room after room after room & he wasn’t there.

We searched through kennels packing the hallways & he wasn’t there.

They were filled with kittens & kittens & kitties & kitties. I had no idea how packed our shelter was, literally lining the walls with kitties.

The room in the farthest corner in the only kennel facing away (the last possible place he could be) was Aspen; batting at the kennel lock in kitty jail.

The thing about Aspen & what makes him such a great kitty is that he loves everyone. He turns cat-haters into Aspen-lovers. We always hear, “I hate cats, but this one is really really cool”. He’s pictured in facebook photo albums all over the internet, climbing shoulders, grooming people’s hair, & leaping into their arms. Aspen is not only pretty handsome, he’s famous!

We adopted Aspen from the pound in LA (which is why his HOLLYWOOD micro-chip didn’t work – LA just HAS to be different). I still remember him trying to escape from his crate on our way home, his wet nose poking through the air holes. He was 9 months old & had just been to the vet to get his man-parts chopped, so we knew he had an owner.

Thankfully we were able to make him ours. 10 years later we are still trying to keep it that way. We paid for his “release” & donated every bit of cash we had in our pockets.

I also tried to convince Eric to take home a few more fur-babies, but he just ignored me.

And the cat came back the very next day, yes the cat came back, because HE couldn’t stay away. . .