21 minutes well spent

I encourage you to take some time and watch this great little video by Annie Leonard called The Story of Stuff. It really makes you look at what we consume, and personally, it reminds me of the importance of vigilant business practices in my own company. Hope you take the time to watch it.

Values: Customer Service

I've had many people say to me how lucky I am to work for myself. Only the thing is I really don't. I work for my customers, past present and future customers who are or have supported my product. Ribbon Wands makes the first impression all by itself, I'm usually nowhere around the area when they are discovering my product. I want them to know that a real, live, person is at the helm and is there to support, problem solve, and care for their individual needs as my customer. We all hope for smooth sailing and 98% of the time it is, but on those rare occassions when the process needs help, I'm committed to positive and effective resolutions.

~ Nikki Workman
Owner and Wand Maker @ Ribbon Wands

New Wand and New Photo Practice

The Boo Boo Wand was listed today. It's sooo cute, and the name cracks me up.

I've started linking to my etsy shop on my photos. This is a system I recommend to anyone using etsy or any other online shop to sell your wares. Image searches on google have lead me to my wands on some blogs but there is no mention of me or how to purchase. This takes care of those folks that like to save images to their computer and ensures the photo can be linked to it's original source. I realize it can be undone, but it's a timely process and hopefully not worth it in the end.

A thought for Monday

My husband knocked one out of the park this Christmas when he bought me the book, Thinkertoys by Michael Michalko. I wanted to share a snippet of this book that I found incredibly wise and inspiring:

We do not chose to be born. We do not choose our parents. We do not choose our historical epoch, or the country of our birth , or the immediate circumstances of our upbringings. We do not, most of us, choose to die; nor do we choose the time or conditions of our death. But within this realm of choicelessness, we so choose how we shall live: with purpose or adrift, with joy or with joylessness, with hope or with despair, with humor or with sadness, with a positive outlook or a negative outlook, with pride or with shame, with inspiration or with defeat, and with honor or with dishonor. We decide what makes us significant or insignificant. We decide to be creative or to be indifferent. No matter how indifferent the universe may be to our choices and decisions, these choices and decisions are ours to make. We decide. We choose. In the end, our own creativity is decided by what we choose to do or what we refuse to do. And as we decide to choose, so are our destinies formed. - taken from the preface of the 2nd Edition of Thinkertoys by Michael Michalko.

Have you chosen creativity? Are you personally struggling with indifference or are those around you indifferent to your creative journey? Sometimes I think we put too much stock in the opinion of others. Especially when the opinion of others is often coming from individuals who mock creativity or have given up on their own dreams and have unknowingly become dream killers. Choose creativity and don't let go...it IS significant and it does matter.