Busy Month Ahead!

April is going to be a great month, I just know it!  First of all, the weather is definitely going to improve soon.  It just has to, doesn’t it?  My mom always told me the best thing about being at the bottom is that you have nowhere to go but up!  That’s definitely the case with the weather right now.  Now that I’m thinking about it, I do wonder why my mom had to tell me that so often?  Hmmmm….

Anywho…on to the other great things that are coming in April….

This week and next, I will be painting the new 25^th anniversary logo on the wall at Ledo’s Pizza  in Crofton.  This is a really fun job for me because I painted the 20^th anniversary logo for them 5 years ago!  Although this is not my first repeat client, it does hold a special place in my heart because it was one of my first jobs when my family moved from New Jersey to Maryland.  I had to re-launch my business then, and working there again this week reminds me of that time.  I am looking forward to painting the 30^th logo and having my children paint the 35^th!

I am also registered for a  ”Website Kickstart” course offered by Tara Gentile which begins on the 11^th.   I have been following her posts for a while and she is an amazing consulting and coaching resource for creative people.  She is going to show me how to integrate my blog with my website and blow the roof off the whole thing!  Look for big changes coming with my site.  I guarantee it will look better, function better and be easier for you to use and “follow me” which is what I know you all want to do.

On the 14^th I will be attending the opening reception for the Anne Arundel County Arts Council 2^nd Annual BWI Exhibit “Natural Wonders”.  My painting, Cypress Creek, will be featured in this exhibit which is on display from now through July.  This is a big thrill for me as it is my first Art Show since my college days.  As some of you know, I have been pretty focused on my murals for the last few years, and only recently started painting on canvas.  This is the first show I have applied for in ages and I’m so excited that my work has been accepted. If you're at the airport, check out the artwork between concourse C&D in Departures. 

To top it all off, we have a big finish planned for the month of April – a trip to Disney!  We took the kids, currently ages 4 & 7, about 18 months ago and we can hardly wait to go back.  It is going to be a blast.  So even if the weather doesn’t improve here in Maryland by then, I’m sure it will be great in Florida!  Of course we're flying out of BWI, so this will give me another chance to visit my painting.

I plan to return fully rejuvenated and ready for May when I put the finishing touches on my new site and gear up for one hot summer!

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Networking for shy people – a case study

Last week I had the chance to attend a great networking event, filled with just the kind of people I need to meet, in a place I need to be.   I haven’t done any networking in quite awhile simply because I have a very limited childcare schedule this year.  And I haven’t missed it.  Not one teensy weensy bit.  You see, I like walking into a sea of strangers just slightly less than I like being chased by rabid dogs, having an appendectomy without anesthesia, or eating pickled chicken feet with wasabi. 

A few days before the event, I stopped by to see my friend Pete Albert, of Pete Albert Photography, in his new studio.  I shared my nervousness with him, and he offered some advice.  Concerned that he was going to tell me to picture everyone in their underwear, I started to protest.  But he assured me his ideas were better than that.

Pete’s idea, in a nutshell, was to have a game plan.  Here is what he offered:

1.        As soon as you walk in, look for the registration table.

2.       After you register, ask where the refreshment table is.

3.       Head to the refreshment table and get yourself a beverage.

4.       Beverage in hand, scan the room.  Find the one person in the room who looks the most uncomfortable.  (Nope!  Can’t choose yourself!) Go and rescue them.  They will be forever grateful.  And you will have gotten your fist connection out of the way.

5.       Your goal should be to make at least 3 new contacts.  (No, the bartender and the restroom attendant do not count, unless that’s actually relevant to your business).

6.       Offer your card, tell people what you do and then ask them questions about themselves.  Listen to the answers.

And one last thing to remember – “The Exit Strategy”.  When it’s time to move on to the next contact, simply say “It was nice meeting you”, then shake hands and go.  (Without mastering this last skill, you might allow that desperate person to monopolize you all night.)

That’s it!  Seems very practical and simple, right?  I decided to try it out.  Armed with my mission, I was almost excited about the event.  Almost.

I walked in, found the registration table, registered.  I could see the refreshment table so no need to ask.  Drink in hand, I scanned the room and found the most desperate looking person.  I approached him, lost my nerve, and kept going.  Seriously?  That was pathetic.  I got a hold of myself, turned back, and introduced myself to Justin.  Turns out that Justin has just graduated from Towson about…oh I don’t know…about five minutes ago…and he barely even knows the name of the company that employs him, let alone what to do at a networking function.  Who was the genius that sent this guy out to represent the company?  I quickly employed the “exit strategy”.

Next up was John.  John was an absolute tank of a man who made me feel like Thumbelina.  His attitude was one of complete disinterest in not only me, but the whole event.  I wondered why he was there.   He talked a lot about himself and to tell you the truth, he was boring as hell.  I was really beginning to dislike him.  But he did have one good idea for promoting my business and a suggestion of someone in the room that he thought I should meet.  So I went off in search of that person.

Before I could find him, I met another artist, who, like me, is recent transplant from New Jersey.  Cha Ching! Jackpot!  Feeling very much in my comfort zone, I could have talked to him all night.  But alas, he told me it was nice to meet me and then he was gone.

Circling back around the room in search of my next victim, I passed John again and he was talking to the very person I wanted to meet.  Not only that, but when he saw me he pulled me in to the conversation, introduced me and pitched the great idea that has the potential to help my business!  And the other guy liked it!  I take back what I said about John.  We need more people like him in the world.

After that, I had nothing left. It takes so much energy to look confident while feel desperate, seem casual while being calculated, feign interest while feeling bored.  I couldn’t take another minute.    Making a bee line for the coat closet, I felt satisfied that I had done what I’d set out to do.  Having a game plan helped me to not only survive the event, but navigate the room with a level of confidence I didn’t have before.  It’s definitely a work in progress, but now I’m actually looking forward to trying this out again!