doodle bags and more...

i first introduced my Doodle Bags in 2007...the line has expanded to include shoes, jewelry, books and notepads, and much more. My doodling has taken on different forms through the years too and now includes what i affectionately call "zen doodling." my book "Doodle Bags" will be out soon...

below are some examples of the collection...each bag is named and dated...

the canvas as painted

a commissioned bag with owners face

Please visit Cre8tive Compass Magazine, Blog and Radio Show 1 Artistically Speaking and Radio Show 2 Fiber Arts & Mixed Media ...showing artisans the way to make a living doing what they love!!!

Grab my new button please...i heart you!!!

taking wing...soaring

this week i started taking flying lessons...no, not those normal one involving aircraft, control panels, maps, auto pilot and fuel...special flying lessons of the sort where i am learning to soar...my heart open and my own uniqueness on display...

let me back up for a minute...i suppose that this could very well involve aircraft, control panels, maps, auto pilot and fuel...for who but myself is at the controls of my life and business? who but i charts the course of my daily life and business? who but the world around me fuels my creativity?

you may believe that i already know how to fly...and, at times, i may even have reached my dreams here in Cre8Topia...but one can always dream bigger...right?

so i find myself heading into the wind with hundreds of other would-be flyers...here...with kelly rae roberts as flying instructor extraordinaire...

Cre8Tiva & i will be sharing our experiences as i go through flight school the next 5 weeks...my expectations are really big:

1. increase awareness of Cre8tive Compass Magazine, Blog & Radio Show 1 & 2
2. learn to monetize my blog & etsy
3. establish new and meaningful connections

all photos by Rebecca E. Parsons taken on Amelia Island, FL

Do You Know What I Do???

Well do you??? If you have been reading my blog for a while you should know...unless I have not been so good about telling you about my Cre8Tive Businesses...after all I am a Cre8Tive Entrepreneur....

========================================

Do your readers know about your home business?

adapted from quiz by naomi dunford @ itty biz

Here's the game and challenge...answer the following in a blog post...Just Do It...NOW!!!! Don't forget to leave a comment with a link back to your answers!!!

1. What’s your game? What do you do?
2. Why do you do it? Do you love it, or do you just have one of those knacks?
3. Who are your customers? What kind of people would need or want what you offer?
4. What’s your marketing USP? Why should I buy from you instead of the others?
5. What’s next for you? What’s the big plan?
   

So here are my answers....let me know if you knew what I do...I will be most interested in the answer and to find out what you do...

What’s Cre8Tiva/Rebecca's game? (btw - these are my elevator speeches)

Cre8Tiva
I’m a midwife for small, sole-proprietor creative entrepreneurs. I help them birth their business idea all the way from dream through success. 

Rebecca
As a designer and wordsmith...I design and develop innovative business communication (print and web) to help creative entrepreneurs find ways to double their income and have fun doing what they love.  

What do I do?

As a creative entrepreneur, I understand the needs of the small creative business. Together we create an inspired, inventive, original, and clever action plan tailored to those specific needs. Then we walk your action plan together...with me as the companion, cheerleader and tough love advisor.

We develop your brand identity by creating the right marketing materials, with the right words to attract the right clients, achieve your business dreams and ensure your business gets noticed, sounds good and sells more. We specialize in the creation of an appealing image with compelling content that will articulate your vision and engage your audience.

Your package is customized to fit your budget and needs. Everything is possible: from website and/or blog design and content development, brand identity to collateral pieces, newsletter creation to video production. 

Why do I do it? 

I have a passion to succeed and to help others succeed doing what they love. My motto is...it is no harder to do what you love than to do what you don't... I have one life purpose...to empower you to do what you love for the rest of your life. I have been on a blessed journey for over 35 years, learning much along the way. I love to share that creative business knowledge with you on your journey to self-employment.

Who are my customers? What kind of people would need or want what I offer?

Our customers simply want to do what they love and earn a living doing it. 

Artisans and craftspeople, from any discipline, can create all day but usually have trouble selling themselves and the work of their hands. We can change that.

What’s my marketing USP (Unique Selling Proposition)? Why should you buy from me instead of the other firms?

As a boutique design firm, REP Studios, Inc. brings expertise instead of process, ways of thinking instead of methodologies. We are willing to push the envelope creatively. Our team possesses specialized design, writing, and branding skills and has a lot of experience as a small, sole-proprietor creative entrepreneurs.

Rebecca, a 35-year professional artist and business owner, leads the way with specific expertise as a veteran creative entrepreneur. This speciality knowledge brings more credibility to the table—as creative business success is our chief focus.

There are many advantages to working with a boutique firm: A more intimate connection with the designer and a designer who picks up her own phone. Your experience will be more personal and satisfying.

What do you need from your design service provider? Do you need to fix a problem; create a brand, or publish a book? Our mission and our legacy is to help shape your aspirations into a profit-making business.

Are you looking for a long-term, strategic partnership or are you looking for someone to build a working prototype and bill you for it? REP Studios offer both.

What’s next for Cre8Tiva and Rebecca?

1. Sell my art on Etsy
2. New websites up and running - U Be Creative and Art as Prayer
   
3. Tutorial and workshop videos
4. eBooks...I have written several books, thousands of articles, and millions of words in my lifetime. Convert them to e-books
   
5. Continue developing the Cre8Tiva brand

What’s the big plan?

Keep on doing what I love and helping you do it too! Launch The Artist as a Spiritual Traveler.

This was a great exercise for me today...it helped me clarify and quantify some business plans. I have been doing a SWOT Analysis...a strategic planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business venture. It involves specifying the objective and identifying the internal and external factors that are favourable and unfavourable to achieving that objective. The technique is credited to Albert Humphrey, who led a research project at Stanford University in the 1960s and 1970s using data from Fortune 500 companies. I will show what I did in my next post...

please take a moment to become a fan of my blog if you like what you see..click at the top of the right column...have a gr8 weekend

greatest treasures...

these are some of the gifts i made for my dear ones this year...

"the greatest treasure" 2008 acrylic on canvas

to matthew and carrie



"find the seed" 2008 acrylic on canvas
to michael and meghan

"fly" 2007 acrylic and polymer clay on canvas
to my dear friends john and mary

pink and orange purse knitted from strips of cotton fabric 

to casey

prints will be available on etsy soon...

it's my birthday...

this was dawn at the beach at 6:30 AM this morning...enjoy...

i love to go down to the sea in the pre-dawn hours and wait for the sun to rise...it is a time to pray and a time to heal for me...i am most centered when i am here...

these photos and other just like them will be available for purchase on my etsy shop....