leather boxing gloves
badminton birdies
dollar-pine brushes
pup oil cans, and
googly eyes.
My sweet friend Chris Green made this pair of kiwis (and dozens of other Noah’s Ark animals) for a commission by the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles a few years ago. This summer as I’ve been settling into my new studio, going on research + buying trips, designing products and looking for retail space, a picture of these little kiwis hangs above my desk. They’ve been my compass, a true north of sorts.
They remind me to stay agile, creative, quirky and resourceful.
Right about now I want to put them in a tea bag and sip kiwi puppet tea so their unlikely triumph becomes a part of me. Ha! I’m revisiting my business plan - a standard format which hasn’t ever been terrifically helpful. These kiwis are giving me the good courage to toss the bp in favor of what has always worked best for me - a detailed mindmap + budget.
Another good bit of courage comes from Ari Weinzweig’s book A Lapsed Anarchist’s Approach to Building a Great Business. Ari has been looking at my drafts of a vision statement (he doesn’t do business plans but does successful businesses - nine and counting).
Thank goodness for puppeteers and lapsed anarchists.
