Have you ever done an all-nighter?
I know, silly question. You’re running a business… of course, you have!
I might have started a bit young tho 😬
I pulled my first all-nighter at a mere four years old. Yes, you heard that right, four!
Here’s the scoop from my 4-year-old perspective:
I was in kindergarten and tasked with bringing 100 items to class. Now, connecting the dots between homework and purpose was a bit tricky for me back then.
But what I knew for sure was that anything handmade held a unique charm, thanks to my dad’s masterful creations as an artist and carpenter.
He’d surprise us with these incredible handmade gifts – intricate shelves painted with our favorite animal, ingenious lap desks, the coolest “message in a bottle” – you name it. And it all had an impact on little me.
So, as I pondered my homework, I hatched a plan. Why not create 100 handmade hearts? Sounds like a piece of cake, right? 😅
Once home, I excitedly declared to my mom that I needed to make 100 hearts before the next day and headed to our garage for my project.
But goodness, the garage was frigid! Why on earth did creativity have to be so chilly?
Undeterred, I got to work and devised a plan of action:
Step 1: Create a heart-shaped “pattern”
Step 2: Trace said pattern on the thick watercolor paper
Step 3: Cut out the heart
Step 4: Decorate the hearts
Step 5: Repeat 100 times
Armed with my dad’s snazzy watercolor paper (did I steal it!?), I eagerly tackled the project, equipped with a pair of kid-style scissors (you know, the not-so-sharp kind).
Oh, the struggle was real!
Those little hands wrestled with the thick paper and dull scissors. But, hey, no pain, no gain, right?
Step by step, I traced, cut, and colored.
Somewhere around heart #50, I noticed a glaring truth – my hearts were all sorts of wonky, and it felt devastating to my efforts. It turns out folding paper for symmetry in step #1 was a vital step I missed. Oops!
(Remember that I was flying solo back in those pre-internet days!)
But, hey, I embraced those quirky hearts, shrugging off my mind chatter about their lack of symmetry. Even at four, I was developing a design aesthetic! 😆
Why hearts, you ask?
Well, at that age, I insisted on signing my name as "Adele ❤." No idea where that came from, but I was adamant about it. It was my favorite shape after all!
Now, fast forward through hours of colorful creativity (and probably some funky dance moves)...
I can't recall what I wore, ate, or did during those hours (did I even have socks on!?).
But, I can vividly recall the joy of CREATING. It's when my inner designer officially awakened, quirks and all.
Here's the thing – creating has always been my jam.
And that night, amidst my adventurous mishap with homework, a seed was planted. A seed that blossomed into a passion for crafting something out of nothing, and I've been hooked ever since!
The next day, imagine me trudging to school. Exhausted yet beaming with a sense of "proud accomplishment." You know that feeling, right?
I clutched my large Ziplock bag, brimming with my 100 hand-crafted hearts.
As I entered the classroom, my best friend was holding a bag of pennies. Puzzled, I inquired about them, and she explained they were for the assignment.
OHHHHHHH….
My heart sank (pun intended), and a wave of shock, disappointment, and even embarrassment ran over me.
The objective was straightforward: count and bring in 100 'things'. It literally didn't dawn on me until that moment.
I had completely missed the point! After my shock wore off about the over zealous effort I had put into this assignment, that sense of accomplishment slowly crept back.
The assignment itself was a minor factor. In the aftermath of my over-enthusiasm, I grasped the deeper truth: I had achieved something entirely new. I had conceptualized, designed, and delivered my first creative project (!)
You see, creating has always been my zone of genius.
I got to spend hours doing something I loved (even though I didn’t really know it yet). I made something out of nothing for the FIRST time.
Now, let's unpack some takeaways from this nostalgia trip:
- Pursuing what you love is never a waste – even if it doesn't follow a logical plan.
- Embrace the joy of creating – just for the heck of it.
- Persistence is key – sometimes discomfort leads to the best outcomes (hello, Type 2 fun!).
- Remember, everyone has their reasons – stay aligned with yours.
- Celebrate personal accomplishments – regardless of others' perceptions.
- Ideation generates the best ideas – Please tell me you can the hearts where I drew tic-tac-toe in the pictures? 🤣
So, what can you apply from my little escapade to your business journey today?
One tip is to embrace the right tools – they can make things smoother, just like sharper scissors for thick paper.
And hey, don't forget to indulge in some purposeless fun every now and then. Because just like those 100 hearts, your creations (whatever format they emerge as) are uniquely fabulous.
Just like my 4-year-old self learned from a night of crafting 100 handmade hearts, your unique strengths shape how you grow and scale. But are you leveraging them the right way?
That’s where the Brand Archetype Quiz comes in. It helps you uncover your natural business strengths so you can market and scale in a way that actually feels right.
Take the Brand Archetype Quiz now and build a business that fits YOU.
Stay whimsically creative,
P.S. Big shoutout to my mom and dad for nurturing my creative spirit. Your support ignited a creative tenacity in me that got me through grad school and over 12 years in business 😍
P.S.S. To everyone else, surround yourself with a community that champions your genius – it's a game-changer!
