I am on the e-mailing list for Design-her Gals, a company that allows you to create really cute and unique printed items with “gals” that you can create to look like you and your friends. Esther Luc, who does their illustrations, worked with me three years ago on the Modello Designs logo. Way to go Esther!

Their “Gal to Gal Foundation” raises funds for Stage IV breast cancer patients. Traveling through their site led to another great organization, Making Memories, who raise money to grant wishes to these same women.

They make it very easy for you to participate and help to raise funds by hosting your own “Pink Envelope Activity“.

From their website

The Pink Envelope Project is a community of good people using creativity and personal initiative to help Making Memories collect as many pink envelope donations as possible to fund the many special memories requested each year.

It is the mission of the Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation to provide an opportunity for metastatic breast cancer patients to have a dream or wish fulfilled, and to have a special time of “Making Memories” with their families - a chance that might not become a reality without generous contributions.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. You may have noticed a lot of “pink” lately all over the web and there are many ways to support the research cause, including these sweet cookie gift tins from Elini’s

Unfortunately, with all the awareness and all the reasearch there is still a long way to go. An easy thing that you can do everyday to help can be found at The Breast Cancer Site. Just go there daily and click on the “Fund Free Mammograms” button to help to fund free mammograms to women in need. It’s easy and you can even set it send you an email reminder everyday.

You can also find more information at these sites: National Breast Cancer Foundation and The Susan G Komen Foundation.

Us creative types are notorious for being bad business people. The left brain/right brain stereotype haunts us and for some of us it’s true. You can be the most talented, hard working person you know and yet the creative business that you are in is not reaching its’, and your, full potential.

The truth is, talent and hard work are just a part of a larger equation. In order to make a creative business successful (defined as you getting what you deserve monetarily and feeling fulfilled on all levels) you need some other tools. An artistic business has to have some business focus to stay in business.

Personally, I LOVE the business side of my business because I love the creative thought and learning process that is “marketing”. When I started 22 years ago, I had not a clue, but learned and grew as I went along.

If you are struggling in the business side of your business, you might not want to wait 22 years to “get it”. Here’s some potential help.

I haven’t been, and can’t make it this year, but it sounds like it “speaks” to a lot of what I hear many of my students and business associates need. Check it out!