Guest Blogger: Author, Amanda I. Greene
We have reached the end of week 1 of the When You Are Blue Kickstarter campaign for the second Squishy Blueberry book. It has been filled with great lessons, humbling experiences and oodles of tears. The sequence of emotions, in pictures, goes something like this:
 ~ Fledgling determined to Fly ~ (via IG @planetepics) |  ~ Fledgling attempting to fly ~ (via Peter Brannon) |  Fledgling frustrated after 1st try (via Twitter @timbudgen) |
I am now in the "fledgling picking itself up and trying again" phase, and once I find the perfect owl picture to express that I will share it here. Perhaps it is simply a repeat of the "fledgling determine to fly" picture above :o)
Lesson 1: A Non-Squishy Strategy
As with everything, nothing is right all the time, including being Squishy. To me, the actual adjective "squishy" metaphorically is a state of amorphousness, clay not yet molded, but full of potential. That is a big part of where Squishy Blueberry resides in my mind. The imagination where everything is possible. Which is awesome for the creative process.
| But to come into reality, actual things have to be done, actions to be taken, that are focused on specifics. It's similar to when a quantum wave becomes a particle. As a wave, it is a bunch of probabilities; it is not until it is focused into reality that it has actual (albeit temporary) "fixed" observable attributes. |  Source Unknown |
Now, I'm not totally detached from reality thinking I could imagine a business into existence. I love concrete tasks and results - when I know what they are for. In school and jobs they've come with specific goals, and I love the process of making things happen and meeting deadlines, etc. The problem is that in my own business the goals and tasks are not so clear to me.
Some concrete things happen naturally, like the writing of the books that happen by inspiration. The drawings, while not exactly "fun" like writing, serve a really therapeutic purpose and I love the way they translate into digital images for books and animated cartoons. Creating the first book was a pretty obvious concrete step as well. The basics of copyright filing, work-for-hire contracts, proofing and printing (which cannot be squishy things) were also worked through. But other than that, most of the activities so far have been a pretty squishy magical process.
When I started planning the crowd funding campaign, the need for non-squishy functions became clearer. To over-compensate for my lack of non-squishiness, I threw a lot of money at things that I thought would create that structure. Although those things didn't achieve that goal (at least not as quickly as I envisioned), I see now that what I really need to do is to create a non-squishy strategy, a strategy that precedes the hiring of other non-squishy functions, and most likely something I need to do on my own.
Some concrete things happen naturally, like the writing of the books that happen by inspiration. The drawings, while not exactly "fun" like writing, serve a really therapeutic purpose and I love the way they translate into digital images for books and animated cartoons. Creating the first book was a pretty obvious concrete step as well. The basics of copyright filing, work-for-hire contracts, proofing and printing (which cannot be squishy things) were also worked through. But other than that, most of the activities so far have been a pretty squishy magical process.
When I started planning the crowd funding campaign, the need for non-squishy functions became clearer. To over-compensate for my lack of non-squishiness, I threw a lot of money at things that I thought would create that structure. Although those things didn't achieve that goal (at least not as quickly as I envisioned), I see now that what I really need to do is to create a non-squishy strategy, a strategy that precedes the hiring of other non-squishy functions, and most likely something I need to do on my own.
Lesson 2: Competition is in the Mind
We have written a lot on the topic of There's No Competition When You Are YOU here at The Blueberry Planet. And I am a firm believer in that. However, there is something more to my choice to not believe in competition that is coming more to light during this experience.
I have always had an aversion to competition since I was a child. Many things I tried when I was younger, which I really enjoyed like gymnastics or was naturally good at such as swimming and playing pool, I would do it so long as it was for fun and competition wasn't on my radar. Once "competition" against others, or a pressure to reach a certain expectation came onto my radar, I would walk away. The decisions at the time were subconscious, but I can see now that the pressure was rooted in a fear of failure, very much linked to self-esteem and worth.
I have always had an aversion to competition since I was a child. Many things I tried when I was younger, which I really enjoyed like gymnastics or was naturally good at such as swimming and playing pool, I would do it so long as it was for fun and competition wasn't on my radar. Once "competition" against others, or a pressure to reach a certain expectation came onto my radar, I would walk away. The decisions at the time were subconscious, but I can see now that the pressure was rooted in a fear of failure, very much linked to self-esteem and worth.
Source unknown When I started off on my own with Squishy Blueberry adventures, what I loved so much about it was that I could make up my own rules with respect to the products, mission, etc - it was all my imagination. No one could tell me the right way - because the only way was my way. By "my way" I mean in the sense that the stories (product) are reflections of me. And that being ME was my biggest job. That and being honest, staying optimistic and working well with others.
During the Kickstarter project, my unresolved understanding about competition resurfaced. It manifested as a feeling of being a tiny voice amidst millions of other voices trying to be heard by the public, potential customers, investors, donors, etc. There isn't anything specific to feel competitive against (Squishy Blueberry is what it is, after all) except perhaps people's attention, but as I realized this week, even that is just a perception.
Getting it OUT THERE to the public where it can really be viewed on its own merit, is indeed a challenge, even though there's plenty of attention to go around, and there's room for all the stories, great ideas and inventions in the world. It has more to do with confidence, communication and strategy than being the "best" product (there's a lot of products of varying quality!) But it can "feel" like competition for attention because of the perceived lack of attention one is receiving - it "feels" like a finite resource, when really attention is as abundant as air if one can only tap into it within one's sense of self-worth.
Getting it OUT THERE to the public where it can really be viewed on its own merit, is indeed a challenge, even though there's plenty of attention to go around, and there's room for all the stories, great ideas and inventions in the world. It has more to do with confidence, communication and strategy than being the "best" product (there's a lot of products of varying quality!) But it can "feel" like competition for attention because of the perceived lack of attention one is receiving - it "feels" like a finite resource, when really attention is as abundant as air if one can only tap into it within one's sense of self-worth.
Lesson 3: Being You Is Still the Best Thing To Do
I don't have a neat conclusion or solution to this "getting heard" challenge yet (except to create a non-squishy strategy and continue to grow and learn). But what has been of great help to me this week is continuing to read online articles for startups and entrepreneurs. One in particular I found by a former CEO of GE, Jack Welsh, called What it Really Takes to Succeed, really resonated with me and reaffirmed to me that, regardless of all the things one may need to learn for building a business, being you is the best thing you can do.
He states that yes, all those things you hear about like extreme confidence balanced with humility, heaps of positive energy, and being smart, talented, curious and highly collaborative, are all important aspects of success. But, he says, "The most powerful thing you can do is be real [authentic]." And that in time "your humanity will come to be your most appealing virtue..."
He states that yes, all those things you hear about like extreme confidence balanced with humility, heaps of positive energy, and being smart, talented, curious and highly collaborative, are all important aspects of success. But, he says, "The most powerful thing you can do is be real [authentic]." And that in time "your humanity will come to be your most appealing virtue..."
"Yes, the modern marketplace does demand that people possess a wide range of skills to achieve success. Most of them you have to acquire, develop, and refine. But one of them - the most important one - is already inside you, ready to be let out. Don’t get in its way." - J. Welsh, former CEO of GE.
Lesson 4: Don't Give Up!
In addition to Being You, the other area of emphasis in the article was resilience: facing failure head on, learning from mistakes (and everyone makes them!) rather than hiding from them, and continuing to persevere after setbacks. An article on Inc.com about the 5 mentalities for raising money echoes this as a key to raising money, saying "Never, ever, ever give up."
So while I am clear now that my take home point from this Kickstarter experience is to create a non-squishy strategy for reaching people, I still believe in the squishiness of Squishy Blueberry!
So while I am clear now that my take home point from this Kickstarter experience is to create a non-squishy strategy for reaching people, I still believe in the squishiness of Squishy Blueberry!
Photo via IG @KeepCalmOMatic
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