Making Ripples: post-corporate adventures in Floyd County Virginia

Life after downsizing

When I started blogging in 2003, I had the opportunity to capture our family transition from corporate life to the self-employed afterlife. It was an interesting experience.
A few years ago, while trying to effect changes at Sun Microsystems, I thought to myslf that there had to be more to life than endless meetings and glacial progress on programs of doubtful longevity.

It would have been helpful if a voice from the heavens had called out, "Take your family and flee this place, for it is cursed!" But, nothing so fortunate occurred.

I had to go through this same scenario many more times before the decision to leave high tech showbiz finally percolated into my consciousness.

I began a search for other opportunities, but failed to find any that matched my expectations. I began writing a novel, but kept on with my day job which provided all the satisfaction that goes with herding cats and training water to run uphill.

The novel seemed to be going well and I could almost envision a life as a writer if I could solve the problems of finding an editor, an agent and a publisher, etc.

The increasing agony of the day job was mercifully cut short when some executives finally looked at the bottom line and decided that the way to profitability was to reduce the workforce.

Since Silicon Valley employment was following the example of the Titanic, we decided to live where skies were blue and where we couldn't hear the freeway system. After searching the internet, we decided on Charlottesville, Virginia, where we could enjoy country life and the advantages of a university town.

Lake Monticello, near Thomas Jefferson's mansion of the same name, offered wooded privacy and high speed internet access. We felt this was the best of both worlds and immediately bought a house. We moved here more than a year ago and have never regretted it. Living here required major changes in my career choices, but these changes have brought new opportunities and interesting challenges for the future.

When I grill steaks for supper and watch a herd of deer feeding down by the stream, I can barely remember my past existence at Sun or before. My attention is entirely in the present and future. Life is good. I will do whatever it takes to keep it that way. ^{Click on image to enlarge}

This was written in late 2003 and we have since moved to Floyd, Virginia, which provides an even better environment for the lifestyle we have adopted since leaving corporate life.

Quality of Life vs Gainful Employment

I had hoped that I would have resolved this matter satisfactorily by this time in my life, but it appears that I still have many lessons to learn.

The crux of the problem is that success in business seems to carry a burden of responsibilities that eat up your time and turn your days and nights into a whirl of scheduled activities.

This is true whether you work for yourself or for others. There should be a way to balance enjoyment of life and production of income. Somehow, that balance is hard to find.

When you are between careers, there is a period when you spend more time meeting new people and exchanging creative ideas on living and commercial ideas for supporting yourself and your family.

Eventually, some of your plans take root and start to show signs of becoming viable businesses. This is an exciting time as you are still having fun and your bank balance is beginning to look healthier.

If all goes well and you continue to provide products and services that customers need and are willing to pay for, your income and your workload continue to grow.

Sooner or later you find yourself spending as much time organizing and managing your business as you spend creating and producing products that you enjoy.

If your business volume is high enough, you can afford to hire others to help, but that actually moves you away from producing things and into a management role where your time is spent managing others instead of creating.

You now have more time than money and have other people doing tasks that you used to do yourself.

I have been through this cycle several times over the years and although it is nice to be able to share the wealth and provide employment for others, I have never learned how to maintain a tranquil and satisfying quality of life. Things seem to escalate until stress becomes an overriding concern and work is no longer satisfying.

I am resolved to figure out a way to handle this before the cycle begins anew. The pressure is mostly self-imposed and I think it comes from a desire to produce quality results on a tight schedule and maximize income.

If I can set more relaxed delivery schedules and still provide outstanding customer satisfaction, I should see an improvement in my quality of life. I expect to be doing creative design work for many more years and I want to enjoy every minute of it.

With the advent of the Internet and the growing popularity of home-based micro businesses, there should be more opportunities to run a business at a comfortable level where sufficient income is generated, but there is still time to enjoy life.

Simple pleasures...

As I work my way through this latest life transition, I am appreciative of the simple pleasures that life offers.

Having friends pitch in and help with vital chores that I am unable to handle right now. Morning coffee with Gretchen, working with talented artists to solve problems, meeting friends at the Cafe del Sol...the list goes on.

The common thread is that these are all ways in which we interact in Floyd and the interactions give me both pleasure and encouragement.

There are so many points of contact for us in this small county that every week is a renewal of life and a reaffirmation of our mutual respect and concerns.

Almost everyone I know has goals that differ from mine and they are on a different point in the arc of life, but somehow our co-location in this remote community of artists, business owners and free-thinkers enables us to develop a sense of affinity that transcends our differences.

Many of us work alone most of the time, so moments where we can meet and exchange news are life giving, especially when the exchanges are constructive and amicable.

There are several places with free WiFi where students and business people can touch down for Internet access while stoking up on food and catching up on local doings. The local Library, coffee shops, and restaurants provide convenient gathering points where even the busiest citizens can find a minute for greetings and a quick sharing of news and business opportunities.

The tiny downtown Floyd area encourages foot traffic and in warmer weather we will always see clusters of conversations between locals and visitors. In this winter weather, the bundled up pedestrians make do with a wave and short greetings left drifting like smoke signals in the frosty air.

However it has come about, there is a sense of community here that seems to encourage a continuing sense of quiet optimism that we have the resolve to weather whatever comes our way.

Now that I am back on my feet and feeling creative again, I want to help others as they have been helping me. That is one of the greatest pleasures imaginable, being able to help again.

Creativity can be contagious

One of the first things we noticed when we moved to Floyd three years ago was the amazing number of creative people who lived in this county. At that time about one out of every ten citizens seemed to be an artist, artisan or musician.

What we didn't expect was that it would be so easy to join in the creative activity and get seriously involved.

What happens in a supportive environment is that you rehabilitate your innate creativity through instruction and support from professional artists and start creating art as a normal part of everyday life.

As you create more artwork, you begin to develop a style and you start looking for instructors who can help you develop in a particular direction.

The next thing that happens is that people who have been admiring your work want to buy pieces from you or ask you to do a commissioned work. You may still consider yourself an amateur artist, but you have a growing public and the next step is almost inevitable.

You finally realize that you have the ability to generate income from doing something that is deeply satisfying and you are performing a service to others at the same time. The next thing you know, you are painting or sculpting or making jewelry and you are producing income and having the time of your life.

This doesn't all happen in a vacuum. Some farsighted people set the wheels in motion many years ago when they created the non-profit Jacksonville Center for the Arts in Floyd, VA.

Thanks to the Jacksonville Center and its dedicated staff and instructors, there is a constantly growing number of artists and artisans achieving recognition and even producing income from their artistic endeavors.

The Jacksonville Center has spawned additional groups of artists who produce art on a professional level and teach or provide drawing sessions for aspiring artists.

One of these groups is the Floyd Artists Association which runs the Art Under the Sun Gallery featuring works by local artists and artisans. Art Under the Sun also hosts a First Friday event every month with music and refreshments and an exhibit by a visiting artist.

If you get a chance, be sure and visit the latest exhibit at the Jacksonville Center and also drop in at Art Under the Sun Gallery to see their latest offerings.

You will get a warm welcome and may end up being inspired to create something yourself. It happens quite often in Floyd.

Just be careful or you will end up like Don George, who just finished a 14 foot Gothic Revival Banquet Table which was so large that he couldn't assemble it in his workshop. He did the final assembly at the Jacksonville Center where his table was the talk of the recent Artists Reception.

More Art coming through the Frame Shop

This pastel pencil drawing of Don Quixote by artist N S Goodwin has been stored away in a closet for 30 years and has never been framed or seen in public before. It is a marvelous take on the Don Quixote legend and it deserves to be admired.

What you see here is a computer-generated rendition of the mat and frame combination that will be used to protect and preserve this drawing.

An image of the finished frame will be posted on our framing website when it is complete.

I now get exposed to more art every week than I used to see in months and it is a deeply satisfying experience.

We have fine local artists and I get to see new works every day. This is an ongoing challenge because there are so many different objectives for framing a piece of art and there are so many constraints to take into consideration.

Art is a communication which evokes an emotional response in the viewer. Like any communication, the response depends on the mindset of the viewer as well as the intention and skill of the artist. Framing is almost subliminal. When done well, it should appear as a logical  extension of the artwork, not as a thing in itself.

The final result of a framing project should honor the message of the piece and present it to the expected audience in a way that tastefully maximizes the impact. When I hear that artwork we have framed has made a lasting and positive impression, I feel like we have made an appropriate contribution to the artist's original intention.

That is a desirable outcome for any project.

Summertime, and life is sure busy

I will probably look back on these weeks of rain and bright sunshine and wish that I had taken a little more time to smell the roses and take pictures of this beautiful countryside.

A business out in the countryside requires every one of the tasks that fall to a business owner in an industrial area, with the additional challenge that right outside the door birds are singing and deer are happily grazing on our vegetables.

There is all that rustic beauty going to "waste" while we work away at computers while handling phone calls and paperwork.

The upside, of course, is that our place of work is only seventy feet from the dinner table at home and our commute takes less than three minutes even when carrying paperwork and a full cup of coffee.

Inside the workshop, serious craft work is accomplished to the background of classical music and the occasional thunder of a compressor. There is a continuous creative tension between the forces of order and disorder as represented my capable assistant and myself.

I am routinely creating chaos in my development of new processes and techniques, while Luan calmly puts in order while turning out one of a kind custom frames. The end result is that we accomplish a lot of necessary changes and growth while remaining relatively organized.

Our bustling activity is punctuated by the crunch of tires on the gravel driveway as clients arrive for scheduled appointments. Neighbor Tom King has graciously loaned us his dog and she greets every new visitor cheerfully before carefully checking their vehicle for doggy messages.

Our business has been open for almost a year and it continues to grow thanks to word of mouth promotion by friends and customers.

In response to those who have asked me to get with it and develop a logo, I am considering using this for now as it shows our county beauty, our technical expertise and includes our company name. We will be using a version of this on our business cards and will eventually incorporate it into our website.

Give us a call if you are in the neighborhood.

Some unconventional tips on working for yourself

Since more people are considering working for themselves, this may be of interest.

I was interviewed a few years ago by Leah Maclean at workingsolo.com.au on the subject of working solo.

She had read Danger Quicksand - Have A Nice Day and asked if I had any unconventional advice on working solo.

Here are my top five tips from that interview:

A. If you are viewed as a good employee, you may not be ready for self-employment. Self-employment requires making decisions in the absence of complete data. Employees who do that are usually in trouble with management.

B. Do not consider self-employment unless you understand that you are totally responsible for what life throws at you. If you can accept that responsibility and the freedom it gives you, you will probably succeed as a self-employed person.

C. Be realistic about your capabilities and use others to do tasks you are not able to perform to professional standards. There is no problem being a small company as long as your products and services are of high quality.

D. Small companies have an unfair advantage if they realize what it means and take advantage of it. Every customer gets to deal with the man in charge. If you care for your customers and keep them informed and make them part of the decision-making process, you will earn their undying loyalty.

E. Most important of all: Promise only what you can deliver and deliver what you promise.

Finally, here are some things to consider:

You will become one of "them", the people whose insanity you have been complaining  about for years - an employer.

Your past experience may help you more than you think

Right answers are the ones that work

For the full interview visit Working Solo.

Working and blogging - a precarious balance...

When I am working on something challenging, it's not always easy to find time to write about it and writing about it more than a few times just might bore my audience.

When we were building our house here in the country and getting acclimatized to life in a small rural community, life moved at a pace that encouraged contemplation and blogging.

Writing still continued when starting up Floyd Custom Framing  because there was time in which I could collect my thoughts and share what seemed interesting.

But recently this custom framing business has taken on a life of its own and I feel like a rodeo rider who is trying to stay on top and not get trampled underfoot.

I have one hand on the business and the other free hand reaching for information to keep me ahead of the new technical challenges I encounter every week. There is no other hand that I can use to write all of this down for posterity.

The few moments I have free get spent visiting online forums for members of the custom picture framing community.

I feel that this may be the wave of the future where self-employed business owners work in home-based shops but mingle daily on the Internet with practitioners of the same art to share problems and solutions that friends and family can may not appreciate or be able to contribute to.

When it is time to deliver completed products, I finally get to leave the shop and visit customers and share a quick coffee break at the Cafe Del Sol with other self-employed business owners.

But there is hope for change. I have found someone competent who has been helping me organize the framing business and with luck, we will bring it to the next level where we have a retail location in downtown Floyd, here in Floyd County, Virginia.

That will open whole new areas of opportunities and problems to solve, so I will have no end of things to write about. I just hope that I will be able to find the time...

Are any of you experiencing this same challenge? Plenty to write about, but no time to write?

Life in the slow lane is a mirage...

This is a cautionary tale for those seeking rest and quiet after "retirement".

You are feeling burnt out by years on the road or in meetings and you want to settle down

You find a suitably remote village with enough modern conveniences to make life comfortable, a mix of interesting people who treat strangers kindly, and enough community spirit to show that life is good and can get better and you think you have found heaven on earth...

Hah! You have no idea what is waiting for you!

You spend the first months or even a year puttering around town drinking coffee in the mornings at the local gathering spots. You attend potluck dinners, house concerts, and other local events. Perhaps you find a church you like and join that.

You get to know people who have as much or more talent than you do and you start to understand the things that are needed and wanted to make the community an even better place to live in.

You volunteer and help out in some area where your expertise can really make a difference and you are pleasantly surprised by the favorable reaction you get. You volunteer on another project or two and you find that there are a core of dedicated people who have been working long and hard to make the community what it is today.

You realize that these are the people whose opinions matter to you and you volunteer for a few more projects because you really enjoy working with people who have positive goals and who are dedicated as any professional in the business world you came from.

You find more of these dedicated people and join them in worthwhile projects. You feel good about your contributions and feel a growing sense of purpose because you are working shoulder to shoulder with people who you respect and can rely on.

You eventually discover a few nay-sayers who criticise everything you do, but the dedicated movers and shakers on the local scene let you know that these grumblers have been voicing the same garbage since long before you arrived. This puts the criticism into proper perspective and you keep on doing what seems right.

You learn more about the community and its needs and you find yourself involved in supporting more worthwhile activities than you can imagine.

Your personal activities like blogging, or painting, or generating income start to get pushed out of the picture while you work to meet community-oriented deadlines that you have signed up for.

You don't even have time for morning coffee at the local gathering spots!

If you are experiencing this, take another look at your purposes in life before your friends and family have to intervene. A 24 x 7 workload is not good for living things, whether in the city or out in the country.

This situation is very real to me, as I am in the midst of gently extricating myself from some of this community-related activity. The activity is all worthwhile, but I need to find a better balance between personal needs and external needs. It's not easy.

The joys of working at home

We are finally experiencing a decent snowstorm. The schools are closed. Many roads are impassable except for 4WD drive vehicles and even those proceed with great caution.

Those of us who commute on foot with a coffee cup in hand can still make it to work handily.

All over Floyd County there are artisans and other self-employed business people who are out in their workshops and studios turning out products. The radio is on and the stove is keeping the place toasty while work is being done.

The phone is ringing, of course, with people rescheduling appointments and reporting accidents, but in most cases work goes on. It is a comforting feeling to be able to get production done, even under adverse conditions.

We are just beginning to get the snow that other parts of the country have had for months. Right now, the snow is still falling so I will probably wait to do any shoveling.

I am looking forward to seeing how well my little tractor performs in this snow. I think it's too small to be useful as a snow plow, but I hope it can drag its trailer loaded with firewood through several inches of snow. If it won't handle this winter weather, I am in for some real exercise.

Update: It seems to handle snow very well. Chains and a rear weight give it sufficient traction. Steering is problematical because the front wheels slide if they are turned sharply.

UPDATE: For those of you who don't have to work at all. Here is your mascot for today.