Posts Tagged "RedStar Creative"

Leaping

Posted by joy.the.curious on Oct 31, 2011 in Random | 14 comments

I have some big news to report. As of November 1, I have sold my half of RedStar Creative to my business partner, Betsy Bonnema.

Phew. There. I’ve said it.

This has been a painstaking and agonizing decision for me, on so many levels. First, Betsy and I have been friends for over 25 years. We were roommates in college, maids-of-honor in each other’s wedding, and for the past 17 years, have been like second moms for each other’s children. This will never change.

The thing is though, I’ve been going through a “growth phase” for quite a while now. Several years ago, I bought a print by Brian Andreas called Angels of Mercy. Every day, I sit in my office and stare at this little drawing and I wonder, “What if…?”

"Angels of Mercy, by Brian Andreas"

Around the same time I bought that print, I read a book by Po Bronson called What Should I Do With My Life? It talked about people who had good, stable, well-paying careers who threw caution to the wind, quit their jobs, and bravely charted new paths, this time doing something they loved.

I admired those people so much for their honesty and their bravery, but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how I could possibly quit my career and start over. For one thing, I was already doing what I loved. I owned my own ad agency. When I was a senior in high school, I gave a speech at my graduation commencement. The principal introduced me by saying, “Joy plans to go the University of Minnesota next spring and pursue a degree in journalism. One day, she hopes to own her own advertising agency.”

And by God, that’s exactly what I did (though it didn’t happen exactly the way I intended). After college, I wanted to be an advertising copywriter with a Minneapolis ad agency. I wanted it more than anything, and I worked relentlessly lining up informational interviews with busy, unpleasant creative directors. Unfortunately, there were no jobs to be found. In the spring of 1991, when things were looking pretty bleak, my friend Betsy called and invited me to Spicer for the summer. She enticed me with some freelance copywriting gigs, and the opportunity to spend my lunch breaks waterskiing on Green Lake. Enough said… I was in.

Betsy and Joy, Green Lake, 1991

By June, Betsy and I realized we were a great creative team. She offered me an opportunity to buy into the company as a full partner, and I took it. For the next 20 years, we would run our business together, squeezing in marriages, babies, and “Life 101″ classes along the way.

At some point though, I realized I wanted more. I wanted to be able to use my gifts of reading and writing to somehow make a difference. But for me, the thought of quitting my job was preposterous and self-indulgent. Who was I to want more when I already had so much?

I made myself miserable trying to figure out how to move on to “the next big thing” while still clinging to my “one sure thing.” When Betsy and I decided to take a creative sabbatical earlier this year, I started dabbling with the idea of doing something different. I had always wondered what it would feel like to wake up each morning and be a WRITER… a real one, who wrote for a living.

It felt good. I wrote and I read; I blogged and I journaled. However, as I wrote, it became more and more apparent to me that this is what I was meant to do. At the same time, that realization was both sad and frightening. After all, everyone knows that writers are poor, sullen, and depressed. Quitting my job and becoming a writer didn’t seem like an upwardly-mobile move for me, or my family.

I was really struggling, trying to cling to my safety net, but knowing I had to make a leap of faith. Then, I remembered something my friend Jane had told me a year earlier. She said, “Leap, and the net will appear.”

Leap, and the net will appear.

So, that’s what I’ve decided to do. I’m leaping into the great unknown… a scary, exhilarating place that offers no promises or guarantees. I have no Plan B at this time, but will leap with faith and courage, and hope that the net appears.

A few months ago, I wrote this song at a time I was really struggling for answers. I dedicate it to all the other women out there who are facing this same battle.

Leap!
By Joy Baker

She sat there
Waiting, wondering
Feeling scared
And all alone.
She was begging for some answers
To this life she’d now outgrown
Is it over? Am I finished?
Is this how the plan will end?
Can you hear me?
Are you listening?
Don’t you know how hard it’s been?

But I AM here, came the answer.
In the wind. And in the trees.
In the smiling laughing, crying
In the falling of the leaves.
In the then, and in the now.
The beginning and the end.
I am here. Always here.
And I’ve just one word to send.

CHORUS
You must leap (leap!)
Leap for all you’ve ever been
You are strongest
After weakness
You are ready to begin.
So just leap (leap!)
I’ll be with you
Always near.
Trust me, know me
Travel with me
Take the leap (leap!)
And the net will appear.

Every new beginning
Is the end of something done.
When you think you’ve lost it all
There’s still a battle to be won
So come with me
Live in peace
Hold my hand
And then we’ll soar
Higher up, to see new places
Where you haven’t gone before.

CHORUS
You must leap (leap!)
Leap for all you’ve ever been
You are strongest
After weakness
You are ready to begin.
So just leap (leap!)
I’ll be with you
Always near.
Trust me, know me
Travel with me
Take the leap (leap!)
And the net will appear.

She stood slowly. Can I do it?
I don’t know. I’m happy here..
Am I really? Is it worth it?
Living every day in fear?
I’ve come through it
Bruised and broken.
I’ve been down
And almost out.
But I’m back
And I can make it.
Take my hand!
He heard her shout.

CHORUS
Let’s go leap (leap!)
Leap for all you’ve ever been
You are strongest
After weakness
You are ready to begin.
So just leap (leap!)
I’ll be with you
Always near.
Trust me, know me
Travel with me
Take the leap (leap!)
And the net will appear.

"She knew the answers would come with time and love."

Sabbatical!

Posted by joy.the.curious on Jan 13, 2011 in Random | 3 comments

So sorry for the long lapse in my posts lately! Things got a little crazy around the New Year. We happened to be in Fargo for a wrestling tournament during that huge blizzard that caused a 100 car pile-up on I-94 heading west. When that happened, we were heading OUT of town on I-94 heading east. Sheesh… it was bad. Very thankful we made it home safe and sound. As it turned out, the rest of the team (including all coaches and parents) got stuck in Fargo for another two days because they closed the freeway.

So, why were we in such a rush to get home, risking life and limb? Well! As I mentioned in my last post, we had a date with a crown roast for New Year’s Eve, and we were determined to get home and get our party on! We had four couples over for the big shin-dig, and we had a blast. Here are a few pictures:

The roast was absolutely delicious! If you can believe it, Ross made the little paper hats for the top. I was running behind, so I asked him if he’d take the directions I’d found on Martha Stewart’s web site and go make them for me. He scoffed a bit, made himself a rum and coke, then disappeared into my office for a long while. When I finally went to check on him, here’s the sight I saw (I’m still laughing):

So, that was our New Year’s Eve. The next day, January 1, we celebrated our annual New Year’s Day tradition with Ross’s family – New Year’s Pancakes for about 100 people. Ross’s Grandma Martha turned 97 this year on December 27, and she’s held this tradition in her family ever since she was a child. The recipe is German… homemade buttermilk pancakes with diced apples and anise seed. So yummy! Email me if you want a copy of the recipe.

The next day, January 2, we took the kids to St. Cloud to go “gift card shopping.” They each bought a new snowmobile jacket, and I bought myself a new Nook from Barnes & Noble (love it!). Not sure what Ross bought. Maybe some new socks… he loves SmartWool.

Then… on January 3… I officially started my two month SABBATICAL. My best friend and business partner, Betsy Bonnema, and I are celebrating our 20th year in business this year. (We started a small ad agency together just out of college – RedStar Creative.) Rather than the family cruise we had always talked about, we decided to give ourselves two months off (two months!) to not work and, instead, concentrate on our creative endeavors. Betsy is a very talented artist and spends a lot of time repurposing old furniture into beautiful and meaningful works of art. She’s also a talented writer and keeps a blog at betsybonnema.wordpress.com. Check out some of her amazing art, and don’t miss her Christmas post… it’s really special.

As for me… well… I haven’t actually had time to start my sabbatical yet. I’m busy trying to get a new web site launched for one of our clients, so I’ve been working on that for the past few weeks. Once that’s done, however, I’m hoping to do a lot more writing, including finishing-up some writing projects I’ve started over the years. Mostly though, I’m looking forward to just “being still” and catching up with this rolling snowball that’s become my life. I look forward to discovering new possibilities that might come my way if I just sit still long enough to pay attention.

And of course, I haven’t forgotten about my Love Letters! Rest assured, I’ll be back in the next day or two with Chapter 6 of my Love Letters story. Stay tuned…

In the meantime… back to work…

Read next chapter…