Windowsill Chats

On the eve of Thanksgiving Margo goes solo to talk about her thoughts on gratitude and how they play a role in creativity. She shares some tips to help you step into gratitude such as writing a gratitude letter, shifting perspective, and avoiding comparison (aka the thief of joy) as well as some quotes and poems that are relevant to gratitude and the American holiday of Thanksgiving. Do you have a gratitude practice that's aided in your creativity? Let Margo know by sending her a DM at @windowsillchats!

Mentioned in this episode:

https://morganharpernichols.com/

https://chopra.com/articles/cultivate-the-healing-power-of-gratitude

https://native-land.ca/

https://www.joyharjo.com/

Connect with Margo:

www.windowsillchats.com

www.instagram.com/windowsillchats

In this episode, Margo is joined by Productivity Coach & Online Business Consultant Chelsea Wessman. Chelsea is a popcorn obsessed, mom of 3, living next to the Utah mountains and is passionate about empowering ambitious mompreneurs to take back their time, make more money without putting in more hours, and create a life that aligns with their values. She helps ambitious women to optimize time, money, and mindset without sacrificing sanity through systems, financial freedom, and time management hacks. Chelsea has worked with Margo and several other creatives and is even launching some offers specifically for creatives before 2022!

They discuss:

• The difference between productivity and being busy and how to figure out which one you're spending more of your time being
• Why you don't have to time block or map out your entire day, week, or month to be productive
• When you should have a template or system for certain things in your life or business
• How she helps creatives and other business owners map out online product and service promotional launches
• Reverse engineering goals
• The importance of clarity and structure
• How mindset plays into productivity
• And much more!

Chelsea is passionate about inspiring others to see more for their life, do more of what matters most, and be more of who you're meant to be because you'll never regret investing the time and effort required to reach your potential.

Connect with Chelsea:

www.chelseawessman.com

www.instagram.com/chelseawessman

Chelsea's Jumpstart Checklists Resource

Chelsea's 2022 Business Blueprint Planning Intensive

Resources Mentioned:

The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz

High Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That Way by Brendon Burchard

This week Margo sits down with dear friend Paula Joerling. Paula is an illustration and product designer whose art has been used for fabric, calendars and all kinds of home decor. To put it simply, Paula just likes making things; sometimes for profit but more often, just for the joy of it. For that reason, She thinks of herself as more of a maker than an artist or illustrator. Her inspiration most often comes from childhood memories and life experience.

Margo and Paula discuss:

• The intricacies of licensing
• Tapping into your own memories and experiences when creating
• Rules of life such as don't over complicate things
• What to consider when it comes to building your portfolio
• Tips for getting out of frustration when you feel stuck in a project
• Finding positioning as an artist
• Creating for your own joy and happiness
• And so much more!

Paula loves problem solving and brainstorming. Much like life, her artwork is constantly changing. When she tries to take control, chaos will ensue, so she tries to go with the flow and follow the path as best she can. Life is more interesting this way. You can discover her work on a wide variety of products from fabric and garden flags to calendars and ceramics; sold throughout the world.

Mentioned in this episode:

Creative Co-Op

Chad Barrett

Connect with Paula:

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/paulajoerlingstudio/

https://etsy.me/3q4CVQe

https://etsy.me/3CwavCe

This week Margo is sitting down with her lovely mother, Sally Tantau. Sally is a former interior designer and all around creative being and instilled so much of her talents in Margo as well as many others. Sally and Margo have a fun and lighthearted conversation around sourcing creativity, how she got her start in interior design, what it was like to be an interior designer during that era (sourcing wasn't as easy and there wasn't a home goods right around the corner!), and the many fabulous clients she was able to work with. Sally's big dream mentality and ability to trust in her path is truly an inspiration.

Mentioned in this episode:

Howard Backen Architecture

Peter Collins Architect

The Nature of Home: Creating Timeless Houses by Jeffrey Dungan

Marisa Martinez Jewelry

Connect with Sally:

https://instagram.com/sallytantau

This week Margo chats with the lovely Annabella Sardelis, the founder of INDIGO & SNOW an atelier dedicated to zero waste in Minneapolis. Annabella is a multidisciplinary artist and designer whose working mediums include calligraphy, natural dyes and textiles. Her focus aesthetically is on the creation of functional items, and seeing the beauty in utility. She launched INDIGO & SNOW in 2013 and specializes in hand-dyed and painted accessories, apparel and décor.

Margo and Annabella discuss:

• Her winding path and the crossroads she's currently at
• Being open to possibility and giving yourself and your business permission to evolve
• Intersectional environmentalism: what it means and why it's important
• Her commitment to zero waste in her business
• Recognizing the toxicity in hustle culture
• Ways you may be playing small without even realizing it
• Being open to receiving and operating a creative business on your own terms
• And so much more

Annabella is also a surface design instructor and enjoys teaching natural indigo and snow-dyeing workshops. She exhibits nationally and her work has been featured by the NYT, ELLE, and Apartment Therapy among others. Her goal is to make the world a more beautiful place.

Connect with Annabella:

https://www.indigoandsnow.com/

https://www.instagram.com/indigoandsnow/

This week Margo is chatting about finding joy, spreading joy, and ways in which we can seek more joy with author and illustrator, Kimberley Kay. After a busy career in the travel industry running press offices for big travel companies she decided to pursue art and illustration, partly prompted by a serious knee injury which was the catalyst for a new perspective. Her bright, colorful illustrations illustrate positive emotions and happy times. She loves working with vibrant watercolor paints, free motion embroidery and intricate paper cutting techniques. Through her work under the brand of Inspire by Kim she encourages people to find joy.

Margo and Kim discuss:

• Life before illustration and why skiing is the main theme across all of her work
• Trusting in your own path and finding joy along the way
• The best lessons she's had from working with a coach
• Flexing her courage muscle and putting in the work
• The important role accountability and community have played in her success
• Immersing into courses and opportunities to release blocks and learn new techniques

• How and why she distracts her conscious mind while she works
• Using LinkedIn as it pertains to her career as an artist
• And more!

Kim's Ski A to Z work is part of a wider intention to encourage people to seek joy, to endeavour to find their joy and to go deep into what and where joy is for them. Joy and smiling makes the body release endorphins which are happy chemicals and natural pain killers. Her goal is to make the joy of skiing and being in the mountains more accessible by providing information and advice.

Connect with Kim:

Order Ski A to Z

http://inspirebykim.com/

https://www.instagram.com/inspirebykim/

https://www.facebook.com/inspirebykim

This week's conversation will have you holding on to your windowsill as Margo and her guest have an honest and expansive conversation around creativity - from distractions to mindset, habits, and so much more. Margo is joined by Maria Brito who is an award-winning New York-based contemporary art advisor, author, and curator. For several years, Maria has taught her creativity course in companies large and small and, in 2019, she launched "Jumpstart", an online program on creativity for entrepreneurs based on years of research and observation in both the areas of business and art.

Margo and Maria discuss:

• Why she quit her lofty six-figure career as a lawyer to become an art advisor shortly after giving birth to her first child
• The importance of her work to enforce the idea that anyone can be creative (and other facts rooted in science)
• How our distractions nullify our creativity
• The advantages of being an outsider to an industry or field you want to be in
• How to actually allow and embrace change in your life
• How creativity is closely related to abundance and success
• Rewriting habits
• Finding middle ground, civil discourse, and the art of listening

Maria is a Harvard graduate, originally from Venezuela, her first monograph "Out There", was the recipient of the Best Book Awards in both the Art and Design Categories. Maria was selected by Complex Magazine as one of the 20 Power Players in the Art World and she was named by ARTNEWS as one of the visionaries who gets to shape the art world. She has written for publications such as Entrepreneur, Huffington Post, Elle, Forbes, Artnet, Cultured Magazine, goop, Departures, and the Gulf Coast Journal of Literature and Fine Arts from the University of Houston, Texas.

Connect with Maria:

http://www.mariabrito.com

https://blog.mariabrito.com/

Jumpstart: Creativity for Entrepreneurs (Online Course)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariabrito-ny/

https://www.instagram.com/mariabrito_ny/

This week, Margo is joined by Australian artist and award winning designer Chris Chun. Chris has an appetite for fun, adventure and great food and when he's not creating, you can probably find him traveling to some exotic destination, shopping for vintage textiles or eating something delicious. His creativity and 'say yes to everything' attitude has taken him all over the world, working for renowned textile studios Diane Harrison Designs in Manchester and Faro Disegni in Rome. Since 2005, Chris has been licensing his artwork to a select group of companies worldwide in tabletop, stationery, home decor and gift accessories. He also exhibits as a fine artist.

Margo and Chris chat about:

• Allowing old work to inform new directions (and why you always have to start somewhere)
• How traveling and living abroad has impacted his life
• His less is more attitude and philosophy on designing
• How life experience will contribute to your unique style
• The ebbs and flows of inspiration
• How he got his foot in the door as a textile designer
• Where he sees mediocrity in the surface pattern industry and how he wants to change that
• His mentorship program
• And much more

Chris is currently based in Bangkok, Thailand which has provided him with everyday inspiration for painting and creating new work. He collaborates with local artisans & craftspeople to produce limited edition products.

Resources Mentioned:

Dead Poets Society (Movie)

Sheridan Bedding

Diane Harrison Designs

Florence Broadhurst

Faro Disegni

Connect with Chris:

Coaching with Chris: Sign up before 10/15/21 and receive a 10% discount using code WINDOWSILLS

[email protected]

https://instagram.com/chrischunstudio

https://www.chrischun.com

https://www.facebook.com/chrischunart

This week Margo brings on Certified Life & Business Coach for interior designers, Desi Creswell. Desi is a former interior designer and found herself at a crossroads when she was exhausted from the hamster wheel and wanted to get out of the hustle in her career, especially as a new mom. From there she found a way to get out of her busy work and became the person she wished she had in the beginning - a coach and mentor for creatives. She coaches designers through mindset tools and practical strategies so that they can make the time to build meaningful progress toward their business and life goals.

Margo and Desi discuss:

• Desi's journey and what led her to becoming a coach
• Why mindset is such a big focus for both her business and her clients
• How to gain insight into yourself (and how she guides her clients through this process)
• Letting yourself dream with permission to not act on it
• Time management and people pleasing
• Why your planner doesn't produce results
• How to embrace discomfort as a creative entrepreneur
• How your identity shapes what you are able to create in your life and business
• And so much more!

Desi's background training makes her uniquely equipped to empower her clients with an essential blend of industry specific expertise and mindset coaching. She has been featured on popular podcasts and is also a co-author in LuAnn Nigara's latest book A Well Designed Business, Power Talk Friday Experts: Volume 2.

Connect with Desi:

https://www.desicreswell.com/

https://instagram.com/desicreswell

Get It Done Daily Planner

Margo sits down with community co-creator and handmade business consultant, Nataley Shepherd. Margo and Nataley co-lead a dynamic membership called Relish Your Creativity where they aim to help each member move their own creative needle, find community and clarity, and balance mindset and business goals. Both Margo and Nataley believe true wealth comes from shared growth, building an intentional business you love and the chance to shine in your creative space and today they are discussing how to measure success for you in your own unique way and then tips on how to get there.

Margo and Nataley chat about:

• What the pandemic has taught them about success
• What achieving success looks like to each of them, both inside and outside of business
• Why we talk ourselves out of getting started
• Creating a game plan for the fourth quarter of the year
• Being present where your feet are planted
• Stepping away from imposter syndrome, perfectionism, and other things that may be holding you back
• Community, friendship, and connection
• And so much more!

She brings a fresh and insightful eye to what you're putting out into the world and gives you the steps to take your creative based business to the next level.

Her favorite thing is to see you thrive and continue to find your way along your own creative path.

Join the Relish Your Creativity Community today!

Connect with Nataley:

https://www.studioshepherd.com/

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/studio_shepherd/