Name: Violette Clark
Company Name: Violette’s Creative Juice
Website: www.violette.ca
Blog: www.freakflag.ca
Twitter: @violetteclark

Note from Jenn: I adore that artist and author Violette Clark invites us to proudly “fly our freak flags!” With playful wit and vibrant energy, Violette encourages you to unleash your inner eccentric.  Her fun book Journal Bliss is bursting with creative goodness, inspiration, and practical exercises.

I know you’ll be blown away by her sparkly, colorful, and eclectic Right-Brain Business Plan below. It’s full of surprises, humor, and inspiring goals and dreams. Thank you, Violette for shining so brightly and sharing your creative juice with us!

(All images in this post courtesy of Violette Clark.)

What is your business and what makes your business unique?

I am a mixed media artist, author and a creative catalyst.  I’m the author of the book Journal Bliss: Creative Prompts to Unleash your Inner Eccentric. I teach on-line classes and workshops in my local area. The elements of my “unique” lifestyle are shown in my home, my lifestyle and my open and free spirited attitude. This offbeat way of looking at the world has captured the attention of the media – TV shows such as Weird Homes and numerous others.  I hope to impart my eccentric way of looking at the world to all who come in contact with my colourful life!

How has the Right-Brain Business Plan helped you? What is different for you and your business after approaching planning in a creative, visual way?

It was very powerful for me to see my plan in such a creative right brained way.  The tiny board book I decided to use to house all of my ideas, images and ephemera is like a pinata bursting with sparkling possibilities.  It’s like a fiesta! The very fact that it doesn’t close due to me stuffing it full of wondrous elements truly appeals to me and excites me to no end!

Jennifer’s Right-Brain Business Plan has freed up my oh-so-very-right-brain to think of possibilities using the language that spoke to me. I felt, during the creation of the book that I imbued it with the energy of my business.  I let it organically tell me what to do next, what to add etc.  I even felt guided to add a small doll I had previously created.  This doll ended up tucked into the back of the book – she’s the creative spirit.  This little book keeps calling to me, making me pick it up and carefully turn the pages as if I was examining a priceless treasure. It has become an ambassador for my colourful business plan.

What goals (big or small) on your business plan have you already accomplished or have made progress on?

I finished the book the other day, so I have not had too much time to accomplish  a lot however I have noticed a shift in attitude towards my business and the ability to see that my dreams are do-able.  This has been powerful.  I was encouraged to sketch out my plan in a right-brained kind of way …. and it worked out beautifully! The clarity I’ve gained about the individual components that make up a business plan during this process has been priceless.

How do you use your creative intuition in your work?

I let my intuition guide me when I ‘m stuck so that I’ll move to the colors, images and drawings that are right and perfect for that moment. This is what I did with the tiny doll which is in my board book.  I do the same when I blog – I let my intuition guide my blogposts.   Most of my favorite art pieces have been guided by my intuition….when I heed it’s call that’s when the magic happens. Intuition plays a HUGE part in my work.

Is there anything you’d like to share about your Right-Brain Business Plan in terms of what it’s made out of or how you made it?

My Right-Brain Business Plan is fashioned from a child’s board book.  It has tiny windows that open up which were a perfect spot for me to insert the essence within the respective page.  Since the book was on animals I left a few pictures of animals untouched and painted around them – it seemed to perfectly fit in with my goals.  I used acrylic paints, painted papers, glitter, my art and my own fanciful lettering to embellish the pages.  Feathers beckoned me to be a part of the plan too so in they went adding to the carnival-esque feel of the artwork. I wanted my plan to evoke a feeling of joy, exuberance and unlimited possibilities.  Since I’m known primarily as an art journaler I decided to use some images of my journal pages shrunk down and incorporated them into my book. It has a very “me” feel to it meaning I will look it over from time to time, leave it in a conspicuous place as a reminder of who I am and what I want to achieve.

What’s your vision for your business?

My vision is to expand my reach – to reach at least one million women and teens and help them to embrace their creativity. I hope to empower women in the process and help them to feel better and excited about who they are. I hope to do this through my online classes, my book (and more books! Hooray!) workshops and inspirational products.

What advice do you have for other creative entrepreneurs?

I always say it’s important to go within oneself and listen to your heart.What gives you juice? What puts that light in your eyes when you talk about it and participate in it? What gets your creative mojo going when you are certain that there is no more juice left inside of your weary body? I ask these questions because I know in my past when “life happened” and I felt as if I had no more energy left then had to do an interview for TV or a newspaper – suddenly I’d have a rush of energy and would come alive as I spoke about creativity, making art and inspiring others to grab on to the proverbial brass ring.

So, at the end of the day, always be true to yourself! You have something unique and special to share with the world!

Creative Resources

Want more creative inspiration from the lovely Violette, then take a listen to Kimberly Wilson interview Violette on her Tranquility du Jour podcast.