You want to create.  Want to live a life as an Artisan.  But how do you start?  Or if you already started, how do you know you’re on the right path?  With a MAP.  Not a roadmap that anyone can follow.  This is a special kind of MAP.  One you create for yourself.  On this episode, we’ll talk about what’s on this Artisan MAP.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – Using a Compass Instead of a Map
Random Riffs – It Wasn’t on the Map
Feature Segment – Start With a MAP

Today’s Quote

The reinvention of daily life means marching off the edge of our maps.  — Bob Black

Rhythm of Life – Sometime We Need a Compass Instead of a Map

For so long I was caught up in mechanics of building a business.  And I found that everyone is trying to sell you their process for making your business a whopping success.  They’re all over Facebook.

But it’s so easy to get caught up in the stuff of creating business that you lose your way.  Sometimes we’re  better off with a compass than a map.

So much of life doesn’t have a precise route.  It’s more like a general direction.

Random Riffs – It Wasn’t on the Map!

Jerry and I were on our motorcycle in central PA, driving across Route 6, when we decided to take a side road.  Unfortunately, what looked like a scenic road through the woods turned out to be a loose gravel path.  There was no way we could ride that for several miles.

Sometimes the map doesn’t show you everything you need to know.  It certainly didn’t in this case.  It doesn’t always contain all the variables needed to make a decision.

Feature Segment – Start With a MAP

It doesn’t look anything like the actual earth.  Most of the continents are misshapen and the wrong size.  It’s the first map that attempted to depict the 3-dimensional earth on a flat surface.  It was done by Gerard Mercator.

What’s so important about this map?  Whoever controlled the maps controlled the trade routes.

This story part of the intro to a book called “The Island of Lost Maps” by Miles Harvey.

If maps were important in 1569, they are also important today.  In fact, a MAP is just what you need to start your journey as an Artisan.  But not just any map.  An Artisan MAP.

In Episodes 090 and 092, we talked about why you should be an Artisan.  Because you are created by the Creator to create.  In episode 091, we talked about the 3 C’s that mark an Artisan – craftsmanship, creativity, community.

Today we’re talking about where to start on your Artisan journey.  With an Artisan MAP.  What is that MAP?

Mission

Your vision of the world as it could be.  The change you’d like to see in the world.  A world you imagine could exist.  And would like to help bring it about.

Mission allows for several options of what or how you accomplish the mission.

It’s important to have a mission.  A mission is better than goals.  As we said in Episode 083, goals are meant to be short-term.  To hear more about that, check out episode 083.

Assets

This is your craft.  What you are good at.  Skills you develop over time.

When you develop your assets, you can have great impact.  You can become so good you infuse your assets with another A – artistry. You create something people want to own, like that Da Vinci painting I mentioned in Episode 090 

Plan

The actions you take to fulfill your mission.  The plan includes 4 parts:

• Strategy – overall approach.
• Framework – how you flesh out strategy. Still somewhat generic.
• High-level plan
• Detailed plan

Though your Mission seldom changes, your Plans, and thus your MAP, can change.  Let it grow organically as circumstances change and as your grow.

You don’t have to have the entire map done before you start.  Even if you have the germ of a mission, one asset not fully fleshed out, and a rudimentary plan on the back of napkin, you can still start.  You’ll learn a lot by moving.

At the same time, action with any mission is aimless.  Action without using your assets is frustrating.  Action without a plan is fruitless.  So be intentional.  Create even the most rudimentary map.

If you want help, reach out.  I know what it’s like to succeed and fail.  I’d love to help you develop mission, assets, plan.  Just send an email to kathleen@kathleenannthompson.com or leave a comment.  You’ll start your artisan life with a map firmly in hand.

What are you waiting for?  See you out there.

Artisan Series Episodes

090: Why You Should Be an Artisan at Work
091: The 3 C’s of Artisanship
092: Are You a Creator, Consumer, or Critic?