ImagesMagUK_January_2022

and informed my overall creativity, learning that was not well-aligned with my logo-heavy work. Likewise, I didn’t think about marketable places to flex those new styles before I dedicated time to studying them. While you can certainly follow your creativity, some projects are best done in your creative ‘play’ time rather than during hours that should be dedicated to skills critical to your core business model and market. Time-based Set dates, not only for the final result, but also for regular ‘check- ins’ with your progress. As part of your specific goal, set a date or time period by which you will attain it, and set dates for regular reviews of the work you’ve put in. This will help you decide on the steps it will take to get to your goal and also help you get into action mode to prepare, practise, and finalise your work. Step into action Goals are great, and you want to get your shop in shape, but no goal is achieved without action. Now that you’re SMART about where you want to go, you have to know what you’ll do each day to get there. If goals are the results you want to see in the mirror, actionable steps are the exercise routines that will start making the change. This is the stage that takes you from your wish list to your to-do list; this is where you make decisions and eliminate ruminating doubt. To create actionable steps, you have to consider what immediate actions your larger goals require. Within a given goal, you’ll need to gather the equipment, information, and assets you’ll need and make a plan for the literal actions involved in each step. For instance, if your goal was to add in-house small-run patches to your product line, some of your steps might be the following: ■ Find classes, video, or other educational resources that teach patch making. ■ Watch patch classes. ■ Find a resource for the materials mentioned in the classes. ■ Order sample materials for patch substrate, stabilisers, and adhesives. ■ Have digitised or digitise a design specific to the patch process you’re learning. ■ Stitch initial patch sample. ■ Refine process/design (as needed). ■ Photograph finished sample patches. ■ Research patch pricing. ■ Establish pricing schemes according to my shop’s costs. ■ Write copy for the patch section of my website. ■ Build patch-ordering page. ■ Create marketing materials for social media and email at launch. ■ Launch product. Even simple steps may need to be broken down further into sub-steps. Finding a source for materials may mean contacting multiple supply companies to discuss materials. Each of those calls and follow-ups is an actionable task. When you go to plan your daily ‘exercise’, it takes more than goals to maintain the course; having clear, direct steps on which you can take action without dithering or going back to the process of decision-making can stop you from losing your momentum. Flexing the fundamentals For those of you looking for inspiration on how to expand skills or refine your current embroidery work, the following exercises may be helpful in refining your goals and actionable steps. Swatch testing Create a file that methodically tests one setting in your digitised files so that you can see how that variable affects your designs. Run multiple ‘swatches’ of a stitch type with one variable altered from swatch to swatch so that you can see the effect of that variable in your work. Common swatch tests include density examinations, underlay type tests, fill pattern tests and compensation tests. Material mastery Learn what needs to be done for designs to compensate for the differences in fabrics by testing and analysis. Use a known, well-digitised design and run the same design in the same colours on multiple fabrics commonly used in your shop. Measure elements in the digital design and see how they have changed in the stitch-outs. By measuring these items ‘in the thread’ and taking notes, you’ll increasingly be Get SMART: Stitch your design, paying attention to the areas that have issues you’d like to work on – circling them on a printed copy of the design during your run can help you locate issues later. Measure those issues on the sample. Analyse how you put the file together and what forces caused your issues. Revise based on your measurements, moving elements and changing settings as needed. Test the new file When I wanted to work with fuzzy, spun polyester thread, I created this swatch test to see what settings provided me with adequate coverage. When you encounter a material that behaves differently from what you usually use, measured tests like this can be incredibly valuable Consistent, incremental improvement that you can sustain will result in long-term gains www.images-magazine.com JANUARY 2022 images 87 KB BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT