More abstract graffiti

Braid

That's right. Fish.

Jack Ziegler, published in the June 7, 2010 issue of the New Yorker.
From the Cartoon Bank.

Small business set-up

Today I sent in my LLC formation to the New York Secretary of State, Division of Corporations. The next steps on my set-up list:

LLC formation publishing requirements
Open a small business bank account
Apply for a small business credit card, preferably with some sort reward points (so papi can get to Barbados)
Finances

For finances, two major steps stand out:

Establishing deductible expenses
Setting a personal salary

First, I need to identify what my business expenses are, and what can be deducted from my taxes. For this, I need to contact an accountant. Second, I've decided to start paying myself a salary, so that a portion of my revenue can go into the business. My overhead is low, so this division is largely to help me mentally separate myself from the business. Hopefully, it will allow me to strategize better and make more informed decisions on pricing, etc.


I'm currently searching out useful small-business resources, especially those aimed at creative professionals. It may be time to get involved in a local business organization (e.g. Kiwanis), at least to get a feel for the world of business owners. What do they talk about? What are their eating and mating habits? Etc, etc. It would be great to find a business mentor...

Nasty Neck Face Van!

Nasty Neck Face!

Pink sticker

Intent, part II: Going legit.

Yesterday I renewed the lease on my website. It's been a year now that I have been living and working for myself full-time. Throughout the endeavor, my Life/Work credo has been and remains:

Take your life as seriously as your work.

As a functioning workaholic, strict adherence to that thesis resulted in a lot of Life. I made a discipline of loafing.


As summer approached, I appraised my year. I spent a great deal of time with myself, which is harder than it sounds. While learning to love life, I remembered that I love work too. As the year revolved, I guess I did too, going through a season of living, and returning to a season of working. I've come to see the insight of the credo, inverted:

Take your work as seriously as your life.

Indeed. How can I devote myself to leisure if I am not equally devoted to labor?


So I'm beginning to codify and compartmentalize my work, to some extent. At the same time, I find myself on the verge of a large commission, having been fortunate to experience some modest professional success in the past year. So I begin with the establishment of a studio, as a greater entity: Steiner Steiner LLC. The next step is designing the studio's finances. I'm also revising the website, in order to better brand the studio.


As I work through the process of setting up the studio and getting down to work, I hope to keep the dust to a minimum. The ultimate goal is to create a healthy balance between Life and Work. My hypothesis is that Life and leisure should have much greater weight than is currently deemed respectable.

Increasing the written component of the blog, I hope to explore a few other ideas:
Three things
The analogy of design as poetry
Branding, and specifically sustainability branding

One final note: I originally intended this blog to be a purely personal, online repository of my inspirations and thoughts. In the past year, I've come to truly appreciate the input of the people who know me best. So if anyone is reading this, I'd love to hear your thoughts on anything you find here. A thousand thanks!


That all being said:
L'chaim! To life!

Dag Hammarskjold

Never, for the sake of peace and quiet, deny your own experience or convictions.

HvassHannibal