You’ve chosen the name of the company, researched your market niche, purchased the domain name, know which company will host the website and have all the licensing requirements in order. In short, you’ve taken care of the easy stuff, the paperwork.
You now start to think about business cards, stationery, web graphics, brochures and flyers which leads you to the logo, and all of your momentum comes to a grinding halt.
Chances are, and if you are anything like me, you’ve never been able to doodle more than a stick figure on a piece of paper. So the idea of trying to design the logo yourself is not an option.
As the visual cornerstone of your brand, the logo is one of the most important aspects of your business.
“Studies have shown that people recognize and relate to images faster than text. And in today’s world of multimedia, this rings true more than ever.”
With options to choose from a graphic, freelance or professional designer, a large firm or a small independent firm, it can be a daunting task to simply narrow down the options to make any decision.
Not knowing the best way to proceed can make it difficult to move forward in any way. At times like this, even when it’s business related, it is important to remember to take time for silence, tune in for inquiry and be present in the moment.
In my frustration of not knowing how to proceed to find the right graphic designer for this project, I had to remember that trying to force the outcome was not helping in any way. Of course, I could have employed standard methods like requesting to see a portfolio, or conducting a Google search or asking for a referral. And I did. I ran many Google searches and asked quite a few people for a referral, but none of this yielded the result I wanted.
Remembering that sometimes a change in perspective is all we need, I decided to do just that.
I created a mental criteria for the type of graphic designer I wanted to work with and set the intention for the right artist to find me.
This is what I held the space for:
- Creative vision
- Sincere and authentic desire to produce high vibrational content
- Professional soul of integrity
- Interest in meaningful collaboration
- Fair and equitable pricing
- Damn good artist
As it sometimes takes a little while for situations and people to line up, I had other projects I continued to work on that took my immediate attention off the graphics work. You could say this is when I subconsciously released the request to the universe.
Sometime later, while shopping in a bookstore, I came across a greeting card with absolutely beautiful artwork on the cover. The colors were rich, and the art was powerful.
I purchased one card to give to someone else, and another for myself to place on my writing desk.
During the following weeks with the card on my desk, I kept having a thought that it would be great to do an artist profile to highlight the process behind such beautiful results. So I contacted the artist, and arranged for a telephone interview.
For most interviews, I include a variation of three standard questions at the end. One of those questions is about upcoming projects, but I don’t always include this one. However, this time I felt prompted to include it and I’m so glad I paid attention to that whisper.
Here is an excerpt of the final portion of the interview:
Question:
BJB: “What are you working on now?”
Answer:
TC: “I’m studying graphic and web design. When people look at my artwork, they’re coming to me for graphic design services.”
Now you would think that this portion of the interview was my “light-bulb” moment. It wasn’t. Given everything that was going on in my life, the graphic work (and the request for the designer) was out of sight and out of mind.
It wasn’t until I completed the article that I connected the dots and recalled the intention.
“The Universe can deliver its response in many ways. It might come as a thought, an idea or a memory that has been waiting just out of reach. Someone you encounter, a friend or a perfect stranger, could give you the answer in casual conversation. It might come as a feeling, a hunch or something indescribable. The point is, try to be aware of your environment, external and internal. The more open you are to all sources of input, the quicker you will receive a response.”
As many times as I visited that bookstore, I never noticed that particular card until it was time for me to notice the card. At just the right time, and with no force on my part, the graphic designer that was in alignment with what I wanted to create entered the picture.
Luck? Coincidence? I don’t think so.
The universe brings our manifestations through the path of least resistance. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean what we think it does. It’s what’s easiest for you to allow with no contradictory or opposite beliefs blocking it.
When I made my list there was no doubt in my mind that there was an artist who fit that description. Obviously I had no idea who, what, when or how the description would show up, but I knew it was possible.
In the end, not only did the project unfold much better than I ever anticipated, but the artist and I also developed a deeply respectful working relationship and a spiritual camaraderie that has been nothing less than a pleasant surprise.
When you stay open to the possibility that what you seek is also seeking you, finding the right collaborator for your business project can be a spiritual venture with surprising outcomes.
“Opportunity can always sneak in through a door you forgot you left open.”
