The Jeweler's Philosophy

There comes a time for all of us, when we need to make a decision, so we can continue moving down the path. At their core, decisions come down to either gathering / grasping or purging / letting go. Often, we think that the more we gather the better we are. This is true to a point. It seems easier to gather than to let go, this is human nature. We feel the need to accumulate. The truth is that if you are always gathering you are also always carrying all the old things, ideas, and processes. We need not be...

Look at the things you do now. If you were to make a list of all these things, how many of them would your younger self scoff at? You know all those things we told our parents we would “NEVER DO!” Or how about all the things we said we would let our kids do, and DON’T! It’s ok if you’re reading this and feel a little bad, know that we all do. When we first make a decision, most of the time it is finite and absolute. This is because we are unaware of what we don’t k...

The short answer is systems! Instead of always manning and running our machine (business), we build a mechanism or process that physically replaces us or the need for our input, because of the rules we have set forth, now we have freed the time needed to do that task. Systems are the great multiplier. With a system you can have 2 people yield that same output as 10 if done correctly. Listen to this episode and learn my hacks to spotting where to start systemizing first and getting started in your business today!

Enjoy!

Mark Farrell “The Je...

As artist we often think that our businesses are somehow so very different from other types of businesses. The truth is the biggest difference between the 2 is us. We all think that we are the only ones that can do all these things. We think that we are the only ones that are as creative as we are. We need to stop and look at all the businesses that are super creative. Think about the products that you actually buy; those companies have systems, and they make things! Why can’t we use systems too? The good news is, WE...

If you never finish its never done. How many of us get super amped about new ideas? The big question is, what happened to the last big idea? If your anything like me, you get crazy great ideas all the time! Your unfinished pile is just as crazy as mine! It’s Full of ½ finished GREAT ideas! Now think about if you finished just one of those, and what that could do for you! Look we finish the shit that needs to get done but I’m willing to bet it’s not the stuff that lights you up; that st...

Believing in yourself is such an important thing. This is different than having faith in terms of religion. When we are talking about faith here, we are referring to believing in yourself and the things you hold to be true in your life. We need to have faith that the things we are doing will work out in our favor. It’s trusting that the things we are building towards, will see themselves into reality. It’s all about believing in ourselves and continue moving down our path even if we’re the only ones that believe in what we’re...

Energy is palpable. This is most notable when we talk about feeling vibes, attitudes, or even kindred spirits. The fact is the things we focus or dwell on are the things we get more of! As a result, if we are always looking and seeing the bad shit, we will get more bad shit! Now, if we focus on good and positive, we will get more of that! What if we use this idea and use it to help us find, gather, and grow? What if we focus on the things that will take us to the next level...

There are always a lot of questions on how to find good people in business. If we can follow this one rule the rest seems to work itself out. Relationship First, Business Second, is all about the way we feel about the people we are choosing to do business with. As an artist a lot of our “Business” relationships, also make up our work. This episode with give you an idea and lay out where your head should be while working on aligning yourself with people in your industry.

Enjoy!

Mark Farrell “The Jeweler”

Enjoy...

Fear is something that we all deal with in different ways. You can let fear make decisions for you like most people that never achieve their goals and dreams; or you can choose to make decisions for yourself. At the end of the day, it comes down to what’s more powerful, your desire to achieve great things or being afraid to even try because someone might say something. They could say nice things too and we all love a complement, I’m just saying. I hope this helps!

Enjoy!

Mark Farrell “The Jeweler”

For mo...

We have talked about how as artists we are always working, because being an artist is a lifestyle, not a job. This is different this is about the guilt we feel when we are doing anything but working. That is unhealthy and unsustainable. This has nothing to do with being an artist, No, this has everything to do with the way our society makes us feel the NEED to work ABOVE all else. Likely you, have probably fought with this for years just as I have. Listen to this episode and I hope it gives you some nuggets and...

It’s easy sometimes to get stuck where we are right now. The thing we need remember is that where we stand right now in time is just that, “right now” but soon it will be tomorrow, then last week, then last year. Keep in mind that the journey is long! It takes a lifetime!

Enjoy!

Mark Farrell “The Jeweler”

For more info about growing your art-based business head over to BuffaloCraft.com now!

It comes down to pushing yourself. Too often we think, because we make our products, that the only push that matters are physical. We push ourselves to try new techniques, tools, and materials. The truth is mental pushing is the facilitator for the physical push. Listen to this episode and learn how you can start using these in tandem so you can achieve more of your goals!

Enjoy!

Mark Farrell “The Jeweler”

For more info about growing your art-based business head over to BuffaloCraft.com now!

Have you ever had the lyrics of a song come through crystal clear at the exact right time in your life?!

“I’ve got so much soul in my body, but no one keeping me honest” K. Flay, Giver.

Music is a huge part of my life! Not only does it give our lives a soundtrack and sets our mood and tempo, but it also has prolific thought in messaging in the lyrics. I have used music as a tool in my life for many things! When I was younger it helped me overcome depression and he...

Ep111- S2 Ep57 Your Heart & Your Head Rarely Connect…

Look You’re never going to have abs if your eating fast food every day! 

It’s a fact that most people never get the things they truly want! This is mainly due to 1 thing; the want is free, achieving the goal means putting in the work. Most people want things to happen to them or for them. The truth is the majority of people don’t want to put in the work to make it a reality. That’s because our heads tell our heart these...

ARE YOU UP FOR THE TASK?!

This one might surprise you! So much of what we do is mental problem solving. Yet when we are building our work, we can adjust and change on the next piece. This seems to not be the case for most when it comes to business and our business process. maybe it’s because when doing things that don’t excite us, we tend to not want to revisit or revise these until it's killing us.

Here is the challenge:

1) Make a list (WRITE IT OUT!!) of all the...

Momentum is Built in Phases

Momentum is defined as: the quantity of motion of a moving body, measured as a product of its mass and velocity. When we talk about momentum in terms of business we are talking about the movement, growth, scope, size, etc. In the beginning we think momentum is something we create. Though at its core it is the distance between the Start to where we stand right now. Momentum is created and measured mostly by time! Don’t get so hung up on things that you think matter, more than they do. Most co...

Everyone has an opinion, that doesn’t mean it’s worth taking. Only take advice from people that you respect or look up to in that area. A great and very common example for small business owners is asking their attorneys financial questions, and their accountants legal questions. Now, these professionals know they can’t answer these kinds of questions and they tell you that. What about all the other “Advice” we get from unqualified sources? Like investment or business advice from your banker, parents, or neighbor when none of them are investors or business owners. All I’m saying is, j...

Monetize Your Content

We all make content for people to consume. The key is we have to recoup the money and time spent on making all this content. That means our content needs to be aimed at our customers. This is the trick though how do we make money with content we are making? This episode goes into the thought process and gives you tips on what to do, to start seeing a return on your efforts. If you are just looking at followers… you’re focused on the wrong thing. Listen to this episode to learn how...

“VACATION” IS FREEDOM!!!

We all want more freedom, right? Have you ever stopped to think and plan what you would do with that freedom? I hadn’t really either until I when to Thailand for 6 weeks! Something happened while I was there. I have never really taken a “Vacation” in my life, much less as an adult. My trip to Thailand was a work trip that had more then 50% of the time to explore, gather input, and do “Vacation” things. I realized that “Vacation” is GREAT, as long as you do it the right way. I know what you’re thinki...

Day 5 in Thailand 

(Seeing Things Differently Is A Valuable Skill!)

As artist we make a living by seeing alternative solutions to common problems and then selling those solutions to our customers. We use our “out of the box” thinking skills to pull and piece things together to create new things, ideas, techniques and answers. If this is true, why then do we let our respective industries dictate certain things in our lives and business. This episode goes into the process and mindset that I adopted in Thailand and now am implementing in my businesses. Listen to th...

Day 24 in Thailand 

The Sanctuary of Truth (What it Means to Be an Artist)

PLEASE LISTEN TO THIS ONE A FEW TIMES!!!!

A woman working at the Sanctuary of Truth approach me and started talking to me; She dropped CRAZY knowledge about what “Being an Artist” means and why we get to experience this amazing opportunity in our lives! She was able to put into words things I have been thinking about and trying to understand for about 10 years now. She gave me the words and an outsider’s view. She affectively articulated things...

Day 20 in Thailand 

(The Industry Is So Much Bigger…)

Being an art-based business owner and a professional jeweler working in the industry for over 10 years, I Have seen a lot of “The Industry,” or so I thought! It wasn’t until getting to Thailand that I realized, what I thought was the industry is just a tiny segment of the huge beast! Pick a small external part of the body, say a fingernail, ear, or eyeball. That part of the body is what we are all thinking our respective “industries” are. The issue is that we are blinde...

Day 18 in Thailand 

(“Working” is Relative)

We as artist have much more to do then most people with other careers and lifestyles. Working is not just us sitting and making the things we make! We need to stay creative and motivated so we can constantly be making new work to keep the doors open. The issue comes when we realize that what used to fill us with inspiration, no longer hold the same luster it once did. This is a great place to be if you can see it for what it is GROWTH! Growth is fu...

Day 13 in Thailand 

(Keeping a Level head is a Lot of Work)

We as artists need to have a thicker skin then most. Look, we all know that our work is not for everyone. It may not even be for most and this is fine! We seem to forget that EVERYONE has an opinion and back story. We all have our own demons, and everyone is looking for confirmation bias. It’s hard to rise above, when ignorant people say stupid shit that they have no concept of, instead of doing the research and finding the...

Day 11 in Thailand 

(Common Art-Based Business Pricing Pitfalls)

So many of the issues we have with pricing stems from our own insecurities about money. This is a cultural thing, and it’s not easy to see at first. Though once we do, we realize that our biggest stumbling block was ourselves and our false beliefs. The other big problem I’ve found with pricing is we all forget what it was like before we could “DO” the “Thing.” It’s important to remember that most of the time we are selling our work, ideas, process, and skills to p...

Day 7 in Thailand 

(A Helpful Default Mentality is Possible)

What if our default mentality was that of being helping, instead of being secretive or always have an angle, or just downright negative? How would this affect the way we think, act, and run our businesses? Let me tell you what this really looks like in a grand scale! It’s a beautiful thing and something that frankly, I thought was impossible. I know what you’re going to think “It’s too good to be true!” Well, it’s not, and it’s AMAZING!

Enjoy!

...

Day 4 in Thailand (Do You Need to Get Out of Your Own Way?!)

What happens when you start working with someone that can say “YES” the same way you can? Now, think about it from the customers perspective because now, That’s YOU! You’re getting the same treatment; you give your customers. Let me ask you this, would you work with a customer that told you how to do the entire job? I wouldn’t! The reality is I came halfway around the world to find someone that could be the answer to my problems. If I could, a...

Day 3 in Thailand 

(Finding the Right People to Work With)

What if you got to do ONLY the things you loved in your business; what would that look like? This is my first workday in Thailand. I am here for one main reason, that is to set up a manufacturing supply chain for my jewelry line Elegant World. I am focused on finding the people that can already do the work, manufacture in scale, and are as excited about my product as I am! This is very different then my do-it-yourself custom jewelry business. It’s i...

Day 2 in Thailand

(It’s Eye Opening to See Yourself, The Way Others See You)

I found out pretty quickly that being in Thailand during Covid, to make my line, and visit my friend, was not viewed as a normal thing. This isn’t to say it was viewed as a bad thing either. I was surprised to learn how the decisions I’ve made come across in other people’s eyes. It made me truly realize how "point of view" affects not only our thoughts but our actions, and the way WE THINK others see us...

Day 1 in Thailand 

(No Way to Pay for Anything!)

I’M OUT OF QUARANTINE!! I find myself having different problems now, like currency. I have money and I want to spend it, though no one wants what I have and getting what I need is proving harder than it seems. It turns out most currency exchanges are closed on a holiday weekend, in a country with virtually no tourism at the time, on a Saturday before 10am. This doesn’t seem like an issue until you check out of your hotel at 7am and find yours...

The Quarantine Chronicles Pt 14 

(Day 14: Ready to Soak it ALL in!)

LAST DAY OF QUARANTINE!!!!! I can’t wait to get out and start the trip! I’m going into this trip with an open mind. I’m really trying to keep my head clear and absorb what this place has to offer without trying to over analyze or have any real preconceived ideas of what the trip should or could be. I’m here to experience this place and all it has to offer; I’m ready to soak it all in!

Enjoy!

The Quarantine Chronicles Pt 13 

(Day 13: Delayed Gratification)

The internet and this idea of instant gratification, that we as people, have willingly adopted as the norm needs to be met with a reality check! The only way to succeed in anything is to understand and except delayed gratification. Now I’m not saying that you should work on something that has nothing to do with what you’re trying to do. Rather to delay the end gratification to a point that you can gather and build all of the right steps to achieve that goal. Anything worth...

The Quarantine Chronicles Pt 12 

(Day 13: Creating a Better Tomorrow)

We all need to realize that sometimes, we need to lose, to win. I love my family! That’s why I’m here in Thailand and in quarantine. This idea of sacrifice to get a head is one based in truth. I’m here in Thailand to build something bigger than just myself, stronger than me alone. Something that I can depend on, that will allow me to spend more time with my family. The ironic part is I need to spend six weeks away from my fami...

The Quarantine Chronicles Pt 11 

(Day 12: Riding the Ups & Downs)

How many of us feel this constant roller coaster when we think about time? I like to think about this like a bank account when it’s full or, added to, we feel safe and relax. Then when it starts to get low, we, QUICK try to put more in. I find this to be true with my deadlines as well. When I get a new job in, I think “well I have 6 weeks, no need to rush”. Then on week 4 I think “well I have 2 weeks sti...

The Quarantine Chronicles Pt 10 

(Day 11: Farm Your Time; Enjoy The Crops!)

We have talked a lot about time on the show; how to find more of it, how to use it better, how to find and kill your time thieves, the list goes on. The question now is… What do we do with this newfound time, and why do we feel bad if we spend it on a NON-WORK task? Give it a listen, I hope it helps!

Enjoy!

Mark Farrell “The Jeweler”

For more info about growing your art-bas...

The Quarantine Chronicles Pt 9 

(Day 10: Motivation & Its Many Forms)

As art-based business owners we tend to have more motivation than the general person. It takes motivation to decide to make and sell our work. Often, we are motivated to try new things or gather new skills. What happens when our biggest motivators are taken away or changed, then what do we do? How do we approach motivating ourselves for something totally new, or something we have never done or experienced? How do we get and keep that motivation while keeping our mind open and not o...

The Quarantine Chronicles Pt 8 

(Day 9: Quarantine is NOT The Destination!)

By this point we all know about quarantine and we all have gone through it or know someone who has. I feel that most of us are not excited to quarantine or are “volunteering” to do so… unless you’re me of course. That’s exactly what I’m doing! I traveled halfway around the world to set up manufacturing for my jewelry line Elegant World and in doing so needed to perform a FULL 14-night, 15-day mandatory “voluntary quarantine” to enter the kingdom of Thailand. That’s...

The Quarantine Chronicles Pt 7 

(Day 8: The Only Way Out Is Through)

It’s hard to put into words. The reason I’m here in Bangkok is to make my jewelry line. The reason I’m in quarantine is because I need to be to enter the country. Sometimes the things we want to do, our goals or dreams, take us down some pretty weird sides streets in our lives. Often this is where, as artists, we find our best stuff! Being an American we think that there is always away around things… an easy way, out right...

The Quarantine Chronicles Pt 6

(Day 7: The Artist, The Beautiful Technician, and The Art-Based Business Owner)

This is a hard one to put up, because this idea is still fresh in my head. I’m still working through these ideas, I offer this up in an act of transparency, as well as to open a larger conversation. We would love to hear your thoughts!

Enjoy!

Mark Farrell “The Jeweler”

For more info about growing your art-based business head to out BuffaloCraft.com now!

The Quarantine Chronicles Pt 5 

(Day 7: How Déjà Vu Can Help Guide You)

Once you learn to open your mind and except things for what they are or could be, you start looking for other connections that you may have previously missed. That’s really where I landed on this idea of being reassured and guided by my déjà vu. This episode is a little obscure, though I think it helps frame some of these connections that now I’m realizing maybe more cosmically, or universe related, then just crazy coincidences. I for one am using...