As a self-employed artist, I must puzzle out many dilemmas and questions that come my way, out here forging along in the big wide world. Here is a random sampling:

1. Why did a customer not pay me for selling a boatload of paintings for 5 years in spite of numerous attempts to collect and then simply write a check when my husband asked him too?

2. Can a mural be successful on a business with 3 partners, 2 of whom are enthusiastic and 1 who is less than happy about it?

3. Why do people want to buy books of my photos or drawings or paintings when I only have them to be used as a portfolio?

4. By not painting in 2013, my painting inventory feels much more manageable.

5. When paintings haven’t sold in a long time, I do a careful evaluation to determine why not. Sometimes I decide it is because the public is unworthy of such gorgeousness, but other times I decide they are just not good enough. I paint over the top of those. When I feel relief at the disappearance of the old image, I know it was the right decision.

6. Why does Photoshop Elements sometimes show tools and other times not show them?

7. Will I ever learn to Facebook?

8. Where is the Botmobile?

 

There is a book called The Question Behind The Question by John G. Miller that teaches how to ask better questions. So, let’s try this again:

1. How can I learn to collect immediately from a customer so that a problem doesn’t develop?

2. More will be revealed in the fullness of time. . .

3. Is there a way to have these books printed at a reasonable price instead of the super-high-no-room-for-profit prices of Shutterfly? (Start shopping, Toots!)

4. What’s the question??

5. What’s the question??

6. Where can I find help on Photoshop Elements, helpful help, not the so called “Help” menu that comes with the thing?

7. When will I call the helpful Elsah, so she can walk me through this most irritating thing called Facebook that is supposed to be a MUST for every business that wants to succeed? (Now that I am on it, I definitely think it is 1/4″ deep and 6 miles wide, BUT in learning a little of how it works, I’ve learned a better way to enjoy both Pinterest and LinkedIn!)

8. What is the Botmobile?

(The Question Behind the Question is available on Amazon, of course. )