Silver Pears

My biggest news of late is that I started my own company called Silver Pear Tree. I mainly consult clients regarding their marketing strategies. I have two very steady long-term clients who are artists and have had a nice stream of one-time projects. I'm working on landing a third client next week. Fingers crossed.

I'm excited about how everything is going, especially when I consider that I haven't officially launched the business yet. So far, I've been getting clients through word-of-mouth or work I've done for other clients. I want to throw a party in the Spring to celebrate and get the word out even more.

Working for myself is challenging because sometimes it's lonely and hard to get motivated, but I love being in charge of my time and projects and being able to experiment without having to deal with the politics of corporate life. My clients are wonderful people and it's such a huge change from the law firm environment (that's not to say that my lawyers themselves weren't wonderful people -- I still love you).

I think my niche in Nashville will become being a consultant to singer/songwriters, which is not at all a direction that I planned to persue, but it works really well. You'll be shocked, but there aren't a lot of luxury products based out of Nashville. I know! When I started to think about it, though, art and entertainment is luxurious. It's a luxury for artists to be able to make money off of their passion, and it's a luxury for people to be able to go see them perform. Not surprisingly, much of what I learned in school applies directly to my clients and their fans.

I'm amazed when I hear my clients perform. I can write, but I certainly can't pull a tune out of thin air and put it to words. I don't know how they do it. So I leave the songwriting, singing and spoken-word art to them and try to spread their work to as much of the world as I can. It's nice to have finally found a way to support myself by doing something I enjoy and feel like I'm "doing good" by promoting art and Nashville culture.

Bit by bit, it's coming together. Last night, my parents and the dogs gave me pear-themed birthday presents to inspire me, and I was excited to put them on my desk to remind me that I really am working for myself. Eek! The cat left me a card, but he's away at the moment on another neighborhood quest, which I hope won't last as long as his last 3-month adventure.

So when you get a minute, check out Silver Pear Tree and let me know what you think.