Local and digital communities: a Q&A with graphic designer Orla Larkin

When you're self employed, taking time away from your business can be challenging. But if you don't integrate rest and downtime into your business, you risk stress, exhaustion and even burnout. In this episode Bo and Amy discuss the idea of taking breaks as a creative business owner. Bo speaks about the self funded creative sabbatical she's planning for 2022. They also speak about some of the community feedback from the past few episodes and Amy's dramatic u-turn on inbox management. Links: Find all the details about the Soul Traders retreat here: http://soultraders.net.au/retreat/ Amy's switched to multiple inboxes to manage her emails. This article by Andreas Klinger explains the system. Bo recommends listening to Phil Wang on How to Fail by Elizabeth Day, WorkLife with Adam Grant, Helen Garner's lockdown dairies, 2021 on The Weekend Read, Who is Daniel Johns on Spotify and Delwyn Everard's podcast 'Running the Show' Both Amy and Bo have been listening to Madeline Dore's podcast Routines and Ruts Amy's been reading This One Wild and Precious Life and listening to The Guardian's Full Story podcast Amy recommends following Penny Wong and Sean Doherty on Instagram. _ If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears. Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them! You can find Soul Traders online at soultraders.net.au and on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions! Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind.

Creatives tend to be very DIY in spirit with lots of optimism and zero experience in legal agreements. The learning curve for creative business owners is huge and we can find ourselves in tricky waters when it comes to the legal aspects of our business. Thank goodness for legal brains like Riz McDonald. Riz is the founder and director of Foundd Legal. She's been a lawyer for 16 years and an e-commerce entrepreneur over the last decade. Her mission is to make legalese easier to understand. Bo speaks to Riz about contracts and agreements, what terms like 'moral rights' and 'intellectual property' actually mean and how to avoid scope creep for good. Links: Find Riz online at founddlegal.com You can browse her free tips and checklists and find helpful contract templates tailored to creative business owners. Check out Riz's podcast Legals and Biz with Riz Bo also recommends Delwyn Everard's podcast 'Running the Show' and Michael Tucak from Creative Legal for more legal support for artists and creatives. Riz recommends reading 'Profit First' by Mike Michalowicz _ If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears. Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them! You can find Soul Traders online at soultraders.net.au and on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions! Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind.

Kitiya is a craft-based designer who lives in Melbourne. Her work is easily recognisable with its vivid colours and playful designs. She's worked with big names like Adobe, Etsy and Lego producing props, installation and illustrations and facilitating workshops. She's also an advocate for what she calls 'creative wellbeing'. Initiating important discussions around issues that creatives face including setting boundaries, navigating creative ruts and imposter syndrome. Links: Find all the details about the Soul Traders February retreat here: http://soultraders.net.au/retreat/ Find Kitiya online at www.kitiyapalaskas.com You can also sign up for her popular email newsletter there. She's on Instagram as @kitiyapalaskas 'Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome' an article by Ruchika Tulshyan and Jodi-Ann Burey If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears. Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them! You can find Soul Traders online at soultraders.net.au and on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions! Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind.

When did our inboxes get so out of control? Can we blame the pandemic? Or is this problem much bigger? Thousands of unread messages. Constant interruptions to the focused work we need to get done and the perception that we need to be always on top of our emails. We're calling it inbox overwhelm. In this episode Bo and Amy discuss email and how they navigate their inboxes. Bo is a proponent of inbox zero. Amy uses tabs and filters. They also discuss the new retreat dates and what they've been listening to, reading and working on. Links: Find all the details about the Soul Traders retreat here: http://soultraders.net.au/retreat/ This is the tweet that started it all Cal Newport's book 'A World Without Email' Cal Newport interviewed by Lisa Leong on This Working Life Subscribe to Tess McCabe's excellent email newsletter Sylloge Josh Spector's 40 One Sentence Email Tips Read short story Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut Bo recommends listening to 'Everybody Knows', and reading Sally Rooney's 'Beautiful World, Where Are You' and enjoying the commentary surrounding it Amy's has been working with Tess McCabe on her Creative Minds project Amy recommends @iamthirtyaf for lols If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears. Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them! You can find Soul Traders online at soultraders.net.au and on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions! Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind.

Shannon Palmer and Bryce MacDonald of Studio Bonum truly want to make a difference in their community. They are intentional and thoughtful both in the work they produce for their clients but also in their approach to their business. Amy spoke to Shannon and Bryce about launching a creative business at a time of global uncertainty, the values they bring to their business and how they hope to attract clients with a similar social conscience. Links: If you'd like to join Amy and Bo for the Soul Traders retreat in November from the 11th until the 14th head to the retreat page soultraders.net.au/retreat/ and click on the link to email your interest. Find Studio Bonum online at studiobonum.com.au/ and on Instagram as @studiobonum If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears. Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them! You can find Soul Traders online at soultraders.net.au and on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions! Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind.

Exciting news: Bo and Amy are planning their very first in-person retreat! It will be a nourishing weekend for creative business owners who want to overhaul their businesses, go deep and get clear on what they want and need to happen in 2022. In this episode Amy and Bo talk about their plans for the retreat including an impactful program of workshops and activities. And food, don't forget about the amazing food. They also describe the incredible venue, New Farm Denmark, and cover the essential details. If you'd like to join Amy and Bo for the Soul Traders retreat in November head to the retreat page http://soultraders.net.au/retreat/ and click on the link to email your interest. Links: Find all the details about the Soul Traders retreat here: http://soultraders.net.au/retreat/ If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears. Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them! You can find Soul Traders online at soultraders.net.au and on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions! Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind.

The podcast has reached a milestone: 10,000 downloads! Thank you to all our regular listeners for supporting us on our journey. To celebrate Bo and Amy answer the questions they get asked most frequently about their personal and professional lives. Links: Bo reflects on her interview with Kate Stokes from Coco Flip earlier this season. Amy remembers the episodes Real mistakes we've made and what we've learned along the way and Resisting the call to grow If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears. Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them! You can find Soul Traders online at soultraders.net.au and on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions! Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind.

Orla Larkin is an award winning digital designer, strategist and educator. Over her career she's worked across state government, not for profits and education. These days she helps makers, creatives and ethical businesses establish themselves online. Orla is no stranger to remote working, having worked with clients around the world for many years. In this conversation, Bo talks to Orla about finding ways to connect and create community as a freelancer, the importance of website accessibility, using Tik Tok as a grown up and her take on 'personal branding'. Links: Find Orla online at www.orlalarkin.com If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears. Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them! We have a brand spanking new website www.soultraders.net.au Check it out and sign up to receive our Monthly Roundup - an email full of links and resources for creative freelancers. You can find Soul Traders on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions! Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind.

Fiona Killackey is a business coach who has worked with many small to medium sized businesses supporting them with practical insights into their marketing, business systems, goal setting and most importantly, working out where their dollars are coming from! Fiona has a podcast, offers courses and coaching and she's also written a book called 'Passion. Purpose. Profit.' which is an incredibly useful guide for anyone who has a small business or who dreams of starting one. In this conversation, Amy talks to Fiona about her tips for dealing with uncertainty (and lockdowns!) and the advice she gives her clients about finding their purpose as well as the people and the systems to support them. Links: Find Fiona online at www.mydailybusinesscoach.com and on Instagram as @mydailybusinesscoach Fiona's group coaching program 'Marketing for your small business' is enrolling now, find the details here. If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears. Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them! You can find Soul Traders on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions! Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind.

Imposter feelings, or that nagging voice at the back of your head that whispers 'who do you think you are?' or 'any moment now, people are going to discover you're a fake!' Most of us have them from time to time, no matter how outwardly successful or established we are. In this episode, Bo and Amy answer a community question about imposter syndrome. They discuss how fears and doubts show up for them and what they've done to build confidence around their work and creative abilities. Links: The Soul Traders are online! Check out our new website soultraders.net.au Listen the the This Working Life episode about imposter syndrome Amy and Bo are reading The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron for the Soul Traders book club. Do you have a book suggestion? DM us on Instagram or use the contact form on our website soultraders.net.au Amy and Bo recommend Ms Represented with Annabel Crabb available to watch on ABC iView If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears. Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them! You can find Soul Traders online at soultraders.net.au and on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions! Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind.