Environmental labels. An advertising trick by some? Have you noticed the number of businesses out there that use “eco” labeling and words such as “Green”, “Eco- Friendly”, “Organic” or “Environmental” in their advertising? If you’re like me, you translate this to mean they are committed to saving the environment, recycling or reducing their footprint etc. […]
Why The Question To Retail Or To Wholesale? Until recently Nu4u has focused on being a retail business selling our personal hand made, one off eco pieces via our website or face to face at markets. We had never considered the question about whether or no to retail or to wholesale before. Why? Because we […]
How Our Community Project For Women In Papua New Guinea Began I thought you might like to learn about how our community project for women in Papua New Guinea began. A number of years ago my brother was doing some work in the Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. On a trip to visit him, […]
Hello From Jo!!! Hello from Jo again. It’s well over due for me to touch base with you. 2021 has brought a plethora of challenges for us all, and I’m sure it’s been a challenge on multiple levels for you too. I’ve immersed myself in creative projects, trying to stay positive and above all, focusing […]
Thank you 2020 2020 has been a challenging year for most of us in one way or another. Initially I agreed, but then realised that though my business hadn’t gone ahead in leaps and bounds, it hadn’t gone under and had held its ground. That was actually a bonus! So, I decided to take a […]
Is Social Media Connection The Key In 2020? This is the year that people are using social media platforms more and more. Connection is definitely the key to this in 2020. Through the avenues of Face Book, Twitter, Instagram etc, it seems to be more important than ever, especially in this environment of social distancing, […]
My Challenge To Adapt And Change Or Go Under. With all that’s happened this year, like many people, I’ve been faced with the need to adapt and change or go under. As both an artist and business owner, this has been a challenge. My Challenges As A Business Owner To Adapt And Change. From a […]
We are all cooks even though our recipes and ingredients may vary. Have you ever thought about the fact that we are all cooks, even though our recipes and ingredients may vary? With all the changes this year, along with the drive to become a bit more self sufficient, I’ve found we have more home […]
Traditional Hand Woven String Bags From West New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea Called Bilums, these traditional hand woven string bags form the basis of our community work. These amazingly versatile and incredibly strong bags fulfill a range of functions in PNG- from recording events to carrying a baby, vegetables, or even tools. Traditionally made […]
Would You Wear Trash Collected Off Beaches And Waterways? Have you ever thought about different ways to raise awareness about plastics and man made waste on our beaches? I’m sure you didn’t think to wear any of the trash collected off the beach could be an effective way to raise awareness. Recently in an interview, […]
Do You Need Ideas For Dealing With Isolation? My isolation has been an easy transition, as I already worked from home and have my studio where everything I need is readily on hand. Because of this, I have a lot of ideas for dealing with isolation and being cut off from family and friends. For […]
Check Before You Buy. Do you check before you buy? Have you noticed the number of businesses out there that use words such as “Green”, “Eco- Friendly”, “Organic” or “Environmental” in their advertising or on their web sites? If you’re like me, you translate this to mean they are committed to saving the environment, recycling […]
Creative Recycling With A Difference Has So Much To Offer Creative recycling has always been a passion of mine, along with creative thinking and problem solving. Recycling with a difference came later as I started to build my business. Combining all three elements into a business was the tricky bit. It wasn’t until I really […]
Ever wondered about those Overnight Success stories you hear about? I was talking to some business associates the other day and we reached the mutual decision that the term overnight success just means that people have just become aware of you. The term can be so misleading. We easily forget that “overnight success” comes after […]
Isn’t it interesting how we seem to be more tired, stressed and impatient at Christmas compared to the rest of the year? So often we look forward to Christmas as a time to relax and kick back. We dream of it all year while we slog away at jobs and everyday tasks. Without even realizing, […]
Our strongest assets are often right under our noses and so blindingly obvious that we miss them, which is what I certainly did. It’s not until you look back that you can track your journey of discovery. Mine can be seen in my posts since the launch of this web site. First step – Making and […]
Being creative is definitely not exclusive to being artistic. Would you limit yourself to one creative option when you have a smorgasbord to choose from? As Edward de Bono said, “Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way.” Last week, I talked about perspective as a […]
How we react, respond and deal with every day situations is highly influenced by our perspective. It can be so subtle, we don’t realize that it influences how we see things. Here’s a good analogy- Ever looked through a cardboard tube and noticed how narrow your view becomes? Like the narrow view through the tube, you’re […]
Isn’t it interesting when you watch a program on TV and make all these other connections with life in general? I recently watched a program on snowflakes which explained why each is unique and different. All are made from water, but it’s their journey to earth that forms each of their unique patterns / shapes. […]
If you’ve read my October post, you’ll realize it was a busy and creative month for me. So, what does that mean for you and I? I’ve come to realize that my creative activities are a personal and more spiritual journey, not a business venture. I’ve been working on building an on line business which […]
Ever found that suddenly a whole month has passed and you don’t know where the time went? October has been like that. I was asked by a close friend to help her out with the art and decoration for a new music and art festival, which I happily said ” Yes” to. Then 4 days […]
I’ve come to realise that trying to start a business that is based on making things and being creative requires more than the skills needed to simply make things. How to regularly post on Social Media, the skill and knowledge about knowing what wording to use and when. How about being able to promote both […]
Have you found you often get those amazing ideas at the most unexpected times? Recently I was driving down the freeway, on my way to the hairdressers with nothing particular on my mind, when I had one of those flashes of insight. Yes – Nu4u is about creating fashion, home decor and jewellery from natural […]
Have you come away from workshops with satisfaction mixed with dissatisfaction? Though every tutor has an amazing depth of knowledge and skill, they often make some fundamental mistakes. Before the workshop: You are sent a list of items / materials you need to bring along which costs more than you […]
Nu4u wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for creative thinking. Being able to recycle or reuse natural and recycled material wouldn’t happen if it wasn’t for creative thinking, nor would there be the willingness to nurture and support other creative thinkers. Creative thinking enriches our life on so many levels. It influences our relationships, how we […]
The Oxford Dictionary explains that the origin of this word is from the Latin verb communicare “to share” and defined it as, “The successful conveying or sharing of ideas and feelings”. So – what does this mean for us at Nu4u? For us the key words are ” Successful” and “Sharing”. We try to find […]
I’ve decided that technology and I have an uneasy relationship. This is based on the fact that I have limited knowledge of how it works and what I can do with it. The fact that I’m wired for creative thinking that doesn’t always follow a step by step, logical process doesn’t help either. In my […]
Have you ever wanted to bury yourself away for a day and lock the world out so you can totally focus on something you love doing? Well, the other day I did! I had a lunch appointment cancel so took advantage of having a spare day to focus on a project I’ve been itching to […]
Have you found that over the years you have had dreams or wants that the everyday grind of work, sleep, eat etc stops you from doing? Don’t get me wrong – I loved my job, but there was a deep-seated dream to be able to immerse myself in the world of art and creativity. 12 […]