My word for this season is EXPAND, but I'm not trying to add more work to my creative business. I'm learning to look at what I've already created and ask one very useful question: what else could this be?

Sometimes the problem in our business isn't that we need to create something new. After Paul went on an unexpected rescue mission to retrieve our resuscitation poster from the bottom of the pool, it got me thinking about the things we've already created that aren't where people can find them.

Some ideas visit because we are meant to create them. Others may come through us because we are the person who can help them find their way to somebody else.

Think your story is too small to share? From a 45-cent Spoonflower sale to the ordinary moments in your day, the little stories can be the ones that help people get to know you.

My main quest is a Far North Queensland calendar. This week, I somehow side-quested two Christmas cards and four Halloween patterns. What are you creating instead of the thing you planned?

I want to create practical, affordable resources for creative business owners, but I would rather ask what you need than sit here and guess.

If every post tells people what you do but none show who you are, how will people get to know the person behind your business?

Yesterday’s wet iPad was only the beginning. The hidden wet drawer became a useful reminder to check the knock-on effects when something changes in your business.

One creative idea can quickly become five possible products, but none of them will exist if the original project never gets finished. Sometimes you need to finish the frog first.

What do you call yourself when your creative business no longer fits neatly into one box? I finally found the words that connect my art, illustration and creative mentoring.

If someone has joined your email list, they have already asked to hear from you. So why are so many business owners reluctant to write to their subscribers?

You don’t need to wait until your artwork, course or product is finished before talking about it. Sharing the story early gives people time to become interested in what you are creating.

Mabel assumes everybody will be delighted to see her. What could her wholehearted confidence teach us about sharing our work and talking about what we sell?

Social media followers may not see everything you post. A website and email list give creative businesses another way to remain connected with their audience.

A popular post can attract plenty of attention without producing immediate sales. People may still need time and more of your stories before they are ready to buy.

Building a creative business rarely follows a straight line. The tools, ideas and old versions we leave behind still help us find our own pretty way.

One finished artwork can give you far more than one social media post. Look behind the image at the inspiration, motifs, decisions and difficulties to find five stories worth sharing.

After almost two weeks of trying to make the trees and water work in my January calendar illustration, the answer arrived at 3am: the cassowary didn't need them. Sometimes the solution is taking something away.

You don't need to finish another piece of art before you can post again. The decisions, difficulties and memories behind your latest artwork can give you plenty more stories to share.

You don't need a dramatic story to create meaningful business content. A black swan mum and her cygnets became the perfect example of how to turn one ordinary moment into a story using dots, threads, lessons and doorways.