Category: Writing Tips

August 2024 Vol 6 Issue 8

Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):
Teaching English as a Second Language
Let us help you tell your story!

Welcome Mid-August, 2024! 

The moderate temperatures of early August and the rain that fell on August 6th were welcome relief to many Saskatchewanians, following weeks of high heat without precipitation.

Mid-August is peak holiday time for many of our province’s residents, entrepreneurs and their clients. My recent social media feed has featured exuberant photos of travel, events and holidays spent with friends and family.

And for good reason! This time in the calendar is nearly perfect
for relaxing and recharging before another program year starts.
In keeping with holiday times, I’m sharing simpler pieces this month to be consumed on the beach or on a golf course, in a cabin or in a fishing boat, or wherever you find yourself situated, good reader.

In Article One, I feature a timely question: What length of (summer) holiday is best? Some might quip, “the longer, the better!”

But the specific answer from “Forbes” magazine and other online sources might surprise you.
In this month’s “Storytellers’ Corner,” I feature part two of a posting on Latin terms to know and use in the classroom or boardroom–and to do so playfully, if possible.

And in “Shop News,” I share some developments in our local network, including an upcoming networking event, as September dawns.

Enjoy these dog days of summer, good readers! Whether you’re criss-crossing the globe, taking a staycation, or working now to take your holiday next winter, I hope you’ll appreciate these last few weeks of summer.
Whether as simple as savouring locally made ice cream or gelato, or walking a pet at River Landing, I wish you all much pleasure in these “dog days” of summer.

May you shore up much energy and joy for the new program year ahead.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Shih
Principal
Storytelling Communications
www.elizabethshih.com
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IN THIS ISSUE:
ARTICLE 1: What length of holiday is best?
STORYTELLERS’ CORNER:
Six Latin terms that everyone “should” know (part two)
SHOP NEWS
ABOUT US
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Article One: What length of holiday is best? Here’s an answer . . .

Entrepreneurs and business people have long discussed just how long our annual (usually summer) holiday should be.

While some may fantasize about taking multiple weeks away, most of us remain deeply invested in our businesses or jobs, so that we check messages and monitor urgent developments even when we’re out of our offices.

The decision of how long to get away tends to depend on factors such as our progress on projects, finances, how we choose to spend the holiday and the availability of family and friends to meet up with.

Virtually all studies on workplace holidays have focused on the lives of “day-job” employees and not on entrepreneurs, the latter which leave much under-acknowledged experience for future publication.

Dutch employees, who were interviewed in 2011-2012 for (the aptly named) “Journal of Happiness Studies,” took longer than 14-day holidays and reported on different criteria throughout and after that length of time.

These employees reported that “health and wellness increased quickly during vacation, peaked on the eighth vacation day and had rapidly returned to baseline level within the first week of work resumption.”

Holidays of longer than eight days did not produce longer-lasting effects when employees returned to work.

Similarly, a 2009 study from the “Journal of Occupational Health” concluded that vacations continue to have “positive effects on [the] health and well-being” of employees, “but these effects soon fade out” when they return to work.

Surprisingly, there have not been many publications that address or analyze the “fading out” of holiday-related positivity. There have also been studies that analyze holiday time for entrepreneurs.

But from the perspective of employees or workers, several findings on how to optimize holiday time have emerged:

(1) Perhaps most obviously, holidays boost employees’ spirits both prior to and after their occurrence.
For instance, in the weeks leading up to holidays, employees found that “stressful experiences had less of an elevating effect” on their heart rates, as they conducted regular duties. Employees absorbed less mental and physical stress than usual, as they waited to get away.

After they return, employees reported feeling better for varying lengths of time, between one week and “around one month.” However, after that time, employees all returned to baseline levels of mood and performance. Even if the vacation had been three weeks or longer, the “elevating effect” always fades.

Researchers in the “Journal of Psychology and Health” report that it is not clear how much longer after they return to work that some employees enter burnout; however, sprinkling “a few different eight-day holidays annually lower . . . risk for developing metabolic syndrome” and other life threatening illnesses. (“Metabolic syndrome” increases the likelihood of heart disease,
diabetes and stroke.)

But businesses or companies seldom allow employees to take multiple eight-day breaks throughout a program or calendar year.

(2) Summer holiday plans usually need to be made the January before, to set aside several days. Career advisors recommend adding two days for travel, one on either side of your break, in order to get the most out of your time off.
But, as Alex Ledsom writes, in an article in “Forbes” magazine: “If you leave [your holiday] too late” in the summer, “you’ll feel battered by the time it arrives.” At the same time, however, if you take your holiday too early, you may struggle to endure the rest of the calendar year.

(3) In recent years, Europeans report having 25+ days of annual paid leave, as full-time employees. By contrast, in the US, which historically used to offer longer holidays than Europe (between the 1970s and the year 2000), 28 million employees had no paid time off (2023). And in 2022, non-governmental employees in the US received only 11 to 20 days of annual paidvacation days, depending on years of service.

Additionally, in 2018, 52% of US employees reported working for short periods while on holiday (e.g. answering emails and joining conference calls) and a total of 765 million vacation days went altogether unused. In some industries (e.g. engineering), employees have even been called back to work mid-way through holidays, if their expertise was required at a critical juncture.

Regardless of how many days off you book, career counsellors recommend planning them early in the New Year, so as to include public/statutory holidays. If a government holiday falls on a Thursday, writes Alex Ledsom, plan to take off the Friday after it, to reach the weekend that
follows.

(4) The trend (at least in the Western world, but also, likely, beyond) of taking a fewer number of paid vacation days, the reality that employees often work part-time while on holidays and the advent of Covid, all have blurred the boundaries between work and home life. Therefore, career counsellors argue that it is more important than ever to plan to spend plenty of time with
family and friends, and with as few interruptions from work as possible, when you do take time off.

All of the above points can intensify when applied to entrepreneurs, whose self-employment is even more likely to eclipse our need for rest, relaxation, family and friends. Entrepreneurs have no “paid” days of vacation and often do not plan for holidays, for fear of losing clients and contracts. Time “off” may be irregular snatches of time taken between those contracts.
Furthermore, responsibility for recruiting and paying for staff and for attending to overall business considerations can escalate stress beyond that experienced by (non-entrepreneurial) employees. . . . Yet, these different kinds of workers should not compete in what Seth Godin calls a “race to the bottom.”

What is the bottom line on taking holidays? Employees and entrepreneurs of all varieties all need to take breaks for mental and physical health. Eight days at a time is a healthy duration of time.

If you can do that twice per year (or miraculously, three times?), you’ll be ahead of the game. But if we deny our human need for rest, our long-term employability or the viability of our businesses, not to mention our health and families, will certainly suffer.

And now it’s your turn: Do you find, as an employee or an entrepreneur, that you need more time off than you usually get?
What about eight days as a length of holiday?
How and when do you plan to take holidays that restore yourself and your family?

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STORYTELLERS’ CORNER . . . .

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER:  Six Latin terms that everyone “should” know (part two)

The online editing website, Grammarcheck.net, recently published a list of 60 Latin terms that “everyone should know.” The latter claim may be a tall order, given that most writers and editors younger than 45 have not found Latin offered in Saskatchewan’s primary or secondary schools (although that changes at the university level).

But setting aside the perennial debate of whether Latin should still be taught to children, I suggest that numerous Latin terms are recognizable, even to nonspecialists. And using such terms can create clarity in our spoken and written word–and maybe some fun, too?

This month, here are six more terms to recognize and enjoy:

(7) Anno domini (A.D.) –“In the year of the Lord.” (e.g. “The Middle Ages started around A.D. 476.”)

(8) Ante bellum—“Before the war.” (e.g. “One can visit many ante bellum plantations in Savannah, Georgia.”)

(9) Ante Meridiem (A.M.) – “In the morning.” (e.g. “The class is scheduled for 10:00 A.M.”)

(10) Bona fide – “In good faith.” (e.g. “The organization is a bona fide charity.”)

(11) Caveat emptor – “Let the buyer beware.” (e.g. “Caveat emptor is a principle that buyers should be aware of potential faults in [something].”)

(12) Circa – “ Around/Approximately.” (e.g. “The Great Pyramid of Giza was finished circa 2560 B.C.”)

Do you have any favourite Latin terms or stories of
people using them?
Please write in; I’d be delighted to hear from you.
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SHOP NEWS:

Thank you to folks of Saskatoon and area who volunteered their time for the annual Saskatoon “Ex” (Exhibition) at Prairieland Park, this year.

The “Ex” featured new rides like “Hurricane,” “X-Drive,” “Frenzy” and “Rock Star”; musical acts by Amanda Marshall and Tom Cochrane; festival “eats” like Spudnuts and Doukhobor bread.

Altogether, the fair had many gems on offer.

But it was also a reminder of the need to keep our children and youth safe, as an assault to a young woman that occurred on fair grounds will now enter our justice system.

My colleague, friend, and community developer, Laura Van Loon, volunteered as a Health and Safety nurse in another part of the fair, donating the honorarium she received for the work to Saskatoon’s Soroptimist group.

This group appropriately works toward helping women who are escaping sexual exploitation to find hope.

In light of ever-present concerns about girls’ and women’s safety at large public events, Laura’s service and the work of the Soroptimist group warrants mentioning.

Thank you, Laura!
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On the networking front, a group of women entrepreneurs (including me) who were seated together at the last gala of Women Entrepreneurs of SK (WESK), have taken a summer hiatus, but plan to reconvene for camaraderie and conversation this fall.
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The 28th Annual Raj Manek Memorial Banquet will be held on September 10th at Prairieland Park, featuring keynote speaker, Tara Bosch, Founder of “Smart Sweets.” Influenced by an “unhealthy relationship with food” as a teenager and by kitchen table wisdom from her grandmother, Bosch researched the damaging and widespread health effects of sugar. She then
founded the first confectionary company to address sugar reduction, creating a recipe for gummybears as “the first candy that kicks sugar.”

In an interview in “Small Business British Columbia” (SBBC), Bosch says that she didn’t stop there. She has rapidly become a global leader in “pushing back on foods with excess sugar.”

Her vision is of consumers who can “live their best lives by giving them the choice to kick sugar.”

Bosch took her pioneering company from first year sales of $2M to fourth year figures of $125M. The business later sold for $360M, with Bosch remaining as majority owner.

She has also pioneered “Bold Beginnings,” an entrepreneurial accelerator that brings “six to eight women entrepreneurs from all corners of North America to Vancouver,” to compete for a $25K investment in their startup.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear Tara Bosch’s story, live in Saskatoon! I hope to see you at the Raj Manek banquet on September 10th!
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Special thanks to my French student, Eliane, who shared with me some of the lesser known but spectacular features of the 2024 Jeux Olympiques (“JO”) held in Paris, recently.

Although the games brought plenty of inconvenience to local Parisians, Eliane shared for me the “back stories” of delights occurring apart from the many sporting competitions.

For instance, she described the engineering behind the opening ceremony’s “silver horse galloping the Seine River,” drone-delivered fireworks, and a haunting performance at the games’ opening ceremony by Celine Dion of Edith Piaf.

Piaf’s beloved “L’Hymne a l’amour” resonated on so many levels for the French setting of the “JO”–for historical losses of France as a homeland; for the losses of a lover; of one’s health (Dion has been fighting neurological disease); and of sporting losses for many athletes, who nonetheless competed at (arguably) the greatest sporting event in the world.

There are always new entrepreneurs to promote and new people to thank for their interest and support. Please share your stories for future issues.
But this is a wrap for mid-August!

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ABOUT US:

Between 2011 and December 2018, Elizabeth Shih Communications chronicled the stories of B2B marketing and communications on the Prairies and across the country.

Effective January 1, 2019, I rebranded as “Storytelling Communications.” I help new and economic immigrants to secure better jobs or contracts by improving their English skills; and I help individuals and companies to tell their legacy stories.

Interested in learning more? Please contact me through my CASL-compliant
website (www.elizabethshih.com).

After I receive your message, I’ll be pleased to discuss projects with you!

Please visit my website for more information (www.storytellingcommunications.ca)

July 2024 Vol 6 Issue 7

Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):
Teaching English as a Second Language
Let us help you tell your story!

Welcome Mid-July 2024! Summer is here!

Late spring and early summer in Saskatchewan began so cool and rainy that many of us lamented (around the proverbial office water-cooler): “Will we ever see the sun this summer?”

But less than three weeks later, high heat set in, with temperatures reaching 30 degrees Celsius or higher. After a brief reprieve last weekend (marked by refreshing breezes and short downpours), we can expect to return to the low 30s by the end of this week.

Journalist and author Joanne Paulson lamented in a message to me how “ridiculous” it is that we complain about both the cool and the intensely hot weather, never satisfied with either (and often not noticing whatever comes in-between).

Marketing maverick Sara Wheelwright (of Trusted Saskatoon) reminded us over Facebook how summer should be done, soaking up the sun and the melodies last week of Saskatoon’s Jazz Festival, fast on the heels of a joyous visit with extended family at her lakefront cottage. . . . And
much more to come!

After too many years of what I call “Pandemic summers,” I spent Canada Day with close friends in Burlington, walking some of the shoreline of Lake Ontario. And, since holidays are seldom times to eat wisely, some of the memorable meals we enjoyed included delicious hamburgers at Canada’s “The Works” and (one day later) Japanese fare at “k & b sushi,” in Oakville.

Since I’ve been hoping that “high summer” may take you into the great outdoors, good reader, I’ve kept this month’s features shorter and simpler than earlier ones.

In “Article One,” I visit ESL teacher and teacher-trainer, Carl Cameron Day, on what Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be useful in the ESL classroom.

In “Storytellers’ Corner,” I have fun visiting five “common Latin terms everyone should know,” from contributors to the online resource, “Grammar Check.”
Rather than insisting that everyone “should” know these Latin terms, I offer them instead as a source for experimentation and laughter, at your next BBQ or party. (More Latin terms will follow, next month.)

Enjoy this beautiful season, good readers, so that wonderful memories (forged by your closest relationships) will buoy your spirits as we proceed through the last half of this year’s orbit around the sun.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Shih
Principal
Storytelling Communications
www.elizabethshih.com
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IN THIS ISSUE:
ARTICLE 1: What AI tools can be used to teach English-as-a-Second Language?
STORYTELLERS’ CORNER: Five Common Latin Terms to Know
SHOP NEWS
ABOUT US
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ARTICLE ONE: What AI tools can be used to teach English-as-a-Second Language?

In a recent webinar from my language training institute, TEFL.org, English-as-a-Second Language teacher (ESL) and teacher trainer, Carl Cameron-Day, shared his insights on how we can use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in the ESL classroom.

For many teachers and writers, AI raises complex, ethical questions that Carl acknowledged. But to start, he addressed: How is AI currently used to teach the English language? Here are some of his answers:

(1) Some standard examinations for non-native speakers of English (e.g. Duolingo, Trinity) are now being graded by AI.

(2) ESL teachers use AI platforms to grade and check for plagiarism in student assignments. (For e.g., teachers can copy and paste student work into AI to test for originality and correct citation of sources. One such platform is “Originality.ai,” although critics have already said these sites function imperfectly).

(3) AI can be used to generate materials for class, such as reading exercises. Otherwise, preparing teaching materials can consume hours of teachers’ time and challenge us to make them fresh and interesting.

(4) Problematic: Students may use AI to write assignments. So teachers should still manually review assignments and be wary of plagiarism (see also #2, above).

(5) Apps are now being used for language study (e.g. Duolingo), so students can practice their oral skills in their own time and space, without having to visit a language lab or library.

Carl also cited some applications of AI that may help ESL teachers:

(1) To help to make syllabi – writing syllabi is a hard task to do, when you have limited experience as a teacher. AI can help to create a first draft. Similarly, you can create an outline for one-on-one tutoring via AI.

(2) To prepare exercises pitched to students’ literacy levels.

(3) To prepare yourself if you haven’t taught a particular type of class before (e.g. Business English or IELTS preparation classes).

(4) To adapt content to your student(s) because AI is generic and needs customizing to meet
students’ needs.

(5) To derive curriculum (e.g. Type into ChatGPT: “Show me a syllabus in English for a Chinese CLB level 3 speaker with poor pronunciation.”) You will likely need to break down your research to use more than one prompt, to retrieve complex/detailed knowledge. But remember that the AI retains your earlier prompts and its answers to them, as you continue in the
same session.)

(6) To practice your skills at writing effective prompts (e.g. “Make me an elementary reading lesson for an eight-year-old boy who is learning English.”) You can derive a story, activities, test for comprehension, vocabulary, etc.

(7) To assess students: AI can review errors and weaknesses in students’ writing, as well as their speaking and pronunciation.

(8) To review AI’s own ideas for quality, accuracy and appropriateness for your audience. Tools like Otter.ai will transcribe students’ speaking, during a Zoom/Teams meeting, to show problems and mistakes you can correct for them (e.g. “Please show me the errors in the following text . . .” (You can also paste writing into Grammarly.com, which is powered by AI, or
into MSWord, which everyone expects to integrate AI . . . )

Other uses of AI for teachers:
(1) To find/make pictures for “warmers” to lessons or
activities (e.g. https://www.craiyon.com/)

(2) To create quizzes for students (e.g. https://www.quizgecko.com)

Troubleshooting tips for using AI in classrooms:
(1) Check anything created by AI—where did it come from; don’t assume its source is good, or that the material is error-free.

(2) Be careful when talking about AI with colleagues—personalize your lessons and don’t publicize that you use AI; some older or more experienced teachers will think you lack a work ethic (and not that you are “working smarter, not harder.”)

(3) Show students how to use AI effectively and not just as an “easy way out.” Check the ages of your students to avoid overusing AI with young children.

(4) Experiment with prompts, especially with writing more verbs than normal.
If, like some teachers participating in Carl’s webinar, you fear you’ll be replaced by an AI bot, his advice was to take heart.

Carl said there will still be a need for a teacher at the front of the room, to effectively correct students’ errors. He concluded the webinar by mentioning that particularly difficult for AI is to correct pronunciation well (e.g. to decipher foreign accents and how to remedy them); and to explain grammar, structure, style and so on, with warmth, humour and kindness. (Carl has these qualities
in spades and encourages other teachers to use them, too.)

So what other uses of AI can you think of, for ESL teaching, or for any educational purposes, overall? How can we prevent AI from overthrowing our teaching of English and other languages and skills?

And now it’s your turn. How do we maintain firm ground as teachers or writers, in this age of AI? How can we remain what Nick Usborne terms, “humans in the loop?”

Please write in; I’d be delighted to share your insights in future issues of TYSN.
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STORYTELLERS’ CORNER . . . .

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER: Words, Stories, Riddles and Jokes on Writing and Editing . . . 

Five Common Latin Terms to Know (from grammarcheck.net)

(1) A priori (From what is before). E.g.: ” ‘All bachelors are unmarried’ is an a priori statement.”

(2) Ad hoc (For this situation). E.g. ” ‘The library was turned into an ad hoc shelter, during the storm.”

(3) Ad infinitum (To infinity). E.g. “Sandra complained about her work ad infinitum.”

(4) Ad libitum or Ad lib (As you desire). E.g. “Some actors were great at ad lib during their scenes.”

(5) Ad nauseam (To the point of sickness). E.g. “We heard an ad nauseam speech about his medical problems.”

There will be more Latin terms to use, in next month’s issue of “Tell Your Story Newsletter!”

If you have never studied Latin (for long), how might you make use of these terms in common parlance–for entertainment if not edification?
Please share your stories with me; I’d be delighted to cite you in a future issue.
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SHOP NEWS:

As I mentioned earlier, I am grateful to have enjoyed several days of holidays with old friends in Burlington. A change of scene is so important, especially for those of us who work from home. My deepest thanks to Arian and family for sharing their home and many dinners out with me!

I loved walking near Lake Ontario and admiring the glorious blue and mauve hydrangea bushes, which were more limited in number and size than the white variety. I especially enjoyed evening walks with Arian in her family’s “Orchard” neighbourhood, and hope to host their visit to Saskatoon in upcoming years.

I also remain grateful for smooth air travel to the staff of Air Canada, including no labour strikes in summer’s high travel season.

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Extra special thanks to Steve Cavan, whose many hats include those of ESL teacher, mentor and
editor. Steve graciously took over a recent project on a short time frame for a new client, when my schedule was overbooked.
He also continues to mentor me as I adapt to teaching on different platforms and using some new resources.

For all of these reasons–and more–I have only high praise for Steve. . . I wish him and his lovely wife, Kathy, all the very best as they explore retirement in Italy, this fall!

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Many thanks also go this month to Cathy M., a research librarian at U of S Murray Library, for assisting me in finding and printing an article available to alumni (in-person). The process reminded me of the importance of alumni updating/resetting our passwords on the U of S network–details needed to allow alumni to download journal holdings efficiently, when visiting campus libraries.

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Thank you also to client Greg Gilroy for asking me to edit his memoir this summer. It is a “legacy” document about his career as a veteran Saskatoon bus driver.

The audience for his memoir is newbie drivers (who can benefit from his experience) and senior colleagues, who will find that Greg’s thoughts, memories and laughter resonate with them.

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I’m glad to share housesitting and elder care duties with Parish Nurse, Laura, whose deep knowledge of nursing and patient care have supported me throughout the past six years of my elder care. And thank you to all of you who quietly and sometimes thanklessly visit the elderly throughout our city and province, when loneliness and sadness among them are such an epidemic.

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Thank you to my dear friend Lesley who invited me to enjoy a lovely afternoon in her glorious garden in River Heights.
Luscious flowers (from ornate peonies and hydrangeas to the self-seeding miniature violets and bachelor buttons) in vivid colours provided a visual feast; and conversation with Lesley brought much serenity, too.

The garden took me back to early childhood memories of flowers grown by my grandmother’s cousin, some 45 years ago.

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Although deadlines caused me (and several others) to miss our freelance writers’ “roundtable” meeting in early July, I plan to catch up with members’ updates at our August meeting.

Our group’s collective articles for the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild’s “Ask a Freelancer” series were well-received and fun to write! (We offered our insights on topics of creativity, writerly resources, pitching for contracts and time management.)
The group plans on repeating collective articles on new topics, in a few years’ time. Special thanks to writer Ashleigh Mattern for coordinating these articles!

There are always new people to thank and new work to promote. But this is a wrap for mid-July!

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ABOUT US:

Between 2011 and December 2018, Elizabeth Shih Communications chronicled the stories of B2B marketing and communications on the Prairies and across the country.

Effective January 1, 2019, I rebranded as “Storytelling Communications.” I help new and economic immigrants to secure better jobs or contracts by improving their English skills; and I help individuals and companies to tell their legacy stories.

Interested in learning more? Please contact me through my CASL-compliant
website (www.elizabethshih.com).

After I receive your message, I’ll be pleased to discuss projects with you!

Please visit my website for more information (www.storytellingcommunications.ca).

March 2024 Vol 6 Issue 3

Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):
Specializing in Entrepreneurial and Organizational Storytelling
Let me teach you to tell your story!

Welcome Mid-March, 2024!

Last Friday (March 8th) was International Women’s Day marking the need to continue to fight for women’s professional and personal equality. In a currently regressive, far-Right wing and patriarchal world, that need has never been greater.

In SK, across Canada and the West, the glass ceiling remains firmly intact but, as a mentor recently said, it is now just “deceptively covered with attractive looking foliage.”

How often have you felt angry, good readers, from a story in the local news, or from scenes of customer dis-service you’ve witnessed in our community? And yet, as business leader Silvia Martini recently reminded me, joy is essential: “Life is a very luscious peach to enjoy, with only a hard core that we have to work around!”

Twelve days ago, our lives were punctuated by “Snowmaggedon,” when, in just two days, 35 to 40 cm of snow fell throughout Saskatoon. Twelve days later, city crews have largely met the challenge, so that we might forget about the storm altogether, apart from tall snowbanks and the thawing of
ice.  My point is that notwithstanding the inconvenience, even snowstorms can provide reason for hope: As a friend of mine marvelled over the phone that weekend, “Heavy snowfall in March is every farmer’s and gardener’s joy!”

A glimmer in my mind and heart reminds me that we’re approaching the first official day of Spring on March 19th! Thankfully, we have passed through the change to Daylight Savings’ Time (while we do not observe it, our clients often do).  And we can enjoy the increase in daylight hours each evening, making it easier for us to commute to events in our communities.

In Article One of this month’s issue, I explore the concept of “Artisan Entrepreneurship” as suggested to me by Silvia Martini, in a recent meeting. What does it mean and why was I glad to learn it?

In “Storytellers’ Corner,” I visit three practical ways to invigorate  (or vivify) your sentences, from publication coach, Daphne Gray-Grant.

And in “Shop News,” I acknowledge the work of a few others in my entrepreneurial circle who often go uncredited, but who advocate for and make self-employment possible for, others like me.

I hope you enjoy this month’s issue of “Tell Your Story Newsletter” (TYSN), good readers, and that you’ll share with me your interests and ideas for future issues!

Sincerely,
Elizabeth
Principal
Storytelling Communications
www.elizabethshih.com
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IN THIS ISSUE:

ARTICLE  ONE: What is “Artisan Entrepreneurship?”
STORYTELLERS’ CORNER:
How to vivify sentences, with Daphne Gray Grant
SHOP NEWS
ABOUT US
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Article One: What is “Artisan Entrepreneurship?”

I’m deeply indebted this month to Saskatoon’s Silvia Martini, a highly successful entrepreneur, community leader, board director and property developer, for sharing on February 23rd a transformative, highly intuitive and enjoyable meeting with me. During that meeting, she mentioned the concept of “Artisan Entrepreneurship.”

Silvia identified a match between the concept and my work as a freelance English language teacher and a professional writer and editor.

So what is an “Artisan Entrepreneur,” you might ask?

While I earn a living by my mind, pen (and keyboards) and encourage creative women (and men) everywhere who do the same, I would not say I’m a (scalable) startup entrepreneur, a small business entrepreneur, certainly not a large company entrepreneur, or even a social entrepreneur, although I
admire the latter’s socially responsible goals.

I imply no pejorative judgment to these other categories of entrepreneurs (and know, philosophically, that categories are not always a fully accurate form of identification).

Instead, I value the mentors, friends and colleagues who fulfill these roles (including Silvia Martini and Monica Kreuger), who are deeply committed to our community, who serve with profound decency, and who generously, tirelessly mentor others.

But I’m writing this month to acknowledge creative people’s philosophical and personal interests (and differences) that sometimes find a home under the umbrella of the term, “Artisan Entrepreneurship.”

In a collaborative 2022 book, Artisan Entrepreneurship, academic Vanessa Ratten says that Artisan Entrepreneurs “create social value by engaging in community business practices.” But that’s rather vague!

Artisan Entrepreneurs usually combine their entrepreneurial skills with expertise in a craft or art. While we manage the commercial duties of our enterprises, we are deeply committed to a specific skill or set of skills.

More particularly, as blogger Arian Adeli writes, Artisan Entrepreneurs “combine their artistic or craft skills with entrepreneurship to create a business.” The business may sell products made by hand, such as jewellery, ceramics, furniture, clothing or other artisanal goods. But the business may
also sell work that consists primarily of intellectual and emotional production.
Artisan Entrepreneurs provide a personal touch or craftmanship to our services or products, Adeli says.

The category of “Artisan Entrepreneurs” can include writers and illustrators (and not only potters or tailors), who are “often deeply involved in every step of the process, from . . . designing and creating the product or service, all the way to marketing and selling it.”

An Artisan Entrepreneur may make and sell a garment of “slow fashion,” like the beautiful work of colleague Kathleen O’Grady; or provide an hour of insightful Akashic Record Reading, like my colleague, Ann Chatfield. I have learned recently, too, of Yao Bo, who is an authentic Chinese tofu
maker who sells his painstakingly made products at “Good Farmer Tofu,” in Stonebridge.

These Artisan Entrepreneurs “sell a story, an experience, and the passion and love they put into . . . their creations” (Adeli).

It’s a concept worth exploring, since the value of the work of Artisan Entrepreneurs inheres in its uniqueness and quality—such output cannot be done by mass production.

For me, in pre-Artificial Intelligence days (AI), I would ordinarily spend two or more hours researching, writing, editing and publishing a particularly important blog posting for a client.

Or I might similarly read and plan for two hours a particularly effective English language class for a newcomer, when a mere AI “prompt engineer” (virtually an antithesis to an Artisan Entrepreneur) could dispatch of these processes in five minutes, downloading content without revision from GPT-4, or Google Gemini.

An oft-cited example of Artisan Entrepreneurship is of a local baker who might rise at dawn to knead dough and bake bread, sourcing “local ingredients, experimenting with flavours, and creating unique recipes” (Adeli).

That specialty bread contrasts a loaf of the cheapest supermarket variety, mass-produced to sell for $2.50 (and filled with unhealthy high-fructose corn syrup, to compensate for its terrible flavour).

The Artisan Entrepreneur sells what Adeli describes as “an experience, a taste of home, a piece of their passion.” We sell the unique outcome of a creative process.

The limited amount of public awareness of, and research on, the concept shows what Adeli says– “the motives of Artisan Entrepreneurs differ based on the way they are embedded in society”: their personality types may differ from other categories of entrepreneurs. We may be more introverted (but
not necessarily so), and we may be less driven by financial strategy than others (although some Artisan Entrepreneurs achieve, and all deserve, monetary success).

More research into Artisan Entrepreneurship can aim to “open up new opportunities” for this self-employment, writes academic Vanessa Rattan. Those opportunities may increase and promote a larger number of viable livelihoods for more creative workers (“creatives”).

I know from taking entrepreneurial training (through the Praxis School of Entrepreneurship’s “startSMART program,” 2018/19) and from networking in our community, whose economy has not yet rebounded from pandemic times, that Artisan Entrepreneurs—indeed all kinds of entrepreneurs—can struggle to be profitable.

Often, profits are low, which at times can be challenging, especially in a single-income household. But financial viability is possible when the craft(s) involved are pursued with entrepreneurial insight and planning (in consultation with experienced and successful mentors like Silvia and Monica).

For instance, as a professional copywriter, I can seek retainer contracts and long-term relationships with prospects in my niche for my services, instead of pouring hours over short-term pitches to unknown editors that often get ignored or are only accepted for below-market pay.

A key to financial success for Artisan Entrepreneurs is a stalwart belief in the value and worth of our services or products and the knowledge that gainful markets do exist, even on the “have-not” Prairies, and that the challenge is simply to search for and tap into them.

Although I have been working as an Artisan Entrepreneur for nearly 14 years, I am just learning what this means: Silvia’s sharing on February 23rd has improved my vision and understanding of the work I and others do in our community, leaving me with deep gratitude.

Not coincidentally, this meeting was facilitated as a Christmas gift exchange (December 2023) among a group of thoughtful and generous women entrepreneurs in Saskatchewan, including Silvia, Monica, Deanna Litz and numerous others.

These extraordinary individuals all know the risks and joys inherent in entrepreneurship, of all shapes and kinds.

And now it’s your turn. Are you an entrepreneur or someone who supports one (or many)?

And do you engage with the work of Artisan Entrepreneurs?

What insights do you have on this niche of self-employment for yourself or others?
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STORYTELLERS’ CORNER . . . .

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER:

“How to vivify sentences, with Daphne Gray-Grant” 

Publication Coach and editor, Vancouver’s Daphne Gray-Grant, reminded her blog readers recently that human editing is still needed to avoid the “very boring” writing that ensues from using ChatGPT and other forms of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

She showed that a boring tone arises when very basic sentence structure (subject + verb + object) repeats far too often. The example she shows is of the following paragraph (created by AI), where each sentence begins with the same definite article, “the”: “The researchers conducted a comprehensive
literature review. The scholars analyzed the data using advanced statistical methods. The authors discussed the implications of their findings in the conclusion. The study aimed to contribute valuable insights to the existing body of knowledge in the field.”

Just as we do not eat macaroni every night, Gray-Grant says, or want to read only one author of fiction in our leisure hours, we also want sentences in our marketing or communications copy to be more varied and creative.

Among the several strategies that she recommends for enlivening writing, Gray-Grant recommends these:

(1) Use subordinate clauses (clauses that begin with words like “because,” “since,” “although,” “when,” “if, and until”), so that you can emphasize certain ideas above others;

(2) Add coordinating conjunctions that support complex thinking (such as “and,” “yet,” “for,” “nor,” “or,” or “so”);
and
(3) Invert sentences so that the verb precedes the grammatical subject (“Look: there is the editing, now moved to the ‘done’ list!”).

If you’re finding your sentences to be monotonous, try these strategies. And subscribe to Gray-Grant’s blog for more ideas.

You may find your prose quickly vivified beyond what you can imagine!
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SHOP NEWS:

Since I believe deeply in the transformative power of empathy and gratitude, beyond the folk already mentioned in Article One (and in the usual round-up of this section), I am especially thankful this month to Julie Barnes and Josh Remai, who co-sponsor a wonderful newcomer in our community in
many ways, including by contracting me to teach private ESL classes.

Working with a literacy learner who comes from a faraway continent has increased my awareness of the many challenges that arise for refugees and newcomers to Canada, especially in these war-torn times.

But those challenges have been mitigated and excellent support provided for this newcomer by the generous and compassionate support of Julie and Josh.
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I also continue to be thankful for the work I share with women writers of “Saskatoon Freelancers’ Roundtable,” who since 2013 have been a joy to connect with. Most recently, we have been writing some collaborative articles (“Ask a Writers’ Group”) for the SK Writers’ Guild online ezine, “Freelance.”
Receiving and editing these women’s contributions last month, on the topic of “writerly resources,” has held much interest for me—and also been fun!

Thank you, Ashleigh Mattern, Julie Barnes, Adele Paul and Ashlyn George for their contributions to this group!
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I’m grateful to my brilliant colleague and friend, Conor Phillips, Founder and CEO of Pathfinder365, a tech start-up, for discussing frankly over Meta (FB) the challenges of being a single wage-earning woman in SK.

Conor posted a link to a CBC article from 2023 that says “the most overlooked group” in Canada is actually single, most often women, professionals who live alone and face financial discrimination by CRA’s unspoken “singles'” tax.
Single professional women in Canada bear the weight of an unfair tax burden and next to no affordable housing opportunities, despite being full-time, employed individuals.

This situation contrasts the housing deductions and other allowances offered to their married or partnered counterparts.

The “singles tax” amounted in 2023 to about $15K/person/year in Toronto. So, many professional women, as Conor has said, cannot afford the escalating costs of rent, groceries and other daily expenses.

Numbers aren’t much better, either, in Vancouver, or in smaller centres, like Saskatoon. What Conor cited as a “singles’ tax” policy may hit women entrepreneurs in SK even harder than conventionally employed women, when we choose or need to live independently, while working hard to serve our cities and surrounding communities.

Tax policy changes are urgently needed. Can we see through the attractive foliage currently covering the glass ceiling?

If these issues are new to you, please consider reading this link to CBC’s “Cost of Living” article, posted by Conor, and write both your MP and MLA.

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/costofliving/how-the-tax-on-singles-has-people-who-live-alone-feelingthe-pinch-1.6797561

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The list of “thank yous” that any entrepreneur can offer, in any month, can be extensive. Instead of repeating familiar names here, I offer thanks to someone new–local opticians here (and throughout Canada) who don’t charge to do small, emergency repairs on eyeglass frames, even if you’re not their customer.

An optician at “Theodore and Pringle” on 8th Street assisted me recently, when I needed some minor adjustments to my glasses, in a hurry!

But besides refusing to charge me, the staff there advised another person (a bonafide customer) about what equipment they could use to accommodate his partner’s medical disability (she was absent at the time), for an upcoming eye exam.

The staff went further to outline what government funding would defray the cost of optometric services for the woman with a disability.

These moments of community service (Julie Barnes and Josh Remai; Conor Phillips) and customer service (Theodore & Pringle) demonstrate in unsung ways, how Saskatoon speaks out and supports others  in the face of injustice and shines with kindness, even (or especially) in these challenging times.

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And thank you to you, my good readers, for continuing to share your insights on social media and in correspondence with me!

Published by www.storytellingcommunications.ca – Storytelling Communications. Copyright © 2024.