We're Back!

OK, so we took a break from blogging. Granted, four months without posting is probably more of a hiatus, but we're newbies so we hope all is forgiven. In the time that's elapsed since our last post, we've both been busy refining Best Friends Studios and are looking forward to sharing our thoughts and ideas with you. Since our studios are in different states—two time zones apart—we thought it might be fun to give you a peek into how we communicate on a day-to-day basis.

MARY ANN: The day usually starts out with at least 3 emails from Ellen waiting in my inbox. Since she's the creative genius behind the website, she's the one stuck fixing/changing/creating it. She's also up 2 hours ahead of me, so her day is well under way by the time I roll myself out of bed.

ELLEN: Creative genius may be stretching it a bit...I have a lot of help from my tech-savvy brother, Larry, who keeps me in line, telling me what I can and can't do with the website. But I do agree that our email system of communication works quite well, despite the time difference. It's always nice to arrive at the computer, cup of coffee in hand, and hear the notification bing that Mary Ann has emailed me the night before (usually at midnight when I'm dead to the world!).

MARY ANN: Yeah, sometimes I'm bad and won't get back to her until she's no longer awake. But I have my excuses! I sometimes (ok, usually!) turn my speakers off when I work on my projects. Otherwise I get way too distracted by wanting to see what's arrived in my mailbox. Sometimes mail is so much more fun than my sewing projects when they aren't cooperating with me.

ELLEN: Hmmm...so you're tuning me out, eh? Jokes aside, email works great for us not only from a business stance, but creatively, as well. I've always been one of those tweakers who can fiddle away on a design for days. Now when I need a little feedback, I just email Mary Ann my design to see what she thinks. It really cuts down on designer's block!

MARY ANN: I'm not just tuning you out, I'm tuning everyone out! But I couldn't live without email because it does keep the lines open between us and allows us both to get through those designer's blocks when they pop up. It's so much less lonely working from home knowing that I'm sharing this experience with my friend....whose ideas are always welcome :)

ELLEN: So that's how we run our studios together, despite a 2,000-mile distance. Yes, there are times when we wish we lived in the same city, but this is definitely the next best thing! Ellen & Mary Ann
BestFriendsStudios