For people who are long on creative ability but short on business sense, Lisa Sonora Beam has some ideas that may help.

In her book "The Creative Entrepreneur: A DIY Visual Guidebook for Making Business Ideas Real" (Quarry Books, 2008), Beam takes a tactile, artsy approach to the business world, which she says can appear daunting for some creative types. The book, which won two Independent Book Publishers Association awards in May, probes strategic business planning but also requires some internal digging, as Beam encourages readers to examine themselves.

"What I really wanted to have was a book that you could refer to when you get stuck, or need inspiration," she said.

Creative people often can't translate their passion into a sustainable business model, says Beam, 43, who has taught workshops on the subject, primarily in the San Francisco area. The workshops, also offered online, are taught entirely with art supplies, she says.

"We think of strategic planning in a dull way," she said, insisting, "if we're not having fun, we're not going to keep doing something."

Much of the book is dedicated to "visual journaling," which is similar to writing about one's life, only in art form. Most of the soul-searching and business planning she offers is accomplished in visual journals.

The artsy-craftsy crowd can find success, she says, by taking an imaginative, right-brain approach to practical, left-brain business practices.

"Understanding left-brain/right-brain modes of thinking is one reason why working with the tools in your journal is so powerful," Beam writes in her book. "Think of it as creative cross-training. The overall result is a more integrated individual, able to pull from a variety of tools and mindsets appropriate to the task at hand."

Carol Parks, 60, a Los Angeles artist, says Beam's workshop recently helped her grow her art-class business from five to 30 classes.

"Using her tools helps you get over formerly insurmountable obstacles," Parks said. "It helps you get out of your own way."

Traci Bunkers, 43, a self-employed artist living in Lawrence, Kan., says Beam's workshop helped her devise a business framework, and the visual journaling keeps her focused.

"I think it really has helped me to steer my business with intention rather than just going with the flow and ending up where life takes me," Bunkers said. "I can be more objective about my work decisions since I have the tools for putting them down on paper and evaluating how it works."

When starting a visual journal, Beam suggests using ballpoint pens (they don't smear) and inexpensive craft paints that dry quickly. Also good: markers, crayons, stickers, ink stamps and miscellaneous items, such as photos, notes, to-do lists and receipts. If you've never created a visual journal, Beam suggests simply getting started; a theme will emerge later on.

"Things are revealed in such magical and mysterious ways," said Beam, who also runs a marketing communications firm. "I'm always in awe of that process."

She suggests her book is for people who "are kind of in agony" for not pursuing what they love doing.

The following are her guidelines for creating a visual journal:

Mapping your creative entrepreneur mandala

Supplies:

Large piece of blank paper (20 by 22 inches is ideal)

Art supplies (e.g., paint, markers, crayons, glue, ephemera)

Words and images from your life (photos, magazine clippings, etc.)

Assembly:

1. On the piece of paper, draw four overlapping ovals to create a mandala flower with eight "petals" (each oval creates two petals). Title each set of ovals, or petals, with the terms "heart" and "meaning"; "gifts" and "flow"; "skills" and "tools"; and "value" and "profitability."

2. Gather words and images that express the attributes in each of the eight categories. Try to work quickly so you don't second-guess and censor your choices.

3. Trim and paste images in the appropriate petal. Embellish with art supplies.

4. Decorate the center, where the petals overlap, as a separate component. One idea is to portray what "ideal work" looks like.

5. Embellish the areas outside the mandala flower with more words, images and/or ephemera.

6. Sit with the finished mandala. View it from a distance. Write about your experience, preferably in a visual journal.

(Adapted from "The Creative Entrepreneur")

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