Renée Phillips is the Director of Manhattan Arts International, an author of several books, and a public speaker. She is known as "The Artrepreneur Coach" and provides empowering life and career strategies for creative individuals.

In this economy Bartering is on the rise.

Imagine this. A dentist provides dental work for an artist. The artist provides art work for a new law office. The lawyer offers some office space to an artist career consultant. The career consultant provides press connections to a new art gallery owner. The art gallery loans art to a real estate company to stage a house. The house owner, a carpenter, builds a desk for an accountant. The accountant prepares a tax return for a web site designer. The web site designer builds a web site for a Reiki practitioner. The Reiki practitioner provides services to a photographer. The photographer takes photographs of a jewelry designer's new designs for her brochure. The jewelry designer creates a new necklace for a printer's wife. The printer prints invitations for a baker's wedding anniversary. The baker bakes a cake for a framer's birthday celebration. The framer frames some art for a dentist's office. And, the cycle goes on and on.

Not a single person has paid a single penny. No, they didn't have to tap into their cash reserves or touch their IRA account. Everyone's business is growing and every one is delighted.

They are practicing one of the oldest activities in the world. It's called Barter. It's so old that I recall my stepfather, a physician, telling me how in the Great Depression he delivered babies on Long Island, NY, and received chickens in return.

Although a practice that primarily serves the small business owner, this practice is not going away. In 2007, the total value of commercial barter transactions reached $6.5 billion. In view of recent economic conditions with merchandise inventories not moving and people out of work, we may see it on the rise.

Barter helps you avoid the situation of wanting something but having to wait until you can afford to acquire it. Barter helps you conserve that scarce resource. Barter taps into that inner resource called helping others and helping yourself. Another term for it could be "Pay it forward."

Send me an email if you have had any experiences bartering.