Now What...

I have officially made the cutest lil Canada Day hand bag (totally for sale) and even figured out how to get a cute lil white flower on it. Couldn't try and sell it yesterday (Farmer's Market was cancelled), but it's still adorable!!

 

Anyways, that's beside the point! Today I'm going to do what I feel all bloggers do at some point. I'm going to blog about blogging!! But I'm not giving tips, or clues, or anything like that. First of all, because there are already WAAAYYY too many of those out there, and second, because I've only been blogging for like 4 months I don't reeeaaalllyyy have any tips and tricks.

No, I'm going to blog about content. I've always found it interesting how other people do it. A lot of people pre-write and schedule to have them sent out. If it works for some, AWESOME!! I'm not trying to criticize, I'm just experimenting.

I tried the whole "schedule send out," but it just felt kind of un-authentic to me. I wanted this blog to cronicle my descent into madness--I mean creative journey. So, that means writing it in the here and now. I also found that I didn't get as many hits and reads (I know I shouldn't but I follow these religiously and THANK YOU FOR READING!!!!). Call it superstition, but it just doesn't feel right if it's not me personally hitting that big scary publish button, and it reflected in the numbers.

I've also tried the "schedule set days to write a blog post." HA! I lasted, what, 2 posts on that? I think I'm too much of a flybytheseatofyourpantser (it's a word if I say so:P) to have anything that strict lined up. There's a passive aggressive part of me that just wants to rebel against any possible deadlines or goals I set for myself. I don't even like making appointments for things like doctors and stuff. UGH!!

Then there's the ONLY WRITE ABOUT ONE SUBJECT OR NO ONE WILL READ!!! I capitalize this because this is what I seem to hear the loudest. "If you don't blog about one thing and one thing only, your blog will fail and no one will read it!!" To that, my Renaissance Soul/Multipotential both laughs and has a mild panic attack!!

While yes, I agree that your blog should have some sort of general outline, what the hell is wrong with branching?! This is my creative journey sure, but in the meantime I've conquered some totally different and off track stuff, and you amazing people still read it!!

Again, if any of these is your approach to blogging and it's working for you, kudos!! Leave a link in the comments, I'd love to read them!! This is just me coming to the decision (and letting everyone else know), that I have decided to start my own style of blogging! 

It's called the "I just did or thought of something really cool to write about so I'm gonna hop to it" approach, or IJDOTOSRCTWASIGHTI if your're into acronyms:P

I have planned out a few things out to write about, but they're mostly tangents I started going off on in previous blogs that I haven't come back around to yet. As for new ideas, I just kinda get them on the fly.

Take this post for example, originally I was going to write about what I'm weaving right now and what awesome thing I'm going to turn it into, but then I thought of something better to say.

I guess what I'm saying is that yes, there are a lot of "Rules" out there for blogging, or anything really, but beautiful things can happen when you throw that rule book in the recycle bin (let's be Earth conscience here people:P) and take life by the horns!!

TTFN, Ta Ta for Now!!!

Recaculating....

Technology... Always recalculating, always rethinking... Not that I can complain. I mean, without it I wouldn't be able to blog, or check my phone compulsively every 5 minutes while my computer is once again recalculating...

Full circle here right? ...maybe... Lost my train of thought there...

Oh wait!! Got it back!! Basically where I was going with that was that I use technology at work daily. I come in, I log on, and I'm givin' 'er for the day. 8-4 for the most part.

Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE my job! I'm very happy here! But I'm just the type to wonder... What else is there? Yes, the grass may not always be greener on the other side, but what if sometimes it is? There's got to be more out there than getting up, going to work, coming home, and going to bed right?

WELL! That's what I'm trying to find out! As a multipotentialite/renaissance soul, that whole concept gives me heart palpations. Just the thought of doing the same thing day in day out until I die is enough to send me screaming in the other direction. Which is why I'm starting this looming/sewing/art business-type-thingy I've got going on here. I want to see if there is more out there. If there is life beyond a job. If I can work from home, sleep late, and work later without having to leave the comfort of my own back yard. Nothing beats a try right?

When I think about this on a grand scale, my previous little worries about posters and signage and all that other menial crap really doesn't matter. On a whole, I'm trying something new! I'm trying to see if there's life out there, and I'm jjjuuusssttt starting to get my feet wet. And DAMN!!! That water is cold!! I have a feeling that it'll get colder before it gets any warmer!

But, because I am the way I am, before I've even begun letting that water warm up just a titch, I've got my eyes wide open exploring new opportunities! That's right, this summer of markets hasn't even started yet and I'm already looking past it to see where the winds might take me. I kind of feel like Pocahontas... Oh darn, now I'm singing too!

Anyways, ciao for now!!!

Courtesy of Google Images

May the 4th be with You (And Revenge of the 5th)

Yes, I'm a proud nerd! And so I say, May the 4th be with you!!

It seems like a lifetime since I last posted anything. A lot has happened in the last couple of days, namely my Grannie suddenly passing away. So it's been a devastating week all around. At the moment this is an experimental post.

 

Creative-wise I actually haven't been doing too badly. I started this post yesterday (Star Wars Day :P), but just didn't have the heart to finish. Anyways, I did get a lot of crafty stuff done yesterday. I painted 2 pictures (water colour!), and did a sketch of The Forks again.

 

Side bar, The Forks is a pretty big tourist destination here in Winnipeg and probably my favourite place in the city. It's super historic (previously established that I'm nerdy that way), there's lots of cool original shops, and it's beautiful to just sit by the river. Anyways, I went there last Friday on my last day of holidays and it has since become my favourite place to sketch (apparently). I've done 2 now (see below), and after tagging The Forks in it via hashtags, they've liked both of my pictures right away on Instagram. It might not seem like much, but I personally am SUPER STOKED!! I'm pretty excited that my artwork is starting to get noticed.

Which means that now I really have to update my Instagram personal info and let people know that I'm actually selling stuff now... Ugh... Work... It was also really exciting that my cousin recognized right away what I drew. I'm kind of all about artistic interpretation. When I try to draw something exactly how it actually looks, if it doesn't look EXACTLY like the actual object I get super down on myself. Even though I really shouldn't (I'm still pretty new at this, and am for sure not a camera), so I've decided to stop trying. If it looks close enough to what it actually is, I'm good.

I've also taken my first step towards official abstract painting. I couldn't think of what else to paint, so I just grabbed the colours that I liked and kinda smeared them all a page. When I was done I kinda thought it looked like fireworks, but when I showed it to my sister and cousin they both agreed that it looked like autumn leaves. That really intrigues me! It wasn't supposed to be anything, just a smear of colours on a canvas, but it turned out to be a possible 2 things. And that's just from the 3 of us. Mind blowing right?!?

This has kind of been a therapeutic post, I'm still incredibly out of sorts and not quite myself. Now I can definitely see how art and writing can be used for therapy. I feel slightly better already :)

Thanks to all who suffered through:) I should be more myself and back to my regular endeavors next post (hopefully).

Newsletter Hell

So... I have officially forgotten how much work newsletters are... I've put in about 6 hours this weekend and I'm still not done... Ugh...

 

This reminds me that, while I absolutely love to write, editing it into a newsletter format is NOT my favourite thing to do. Ugh... Trying to get a hold of people for things is also super not overly fun...

 

HOWEVER!! The weekend was not a total hair-pulling newsletter fiasco, I also finally got off my ass and painted!!! Yay!!! This does require a little back story though!

 

So, last Friday it was pouring rain... My bus stop is about a 10 minute walk from work, down a sidewalk that is RIGHT beside a very battered road (I'm doing a photo-series on this, stay tuned), so there's puddles EVERYWHERE. Now, most motorists where I live either can't drive well, or are complete jerks, so, not only was I battling puddles on the sidewalk, drivers were constantly splashing me. I was also only wearing a hoodie and my runners (my rubber boots cut off the circulation to my legs, and it wasn't raining when I left home in the morning half asleep). The only thing I really had going for me was the fact that I had an umbrella. But, if any of you live on the bald prairies in the spring, it was windy as sin so my umbrella kept blowing inside out; not much help.

 

At this point, understandably I think, I was soaked and incredibly cranky. Oh! It was also pretty much the only day last week that I didn't drive to work, and it was the only day last week that we had a torrential downpour. So, completely soaked and incredibly cranky, my mind turned to what I had to get done this weekend. I had been wanting to paint for WEEKS (as mentioned in previous posts), and since water was currently the bane of my existence, I decided I was going to paint a puddle with watercolour. I have never used watercolour as an adult. When I was super young we had little watercolour kits we would mess around with, but that was probably 20 years ago...

 

Raise Your Hand Say Yes right? So for accountability purposes, I put it up on Facebook for all my family and friends to see. Not too sure about the rest of the world, but this is super scary for me. I don't normally let people know when I'm doing creative things. Up on Facebook it went, my sweeping declaration that I was going to paint a puddle with watercolour paints. BAM!!

 

Well, true to form I put it off, and put it off, and put it off some more. Even though it was something a really wanted to try. Finally, after looking at my art kit thing (got it at Micheals a couple years ago, first time I've actually used it:P) for a couple hours, I found my multimedia sketchbook, got a lil glass of water, and went to town. What did I find out? I LOVE watercolour!! It's super fun and easy to mix colours right on the page. My technique leaves much to be desired, and if I didn't point out the fact that it's a puddle I think most people would have thought that it was a blue blob surrounded by brown with some blue lines on it (it was still raining when I was painting, so more rain seemed apt), but it's still something I'm super duper proud of. For my first try, I had fun!!

 

Now, because I very seldom do things halfway, not only did I tell the people of Facebook that I was going to do this, I actually POSTED IT on facebook (and instagram, but I do that with all my doodles and trials so I'm used to that). The reaction? Quite a few likes and some real support. What did I think was going to happen? The absolute worse thing possibly imaginable, because that's just how I roll. Hi there Inner Critic! How are you doing? Guess what? I just totes outsmarted you, and I plan to do it again in the future!

 

So, maybe doing something absolutely terrifying and new isn't such a bad thing. I now truly believe that everyone should do it:)

 

Peace out Monday!!!

Fuzzy like Dryer Lint

Hello all!

 

I can say that now because (at least it looks like) people are actually reading!! Yay!! You make my year!!

 

I think it's going to be one of those days... You know the ones where your brain is almost too fuzzy to think, and where you have so much stuff to do you kind of want to lay down and take a nap?

 

Turns out making a to do list just ratcheted up my blood pressure even more... Go figure.

I started this post yesterday (got too busy to finish it :P), but since then I'm feeling a bit better!! I mean my brain is still fuzzy as hell, and I was going to take a picture of some dryer lint last night, but I didn't get home from my meeting until super late so yeah... No dryer lint from my copious laundry pile today... Maybe I can find a pic online... Yeah, I'll do that!

Anyways, like I was saying, feeling a lil bit better today! Got my newsletter all sorted out, so that should be OK in the next couple of days, and I think I may have tacked down my summer schedule and figured out the markets I would like to go in.

The stressy stressy part is now making the content... All while trying to make up clothing/fix rushed clothing for the MLHS (Manitoba Living History Society)... Some of it by hand... Ugh... Thank God I have a week off coming up!! I will probably be doing nothing but weaving and sewing and painting and drawing... Maybe I should enlist some free help... Hmm...

But anyways, after raiding my parents basement for material that my mom doesn't want anymore/won't use I think my larders are pretty well stocked for a sewing frenzy!! I just need to get some more crazy colourful thread and I'll be all set to go!! ...and maybe some more material, I have an addiction and I'm willing to admit it, just not ready to deal with it yet...

It's the painting/colouring book front that I'm concerned a lil more about, since this is the area that I'm the least experienced in and I kind of have no clue what to do/charge for it. I'm thinking that I'll start with a super low price to start out, then slowly raise them over the summer if people buy them... That's painting out of the way, but with the colouring books I'll have to make up my costs because they'll have to be done by a professional printer... Hmm... I guess the first thing to do would be to get quotes... I don't really want to do it if it's going to cost me $20 to print for a book that I can only sell for maybe $10, because at this point I'm thinking that as long as I can cover my costs I'm pretty well donating my time spent on any projects I'm doing. At least until people start to notice me and are willing to buy at the higher prices. But we'll see I guess!

I wouldn't mind taking a class on drawing etc., but really, who has the time!! CLAH!!! ...if you don't watch Jimmy Fallon that means "cackle like a hen"... Yes, I'm a nerd and proud to admit it!!!

Anyways, until next time (which will hopefully be soon, and hopefully I'll have something more interesting to say or a new project I've finished), TTFN, ta ta for now!!!

Image Courtesy of Google Images

Haha!! See, I found one :P

Am I Really an Artist?

The other day, while purchasing this awesome sketch book, the cashier asked me a seemingly simple question.
 

"So, who's the artist?" I had also picked up a couple canvases (yay for sales:D), so I guess it was a fair question. How did I respond? I was completely dumbfounded.

I somehow managed to stutter through a "Me I guess." When she followed up with "What kind of painting do you do?" I had no idea how to respond. I think I just said that I was experimenting with acrylic paint. I think, but I was so shocked that someone would actually refer to me as an artist I can't really remember...
 

Why does this bother me so much? I make art (see my instagram), so wouldn't that make me an artist? I also write, so shouldn't that make me a writer?
 

This lead to a binge of the Raise Your Hand Say Yes podcast to pump up my confidence. The one in particular that I absolutely love to listen to (I may or may not have re-listened on more then one occasion) is episode 9 with Michelle Ward called Changing Dreams. The part I enjoy most is when they are talking about labels. I mean, if we want to be technical, when someone asks me what I do for a living I say "I'm a claims adjuster"... But that's not really who I am outside work (and even inside work :P). The cashier probably had it closer to the truth then my actual job title does.

Is anyone else like this? Pretty sure I'm not the only one:)

Don't Forget to hit SAVE

Hello all!

As the title dictates, I was about halfway through an entry last night and I had to get up to do something else. Not thinking, I simply locked my phone and walked away. When I came back I had received an important email from a Board of Directors I'm in, so naturally I minimized my blog screen to deal with the email. Then, when I came back to it, all that was left was the title... I almost screamed, because at that point I had no clue what I was writing about😢

So, this is kind of a take 2 in that respect. But it will also probably be totally different.

This past weekend I've been weaving (see the pic for my first product), prepping to sew another dress (1812 this time), and giving my submissions to the Grain Magazine Short Grain Contest a final once over. I don't think I've ever been more terrified hitting the send button on an email, because, unlike this blog, at least one person will actually be reading my writing. My work has been published before, but on a much smaller scale (newsletters). However, now my new philosophy on life, go big or go home, is demanding more. But what's the worst they can say? We don't like your stories so we're not going to publish them. If I don't win (won't find out until August, 2016) I'll just submit them elsewhere, or publish them here on my blog. It's something I love to do so it's not even a chore.

That and I LOVE to be heard. I'm a rather loud and opinionated person once you get to know me😜 I'm also trying to come up with a literary non-fiction for another contest, but that one isn't due until November (it's the end of March now), so I've got lots of time. I'm thinking about using the time I was attacked by a feral cat in clinic, but we'll see what I actually end up doing. My stories kind of write themselves.

And like a boss, I remembered to hit save this time (I had to go back to work midrant😜).

Anyways, back to before. I'm also coming leaps and bounds in the weaving department!! I completed my first product (rope/tie/belt thingy), which is not perfect, but I love it anyways😜 I'm now starting on my second project (forgot to take a pic of it last night to post here), which is a lot wider then my first project, so I'm learning all over again. I, being a person with multiple thumbs, am finding it particularly difficult. That's how you learn though!! This one is pink, white, and gold. Super excited to start growing my stock so I can start selling.

That's all for now!! Yay creativity!!

Cooking with Grease

Hello again!!

I'm cooking with grease now!! ...that's a saying right? Anyways, things are slowly starting to go my way😜

My course is over in 2 weeks (FINALLY!!), so I'll actually have some time to work on all my projects. Not to mention I finally sat down and figured out my new inkle loom, so I've almost got my first woven creation finished!!! It's very basic and kind of woky in some places, but for a first try it's not too shabby!!! Pretty excited about that one. I'm also getting a bit more of a following on Instagram, which is totally awesome, thanks to my doodles of the day.

I'm super excited to get going on my loom again tonight and to post some pics!! Not to mention getting some wild and wacky wool and make some loud creations.

Also, since I went out to my parents this past weekend, I raided my old/my mom's fabric hoard and found some goodies in there. Should probably cut out that 1812 dress pattern and actually get that going too... Yay hand sewing... I have a short attention span😜 In case you couldn't tell😜

Anyways, my journey continues in an uphill trajectory and I'm really starting to enjoy myself😊

OH!!! Almost forgot!! I also just submitted my first writing for a magazine short fiction contest. Super nervous, but also really excited😊

Things keep on looking up!!

Ramen Noodles for Lunch

Hello again to myself and to those who breeze by my blog page😜 We are now about to enter the weekend and WHEW what a week it's been!!

On the plus side it seems like I'm going to get to do a lot more writing in the near future, as I seem to have taken over the main role of Marketing Director for the Manitoba Animal Health Technologists Assoc. This should be fun, figuring out social media and tech swag😜 Gonna be a good year!!

On a different note, I am still studying for my exam (ugh...) and as luck would have it the 2 hour evening class seems to be the time when my creativity goes all unleashed on the world. I get far more done (discreetly of course) in that time then I do most of the week. No one tell!! lol😜

I've also decided to try and make my #dailydoodles on instagram a daily passion project. I'm getting at least 1 like per doodle now, which feels pretty darn good!! This may seem like small potatoes to some, but just starting out it feels pretty darned good!!

I've also submitted another letter to the editor (planning to do a lot more with that once school is over), and am just touching up my two fictional stories for a contest submission!! Busy busy!! ...and I may have just joined a work baseball team as well...

I have to eat now before my lunchtime is over, so have a great weekend everyone!!!!