Where to even begin?
So much going on, a bazillion and two things happening around here. It's been kinda' nuts. My brain, usually on the overactive side anyway, has been teetering on the cusp of meltdown stage. I really need a vacation. That or a nice dose of medication. I wouldn't object to either.
One of the biggest reasons for my extended absence around the blogging arena was that my computer got the hiccups. First bit of drama was my modem, an ancient leviathan from the Stone Age, got it in it's head that I didn't really need to stay connected to the internet for more than five minutes at a stretch. Occasionally it took pity and let me stay connected for six minutes. Hard to do much computing when you can't stay online. This went on for a couple of weeks. I talked to my computer guru friend and we scheduled for him to pop in a new modem for me.
Then, to add insult to injury and before the new modem got installed, I was minding my own business one afternoon, installing Windows Service Pack 2, and right around the "finalizing" stage the power blipped out for about 3 seconds. Yep. Not a good thing to happen when you're installing a Service Pack. In short, things the computer needed to function didn't get installed and thus the monster wouldn't crank back up. Called my guru friend and begged for help. The man has the patience of a saint. Unfortunately, he doesn't have as much free time as he used to, so I existed in limbo for about three weeks without my computer. Funny thing, I almost got used to not having it around. Of course, all the computer crap I needed to do piled up and I've been busting my hump trying to catch up.
But good things happened ....
Even though I swore, yes I swore, that I wouldn't start on my dream sweater the power of the yarn overcame me and I succumbed. I had done my little swatch for gauge. Frogged it and reknit it four times because I wasn't getting gauge. Cussed about it some. Fretted about it a lot. Fondled the yarn with longing. Read the pattern dozens of times. Fretted about it some more. I balled all thirteen skeins, telling myself it was just a preparatory thing. Ya' know, getting my ducks in a row for when the big day came. I fretted a little more. Wicked knitting faeries whispered in my ear, "Knit. Knit. Knit." So I started knitting. Who would have thunk it? I reasoned that I couldn't work on the computer. Paint has to have time to dry. Books can wait to be read. Could only do just so many other things in a day. What could it hurt?
Heh, heh, heh. I confess, I became obsessed.
On the weekends the husband sat beside me on the sofa watching movies while I knit. One Saturday evening, when all that yarn started taking shape, he leaned over, kissed me on the cheek and said, "I'm really proud of you." I felt like a real knitter. I was making my dream sweater. Holy Schmoly. I've watched it grow from that little row of cast on stitches into a real sweater. My stomach in twisty knots with every stitch. Directions right beside me at all times, encased in it's protective plastic sleeve, with my The Knitting Answer Book by Margaret Radcliffe on the other side. I used my stitch markers, counted rows & stitches, learned increasing, said prayers to the Goddess of Knitting under my breath. I'm now down to the last half of the second sleeve. A few inches from the finish line.
And it's beautiful.
Even better ... it fits.
I don't care (oh all right, yeah I do, but it's Okay) that I goofed in a few places. A mis-stitch here and there. They don't show. The important thing is that it's a big achievement for me. I'm thrilled that I've gone beyond dishcloths and scarves. I'm surprising myself by thinking of the next things I want to knit ... and some of them involve those scary cable knit patterns! Yee Hah. I want to knit socks. I want to knit more sweaters. I want to knit afghans and lacy shawls. It's freaky. It's bold. It's wonderful. Knit stitch and Purl stitch, you are my buddies. Bring on the increases! Bring on the decreases! Wrap me in knitting bliss. I could almost give up quilting to do naught but knit.
Almost.
I'm not that obsessed.
I'll post a photo when the sweater is done.
At long last my website is up and running. Version VI. I was a bundle of nerves when I hit that "publish" button. I'm on dial-up. It took eons to upload. I kept thinking bad stuff was going to happen. Then I would take a deep breath and mentally smack myself for such thoughts. It has been a rough, rocky road to getting the damn thing online. So much work. So much time. A weight on my shoulders. It's so much bigger than the previous incarnations and I grew frustrated with all the nit picky crap more times than I can count. But it's out there now. And it looks nice.
Yep, there are still things to be done and an extra tweak or two left hanging, but it's basically finished. If you haven't already, give it a peek at www.carolsmartinez.com. I must say that I'm pleased with the overall design. I think I can live with this one for a long time. It's got room to grow, a place for everything, a much more personal presentation of the work. It's soft, feminine (which I find somewhat surprising because I'm not really very "girly"), and it's colorful yet still complements the art, etc. I like it.
If you've seen my site before you will notice that the name has changed from "Art Magic" to "Glissade". I debated the new name for quite a few weeks. I wanted it to be reflective of the overall site, of me, of the direction I am moving in my life. I spent hours researching names on the internet, reading the thesaurus and dictionary. While I wanted it to be different, slightly unusual, I didn't want it to sound pretentious or stupid. One of the meanings for word glissade is "poetry in motion" and I had used that as the title to one of the husband's songs a few years ago. It seemed to fit for the new site name.
Speaking of changes, one of the new additions is a page for my Intuitive Tarot & Psychic readings. I felt it was time to put that out into the world. With the new page I will be better able to work for people outside of my local area. I like to help people. It's why I do the readings in the first place. And while I realize that I'm just one eleventy-million people with an internet page for readings, I know those who need/want my help will find it. "Build it and they will come."
In all honesty, I debated for a long time whether or not to include the Tarot page. Not because I feared being attacked nor because I'm embarrassed or ashamed and feel I should keep what I do in a closet. My hesitation came in decided if the website should stay focused strictly on my artwork as it's been all along, all previous five versions. What I came to realize is that my psychic skills are as important to me as my art skills. Both make up who I am. They are interrelated, interwoven, inseparable. In addition to practicing Reiki, which a page for that was added as well, I am an artist and a psychic. All three are the main focus of my life and as my website is an extension of those things, I felt they should all be included. I believe it was the right decision.
In my last blog entry I told you that my friend and business partner, Paul, and I were relocating our Reiki center to the upstairs area of the building we were currently located in. I'm tickled pink to report the move is almost complete. If all goes well we will officially open the first week of April. Rah! It's been a lot of work getting the space prepared in a relatively short amount of time, especially since it's only been the two of us working as much as we possibly can. Patching walls, slinging paint, fixing booth spaces, etc. We started at the beginning of February and it's now almost the end of March. If we had had the money to hire a contractor to do the work they may have gotten it done faster but I don't believe they would have done a better job. It all really looks good.
We've still got to get a couple more vendors to stock product in that section of the space but it's coming along. It's all been done on a virtually non-existent budget. Fortunately, Paul and I are creative and have done very well making a lovely place out of almost nothing. I'm proud of what we've accomplished. The difference in the space is night and day from what the previous tenant had and I believe customers/clients will like coming in. There have already been a number of people peeking in the windows and asking about what's going into the space. It's welcoming and relaxing. It feels open, with good energy flow and light. With every paint stroke and swipe of a cleaning rag I've carried the thought of filling our space with hope, love and positive energy. I think it's going to be successful, and it won't take long to get there. But for now, there are a number of those little finishing things to do, getting stock in the store area, and such. As anxious as I am to open I know it's still got a short bit to go. It's an exercise in patience for me. I just keep repeating to myself that "you never get a second chance to make a first impression." It's more important to me to have it done as right as we can when we finally open the door to the public. And it will be. I know it.
The down side to Carol's World events is that with all the work going into the Reiki space for the past couple of months I've not been as focused on my art as I would like to have been. I just haven't had the energy for both. I have been working on an abstract for the art project but it's not working out like I have envisioned in my head. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. It's laying back there on the floor in my studio, frustrating me. I should probably put it aside and work on something else. Thing is, I don't want to work on anything else until I finish this one. Later this evening I'm going to go back into the studio and mess with it some more. I'll turn on the stereo, light some incense, try to not think of all the other stuff I need to be doing, and just paint. Sounds like a good plan anyway.
And to prevent this post from becoming an epic novel I'll shut up now and say ...
Namaste, y'all ...
Showing posts with label design. Show all posts
Showing posts with label design. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
The end is nigh ...
No, I'm not talking about the end of the world, the end of whatever sport season it happens to be - I don't keep up with that, nor is it the end of this blog. I'm talking about the end of the website overhaul. Yes, kiddies, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. A small glimmer of hope that I may actually finish this gargantuan undertaking before I lose what little is left of my mind.
And it may not take me until the end of February either. I may meet my January deadline after all. Holy sheep dip.
I've spent the entire day, with the exception of a short break for food and beverages of the caffeinated, not alcoholic, variety - though I did consider it at one point - with my face in front of the computer, plugging away at the bazillion things required to Make.Website.Go. I was also interrupted by a couple of phone calls. I started at 9:00am and it's now, by the clock on the computer, 8:46pm. I am exhausted. I'm brain dead.
What did I accomplish in all those many hours of slaving away at the keyboard? Uploaded twenty one new pieces of art, zipped them through Photoshop for web display, and their individual thumbnail images for the gallery front pages. Okay, some are older works I've just never gotten around to putting on the site. I created twenty one new pages for the art to live. I put the copyright protected disclaimer on all fifty nine images now in the site. I created all the new comments and "why I painted this image" info blurbs on every page. On those twenty one image pages I also created their PayPal buy my art info stuff. I created ten new galleries. I got all of the thumbnail-to-image links created for nine of the galleries. And some more stuff I can't even remember right now. But you know will as soon as I publish this post.
Whew! On one hand it doesn't seem like much. On the other hand, it's freakin' a boat load of work. If any of you are familiar with building websites you'll know what I mean. If you aren't, then you won't. So much of the work is done bouncing between software. I use Photoshop to manipulate and prepare all the images, buttons, background, yadda, yadda, yadda. I use Yahoo Sitebuilder to actually create and host the site.
Yes, I do own Dreamweaver, but I don't know how to use it. I took graphics back when the very first Macintosh computers came out on the market. I learned all the old fashioned stuff like hand pasting prep boards, shooting it on a huge horizontal camera, developing negatives, burning plates, running a printing press. OLD school. So old school that graphic students today can't even conceive of a CompuGraphic typesetter where you had to load a special strip for particular typefaces and then you typed everything without even seeing what you were typing. You didn't know if you made a mistake until you ran the photoprint paper through the developer and THEN got to see what you typed. I'm a graphics dinosaur by some standards. Everything I know about modern graphics I've learned along the way, through various jobs I had in the industry or taught myself. Yeah, I learned Photoshop by using it and reading a manual - not in a classroom. Same with Illustrator, QuarkXpress, Freehand, PageMaker and several other graphics programs.
When it came time to build my first website, y'all, I admit I was clueless. Completely and utterly clueless. I researched via the internet different website hosts who gave me the option of an easy to understand and use with Photoshop capability. I also had to consider cost. Easy + Cheap. Yahoo fit the bill on all accounts. I also like being able to make all the changes sort of "in the basement" while the current version of the site is still live. When I'm done with the upgrade I can publish all at once and Ta!Da! No down time, no mixed-matched pages, just a brand new version. Yee ha. So while it may not be the "preferred" method of website building and all that jazz, it works for me. I'm good with that. Moving on.
Oh, yeah, today's accomplishments. I do ramble sometimes.
What I was originally leading up to is that aforementioned light at the end of my tunnel. Provided it's not actually an oncoming train I've mistaken for salvationary illumination, I can really see a manageable list of things to do to finish the redesign and get this puppy online and out there. I still have a couple of galleries I need to get art into (and all the accompanying stuff for them) but it's a damn sight better than being faced with the entire creation of fifteen new galleries and a dozen other new pages and all their stuff as I was when I started this whole shebang. When everything is on the site and basically "in it's place" I will then go through every page and create the links. This means, link this button to this image to this page to this image to this page to this image to this page to this button to this image ............... It will be the final step in the building process. Then, I'll go through and proof read every page for errors, etc. Then I'll get my husband to proof read everything.
The drum roll comes when, at long last, I click that little yellow "Publish" button. I know my hand will shake. I'll get all cold-chilled and hot-flash sweaty at the same time. I'll probably get lightheaded and dizzy. Nice little panic attack. Once you click that button the current version goes bye-bye and new version hits the net in all it's glory ... or all it's chaos.
There's a good side and a bad side to the click issue. Bad side = read previous paragraph. Good side = this is really the only way to check if the site functions as it should. Do links link to what they are supposed to? Do the images look okay and display properly. Did you just spend untold hours of your life for naught or for a glorious happy dance of joy? Oh, yeah, sure, Sitebuilder has a Preview In Browser option and I definitely use it. But, if the rest of the site is still unpublished you can't check a link to a page that technically isn't "on the net" yet. And I have a whole bunch-o stuff that ain't yet on the net.
I'm going to take a break from the computer tomorrow and spend most of the day in the studio. I'm still working on those two paintings for my art project and I need/want to get them finished. My two phone calls today were from a friend and from my sister, both of whom felt it necessary to inform me of impending inclement weather. I may decide to do my Friday Domestic Goddess duties tomorrow instead of Friday 'cause Friday may not be an option if it does the freezing rain thing on Thursday. Blah!
For now I'm going to sit on the couch, work on my yarn swatch and listen to a movie.
Namaste y'all.
And it may not take me until the end of February either. I may meet my January deadline after all. Holy sheep dip.
I've spent the entire day, with the exception of a short break for food and beverages of the caffeinated, not alcoholic, variety - though I did consider it at one point - with my face in front of the computer, plugging away at the bazillion things required to Make.Website.Go. I was also interrupted by a couple of phone calls. I started at 9:00am and it's now, by the clock on the computer, 8:46pm. I am exhausted. I'm brain dead.
What did I accomplish in all those many hours of slaving away at the keyboard? Uploaded twenty one new pieces of art, zipped them through Photoshop for web display, and their individual thumbnail images for the gallery front pages. Okay, some are older works I've just never gotten around to putting on the site. I created twenty one new pages for the art to live. I put the copyright protected disclaimer on all fifty nine images now in the site. I created all the new comments and "why I painted this image" info blurbs on every page. On those twenty one image pages I also created their PayPal buy my art info stuff. I created ten new galleries. I got all of the thumbnail-to-image links created for nine of the galleries. And some more stuff I can't even remember right now. But you know will as soon as I publish this post.
Whew! On one hand it doesn't seem like much. On the other hand, it's freakin' a boat load of work. If any of you are familiar with building websites you'll know what I mean. If you aren't, then you won't. So much of the work is done bouncing between software. I use Photoshop to manipulate and prepare all the images, buttons, background, yadda, yadda, yadda. I use Yahoo Sitebuilder to actually create and host the site.
Yes, I do own Dreamweaver, but I don't know how to use it. I took graphics back when the very first Macintosh computers came out on the market. I learned all the old fashioned stuff like hand pasting prep boards, shooting it on a huge horizontal camera, developing negatives, burning plates, running a printing press. OLD school. So old school that graphic students today can't even conceive of a CompuGraphic typesetter where you had to load a special strip for particular typefaces and then you typed everything without even seeing what you were typing. You didn't know if you made a mistake until you ran the photoprint paper through the developer and THEN got to see what you typed. I'm a graphics dinosaur by some standards. Everything I know about modern graphics I've learned along the way, through various jobs I had in the industry or taught myself. Yeah, I learned Photoshop by using it and reading a manual - not in a classroom. Same with Illustrator, QuarkXpress, Freehand, PageMaker and several other graphics programs.
When it came time to build my first website, y'all, I admit I was clueless. Completely and utterly clueless. I researched via the internet different website hosts who gave me the option of an easy to understand and use with Photoshop capability. I also had to consider cost. Easy + Cheap. Yahoo fit the bill on all accounts. I also like being able to make all the changes sort of "in the basement" while the current version of the site is still live. When I'm done with the upgrade I can publish all at once and Ta!Da! No down time, no mixed-matched pages, just a brand new version. Yee ha. So while it may not be the "preferred" method of website building and all that jazz, it works for me. I'm good with that. Moving on.
Oh, yeah, today's accomplishments. I do ramble sometimes.
What I was originally leading up to is that aforementioned light at the end of my tunnel. Provided it's not actually an oncoming train I've mistaken for salvationary illumination, I can really see a manageable list of things to do to finish the redesign and get this puppy online and out there. I still have a couple of galleries I need to get art into (and all the accompanying stuff for them) but it's a damn sight better than being faced with the entire creation of fifteen new galleries and a dozen other new pages and all their stuff as I was when I started this whole shebang. When everything is on the site and basically "in it's place" I will then go through every page and create the links. This means, link this button to this image to this page to this image to this page to this image to this page to this button to this image ............... It will be the final step in the building process. Then, I'll go through and proof read every page for errors, etc. Then I'll get my husband to proof read everything.
The drum roll comes when, at long last, I click that little yellow "Publish" button. I know my hand will shake. I'll get all cold-chilled and hot-flash sweaty at the same time. I'll probably get lightheaded and dizzy. Nice little panic attack. Once you click that button the current version goes bye-bye and new version hits the net in all it's glory ... or all it's chaos.
There's a good side and a bad side to the click issue. Bad side = read previous paragraph. Good side = this is really the only way to check if the site functions as it should. Do links link to what they are supposed to? Do the images look okay and display properly. Did you just spend untold hours of your life for naught or for a glorious happy dance of joy? Oh, yeah, sure, Sitebuilder has a Preview In Browser option and I definitely use it. But, if the rest of the site is still unpublished you can't check a link to a page that technically isn't "on the net" yet. And I have a whole bunch-o stuff that ain't yet on the net.
I'm going to take a break from the computer tomorrow and spend most of the day in the studio. I'm still working on those two paintings for my art project and I need/want to get them finished. My two phone calls today were from a friend and from my sister, both of whom felt it necessary to inform me of impending inclement weather. I may decide to do my Friday Domestic Goddess duties tomorrow instead of Friday 'cause Friday may not be an option if it does the freezing rain thing on Thursday. Blah!
For now I'm going to sit on the couch, work on my yarn swatch and listen to a movie.
Namaste y'all.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
2007, your days are numbered and my List isn't finished ...
Today is December 26st. Gah!
What happened to the time? Seems like yesterday was January and I was getting started on my Carol's List Of Things To Do for the coming year. I don't do New Year's Resolutions. I do a To Do list. I had some success this past year accomplishing some of the things on the List. I finished Paul's quilt. I was accepted into all the Art Societies I wanted to be a member of. I got work published in a magazine (actually 3 magazines). I sold more prints off my website and through a third-party. I had some of my art displayed for sale in a store. I got back in touch with some old friends. I paid off a few bills. I started the Kriya Yoga course. I read a few books on that never ending books-to-read list. I did my final Reiki attunement and am at Master/Teacher level. I did some other things of a personal nature I won't list here. All in all, I got some stuff done.
There were also things that happened that weren't on the List. I started a Reiki clinic with my friend Paul called Open Hands Reiki Natural Healing. I made a couple of new friends. I taught art classes at the local college and privately. I came up with a redesign for my website (yet again) that I really, really like this time. I developed to a stronger level spiritually with my Tarot readings. I was contacted about a great art project which could be very profitable - and am working on it now - have two paintings done and three more in progress.
But, ya' know, a sad number of things on the List didn't get crossed off.
Damn.
Y'all know what that means, don't ya'?
Oh yeah.
I have to tack 'em on to the List Of Things To Do, 2008.
Damn.
I guess it's a good thing I plan to live until I'm 102.
So I went to bed last night thinking about the List. What, besides the leftovers from 2007, will I add to the List for the coming year? Hmmm, let me go get a cup of tea and think about that for a minute .....
Carol's List Of Things To Do 2008
This is what I've got so far ....
1) Do more art. Of course, this means just exactly what it says ... Do.More.Art. I would like to attempt to do a minimum of at least one painting per month. This doesn't include some other things I have in mind, which leads to ...
2) Do more small art. Get busy doing things like my greeting cards, ornaments, bookmarks, and so forth. I enjoy doing them and they don't take a lot of time to do. It's like a "quick fix" when I feel the need to create something but don't have an idea for a full size painting ... or when I'm stuck on a work in progress.
3) Cafepress. Time to get that ol' Cafepress account dusted off and fix the files for having t-shirts, coffee cups, journals, etc. available on my website. Getting all the image files sized and such is time consuming and yeah, I've been a slacker. But I think it would be a really good addition, like the aforementioned small art items, to the shopping area of my website.
4) Get new website design complete and published by end of January. That's a daunting deadline. When I think about all the work needing to be done I cringe. Yet I know the new design is a good one, it really fits me and is so much more suited to the way I want my online presentation of my work, and my self, to be. In the long run, the amount of work will be well worth the effort.
5) Work on children's book. Oh how this weighs on my shoulders. In my mind's eye I can see the book completed. The problem is getting it worked out on paper. Sort of in a stuck spot with it. My muse isn't being very helpful.
6) Make quilt for bed. Actually, this is more of a part of my plans for redecorating the whole bedroom. Drives the husband crazy that I take so long to make up my mind when it comes to decorating. The bedroom decorating had been several years in process because I just can't settle on the colors. After all, considering the time it takes to make a quilt, which will be the focal point, I want to get it right. I want to be able to walk into the bedroom and sigh with satisfaction.
7) Work on snuggle quilt for best buddy Kasey. This project has been a long term work-in-progress. Kasey has a lovely sense of style, is particular about color and fabric design, and I want to make a snuggle quilt she will love snuggling with. So, collecting appropriate fabrics is taking time.
8) #6 & 7 means I need to get some more fabric collected.
9) Submit art to art shows. Now that I am a member of several large art groups like the National Watercolor Society and the International Acrylic Painter's Society I want to submit work to their shows. It's all juried, so being a member doesn't guarantee acceptance into the shows. But if my work was accepted, it would travel around and gain exposure for my art.
10) Spend more time with Zachary, my Godson. I can't help it. Kids just wig me out. I love tiny babies but when they start crawling or walking and can start getting into stuff it makes me a nervous wreck. It's that three-four year range when you can't take your eyes off 'em for a second or they are stuffing everything they get their hands on into their mouths or pulling anything breakable off into the floor. They can't talk so you don't know what the heck they want, which usually leads them to a minor, sometimes major, meltdown.
But Zachary will be four this coming year. He can talk and communicate his needs. He understands "Don't touch that." He knows how to "behave" long enough for me to go to the bathroom without fear he will be choking to death or fracture his skull while I'm out of the room for 30 seconds.
11) Spend more time with all my friends. 'Nuf said.
12) Get camping gear out of closet and re-waterproof all my stuff. Repack backpack. GO CAMPING! I love camping. I love camping alone. I miss camping. I haven't gone in a couple of years. That's bad. I really need to go camping.
13) Take a real vacation, maybe two vacations. When I got the keyboard desk for the husband this year the agreement was that I, in turn, could take a solo vacation in 2008. I'm still slightly undecided as to destination, but that's okay. Most likely it will be the beach because the husband doesn't like the beach and it's not a destination he would enjoy. Dragging him along wouldn't be much fun.
But he and I are due for a real vacation somewhere. It's been a couple of years since we have gone anywhere. Last trip was to visit his mom and step-dad in New Mexico. Maybe we'll go to see his brothers and sisters in Texas this year. He owes me a real cowboy hat from San Antonio. Shoot, I might even wrangle me some boots from Houston, too! Yee haw!
14) Advertise Open Hands Reiki Clinic. Paul and I opened the clinic at the end of September but, as things often go, I didn't get to spend as much time promoting the business as I wanted, as needed to be done. I think this area is desperate for alternative healing resources and Reiki is an excellent choice for anyone and everyone. Thing is, people here are old school and need to be educated as to what Reiki is, and that it is available.
15) Make all my Christmas ornaments for next years' tree. I wanted to do that this year. Yeah. Well. Didn't happen. Because it didn't happen I ended up not even bothering to put up a Christmas tree at all. For those who know me that's a biggy. I LOVE Christmas trees and for many years (until I got the monster tree I have now) I put up two trees. I don't care if I don't have any other decorations as long as I have my tree. Alas, this was the very first year that I can recall not putting up a tree. I suppose it was because I have in mind my "dream tree" and I knew, even though I love the tree I have, I love all my ornaments I've collected or been given over the years, it wasn't what I truly wanted. The tree I envision having is specific; I want all hand-made ornaments, very organic and earthy, and pagan in theme. Yep, I'm going to have to make making my ornaments a priority for the coming year.
16) Blog every day. This is tough. Weekends will automatically be out of the running 'cause the husband will be home. I know it's weird but I'm just not comfortable writing my posts when he's home. He likes to come see what I'm doing and I while I don't mind if he reads it I don't like having him lurking over my shoulder while I'm trying to compose the post. It gets me all out of kilter. I need quiet and alone time to write all this crap.
17) M.E.B. (private and will not elaborate on that)
18) Garden. Ever since we moved into this house I've wanted a real garden. Both flowers and vegetables. I want to be able to grow tomatoes and can my own sauces. I want to fill my big freezer with stuff. I want fresh herbs, and to be able to dry them for later use as well. Unfortunately, this is something that has always managed to find a way to the back burner. There are various reasons, but it's a List item that gets carried over every year.
19) Redecorate the living room. Now, the first few months we were here in the new house we had 'donated' furniture from my Aunt Zelda. We were still what you would call newlyweds. I had sold everything I owned when I moved back home the year before. The husband lost what little he had in his divorce from his first wife. Combined, we didn't have much. Aunt Zelda had moved from her house into an apartment and was stuck with extra furniture ... we gladly accepted the hand-me-downs. Anyway, after awhile we were finally able to afford to buy our own stuff for the living room and dining room. So, technically, those rooms are already decorated. Thing is, I'm sick of the look of the living room. The husband, on the other hand, could live with it for the next 50 years and still be content. It's taken me a couple of years to nudge him into being okay with a redecorating venture. I won't be changing the big stuff like the sofa and chairs (which he promised I could have reupholstered in 10 years after we bought them 'cause I wasn't crazy about the upholstery to beging with - I've still got three years to wait), but I will change the curtains and such. A few small changes will give the room an entirely different look.
20) Shopping. I tried to get this organized last year and only partially succeeded. The game plan is to go to the grocery store once a month for the major stuff and once a week for small stuff, like the fresh strawberries and bananas the husband thinks is a must have for his sundae/movie watching fests. Sadly, strawberries don't last a month.
The part I did manage to get working into monthly (or less!) is the Wal-Mart shopping. I don't like Wal-Mart. I don't like going into Wal-Mart. Unfortunately, in a town as small as where I live, there aren't many alternatives. It's the only place which sells some of the things we use on a regular basis. Believe me, I've looked everywhere else in this town and it's a no-go.
21) Health care. Generally speaking, I'm a healthy person. I'm still working on making the complete switch to being Vegan, but I began that process knowing I would do it slowly, therefore less traumatic and problematic. I got the treadmill from Mother and have been walking for at least 20 minutes a day, five days a week. But I do need to get outside and do things in the fresh air more. It's sometimes difficult when I'm working in the studio all day.
The health care areas I'm talking about is stuff like going for an annual physical exam. I'm pretty slack about that. I also need to truck myself to a dentist's office. Haven't been in years. I've got some ancient fillings that probably need to be replaced by now. I would also like to check into having the fillings replaced with something other then these amalgam of metal filling which are composed 50% mercury. Scary. I would like to have the alternative, white resin fillings, if at all possible. Heck, we pay for dental insurance ... why not use it???
22) Working in the studio. Here's an area I've tried to get going for a couple of years. Another carry over to the List. As much as it shames me to admit this, I'm not as dedicated to being in the studio on a regular basis as I should be for a full-time artist. My goal is to work in the studio, on whatever, for at least eight hours a day, just like a real job. Don't answer the phone. Don't zip into town for a quick errand. Don't sit down and watch a movie 'cause I'm stuck. Don't do anything until after I've been in the studio for the day.
It doesn't have to be militarily regimental, but it does need to be regular. Done with dedication. If I want to do the things up at the beginning of this list, then time in the studio is a must. If I want to seriously make a good living with my art, then time in the studio is a must. Granted, there will be time at the computer because of the website redesign, and that's okay because it's still in the "art" work spectrum.
I'm sure this List will expand. It always does. Heck, by the time I hit the "publish post" button and walk away from the computer I'll probably have twelve more things to add. While I'm in the shower, hair full of shampoo, I'll think of more.
Yep, it's a darn good thing I will live to be 102.
Namaste y'all ...
What happened to the time? Seems like yesterday was January and I was getting started on my Carol's List Of Things To Do for the coming year. I don't do New Year's Resolutions. I do a To Do list. I had some success this past year accomplishing some of the things on the List. I finished Paul's quilt. I was accepted into all the Art Societies I wanted to be a member of. I got work published in a magazine (actually 3 magazines). I sold more prints off my website and through a third-party. I had some of my art displayed for sale in a store. I got back in touch with some old friends. I paid off a few bills. I started the Kriya Yoga course. I read a few books on that never ending books-to-read list. I did my final Reiki attunement and am at Master/Teacher level. I did some other things of a personal nature I won't list here. All in all, I got some stuff done.
There were also things that happened that weren't on the List. I started a Reiki clinic with my friend Paul called Open Hands Reiki Natural Healing. I made a couple of new friends. I taught art classes at the local college and privately. I came up with a redesign for my website (yet again) that I really, really like this time. I developed to a stronger level spiritually with my Tarot readings. I was contacted about a great art project which could be very profitable - and am working on it now - have two paintings done and three more in progress.
But, ya' know, a sad number of things on the List didn't get crossed off.
Damn.
Y'all know what that means, don't ya'?
Oh yeah.
I have to tack 'em on to the List Of Things To Do, 2008.
Damn.
I guess it's a good thing I plan to live until I'm 102.
So I went to bed last night thinking about the List. What, besides the leftovers from 2007, will I add to the List for the coming year? Hmmm, let me go get a cup of tea and think about that for a minute .....
_________________
Carol's List Of Things To Do 2008
This is what I've got so far ....
1) Do more art. Of course, this means just exactly what it says ... Do.More.Art. I would like to attempt to do a minimum of at least one painting per month. This doesn't include some other things I have in mind, which leads to ...
2) Do more small art. Get busy doing things like my greeting cards, ornaments, bookmarks, and so forth. I enjoy doing them and they don't take a lot of time to do. It's like a "quick fix" when I feel the need to create something but don't have an idea for a full size painting ... or when I'm stuck on a work in progress.
3) Cafepress. Time to get that ol' Cafepress account dusted off and fix the files for having t-shirts, coffee cups, journals, etc. available on my website. Getting all the image files sized and such is time consuming and yeah, I've been a slacker. But I think it would be a really good addition, like the aforementioned small art items, to the shopping area of my website.
4) Get new website design complete and published by end of January. That's a daunting deadline. When I think about all the work needing to be done I cringe. Yet I know the new design is a good one, it really fits me and is so much more suited to the way I want my online presentation of my work, and my self, to be. In the long run, the amount of work will be well worth the effort.
5) Work on children's book. Oh how this weighs on my shoulders. In my mind's eye I can see the book completed. The problem is getting it worked out on paper. Sort of in a stuck spot with it. My muse isn't being very helpful.
6) Make quilt for bed. Actually, this is more of a part of my plans for redecorating the whole bedroom. Drives the husband crazy that I take so long to make up my mind when it comes to decorating. The bedroom decorating had been several years in process because I just can't settle on the colors. After all, considering the time it takes to make a quilt, which will be the focal point, I want to get it right. I want to be able to walk into the bedroom and sigh with satisfaction.
7) Work on snuggle quilt for best buddy Kasey. This project has been a long term work-in-progress. Kasey has a lovely sense of style, is particular about color and fabric design, and I want to make a snuggle quilt she will love snuggling with. So, collecting appropriate fabrics is taking time.
8) #6 & 7 means I need to get some more fabric collected.
9) Submit art to art shows. Now that I am a member of several large art groups like the National Watercolor Society and the International Acrylic Painter's Society I want to submit work to their shows. It's all juried, so being a member doesn't guarantee acceptance into the shows. But if my work was accepted, it would travel around and gain exposure for my art.
10) Spend more time with Zachary, my Godson. I can't help it. Kids just wig me out. I love tiny babies but when they start crawling or walking and can start getting into stuff it makes me a nervous wreck. It's that three-four year range when you can't take your eyes off 'em for a second or they are stuffing everything they get their hands on into their mouths or pulling anything breakable off into the floor. They can't talk so you don't know what the heck they want, which usually leads them to a minor, sometimes major, meltdown.
But Zachary will be four this coming year. He can talk and communicate his needs. He understands "Don't touch that." He knows how to "behave" long enough for me to go to the bathroom without fear he will be choking to death or fracture his skull while I'm out of the room for 30 seconds.
11) Spend more time with all my friends. 'Nuf said.
12) Get camping gear out of closet and re-waterproof all my stuff. Repack backpack. GO CAMPING! I love camping. I love camping alone. I miss camping. I haven't gone in a couple of years. That's bad. I really need to go camping.
13) Take a real vacation, maybe two vacations. When I got the keyboard desk for the husband this year the agreement was that I, in turn, could take a solo vacation in 2008. I'm still slightly undecided as to destination, but that's okay. Most likely it will be the beach because the husband doesn't like the beach and it's not a destination he would enjoy. Dragging him along wouldn't be much fun.
But he and I are due for a real vacation somewhere. It's been a couple of years since we have gone anywhere. Last trip was to visit his mom and step-dad in New Mexico. Maybe we'll go to see his brothers and sisters in Texas this year. He owes me a real cowboy hat from San Antonio. Shoot, I might even wrangle me some boots from Houston, too! Yee haw!
14) Advertise Open Hands Reiki Clinic. Paul and I opened the clinic at the end of September but, as things often go, I didn't get to spend as much time promoting the business as I wanted, as needed to be done. I think this area is desperate for alternative healing resources and Reiki is an excellent choice for anyone and everyone. Thing is, people here are old school and need to be educated as to what Reiki is, and that it is available.
15) Make all my Christmas ornaments for next years' tree. I wanted to do that this year. Yeah. Well. Didn't happen. Because it didn't happen I ended up not even bothering to put up a Christmas tree at all. For those who know me that's a biggy. I LOVE Christmas trees and for many years (until I got the monster tree I have now) I put up two trees. I don't care if I don't have any other decorations as long as I have my tree. Alas, this was the very first year that I can recall not putting up a tree. I suppose it was because I have in mind my "dream tree" and I knew, even though I love the tree I have, I love all my ornaments I've collected or been given over the years, it wasn't what I truly wanted. The tree I envision having is specific; I want all hand-made ornaments, very organic and earthy, and pagan in theme. Yep, I'm going to have to make making my ornaments a priority for the coming year.
16) Blog every day. This is tough. Weekends will automatically be out of the running 'cause the husband will be home. I know it's weird but I'm just not comfortable writing my posts when he's home. He likes to come see what I'm doing and I while I don't mind if he reads it I don't like having him lurking over my shoulder while I'm trying to compose the post. It gets me all out of kilter. I need quiet and alone time to write all this crap.
17) M.E.B. (private and will not elaborate on that)
18) Garden. Ever since we moved into this house I've wanted a real garden. Both flowers and vegetables. I want to be able to grow tomatoes and can my own sauces. I want to fill my big freezer with stuff. I want fresh herbs, and to be able to dry them for later use as well. Unfortunately, this is something that has always managed to find a way to the back burner. There are various reasons, but it's a List item that gets carried over every year.
19) Redecorate the living room. Now, the first few months we were here in the new house we had 'donated' furniture from my Aunt Zelda. We were still what you would call newlyweds. I had sold everything I owned when I moved back home the year before. The husband lost what little he had in his divorce from his first wife. Combined, we didn't have much. Aunt Zelda had moved from her house into an apartment and was stuck with extra furniture ... we gladly accepted the hand-me-downs. Anyway, after awhile we were finally able to afford to buy our own stuff for the living room and dining room. So, technically, those rooms are already decorated. Thing is, I'm sick of the look of the living room. The husband, on the other hand, could live with it for the next 50 years and still be content. It's taken me a couple of years to nudge him into being okay with a redecorating venture. I won't be changing the big stuff like the sofa and chairs (which he promised I could have reupholstered in 10 years after we bought them 'cause I wasn't crazy about the upholstery to beging with - I've still got three years to wait), but I will change the curtains and such. A few small changes will give the room an entirely different look.
20) Shopping. I tried to get this organized last year and only partially succeeded. The game plan is to go to the grocery store once a month for the major stuff and once a week for small stuff, like the fresh strawberries and bananas the husband thinks is a must have for his sundae/movie watching fests. Sadly, strawberries don't last a month.
The part I did manage to get working into monthly (or less!) is the Wal-Mart shopping. I don't like Wal-Mart. I don't like going into Wal-Mart. Unfortunately, in a town as small as where I live, there aren't many alternatives. It's the only place which sells some of the things we use on a regular basis. Believe me, I've looked everywhere else in this town and it's a no-go.
21) Health care. Generally speaking, I'm a healthy person. I'm still working on making the complete switch to being Vegan, but I began that process knowing I would do it slowly, therefore less traumatic and problematic. I got the treadmill from Mother and have been walking for at least 20 minutes a day, five days a week. But I do need to get outside and do things in the fresh air more. It's sometimes difficult when I'm working in the studio all day.
The health care areas I'm talking about is stuff like going for an annual physical exam. I'm pretty slack about that. I also need to truck myself to a dentist's office. Haven't been in years. I've got some ancient fillings that probably need to be replaced by now. I would also like to check into having the fillings replaced with something other then these amalgam of metal filling which are composed 50% mercury. Scary. I would like to have the alternative, white resin fillings, if at all possible. Heck, we pay for dental insurance ... why not use it???
22) Working in the studio. Here's an area I've tried to get going for a couple of years. Another carry over to the List. As much as it shames me to admit this, I'm not as dedicated to being in the studio on a regular basis as I should be for a full-time artist. My goal is to work in the studio, on whatever, for at least eight hours a day, just like a real job. Don't answer the phone. Don't zip into town for a quick errand. Don't sit down and watch a movie 'cause I'm stuck. Don't do anything until after I've been in the studio for the day.
It doesn't have to be militarily regimental, but it does need to be regular. Done with dedication. If I want to do the things up at the beginning of this list, then time in the studio is a must. If I want to seriously make a good living with my art, then time in the studio is a must. Granted, there will be time at the computer because of the website redesign, and that's okay because it's still in the "art" work spectrum.
___________________
I'm sure this List will expand. It always does. Heck, by the time I hit the "publish post" button and walk away from the computer I'll probably have twelve more things to add. While I'm in the shower, hair full of shampoo, I'll think of more.
Yep, it's a darn good thing I will live to be 102.
Namaste y'all ...
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Crazy artist triumphs over blog design dementia!
Trials and tribulations. That's been the sum of my days of late here at the computer, trying to design my blog page. I've already got a blog with Yahoo 360 and didn't want to create another through them for my website blog. Why? I wanted to add my own custom header art, etc. In short - I wanted more control than Y360 allowed me.
Okay. I decided to give WordPress a try. Not a good choice, I quickly discovered. I'm not proficient with html, css, ftp's and yadda, yadda, yadda's. I soon found myself swimming around in the deep end of the pool without my water wings on. While some folks might zip through all the tutorials and such, I ended up with a stack of print-outs and a really big headache. When all else fails, drop back and punt ...
I scuttled back to my e-blogger account and Kazam! Bingo! Ta Da! I prevail! All in a matter of a couple of hours I now have a complementary blog page to the rest of my website. Oh Baby! Feelin' the love, I tell ya', feelin' the love for e-blogger right now. *kissy-kissy* Why did I even go with WordPress?, I'm asking myself. Must love to torture my poor brain. Must love stress and anxiety. Must be nuts.
So y'all, here we are. Together at last. I'm looking forward to the bloggin' journey to come and I hope you will hang out with me along the way. My art, my artistic endeavors, my art craziness and my art passion. 'Cause that's what this blog is all about. Art. Gotta' love it!
Okay. I decided to give WordPress a try. Not a good choice, I quickly discovered. I'm not proficient with html, css, ftp's and yadda, yadda, yadda's. I soon found myself swimming around in the deep end of the pool without my water wings on. While some folks might zip through all the tutorials and such, I ended up with a stack of print-outs and a really big headache. When all else fails, drop back and punt ...
I scuttled back to my e-blogger account and Kazam! Bingo! Ta Da! I prevail! All in a matter of a couple of hours I now have a complementary blog page to the rest of my website. Oh Baby! Feelin' the love, I tell ya', feelin' the love for e-blogger right now. *kissy-kissy* Why did I even go with WordPress?, I'm asking myself. Must love to torture my poor brain. Must love stress and anxiety. Must be nuts.
So y'all, here we are. Together at last. I'm looking forward to the bloggin' journey to come and I hope you will hang out with me along the way. My art, my artistic endeavors, my art craziness and my art passion. 'Cause that's what this blog is all about. Art. Gotta' love it!
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