This last Friday I celebrated turning 23 years old on the the 23rd. It was my golden birthday. The ancients used gold to symbolize the balance in all things. Here I am at 23 years old and searching for the balance that I know does exist. So as it turns out... 23 is considered to be the most powerful of golden birthdays: at times an ever shifting entity holds and infinite level of power... so it turns out I am now all powerful! Just kidding! I took a moment to consider how I got to this point though. In 23 years what has happened, and how have I responded to it.
I have learned ALOT in 23 years, and while it was a golden birthday, I don't think I have reached a golden age! Wisdom, strength, and protection are things I am learning but not yet do I have. What I have learned...
Believe in yourself! Even when everything in the world is against you, crumbling around you, and you feel like you are on a landslide. The only way you'll get out is believing in yourself and working your ass off! If you feel it is something you want, need or deserve, you have to work for it. There is no other way.
Bad things happen to good people, every single day! You are not immune to these things. They are going to happen, you won't be able to avoid them, you have to deal with them! When things are at their breaking point, I suggest the easier route. There is no make it better or patch it up in this. Just let it break! I feel this is like legos when your lego land crashes, you have a huge opportunity to rebuild a new creation.
3 D's - Don't worry about the dog hair, dust or dishes! Family is MORE important than anything!! A moment spent with them is invaluable. If you lose those moments they don't come back. You can't buy more time. You can't sleep on it and start over tomorrow. Never take family for granted. I'd give anything to have moments with my son. I'd love to post on my FB about his 18 month old self. You can't buy more time. So soak up the moments of just hanging at the house with your little ones, you'll never have better memories and neither will they.
Recognize those people who love you for who you are, with all of your faults. Take the time to love them back with everything you have! Support them when they need uplifted, hug them when they need it, just listen when they need to talk... just be there. Make sure that if anything happened today, they would know that you cared, loved them, and gave them everything you could to show it.
Time, it is full of evading properties! It is the honest truth that you will never get more. You don't know how long your clock turns, or how long everyone else's clock turns. You'll always be too late. Find a way to use every single second for you and your family, their success, and what it is that you really love. Share the world with a child in this time. It's so natural to teach them and love them. Give them the world, give them every opportunity possible, for you are setting the example for a future successful person. The best thing you can give them... your time.
Take the time to learn, to become educated. There will never be a day that you feel sorry for learning something. I am going to go after the next step of my degree sometime in the next years.
If you are an artist, never let art slip out of your life. You can't live without art. Even if you are not an artist, take a few moments to appreciate art.
Golden Rule for a Golden Birthday... yes, treat others how you'd like to be treated! I tell you, it is worth a lot more than gold!
I think the situations life has given me has taught me to appreciate what is left. I fall apart somedays, but other days I know what I need to do to at least make the most of it.
Until next time...
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Serious Business...
Yesterday I had the loving chat with a good friend, where they tell you that you need to get serious. So my husband told me to get serious, to start the business. Now I have to get serious about running the business. Starting I did the paperwork for the city, made sure I got an accountant, and legal mumbo jumbo for tax season. and... I had thought about this, and I knew it was coming, but I guess I better get on it.
I have done a few photo sessions recently. Including three weddings. All of which has been for good friends, or people I have known for a long time and love me. It's coming that time though, I am starting to do logos for people who don't exactly know me so well, and I don't know them that well. I am starting to be asked to do photos for people that I don't know at all. It must be done.
I must seriously sit down and establish a contract for the services I offer. A place where I lay out everything I do, everything the client does, and that whole protect everything I am and love thing! I don't really know how to go about it, but I am going to find out! As I said, this whole thing had crossed my mind. I knew it was going to come up. Its just another one of those fear things for me, because this does have to be so detailed and precise. It's on my task list, right after finishing what is already on the list. (the time management thing, that I haven't even wrote about yet for the blog)
Wish me well on this next growing pain... I'll probably be able to tell you more about it later. :)
I have done a few photo sessions recently. Including three weddings. All of which has been for good friends, or people I have known for a long time and love me. It's coming that time though, I am starting to do logos for people who don't exactly know me so well, and I don't know them that well. I am starting to be asked to do photos for people that I don't know at all. It must be done.
I must seriously sit down and establish a contract for the services I offer. A place where I lay out everything I do, everything the client does, and that whole protect everything I am and love thing! I don't really know how to go about it, but I am going to find out! As I said, this whole thing had crossed my mind. I knew it was going to come up. Its just another one of those fear things for me, because this does have to be so detailed and precise. It's on my task list, right after finishing what is already on the list. (the time management thing, that I haven't even wrote about yet for the blog)
Wish me well on this next growing pain... I'll probably be able to tell you more about it later. :)
Friday, August 9, 2013
Critics...
I spent a good part of my time recently editing two weddings I photographed this summer. Looking back to the wedding I unintentionally fell into last summer, compared to now. I can sure see the growth I have made. I imagine myself further than I am. I have always been my own worst critic and I don't see it changing anytime soon.
I spend a good portion of my time analyzing my work and others. In school that was called a critique. I ask for people to give me feed back all the time in the name of constructive criticism. I believe in its power. The way someone can put to good use criticism is amazing. In college I grew a lot. It wasn't until after college that it really made sense. It wasn't until now that I see it starting to benefit me.
When looking through other designers, other photographers, and other artists, I always start the thought process off as a critiquer. Just like in college. What do I see first, how do I move through the piece, color, line, shape, emphasis; all of those words come in to my head. I look at their exposure, their focus, their saturation. In my heart it feels like by doing this, I am training my eye to look for those things in my own art. In my head I feel like I'm just a negative person, and am not only my own worst critic, but I am everyone else's too.
Do I notice the line, shape, emphasis, saturation in my art? Do I see all of those things before I show them to people? Yea, absolutely NOT! I really wish I did. If I went by that method, I'd still be a closet artist, wishing I was brave enough. My goal is to do what I love though, and the only way I'm going to get to do that, is just do it.
My teacher said, the only way to become an artist was to make art. I guess that is where I am at. I'm nothing compared to what I want to be, I'm better than some of what I see out there, and I'm constantly learning and growing. I guess there is a place in the world for critics... because I am getting better.
I spend a good portion of my time analyzing my work and others. In school that was called a critique. I ask for people to give me feed back all the time in the name of constructive criticism. I believe in its power. The way someone can put to good use criticism is amazing. In college I grew a lot. It wasn't until after college that it really made sense. It wasn't until now that I see it starting to benefit me.
When looking through other designers, other photographers, and other artists, I always start the thought process off as a critiquer. Just like in college. What do I see first, how do I move through the piece, color, line, shape, emphasis; all of those words come in to my head. I look at their exposure, their focus, their saturation. In my heart it feels like by doing this, I am training my eye to look for those things in my own art. In my head I feel like I'm just a negative person, and am not only my own worst critic, but I am everyone else's too.
Do I notice the line, shape, emphasis, saturation in my art? Do I see all of those things before I show them to people? Yea, absolutely NOT! I really wish I did. If I went by that method, I'd still be a closet artist, wishing I was brave enough. My goal is to do what I love though, and the only way I'm going to get to do that, is just do it.
My teacher said, the only way to become an artist was to make art. I guess that is where I am at. I'm nothing compared to what I want to be, I'm better than some of what I see out there, and I'm constantly learning and growing. I guess there is a place in the world for critics... because I am getting better.
Friday, August 2, 2013
Started with a Bang!
So here I am a few months ago, very excited about starting a business. I had to market myself. I found FB could be used as a free marketing tool. I set up a business page, and started a contest to give away a free logo. A bang! Yea, not so much.
I did end up with quite a few entries. I made each business owner work for it a little bit. Then I had some business minds review the entries and pick a winner. They decided a marketing company should win the ultimate FREE logo. Then two others should get a good price break, so I have a few logos out there. Well the one who won let me do quite a bit of sketching and work, then kind of disappeared after her location had some bad weather. I did hear from her after the bad weather, that she was ok, but then not again. One of the discounted logos took the opportunity and we are just now finishing up her logo, hopefully I will be able to share that soon.
So I found out it is hard to be a true graphic designer these days. Those years of school and hard work can mean almost nothing next to a person with some app that let's them put together something in 2 minutes. There is tons of pre-made logo companies, and people selling "custom" logos for $10-$30 dollars a piece. That is a hard competition. So I decided I don't need to compete, and it makes me happier so far. I have more business now that I made that attitude adjustment too.
The summer has been full of photography. Remember I said I am sometimes a photographer. Yea, I have been quite a bit this summer. Which is ok, it's almost like an emotional release to do photos. I have captured two weddings this summer, and have two coming up soon. A few family photo sessions too. I have learned a bunch since doing that too! I ordered myself some new camera equipment... it should arrive today!! I plan to play with it this weekend, hopefully up on the mountain!
So my bang wasn't very loud, but I think so far it has happened perfectly. I think it has given me the opportunity to analyze and grow with the challenges. One of my biggest challenges has been understanding time and all of it's diminishing properties. I'll save that conversation for another day.
I did end up with quite a few entries. I made each business owner work for it a little bit. Then I had some business minds review the entries and pick a winner. They decided a marketing company should win the ultimate FREE logo. Then two others should get a good price break, so I have a few logos out there. Well the one who won let me do quite a bit of sketching and work, then kind of disappeared after her location had some bad weather. I did hear from her after the bad weather, that she was ok, but then not again. One of the discounted logos took the opportunity and we are just now finishing up her logo, hopefully I will be able to share that soon.
So I found out it is hard to be a true graphic designer these days. Those years of school and hard work can mean almost nothing next to a person with some app that let's them put together something in 2 minutes. There is tons of pre-made logo companies, and people selling "custom" logos for $10-$30 dollars a piece. That is a hard competition. So I decided I don't need to compete, and it makes me happier so far. I have more business now that I made that attitude adjustment too.
The summer has been full of photography. Remember I said I am sometimes a photographer. Yea, I have been quite a bit this summer. Which is ok, it's almost like an emotional release to do photos. I have captured two weddings this summer, and have two coming up soon. A few family photo sessions too. I have learned a bunch since doing that too! I ordered myself some new camera equipment... it should arrive today!! I plan to play with it this weekend, hopefully up on the mountain!
So my bang wasn't very loud, but I think so far it has happened perfectly. I think it has given me the opportunity to analyze and grow with the challenges. One of my biggest challenges has been understanding time and all of it's diminishing properties. I'll save that conversation for another day.
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