I'm embarking on the 52 Weeks of Blogging your Passion journey and the first step in the process is developing your blog's mission statement. The mission statement serves as the focal point of your blog and all posts should be written with the umbrella of the mission in mind.
So what's my mission? In a nutshell, to support, promote and spread the word about indie designers, handmade artisans and independently owned brick and mortar shops and businesses.
So, what's your mission? How do you carry it out in your blog?
A hard question to answer, I know! But let’s get a collection going, I am eagerly anticipating to hear yours, and I think that this could make for a really amazing and original project - not your average " classic famous quotes collection", but an expression of our uniqueness as writers and readers. If you’ve got a tie (or two, or three…) feel free to post them all! If it's a success, other fabulous collections of lines from poetry or song lyrics could come next, on your blog or mine.
What is creativity? Where does its magical flow come from? I think back to times in my life where I have felt the most creative. Without blinking I know it is when I am driving. On a six hour drive from Midland to Ft. Worth streams of ideas flow through me. By the end of the drive I am as exhausted from the creating that has consumed me. For most of my life I believed it was the magic of Midland, or the west Texas roads that go on forever and take my mind with them.
Somebody once told me that in ancient Chinese art, the great artists almost always included a deliberate flaw in their work. It made it human, authentic. What if the same kind of thing applies to creative writing? Maybe a little "messiness" or something that is just a little "off" in our creative work is not a bad thing. Maybe it's a really beautiful thing. Maybe it's what makes it uniquely our own.
This is a guest post written by Meagan, of The Illustrator's Wife, about the creative process and the obstacles every artist may face . . . with the following encouraging advice:
So don’t be afraid to try. Don’t be afraid to fail. And don’t be ashamed if your stuff really, really sucks at first. You’ll get there. Just keep swimming… Just keep swimming…
normally i don't like this kind of thing,but since joining pinterest i've found several lovable quotes and thought i'd pin them into a blog post.. : happy reading : .
I used to collect cassette tapes as a kid. I found two of them while rifling through an old trunk, the single remaining artifacts of my depleted collection.
Do you ever find things in books that you'd forgotten about? I do. All the time. I find bits of paper, old check stubs, pressed flowers, lengths of ribbon, etc. And sometimes I find something more conventional: actual bookmarks. I buy a nice bookmark from time to time--you know the nice ones you see at Barnes & Noble sometimes, with cool artwork on them, covered in a plastic sleeve.
I've dealt with depression for most of my life, but it's only been in recent years that I've begun to recognize how many other people are struggling with it too. Depression is silent by its very nature, isolating and stifling, alienating us from those who would help us and those outlets that usually give us happiness. I've found that it seems creative individuals tend to suffer most acutely; the more I poll my friends, writers, actors, painters, costumers and the like, the more I find they have struggled with this insidious illness too.
While doing the Thing A Day Challenge for February, I’ve run across a ton of beautiful crochet heart patterns – all for free. These are all first rate designs given freely by the creators. I wanted to get these beautiful designs in one easily accessable place and share them with other crafters, as well as give a shout out to the designers. If you knit or crochet, I hope you enjoy this round up. And even if you don't, you can still feast on some great eye candy photography and get your hands on a piece or two or thr
So it's confession time, do you keep all you leftovers when paper crafting and stash it away in bags and little plastic boxes or are you the ruthless kind and anything less than good sheet of paper is only good for the trash can/bin ?
I'd like to see othe paper crafters admission as a hoarder or definite practical sorter: cardmakers, scrapbookers or mixed media paper artists; all of you can give me your input.
Go on don't be shy reveal your real side: hoarder or trasher ?
Recently a friend mentioned something to me that made me firm up my decision to do this on my own. She pointed out that the sample of the manuscript I sent her was in the wrong font and spacing for agents to read and that they would likely just throw it out without giving it a chance. She was being kind in pointing it out but the thing that struck me is, fuck that! I like the font I write in. I use it because I like to read it and how it looks. I really don't care if someone doesn't like it. That's a stupid reason not to read something.
Just like a smile, a compliment is free and has amazing effects on people.
If you hand out a genuine compliment to a friend, family-member, co-worker or total stranger you may find that suddenly your relationship and mood changes for the better.
But people are still a bit shy about handing out compliments. Why is that?
It isn't that bad. I keep telling myself that. Nothing can be as bad as when I turned 30, or as I call it "The Great Depression of 2005." That year was a blur of tears, snot, sleep and stress. Not just the number killed the year but it was the not being where I wanted to be on "the list" of my life achievements.
What are the places that speak to your heart and draw on your soul? Where was it you travelled to when you felt like you were coming home even though you had never been there before? What places have inspired you and how?
Share your photography, art, poetry and prose that has been inspired by the places that speak to your heart and draw on your soul.
Watching the Sound of Music inspired me...it usually does. I always get the urge to glide out of my little house twirlling my front yard singing with all my might. Makes me forget the pavement is uneven, and the door doesn't stayed closed unless you bolt it and well the neighbors are not really the Sound of Music "type," so movie inspirations have to go elsewhere.
I am constantly looking for inspiration. When I am feeling particularly spent from a long binge of writing there are a few tricks that seem to get me going...
do you craft? scrapbook? cook or bake? if you do then you should come check out my blog! i post something daily! as a stay at home mom to 3 little ones i have lots to post about!!!
looking for a sketch to get your creative juices flowing? every sunday i'll share my version of the sunday sketch from the everday scrapper!
every wednesday i'll share a new poject or tutorial with you!
look out for monthly kit giveaways posted, courtesy of queen*scraps!
be inspired by pages and projects done with kits from top shelf memories!
Given alot of complaining that's been going on lately, I thought I'd feature one of my thought streams on modern music. People are forever saying and complaining about the state of the music industry. That it's too commercial, untalented, with no variety etc.
I (along with a friend) recently started a blog called Blogivation, this project of ours showcase bloggers from all walks of life sharing there stories of what motivates them to blog.
If you are interested we would love to have you be featured on this Blog, please stop by Blogivation and send us an email
Most of my friends have, at one time or another, gotten an e-mail from me where the subject bars read SUBJECT: FRIENDLY INTRODUCTION. In the e-mail, I introduce two people to one another and explain why I think they should know one another. I’ve done this thousands of times through the years. Are you responsible for what happens after an introduction?
