Wednesday, December 27, 2017

29: Creative Photography with Shutter Sisters Founder with Tracey Clark


What is your artistic vision? The way you see the world is completely different than everyone else. And how incredible is that? As creative individuals, we have this great capacity to grow and heal through our art. This podcast celebrates the triumphs we as artists create, and I cannot think of a better person to celebrate with than today’s guest.
Tracey Clark is a photographer, first and foremost, but in reality, she is so much more than that! Tracey is an author, teacher, speaker, and founder of Shutter Sisters. I first learned about Tracey through her classes, but then soon discovered Shutter Sisters and was immediately on board with all that she does. Tracey lives and breathes the small moments of her life that she captures in so many fun ways. Whether you are a mom, a creative, or someone looking to add a little love to their life, you have a lot to learn from Tracey!
Tracey is all about creating safe spaces through her classes and with Shutter Sisters so that artists feel encouraged and empowered to share their vision. She challenges the idea that some people are not creative. Creative expression is more than photography and paintings. Listen today to hear us chat about what energizes Tracey, from her projects, her life’s story, and how photography is changing lives.
More in this episode:
  • All about Tracey’s diverse interests that go beyond photography.
  • Hear about Tracey’s teaching history and philosophy.
  • Tracey loves to share with people how to see the world a little differently.
  • Photography is accessible to everyone.
  • Phones or DSLR? Tracey makes a case for both!
  • Learning the artists skills are essential for boosting photography.
  • Every artist has their own vision and perspective.
  • Comparison is the worst killer of creativity.
  • Shutter Sisters was a way for artists to share photography free from comparison.
  • The work we make to please ourselves are some of the best expression of our artistic vision.
  • Tracey’s dad had a camera around, so that meant she had so many family moments captured and saved.
  • Motherhood and photography can go hand in hand.
  • Hindsight is important for Tracey’s work.
  • Join in the community events to push creativity.
  • An exciting announcement is coming in 2018.
Links:
http://traceyclark.com/
Instagram @ShutterSisters

Check out this episode!

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

28: A Creative Approach to Storytelling with Stacy Julian


Today I am excited to bring to you a pioneer of online craft courses, and one of my personal scrapbooking and storytelling heroes. Stacy Julian is with me today, and we had ourselves a grand old time chatting about creativity, the boom of the online crafting community, and the kinds of projects that light a fire within us. If it were not for Stacy’s influence, this podcast might never have existed! She is one of my personal creative inspirations, and with that, I am delighted to introduce her to all of you.
When I think of Stacy, I think of color. Color and emotion are tied up together for Stacy, and that heart and vibrancy is present throughout everything she creates. Stacy is a published author, blogger, and presenter. Her passion for preserving family stories and histories has led her to develop systems for scrapbooking and organizing photos that have revolutionized the craft for so many.
Listen to this week’s episode to find out all about what Stacy has been up to lately, her new storytelling product launch, and the classes she will be teaching in the near future. I know you will enjoy her childhood stories that she has preserved so well. I hope it inspires you to follow your curiosity and learn a story or two of your own!
More in this episode:
  • Hear all about Stacy’s journey from scrapbooking to an online creative.
  • How Stacy became the founding editor of a magazine, the author of a book, and then the creator of an site that blew up overnight,
  • Our shared love of Family History.
  • Social Media can preserve some of your family history.
  • Stacy grew up filled with opportunity for imagination.
  • Stacy is synonymous with color.
  • How Stacy’s books can help you expand your stories through scrapbooks and albums.
  • The most important guiding principles of connection.
  • The best stories from Stacy’s family history.
  • How Stacy learned to write and edit on the job.
Links:
Find Stacy Online!
http://www.stacyjulian.com/
Instagram
@StacyJulian
@StoryByStacy

Check out this episode!

Thursday, November 30, 2017

I do love to make scrapbook pages

I have been using some paper pages from a Mandy Melville class at Big Picture Classes as templates for some digital pages. I went on to explore the idea of a grid layout and think I might try a few of those plans over the next few weeks.
Here's what I have been creating recently. I think I may also try and reinterpret these ideas using paper, too.
Fingers crossed for more time to do this!

Mandy Melville page from BPC used as template
Kit - Studio ViVa Artistry, Sea Voyage
Stitching - Heather Taylor, Love Spoken Here

Shadows - Fiddle-Dee-Dee
Fonts - Avenir, Remington Noiseless

page design inspired by Mandy Melville 
kit - lgrieveson_daily_delight
stitching - just Jaimee

staples - one little bird

 I decided to engage a bit more with a grid in a page and introduced some circle shapes into the page. kit - JustJaimee September Storyteller 2014
shadows - Fiddle-dee-dee modified
fonts - Bebas Neue, Bradley hand

I love the challenge of translating a class page design from paper to digi and making it look realistic. It's fun to try to do it using only one kit, too. page design - Mandy Melville from BPC
Kit - one little bird-oneforthealbum
shadows - Fiddle-dee-dee modified

brads - My Life of Daring, The Digi Files

I had to play with this and used some of my faves, template - Fiddle-Dee-Dee, Number 27; kit - lgrieveson, emilia; fonts - quicksand, cherryla, kozuka mincho pro

Love,

Karen🐞

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Sometimes You Have to Tell A Pretty Story

 I woke up today with an urge to scrapbook. It's my time for computer art. I get to use some pretty things and tell some stories. Sometimes I use templates to arrange elements on a page, sometimes I come up with my ideas from scratch. I may decide to stick with one kit, and then I go wild and mix several together. It's all part of the fun. Rarely, I make my own elements.
Here are a few pages from the last couple of months. I love color, pattern, and texture.



                                           Kits: Digital Design Essentials_Real Life, lgrieveson_marinadelrey, Little Lam & Co_Hush, 
                                                                                   The Lily Pad_Life Is An Adventure


Megan’s Creations Reading by the Fire, 2012AutumnGarden Club Scrap Designs, 
Font - Remington Noiseless, Template SBCoach22-Layout03 GIS


template - Fiddle-Dee-Dee, Number 27; 
kit - lgrieveson, emilia; fonts - quicksand, cherryla, kozuka mincho pro




Love,

Karen🐞


Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Sunday, November 12, 2017


The holiday season is here.

Even weeks before Thanksgiving and Advent, we are being assaulted with Xmas. For a traditionalist like me who likes to celebrate Christmas from Dec. 25 to January 5, this makes for an over-extended holiday. Keeping spirits bright that long can be a challenge.

I can understand the fascination with Christmas. I know, much of the Christmas avalanche is driven by retail. This is the time of year when a lot of money is made. I also believe there is something about the holidays that is magical. We want to capture that wonder. The days are getting shorter, and if you are like me, that is depressing. Christmas signals the change in the days. Christians say it is the time when light came into the world.

Still, despite the promises of new beginnings and renewal, the extended holiday can feel at times like a trial. The important thing for me is to find other things to focus on.

I am looking forward to Thanksgiving. My secret to a less-stress turkey day - hope someone invites you over. We have a large family, so this is not too remote an answer. My next hint is to go to a restaurant. I'm not a big leftovers person, so these solutions suit me just fine.

Of course, for the first option, I'll still be responsible for some food, but I have several simple ideas. My husband makes preserves, and we have an excellent stash of cranberry chutney. That poured over some cream cheese or nondairy spread and served with tasty crackers is a great appetizer.

I also am a big fan of Sun Basket. Many of you know that was true even before I began an affiliate program with them on my podcast site. Well, that's actually a reason I became an affiliate. I'm going to promote them regardless! The best part of a meal service is the no outside my home shopping involved. I love having my food in perfect portions delivered to my door.

If you are cooking the bird, I'm also an advocate for buying a fresh turkey that you can pick up the day before the holiday.

I recommend you follow Alton Brown's recipe with brining of the bird. That method results in the perfect roast turkey.

Another break from too much "Ho, Ho, Ho" is skiing. The slopes near here will open soon.

You may wonder at that because I've mentioned my physical limitations because of my arthritis and nerve problems in my arms. My reply is that you should not expect to see me executing perfect telemark turns down a black ski run at Jackson Hole. However, you will see me in the Sierra, or perhaps other resorts, on the green runs and easy blue runs without moguls. Skiing, like some other sports, is easy to modify to a person's limitations.

I love playing in the snow and am grateful to be alive at a time when an activity like this is accessible.

Reading, knitting, art, and music are other activities that I access more often as winter approaches.

The year drawing to a close is time for reflection and resolutions.

Despite needing to take a pause from the assault of a prolonged holiday season, I do plan to enjoy it. I used to find the holidays a time of magic even as an adult. It seems harder to capture that now that the kids are grown, and the people close to me are less interested in the celebrations. Still, I look ahead to finding some of the magic this season.

I hope you, too, find magic in the next two months.

Love,💕

Karen

Monday, November 6, 2017

Home at last




I have finally settled to being at home. There are some trips I could take before 2018, but I'm saying, "Enough!"

I want to get bills and taxes squared away, organize and deep clean my home, concentrate on my podcast, this blog, and art.

My family has been a significant part of my travels; so, at least, that's an essential part of my life - enriched, not neglected, in my wanderings.

I have been scrapbooking lately and have thought about doing some process videos to discuss how I design and make my pages. I also have taken some video classes as I hope to incorporate some of that on my social media sites and here on the blog.

I love to learn as I have told you many times in the past. My favorite online sites are Udemy and Coursera.

I also am taking an art history class online from Los Rios Community College. It works well when you have a peripatetic lifestyle.

Here are some recent photos of some of my scrapbook pages.







I hope you've visited A Creative Approach Podcast or even better subscribed to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play Store. I started a YouTube channel for the podcast and am considering an app.

One of the things I learned in my class, Video for Social Media, was the importance of closed captioning. All future podcasts will have closed captioning. I have added CC to a few past podcasts, and eventually, all shows in the archives will have this feature.

My studio is slightly chaotic right now; but, after I organize it, I hope to work on a few long-postponed art projects. Classes often compel me to complete work. I need to get that motivation on my own.

I hope to post a few holiday projects in the days ahead. I am thinking of creating a couple of digital designs, either templates or products as I have done in the past. There, I said it. Now I have to get that done!

Love,

Karen💖




Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Can We Talk? Guns.

I would like to discuss gun violence. With recent tragic events, I feel sad and numb. I see little hope of effective laws enacted though I wish it would happen. Semi-automatic and automatic weapons have only one purpose, and that is to slaughter an enormous number of people quickly and efficiently. In my opinion, you just should not sell ordinary citizens weapons of war.

I also believe the studies that show having a gun in the home is more dangerous than not owning one. So, guns for personal protection may make people feel good, but is it rational? Guns and children is another topic that concerns me.

I am not a big fan of hunting, but I can understand the sport. However, some guns seem to provide such an unfair advantage. How about using a bow and arrow?

Nonetheless, it is likely that as long as people feel afraid of their government, we will never get rid of powerful weapons. Being afraid of government is an essential element of the American psyche. Isn’t that what the second amendment implies? However, it’s laughable that even these weapons would defend anyone from fierce “big black helicopters” or stealth fighters (or even armored vehicles like tanks) if the government decided to go against its people.

As to the sales of guns, all the background checks in the world will not help screen for all dangerous individuals. We even have capabilities to find some potential psychopaths now using brain scans and genetics. However, not everyone with these findings is a psychopath. It might take a head injury, a small stroke, a viral illness or an emotional trigger to activate these tendencies. So, even requiring screening for a few known genes or a brain scan would be infringing on the rights of people who might never become mentally deranged. A mental illness diagnosis is of little help in screening. Most individuals diagnosed with a mental illness are more likely to be victims not perpetrators of violence. A genetic screen/brain scan policy of weapons purchasers to determine the potential for violent behavior would miss people whose vulnerability we do not yet have the science to know. Even if we do get the information in the future, and have AI models that are highly accurate in using the data for prediction, what will that mean for society? Will there be different classes of society based on your capacity for violence?

It also seems to me that weapon technology is getting past our human capacity to control that technology. Semi-automatic vs. automatic weapons? They both are people-killing machines and likely to get even deadlier.

Rational discussion about gun violence needs to happen, even now at a time of sadness. Of course, an outpouring of the human capacity for love, kindness, and compassion is what we need at this moment.

Still, we need to talk.


Love,

Karen

Saturday, September 2, 2017

On writing and living our lives

I wrote this essay and said "Hello, September." Can you believe that even Christmas in July is over?
Time is rushing past, life is the fast lane.

I took a class on Mass Media and Society in July. It was good. It was at Sacramento City College, one of my favorite campuses. The instructor followed the text and used standardized tests. The class requirements were the same as a regular semester class, which makes sense, since it is worth the equal number of units. However, the term paper was a challenge. I got an A, I'm not really complaining but I do like to have time for editing. A four week course makes that near impossible.

You'd think, after writing a blog I'd find writing easy. Not, so. I do know that good writers say the key to everything is editing. I think that is true. I've been trying to learn more about that process. I've been learning at Udemy.com. This is not an ad, they do not at this point offer me any affiliate status nor sponsorship. I just signed up for a few classes when they had $10 offers on some of their courses. One I especially am finding helpful is Editing Mastery: How to Edit Writing to Perfection. (note: still working on the course so please do not judge this post!) Shani Raja is an excellent teacher and I'm finding the class very helpful. The problem is time. Some of us are slow at the process. I think that is why so much writing is unclear and unfocused. Even two blog posts a month where I'm not obligated to say anything other than my thoughts and opinions is still pressure, if if a self-imposed obligation. Clearly, it's not an obligation I meet every month.

It's rather like that in many areas of life, isn't it?
We want to make time for exercising, eating healthy home-cooked meals, quality family time, meaningful friend time, and artistic and intellectual pursuits. We end up being a little haphazard in our results. Life is hard to edit to perfection.

I think that may be why we struggle with self-love, fitness, weight management, our relationships and our creative endeavors. We expect much that may not be possible. Don't get me wrong, fulfilling any of these expectations are worthy. I happen to believe being human and being perfect are not a reasonable duality. I read the other day about never confusing our Google searches with someone else's Facebook posts. That translates to real life situations, too. Like our virtual lives, there can be much we are unaware is happening. Maybe that slender girl in the bar eating chicken wings and drinking beer is not just jogging every morning, but she exists the rest of the day on diet Red Bull and is challenged by alcohol and cigarette addictions.

Sure, some people have fewer problems in certain areas; many successful writers start off able to express themselves well and find rapid re-edits easy. To imagine that anyone has it easy though, and does not have to work at skills, nor always gets it right the first time, is almost always the wrong idea.

Monday, July 3, 2017

A recent adventure

Most tourists to London cannot miss the idea and symbolism of royalty, but few get to be near. Now, I was born in Canada which does not have a huge population, so it's not that uncommon to have seen royalty; however, never in quite such limited group surroundings. Princess Anne was a speaker at the evening of lectures where she discussed her work with Save The Children. Cal and I attended that reception at the Royal College of Medicine. The speeches all endorsed convincingly that the provision of health care to women improves not only their health but that of their children and others in the family.

Lecture and reception at the Royal College of Medicine

Another night, Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, a physician, and peer in government, invited the female guests at the conference to join her at a dinner at the House of Lords. She is a warm, humorous and intelligent professional who charmed us with stories about the pleasures and hazards of needing to be a physician first responder in that august body.
Parliament Buildings are ancient, but the dining room was lovely with fabric covered ceiling and walls and large sliding glass doors that opened to a narrow patio along the Thames.


Photos at the event were limited but here are my friends Gail from Canada and Deb from Australia

Even at dinner I had a lovely view out on the Thames to the Eye

On the narrow patio

View from patio in late evening


The dinner information and menu from the MWF Centenary Program


The Duchess of Gloucester, Princess Sophie, a patroness of the MWF, attended the dinner and met with each one of us. One expects royalty to be charming and gracious and she was every bit of that. We all were delighted to meet her and grateful for her interest in medical women.
The staff at the House of Lords was unbelievably courteous and kind and exceptionally friendly.
On my way into the dinner, a person who works in the building said to me, “I hope it's not impertinent of me Ma'am, but I must say I've never before been in a room with so many powerful women.” I smiled because there were many remarkable individuals present and I felt a bit awed myself.

A view of Big Ben as I left the House of Lords

Engaging educational topics, new friends, historic venues, great food, and entertainment made for a worthwhile trip.
Traveling is one of my passions, not necessarily easy, but worth all of the challenges.

Some photos from the MWF Centenary conference and events


This recent long trip started in San Francisco with a lecture by Neil DeGrasse Tyson. He has a new book that I highly recommend, Astrophysics - for People in a Hurry. My husband's positive reaction to the talk leads me to be confident that other non-scientists will enjoy reading and hearing Tyson's words on the subject.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson in San Francisco

From San Francisco, we left for London and then on to the rest of the UK and the Irish Republic.
For the present, I'll focus this post on London. The twenty-five days that followed London will likely inspire future blog entries. It was a peripatetic experience that existed somewhere between boot camp and a whirlwind, but fun!
London as a destination and the hobnobbing with the nobility was because of the celebration of the Centenary of the Medical Women's Federation of England.

Every Birthday needs cake

As a Medical Women International Association member, I wanted to celebrate with my physician sisterhood as did many other women physicians from around the globe.

A few of us decided we needed to get a photo of the visit to Historic Trafalgar Tavern

The MWF organization began with a small group of female doctors who met at a tavern in Greenwich. The MFW arranged a private boat tour for the Centenary attendees to travel from London to Greenwich on the Thames.

Thames River Cruise with MWF

Our group was too large to dine at the Trafalgar Tavern. Fortunately, a larger public house nearby, the Old Brewery, accommodated us nicely with delicious fare. The founding mothers would probably be pleased with the size of our celebratory crowd.

View towards the Greenwich Meridian

While I saw the location of the Meridian on the hill Cal and I were unable to work a visit to the exact spot into our full agenda. I do want to visit there in the future. (Note: I have visited a significant Meridian site in the past, in Ghana, at the spot where the equator meets the Greenwich Meridian, a place Ghanaians refer to as the "Center of the Earth.")
The main conference was held at The British Medical Association building situated near Euston Station. My Hilton Hotel accommodations were right across the street. A shout-out of thanks to my travel agent, Jeff Doris, at the on-line travel agency, Vacations To Go, who situated us in such an excellent spot.

The British Medical Association Building

Cal experiences difficulty with walking and stairs, and I do too on occasion; Uber proved to be an excellent alternative to the Tube to getting around London to other sites.
A couple of other historical sites functioned as the meeting venues - The Royal College of Medicine that I mentioned earlier and The Royal College of Surgeons. I loved all the history and experienced goosebumps stepping where some greats in medicine had walked.





















The Royal College of Surgeons Building

The Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons features collections of anatomical and pathological specimens of humans and animal, as well as models, instruments, and art of surgery from the 1800's to the present. Perhaps the museum is a little gruesome for nonscientists but informative for everyone. I recommend a visit.




The London Eye

The day after the conference was Mother's Day and Cal treated me to the London Eye. It's a tourist attraction that I can unequivocally recommend. The pods are spacious with excellent visibility. It's very comfortable with plenty of viewing room and moves slowly, so those with vertigo have little to worry. We'd missed visiting it on our last visit to London.
The day was complete with a trip to The British Museum, a site of great wonders neither of us tires of visiting. Well, that's not strictly true. Emotionally, the collection is fascinating; physically, for our feet and legs, it's fatiguing.




Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Sustainability, Travel, Scrapbook Pages and My Podcast

I have been thinking about sustainability. It's scary to think that some human beings do not care about the planet. I also feel that some people who deny climate change in public, in private think the decline of a healthy environment for humankind is inevitable. I think they do not want public alarm and just want to make a profit and enjoy those benefits as long as possible. I know that is a cynical point of view but when you know they have been presented with the facts and otherwise seem reasonably intelligent what else can you believe. There are plenty of unscrupulous people around. On the other hand, I do see that many businesses and individuals believe a sustainable approach makes sense both for the world and for the bottom line. I hope they are the majority and end up winning. I was encouraged today when I read that public opinion is for sustainability and investing is committing to green technologies and not fossil fuels.
Sustainable creative approaches interest me. I just got a badge in an introductory class in biomimicry sustainable design and I think of studying this more. One of my concerns is the health of our local environments. I took a class for EcoDistricts certification but have had little time to study to take the exam. It's on my to-do list. I'm also considering attending another GreenBiz sponsored meeting. I learned a lot at the last one I attended.
Right now I'm planning a trip to San Diego and another to Great Britain and Ireland. Travel is stressful and exhausting many times but the thrill of learning and experiencing new things more than makes up for the inconveniences. I'm trusting myself to a good tour company in Europe to make the most of the brief time I can spend. One of these days I'll take a semester abroad and actually learn about a foreign land in depth while I study art. It is not easy to travel when you have some physical limitations but I'm always learning how to adapt and I allow time for recovery into my plans.
Of course, the experiences and photos should make for some exciting scrapbook pages as I recount the stories of my travel. I am also considering taking my podcast on the road and talking about my trip. It's a creative approach to my podcast, introducing travelogues.
Speaking of scrapbooking, I've used my travels to inspire some of my recent page design stories. Here's one from my recent visit to Arizona.


And another from my visit to Coit Tower in San Francisco.


Do visit A Creative Approach Podcast and listen to some fun episodes including this latest one with Elena Lai Etcheverry.


Saturday, April 8, 2017

Why Mt. Etna is a natural phenomenon that inspires me

Photo Shutterstock.com
 Why Mt. Etna is a natural phenomenon that inspires me is a question I needed to answer for a class. A quiz in my biomimicry on-line course wanted to know what in nature inspired me and why. Mt. Etna at night is exquisite. Even when not erupting in a dramatic way, rivulets of lava can be seen running out of fissures and down the mountain in glowing red ribbons at night. The area of Taormina and Giardini Naxos is a beautiful tourist spot in Sicily and romantic and lovely in its own right; but, the views of Etna at night add to the wonder of this place. The fierce power and great beauty fill me with awe. I love Niagara Falls, the forest canopy in Ghana, the powerful surf of the California coast, and the breathtaking view of the Rockies as they spring into sight out of the foothills just a very short distance west of Calgary. All these inspire me. Mount Etna with lava flowing down its slopes at night is the most exhilarating. Perhaps it is because in an area of natural beauty with a magnificent shore and steep cliffs, as well as man-made wonders, like Roman ruins and a medieval city, the destructive volcanic power of Etna looms like the tension of romance and intense passion.

Learning Things: Grammar, Words, Crafts, Biomimicry


Do you use Grammarly or have you thought about a grammar checking program? I have used  Grammarly for about eighteen months and am delighted that it now works in applications like Blogger and Facebook without the need to copy and paste to check my writing. I like the weekly stats I get with the app. Grammarly lets you know your standard errors and compares your vocabulary to other users.
I love words. You may notice that I post Visual Thesaurus updates to the blog. I like that site because of the interesting stories about words, the pronunciation guide and the word maps that can help when Grammarly notes redundancy. It's especially useful when you need a carefully nuanced substitute.
I can follow up on my last blog post and report a successful paint night and an excellent white coat project. I never did finish my personal white coat project. My Wishblade failed, so I bought a new Cricut Explore Air 2, only to discover that it was challenging to use. My laptop solid state drive is full, and while I copied files to an external drive, I'm nervous about what files I can safely delete. Loading new stuff is impossible until then, So, when I have a chance I'll try to hook the machine up to my Mac and see what progress I can make in cutting my paper lace.
I do love crafting and am looking forward to today when I will spend the day in Dixon at It's All About the Scrapbook enjoying a class with friends. A chance to Cre8time. I think, May Flaum, the teacher, and a friend is a force behind my deep dive into crafts and art. My natural love of learning is a factor, too.


Speaking of learning new things, while at GreenBiz in February I was introduced to the field of biomimicry. It's very fascinating, looking to how nature solves problems and seeing if we can apply those solutions to our challenges in the design of structures, buildings, and processes. I'm taking a class right now from  Minneapolis College of Art and Design called Biomimicry: A Sustainable Design Methodology
It's a free on-line course which is an introduction to the master's program offered at the school.
As much as I love learning, I'm not sure I'm ready for yet another degree, though this is a field that is
very intriguing. The badge from the class is a sufficient goal for now. I think I will explore this subject more on the podcast. I'd love for you to join me at A Creative Approach Podcast and listen to all my exciting guests. (Links to an external site.)

Monday, March 27, 2017

Jumping In


"...if we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything is ready, we shall never begin." - Ivan Turgenev
"If we wait until we are ready, we'll be waiting for the rest of our lives, let's go." - Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler)
"Just Do It" - Nike slogan

Whether it's a 19th-century or 21st-century writer, or a 20th-century ad campaign, the sentiment is the same; this idea has been quoted by a lot of people in my universe recently. I am increasingly ready to embrace this philosophy.
I plunged into podcasting without much preparation when starting on The Digiscrap Geek Podcast, learning on the job. I had been a guest on podcasts but doing one is a whole different ballgame. When that show went on hiatus, and I decided to start A Creative Approach Podcast, I had this foundation but still was very unprepared for the task of doing it alone. Now, three months in, I've learned a lot and am pretty proud of what I've accomplished. The web page is still a work in progress. Like most beginning podcasters without a professional broadcasting education, my interview skills need to be honed. Marketing is coming along. I am so grateful for my professional contacts who are teaching me a lot and helping me to improve the podcast experience for my listeners. I think my web page will be up-to-date within the next week, or so, I'm finally feeling relaxed during interviews, and I love the pearls of wisdom about creativity that come from the shows.
My guests are amazing. Even when I've known some guests for years, there are always surprises.
Kit from Royal brush

I am trying to apply the idea of just going to a lot of things. I'm taking part in the American Medical Women's Association annual meeting soon. I've planned a paint night which sounds easy enough. I mean, theoretically, everyone participates in producing a piece of art that allows room for some personal interpretation but involves the same paint and canvas and a guideline to reproducing something pretty close to what the original artist has designed. It's pretty much a project designed for socialization and "spirits," but I have heard doubts about the idea from some young artists. The arguments I've heard include, "too much like a class," "might not allow enough individual expression," "might not fit with a theme (white coat) focus." I just want to have fun and show other people that art can be fun! I'll report back how it goes. I'm just going to just do it and not analyze too much. I have these fabulous ready to go Art Instructor Painting Party Packs from Royal Langnickel. Royal Brush sent me some sample products after the AFCI Creativation show in Phoenix, and I placed an order for 9 more of these kits to use for our AMWA Paint Night.

My ad for AMWA program

Marketing is another area where I have questioned just what I need to do. I'm pretty much an extroverted introvert. Are you saying, "What?" Here's a link to an article about this because we all fall somewhere on the bell curve of these personality types. However, I think that may not be a good analogy because I think that rather than the middle, I bounce from end to end of the curve! So, in this case, my thinking went, "Ads? Well, of course." Then, "Gulp! OMG, my photo is part of my podcast logo, am I calling too much attention to myself?" I decided to go ahead and put an ad for A Creative Approach Podcast into the program for the AMWA meeting and not worry too much about it. I also decided it would not hurt to put a Patreon section on my podcast web page. I love Jess and Elsie from She Podcasts. They admit that it is not the primary source of income for their podcast and that it took a while for people to sponsor them. Nonetheless, they had no problem including a Patreon sponsor link. So, I did it, too. I mean, even $1 a month is significant to me. It's a way you can encourage podcasts you enjoy. I support Jess and Elsie at a small level because I really want to say thanks for their show, it's helped me a lot. I hope some of my listeners will feel the same.


Thursday, March 16, 2017

Style decisions and Horses in the Morning

It is delightful to travel, but being home is nice. I am not getting as much done as I'd like, isn't that always what folk say? Stuff gets done, though, slowly.
I'm dealing with pain, of course. The neck flares a bit more quickly recently. Unfortunately, the doctor who did my epidurals left Stockton Kaiser, and they need to reschedule my appointment. It'll likely be this summer now instead of this month.
Yes, I do things like laundry and fitness that  I probably might avoid. I do feel these are things I must do, though. Getting fitter helps in the long run, even if short term it's a problem.

I have a stylist, Chantera Gunn.

Closet now



                                 Chantera




Some of the clothes headed for charity

Chantera helped me purge my closets. She did the heavy lifting and the decision making but let me keep a few things that do not fit what she deems my style, only if I promised to wear them in very particular circumstances. I rarely argued with her. The funny thing is after purging over 233 items of clothing, 41 pairs of shoes and 22 purses and assorted other articles, I feel like I have so many more clothes! I now can see how to put things together. Beautiful trendy stuff is no longer buried. If you live in the San Francisco/Sacramento area, you can out Chantera's services. I believe I now only need a few items to fill some gaps in my wardrobe or to update or pull together ensembles.

It does cost money for a stylist, but I think it will save a lot in the long run.


Today I had a brief spot on the Horses in the Morning podcast.

 


 I'm not a horse person; not that I did not want to be. My husband and I tried a trail ride early in our marriage, and his hip arthritis made him miserable. I decided I did not want to go down a path toward a passion of which he could not be a part; so, I have never taken riding lessons. Pity, as horses are the one animal to which I am not allergic. It was funny listening to the guest podcasters befuddled over horse terms. My word was "founder." I did not have a clue! To be in the know you can find a glossary of horse health terms here. Check out the March15 episode of Horse in the Morning with me and fellow podcast guests. Maybe there is a new show you'd like to follow on iTunes or Stitcher? Of course, you are always welcome to listen to A Creative Approach Podcast.

My continuing dating saga

 This morning, I criticized a supposed professional for lousy spelling when replying to a brief text message on a dating site. If grammatica...