the Pithy Art Blog has moved!

I've packed up all my toys and relocated to a shiny new home.
This site has been good to me, but I've consolidated my web presence into one location.  Controlling and building the brand!

The Pithy Art Blog continues at http://www.lauramedeiros.com/blog


These posts will stay here, Im not deleting anything, just no more posts at this location.

Remeber to visit and book mark the new location! See you there!

Head Banging

Death metal band Asphyx headbanging during a performance. CC-by 3.0

Its serious head banging time! And I don't mean to music, its what I basically call what I do when I have to fight tech to get it to do what I need it to do. Basically just imagine that Im banging my head against my desk or key board repeatedly.

Hours and hours just to get a simple table to line up properly--aaarrrggg.
CSS fights the CMS, and if it would just let me code it and stop trying to "think" for me....aaarrrggg.

Yeah, thats exactly why Im switching to CMS website, so things like this will be easier int he long run. In the mean time Im getting everything set up!

Hopefully by the end of the week I will be inviting everyone to come check out my updated website.

Marketing Monday!

totally random image that came up when I search Pexels for "marketing." Nice arts banana shot

Yay Marketing Monday is on its way. Ive updated the Linked In page. I am now officially listed as a coloring book artist!
Also learned some great info about WordPress! So I will be starting the redesign of my webpage this after noon.

Also learning how to balance all the tasks that need doing. Marketing, drawing, making jewelry, and life.

Its interesting how starting over takes a whole lot of learning, its also really exciting and a little bit intimidating!

Vending

Right now my 2015 vending dates look like:

September 19
Murfreesboro TN
Art Along the Green Way

October 10
Two Rivers Park Nashville
Pagan Pride Day

October 24-25
Alabama Renassance Faire
Florence AL

December ???
Solstice Market
Lowe Mill
Huntsville AL

Laura Learns Marketing

I think Marketing Monday, as I have decided to call it since its my day set aside to learn all about this was a fail.
I didn't do anything.
I worked on deadlines. Meeting deadlines is good.
Then again so is learning marketing. Im a creative, marketing is not a natural process for me.

I'm reading Platform by Michael Hyatt, so far I recommend it if you need marketing help in this world of social media and Web 2.0 products.

I watched a lot of podcasts from Self-Publishing school. Also good information, and time well spent.

Learn learn learn, so I can implement implement implement.

Oh and just found out about the whole new microchip on credit card thing!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-small-business/wp/2015/07/24/a-big-legal-burden-awaits-small-businesses-and-most-arent-aware-of-it/?postshare=5131437973853512

So time to order a new Square reader. :(

Restructuring the website!

Im re building and redesigning my website.

Using post-it notes is a trick I learned back in the 1990s. You put 1 page and its contents on 1 post-it note. Allsub pages get their own note. If page contents becomes its own page, it gets its own note.

You can rearrange as spyou need to to. Then when organization and order is final, I tape them onto a big piece of paper.

They I either write it down in outline form if I need to share it, or draw it up.

Its a bit of an old school trick, but it works.

Things, they are a-changing!

Ganesh, remover of obstacles, god of wisdom, knowledge and new beginnings. I think its appropriate to have him on this post.

I'm working with a fantabulous woman who is becoming my marketing training mentor (I will drop names later).
I have a stack of of homework that includes updating my website. A complete overhaul.
This blog will be effected, but it will continue.
Add portfolios to places, and I have to read some books.

First book up:
Platform Get Noticed in a Noisy World by Michael Hyatt

I will be keeping everyone posted on my progress!

Under construction!

Updating a few things, sorry about the mess!

Photo by Daniel Oines https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0

My coloring book is now available!!

I've been working on an octopus themed coloring book, and I am excited to announce it is now available on Amazon!

http://www.amazon.com/When-Octopods-Dream-coloring-everyone/dp/1514271389

So, what I've been up to

I really dropped the ball on this blog. Sorry folks.

Things I've been doing and not telling you about obsessively:

I started writing in August of last year. I'm at the point where I need to start shopping my manuscript out to agents and publishers. Its kind of intimidating to have actually gotten this far, but I wrote a complete book.
Actually Ive written more than one! I have two complete manuscripts, and expect to finish a third one in the next few weeks.

In November I joined and completed the 50 thousand word challenge that is NaNoWriMo.

I've continued to market and sell my jewelry. Sales and my marketing are helping to improve online sales, but I still need to find a day job.

The never ending story that is the on going job hunt since I earned that second masters in distance education. I have started taking on more and more freelance design, and have even expanded my job search to include design again (my first degree. first career). Im only including it because of how much work is actually involved in filling out online job application after job application.

Most recently I've started to create coloring pages. My first two are available on Etsy
https://www.etsy.com/listing/230795465/octopus-mandala-digital-download
and
https://www.etsy.com/listing/230610870/octopus-eight-card-digital-download

I need to get more hands on with the creating, and drawing has been really cathartic that way.

Thanks for checking in!

Oops, I forgot to blog for 5 months

Sorry I just disappeared.
I could have been blogging about all the art shows I did over the fall.
Or the ads my work appeared in, or anything. Heck I could have even blogged over the hazards of maintaining a clean work space.
But I didnt.
Sorry about that.

I get frustrated and the passion flees.
I love creating and being creative, and I do it even if I dont have an audience.
But I need an audience to survive financially. When that doesn't happen I pout. I tend to pout in very self destructive ways. I stop doing what makes me happy, I start doing things that are bad for me (eating wheat and corn, drinking too much soda).

Unfortunately this blog has been a victim of that.

I don't have any grand resolutions for this year, and nothing profound regarding 2014 in retrospect.

I just know Im gonna keep on doing this, and I will remember to share, and maybe someday I will figure this all out. Until then, happy crafting!