According to everything I’ve read from the experts, I’m going about pretty much everything all wrong. Niche! Niche! Niche! They all say. And while I do indeed have niche designs, I don’t really have a niche shop, or even a niche web site (yet. that could be changing soon.) Not only that, but my "brand" is broad and I apparently share it with a "gentleman’s club" in Houston.
The question now becomes: Why don’t I change my brand? And why not branch out to smaller niche shops and link them together?
In answer to the second question , I may do that down the road, but I’ve discovered it’s easier to work on my catch-all site first. (Plus keeping all designs at CP and Z in one "shop" is just easier for payment. I don’t earn enough yet to branch out to dozens of smaller shops.)
As for the brand, I’ve gone through countless business names (the one I paid to incorporate was the worst one of all) and none seemed to "fit." This one does – and has the most interesting story behind it of any name I could have.
My brand is me. When someone sees my logo (the drawing of the rose inside a Texas outline), it’s recognizable. When they see my icon (my manga drawing that my sweetheart did of me), or my site background (the rose trellis), they know right away that it’s me. Someone I met recently even said she recognized the icon right away and could tell it was a drawing of me, and old friends can tell it’s me too as soon as they see it. I’m extremely flattered every time I hear that because I happen to think the drawing is quite lovely. Even though there are other icons that are similar to each other, none are quite like mine. It helps distinguish my brand, which I love.
For the first time, I feel that my business name and brand "fit." And nothing feels better than something that fits well.
The Yellow Rose of Texas.
There’s a Yellow Rose in Texas,
That I am going to see.
No other feller knows her,
No other one but me.She cried so when I left her,
It nearly broke my heart.
And if I ever find her,
We nevermore will part.She’s the sweetest little rosebud,
That Texas ever knew
Her eyes are bright as diamonds,
They sparkle like the dew,You may talk about your Clementine
and sing of Rosalee,
But The Yellow Rose of Texas
is the only girl for me!
There really was a "Yellow Rose" of Texas and she helped shape Texas history as much as Sam Houston himself. Emily West Morgan was a lovely mulatto slave girl captured by Santa Anna on his march to San Jacinto. Emily sent word to Sam Houston and kept Santa Anna "occupied" while the Texans surrounded his army and defeated him, literally "catching him with his pants down." Texas owes her freedom to the beautiful slave girl who risked her own life in the Texas battle for independence.
Read more in the historical fiction: Miss Emily, The Yellow Rose of Texas ♠
I am sitting here in shock after seeing your In Memoriam piece. To not include Director/Producer Kim Manners, who lost his battle to cancer in January of this year breaks my heart. I understand not everyone can be included but this man has worked with some of the top television shows, including The X-Files, Supernatural and even Charlie’s Angels. To leave him out in this way is an absolute disgrace. I am saddened to see that a big name like Michael Jackson, who was a Musician and not even in the television industry was included when someone who has given so much to Prime Time Television was excluded.
Clearly you were going for cheers with your Memorial not remembrances. Since you seem to not remember Kim Manners, allow me to refresh your memory. Here is a small run-down of the accomplishments of this extremely talented man, who is missed not only by casts and crews of shows on which he worked, but by fans as well. Having never met him myself, I can tell you that fans across the world mourned his passing as though we had lost a dear and close friend ourselves. This is how deeply he touched our lives.
From IMDB.com
Producer:
- Supernatural (executive producer) (60 episodes, 2006-2009) (co-executive
producer) (18 episodes, 2005-2006)The X Files: Revelations (2008) (V) (producer) - The X Files (producer) (97 episodes, 1995-1999) (co-executive producer)
(40 episodes, 2000-2002) (supervising producer) (22 episodes, 1999-2000) - The X-Files: The Unopened File (1996) (V) (producer)
Director:
- Supernatural (16 episodes, 2005-2008)
- The X Files: Revelations (2008)
- Over There (1 episode, 2005)
- Empire (2005) TV mini-series
- Alaska (2003) (TV)
- The X Files (52 episodes, 1995-2002)
- Harsh Realm (1 episode, 2000)
- Fortune Hunter (1 episode)
- M.A.N.T.I.S. (1994) TV series (unknown episodes)
- Greyhounds (1994) (TV)
- The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. (7 episodes, 1993-1994)
- The Hat Squad (1 episode, 1993)
- The Commish (1991) TV series (unknown episodes)
- K-9000 (1991) (TV)
- Disney Presents The 100 Lives of Black Jack Savage (1991) TV series (unknown
episodes) - Broken Badges (1 episode, 1990)
- Booker (1 episode, 1990)
- Baywatch (2 episodes, 1989)
- 21 Jump Street (10 episodes, 1987-1989)
- Paradise (1 episode, 1988)
- Mission: Impossible (2 episodes, 1988)
- Star Trek: The Next Generation (1 episode, 1988)
- J.J. Starbuck (1987) TV series (unknown episodes)
- Wiseguy (1987) TV series (unknown episodes)
- Stingray (2 episodes, 1986-1987)
- Hunter (2 episodes, 1986-1987)
- Sledge Hammer! (1 episode, 1986)
- Simon & Simon (5 episodes, 1984-1986)
- Street Hawk (1985) TV series (unknown episodes)
- Finder of Lost Loves (1984) TV series (unknown episodes)
- Automan (4 episodes, 1983-1984)
- Riptide (1984) TV series (unknown episodes)
- Hardcastle and McCormick (1983) TV series (unknown episodes)
- Matt Houston (1982) TV series (unknown episodes)
- Charlie’s Angels (8 episodes, 1979-1981)
Production Manager:
- Scared Silly (1982) (TV) (production manager)
- Charlie’s Angels (production manager) (42 episodes, 1978-1981)
- The Pride of Jesse Hallam (1981) (TV) (production manager)
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director:
- Hart to Hart (assistant director) (1 episode, 1981)
- The Pride of Jesse Hallam (1981) (TV) (second unit director)
- Charlie’s Angels (assistant director) (3 episodes, 1977-1978)
- Locusts (1974) (TV) (second assistant director)
- Valdez Is Coming (1971) (second assistant director)
Actor:
- The Headmaster
- Halls of Anger
Articles:
- E! Online
- TV Guide
- Buddy TV
- The Vancouver Sun
- Monsters And Critics
- CW Source Remembering Kim Manners on Youtube
It isn’t like you couldn’t have known about this sad event. Is it possible that your show snubbed him because of the last show he worked on? Was your desire to keep one of the better dramas out of your little circle that strong? Fans of Supernatural have watched you time and time again overlook the actors, directors and writers of this show, and for what? Fear that it might win one of your little awards? With a steady three-million viewers in what is clearly the toughest time slot on a network that doesn’t bother with providing much in the way of production or advertising budget, Supernatural has proven itself to be a grade above most of the shows out there. It’s one thing to overlook the show time and again. But this oversight for someone who has given so much to your own industry is a disgrace.
Shame, emmys. For shame.
Twitterers and Supernatural Fans! Please RT this: RT @YellowRoseKat Remembering Kim Manners http://ow.ly/2bpTMK @Primetimeemmys #RememberKimManners #emmys #epicfail
And don’t forget to e-mail them!
Feedback on Primetime Emmy Awards
To give feedback on the Primetime Emmy Awards, please send an
Email to: EmmyAwardsFeedback@emmys.org
Exercises 8 and 9, to me, are two of the most important in the book. How do you know where you’re going if you don’t know where it is you want to go? If you can’t SEE yourself already there? That’s what these exercises are all about.
From Wishcraft:
There’s only one rule for the kind of imaging you’ll be doing in these next two exercise, and that is no reality considerations! In the world of play, like the world of dreams, there is no law of gravity, no death or taxes—and no irreconcilable conflicts. … In these fantasies you don’t have to do what you were told to do at age 5: “Make up your mind.” You get everything.
My Ideal Environment
Then: When I first read Wishcraft, the where of my ideal environment was more important than the who. At the time, I had neither, so the who was just too difficult to imagine, much less consider.
I love the beach. I always have. My where was “an artistic community on the Texas Gulf Coast.” The “who” were the other artists of the community and employees – for in my ideal world, I owned my own business – who shared in my vision and dreams.
Now: My Ideal Environment now is not entirely different than it was then, although living in my own house on the beach isn’t on the priority list (will explain this in the Ideal Day exercise). Another difference – who is there matters more now.
In my Ideal Environment, I am surrounded by people who want to support me. They give me time I need to do my work and yet when I need some help or an opinion or someone to talk things out with, they’re right there. And, of course, my partner is right there working beside me and I’m doing the same in return – giving support and help when it’s needed.
Because everything would be as we need it (no restraints of the laws of physics here, remember?) in my ideal environment there’s time to get all the work done that I need/want to do for the day, still have time to come home and cook a full meal (without needing to worry about washing dishes) and still have lots of energy for other activities – whenever I want.
Part 2: What positive qualities in me would emerge?
- Creative
- Supportive
- Helping Others
- Productive
- Playful
- Loving
- Energetic
Yes, I pretty much took the list from the book – in a different order and with a couple of additions – but she nailed it with this one.
Next: My Ideal Day – Then & Now
First, I should say something about the shipping. This is directly from the Zazzle site regarding shipping specifically for shoes:
Your made-to-order custom shoes are produced for you as quickly as possible
and you should receive them in 4 weeks within the continental US, depending
on the shipping method selected. For international destinations, delivery
ranges between 5-6 weeks.
For this order, I selected “Ground- With Tracking (4-7 Business Days After Manufacturing No PO Boxes, APOs or FPOs).” As the weeks went on, I became a little concerned because in the Order Status of my order, the shoes remained in “Processed” status up until the day they shipped, which was last Friday.
As for the shoes themselves – I couldn’t be happier!!! I LOVE THEM! The design rendered exactly as I’d hoped while creating them (yes, this is my own custom design). Using the Keds templates helped tremendously, but it does take some getting used to in getting the “bleed area” and placement where you want – I redesigned them a couple of times after seeing them in the Zazzle design tool.
The gradient in the roses looks wonderful, as does the black and white “keyboard” contrasting colors across the toe. I added 3 different “flaming” skulls designs – on the toe, on the heel, and a different one on the tongue (even though it can’t really be seen), and I’m very pleased with the result. The orange and yellow flames are exactly as I envisioned them. The entire design is very crisp and clean.
The fit couldn’t be better too. These are among the higher quality Keds shoes that I’ve owned (right up there with the most expensive Keds walkers, which I loved). If you’ve ever worn Keds, there’s no need to worry about sizing – the size is spot on with traditional Keds’ sizing. (I know this could be a concern since shoes are non-returnable.)
I can’t wait to get out there and show off my new Keds shoes! Thank you so much Zazzle! These are wonderful!
Heel, with the traditional Keds logo:
Tongue detail. The skull is different here.
And here’s what they look like on…
Visit my shop on Zazzle for your own pair! You won’t be disappointed!
Assume Nothing
Demand Everything
How to Overcome Depression in 10 Easy Steps
1. Just Snap Out of It
2-10. Just Snap Out of It
Sound familiar?
Maybe we should start over.
How does our style define us? How does it determine who we are or even what we do? The answers to some of these questions may be surprising.
This is actually my favorite chapter in the entire book. It starts helping to create that ideal environment that I so clearly lacked growing up, and it helps me to focus on not allowing myself to duplicate that situation in my own life. My favorite part is the last exercise in the chapter, Your Ideal Day. When I first read Wishcraft *gets a coughing fit* (oops, sorry, hairball) years ago, I was still a secretary, hadn’t been to college yet and probably would have laughed at the idea if someone had told me I would now have an art studio and be doing graphic design. (I don’t think I ever even attempted to draw the turtle or the pirate. http://www.creativepro.com/article/creativeprose-tippy-the-turtle-and-pirates-too-) I wrote out my ideal day, IN FULL DETAIL, from the moment I woke up – with my window facing east – to what I had for dinner and I can still see it so clearly it’s less like a daydream (I would love to…) and more like something that actually happened (This is what happened TODAY…). That’s how well her technique works, so read that part carefully.
Exercises in this chapter (these are FUN!):
EXERCISE 4: Pick a Color
EXERCISE 5: The Private-Eye Game
EXERCISE 6: Seeing Yourself as Others See You
EXERCISE 7: Twenty Things You Like to Do
EXERCISE 8: Your Ideal Environment
EXERCISE 9: Your Ideal Day
Here’s my answers to 4, 5 and 7. I’m saving 8 and 9 for another post since those will be longer.
EXERCISE 4: Pick a Color
I am Brown
I am the earth. I provide all the life on the planet with the nutrients it needs to grow. I hold all of history in my arms and I hide deep secrets. Because others look all around me for the bright colors of the flowers and the deep richness of the grass, I am able to observe without being seen, and provide enrichment to the flowers and the grass. Without my fertile brown soil, they would wither and die. They give back oxygen and keep me from becoming barren wasteland. I work quietly in the background, and am free to be myself. I am, perhaps, the most contented color of all.
I. CHOICE AND IDENTITY – She couldn’t have been more wrong here. Even the first time I did the exercise, I remember picking a color quickly (actually, I think I had so much fun with it then, I picked several colors just because I enjoyed it). But I can very definitely state that “there is no such thing as the wrong color.”
EXERCISE 5: The Private-Eye Game
House is definitely unorganized with the exception of the office and the kitchen. The least clutter of the entire house (and most tranquil) is the bedroom. It also has the most mild colors. (greens, browns, blues, earth tones) The most striking thing throughout the entire house is the use of color everywhere. The same is true for the clothes. Bright yellows; deep, rich reds; royal purples. Wardrobe is full of long, flowing sleeves; more dress slacks than jeans; soft, flowing fabrics. Shoes range from earthy sandals to spiked heels to moccasin-boots. Comfort appears more of a concern than fashion, but the clothes are more fashionable than most “trendy” items. The majority of the books are technical manuals, but there are a lot of books, including fantasy, history and a nice selection of auto-biographies, many of which appear to be signed. The fridge is well-stocked with fresh foods, and no frozen dinners at all. There’s vegetables, seafood, a variety of cuts of beef and chicken, and tons of spices and sauces. There are at least 5 or 6 different hot sauces in the fridge, most almost empty. The food processor, knives, cutting boards, as well as grill pan and other pans are out and ready for use. The office looks like a tech geek lives there with more than one computer (turned on and ready), monitors, printers. Notebooks, pens, and calendar pages are organized together on the desk. Behind the comfy looking office chair is a well-used large white board taking up one entire wall. Notes on the wall are organized into sections (To do today/this week; contracts; long-term projects).
I would have to say the person who lives here is scatterbrained except when it comes to office work. Current trends are not important to her, but looking fashionable is. She might be an interior designer or a professional chef. She seems to actually enjoy reading technical manuals as there are so many, and most appear well-used. She spends more time in the office than in the living/dining room, but that room is the most decorated with colors, fabrics, knick-knacks and abstract paintings. Organization just may be the last thing on her mind, however.
EXERCISE 7: 20 things I like to do
1 – work on jewelry
2 – code/program
3 – write
4 – work with my hands
5 – cook
6 – help others
7 – swim
8 – attend festivals
9 – photography
10 – graphic design (include web sites here)
11 – web programming (different from coding or graphics)
12 – organize/plan
13 – paint
14 – crafts (all kinds except sewing. category is a bit large, I know)
15 – travel
16 – go to gem shows (local ones and Tucson)
17 – eat out
18 – read Internet articles
19 – create
20 – (should be #1) spend time with my SO
Answered Yes only to question 6a.Were you bailed out? (not 6b either)
What would I be if I hadn’t had the obstacles I did growing up? If I’d been encouraged and allowed to go to school and pursue MY dreams? I would be a female Indiana Jones, Bill Gates or Steve Jobs.
Actually, I would probably be right where I am now, with a few exceptions. I would HAVE that frellin’ college degree; I would have joined MENSA; I would have gone to Gemological Institute of America in California; and the biggest difference is I would have been doing what I’m doing now (or at least on the path to it) 20 years ago. I don’t mind at all the little deviations in my path that *I* chose. The ones chosen for me that got me off course are my biggest regret.
And of course, I wouldn’t have financial problems because with an actual degree plus one from GIA and 20 years experience, I would own that little million dollar rock house nearby and be happily running my business from there.
I heard the most interesting quote the other night on Food Network.
“What would you do if you knew you COULD NOT FAIL?”
So the goal was to read through Wishcraft to help me get my ass in gear and get some things done. But I stopped reading at chapter 2. I have almost as many valid reasons as I do excuses. I did have that one catering gig that took up quite a bit of time. There’s a good reason. Taking care of everyone else first, another one. Always have, always will. I have no intention of changing that. Some things just have priority over everything else. And sometimes, even the top priorities seem to get “pushed aside.” I don’t like it, but it happens.
But I don’t know if the following are reasons, excuses or just plain cop-outs. I’d like to see them as the first option. They feel like the last option. The truth lies somewhere in between.
-
I’m tired.
-
I freeze and stop.
No, I don’t have as many responsibilities as some people. No, I definitely don’t have as much help as most people. Wishcraft clearly states “you can’t do it alone.” (I forget what chapter now, but it’s in there.) I think there’s the real problem. I can’t do it alone, so very little gets done. That old saying “if I don’t do it, no one else will” is one of the biggest cop-outs from so many people. My mom used to live by it – she still tries to… in spite of actually having all the help she could ever want. But what if there’s no one else TO do it? What if there’s no help? What then? Priorities get skewed; work gets pushed aside; bills don’t get paid… and I freeze.
Excuse #1
I’m tired. Plain and simple. Yes, part of that IS indeed my depression. Yes, sometimes I succumb to it, sometimes I overcome it. Yes, I can tell and feel the difference when the tiredness is from depression or from something else. What to do when it’s something else? My only real option now is to Sleep. Hopefully soon, I’ll be able to swim or exercise to help get my energy up. Hopefully soon, the condition of the house will stop contributing to it. Hopefully soon…
Excuse #1a
The condition of the house could be seen that I’m a slob. I’ll get into that more later, but I wanted to address the basic accusation here. I am not. The biggest problem isn’t my own cleanliness – some things JUST DON’T HAVE A PLACE TO GO. In order for them to have a place, that means buying more things, which in turn means finding a place for the new things… it’s a vicious cycle. One I plan to and am in the process of overcoming. More to come…
Excuse #2
I freeze. I panic. When I start feeling overwhelmed, I just… stop. (delete, delete, delete, delete, delete) There is no explaining it. Unless you’ve been there, there is no understanding it. I’ve witnessed people in hospital emergency rooms having panic attacks. I’ve seen (friends and) family members GO to the hospital because of panic attacks. Frankly I want to throw those people off a building. Maybe they understand how it feels, but GOOD LORD they need to get a friggin’ grip! Somehow I think it’s the difference in having an ingrown toenail and having a tube shoved into your side with no anesthesia. (Yeah, try that just once. You’ll get what I mean.) Which is basically me saying “no one really understands – WAH!” *rolls eyes at the thought*
On the other hand…
The catering job went GREAT! I’m still getting orders from people who were there. I didn’t get to make everything I had planned (I had a pretty ambitious menu to begin with), but there was enough of every dish for anyone who wanted it to have more and some food left over but not too much. It means I do know how to plan for ‘x’ amount of people. They expected around 20 – 26 people and 30 people showed up. There were lots of questions about the food, how to order, how to fix it, which was the goal. I was answering questions AND SELLING the entire rest of the evening.
I have just under one week to get my entry in for the food contest I’m entering. I still believe I have a very good shot at it, even if I only get my one entry in. I have 2 planned, so at least one of them can be ready by next week.
The cleaning plan is in place and is, so far, working. While things are still a mess, I’m able to find most things I’m looking for, and things that were lost have been found. Score!
The shop and affiliates are up and running. Four sales without any marketing (one within 24 hours). Which has inspired me to get my sites updated. Lots of information out there on how to make both programs successful. I am officially excited about it.
I did the unthinkable and allowed myself to not only buy something NEW just for me, but a more expensive one at that. The last time I did was sometime last year when I allowed myself to buy a new food processor/blender and a new chef’s knife. I don’t regret getting those for myself – especially since I’m cooking more – and since I’m having to cook more for financial reasons. I don’t regret the new purchase either. I’ve already justified it to myself, that it will help me more effectively and efficiently run my business. (Though I do wonder how many people feel the need to justify a new purchase? I don’t count clothes into that equation as I literally ONLY buy clothes when everything else I have has worn through or no longer fits. I honestly don’t have 5 outfits to get me through the work week.)
Shopping priorities of other people continue to amaze, astound and completely confuse me. One article described a shop-aholic’s goal not to buy anything for one month. She ended up lowering that to 2 weeks because she simply wasn’t able to do it. And on the recent credit counseling I went through online, there was a question of “what do you buy every day?” without an option of “Nothing”. Every DAY? Are they kidding? Why buys something every single day??? (With the answer, it guessed that most people would say things like: sodas, snacks, lottery tickets. Even the counseling web site didn’t take into account some people DON’T BUY THINGS.) And the shop-aholic’s article listed the most unusual “priority” items I’ve ever seen. The goal was not to shop for things that didn’t fall onto a “priority list.” Her list included wine; but excluded paper towels. So if she ran out of paper towels and spilled her wine, I guess that means she was SOL.
Another priority I witnessed on a recent documentary had me shaking my head in complete disbelief. One woman in Alaska has decided that the only (food) she and her son need is salmon. And the only way she’s going to get it is to go and catch it herself. (First, she clearly prepares the salmon with other food – white bread, heavy mayonnaise, etc, so it isn’t the ONLY food they eat. It’s the only MEAT they eat. Just to clarify what she didn’t.) And her “reason” (ie: excuse) for catching it herself is how expensive meat – salmon, in particular – is. The documentary showed her going past the meat counter with an air of disgust at the prices (with her shopping cart filled with junk food). They then showed her buying all NEW gear (She said she does this every year, several times a year. Why did she need new gear?), loading up her (non-hybrid) car and driving for miles to get to just the right fishing spot. Unsuccessful at catching anything for several days in freezing rain and what looked like the worst possible conditions, with her toddler in tow, no less, she gave in and paid a boat $100 to get to a better fishing spot. She spent most of this time complaining and making sure the viewer (and also her son) was well aware of the potential danger of bears, which she seemed to hear at every turn. What did she get in the end? What looked to be around $60 worth of salmon.
So are my priorities skewed? Maybe so, but I think I’ve got a better handle on it than these poor souls. Maybe someday I’ll be able to buy something for myself without guilt or justification. And hopefully soon… I won’t freeze.