Published January 18, 2010 | 
I’ve actually gone back a bit to daydreaming about all the “other” options out there. I find myself in a position not unlike Julia Child (with the exception that I’m not a bored housewife, but someone in need of a viable income). But I still find myself asking the same question: What am *I* going to do-o-oo?
Her husband gave a very simple reply that changed her life forever: What do you enjoy?
My partner (almost unknowingly, really) did something very similar for me. I have an idea I’ve been kicking around in my head as randomly as a person walking kicks a can out in front of them. I finally kicked the thought out of my head and into words: What do you think about . . . ?
And my wonderful, brilliant, thoughtful, supportive partner went and found information about it for me. Regardless of whether this is what I do, or whether it’s the equivalent of Julia making hats, the reply changed my life.
I thought that only dreaming is never enough. I wanted to find something so you could see if it’s possible for you or not.
Can you even imagine someone knowing you so well? (This is the same person who reminded me the other day that I need time for myself too. ♥ ♥ ♥)
I didn’t have to explain myself. I didn’t even have to say why or how or where or when. All I needed to say was, “What do you think about?” and suddenly I had someone handing me a telescope and saying, “Here. Reach for the stars.”
Here’s the explanation about this new can I’ve been kicking around. It’s something we can do together. It could really offer a viable income. We’re already in a booming market for the “high end” market and this would offer a “low to middle end” alternative. The location is ideal. And, yes, I can already think of a way to fit it into my Ideal Life.
What am *I* going to do?
Only Dreaming is Never Enough
Shoot for the Moon and Reach the Stars
Published November 17, 2009 | 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
Posted in Business, POD Companies | 
Business, marketing, niche, POD companies, Wishcraft | 
1 CommentPublished October 24, 2009 | Starting back at the beginning: What from my original Ideal Day 15 or so years ago worked out? What was most important and what could change?
I don’t live in a 2-story house on the Texas gulf coast (a future goal for a vacation home perhaps?), but I do own my own home in a historic artist community.
My current business is online, though I have co-owned a (successful) gift shop in College Station. I say successful because we were earning a profit when we made the decision to close the shop so myself and my co-owner could both move away from College Station.
Supporting other artists is still an integral part of my goals, and now thanks to affiliate marketing, I’m able to do that.
Living in an artistic community is also still a priority, which is why I chose the house and neighborhood where we live now – walking distance to an arts community, glass-blowing studio, deli, restaurants and bars, and festivals twice a year – not to mention live (usually jazz) music almost every weekend. None of this was expected and now I couldn’t imagine living without it.
What priorities do I still hold dear?
- Community
- Artistic Creativity
- Artist Co-operative
- Helping Others
- Learning
- Business
- Cooking
- Animals
- Math & Programming
In my Ideal Day, these were all key factors and my day incorporated each with a perfect balance. What I find interesting are the things I included without realizing their importance at the time, much less my own abilities. I had only started making jewelry, but had never painted or drawn anything (not counting grade school, up to grade 6) much less thrown a pot or worked on ceramics. That’s right. Never. These were only things I wanted to do. And since I wrote my original Ideal Day, I’ve done all of them and managed to keep them in my life in one form or another. I didn’t own half the cookbooks I have now, had never written one (or considered writing one) and had never written my own recipe for a cooking contest. Yet, somehow, cooking dinner for friends was a priority then, without realizing how much of one it would become now. I included a database of my own making at the time because I thought I would use an existing program I was familiar with, such as FileMaker Pro
Since my goal now is much the same as it was then, it’s easy to see the importance of Business and Community in my life. I strongly feel you can’t have one without the other. I believe I’m closer than ever before to achieving my dream of financial independence through multiple income streams while maintaining community support and connections. That’s what our sites are all about. 
Published October 21, 2009 | I promised "My Ideal Day" as it was "then" (on my first reading of Wishcraft). I don’t have the written version anymore – meaning I don’t know where it is in my multitude of journals. But I envisioned it so clearly in my mind, it’s become more of a fond memory for me … even though the places and events of that day never fully came to be.
My Ideal Day Then (as it was prior to achieving many of the goals I set for myself. Note that this is past tense, although for Your Ideal Day, you should write it out in present tense.)
I woke up just as the sun started peeking into the lace curtains of my bedroom window (No blinds in this house, that’s for sure.) My bedroom and office were both on the 2 nd floor of a two-story house, situated so the sun would wake me in the morning and I could still look out onto the ocean of my Texas gulf coast home.
The first order of business for the day was to check the computer and print out any orders that came in through the web site overnight – because there were always orders – and respond to emails. Next, downstairs for a cup of hot tea, followed by my cat, who went almost everywhere with me (this was written even before I got Sassy, and that’s just what she would always do.) Finally, dressed and ready to go – with printed shipping labels and receipts from the online orders – I would walk to my nearby gift shop, an easy 5 minute walk from my house, and located just off the beach in an artistic community within easy access for tourists as well as locals.
The shop would be already open by a trusted employee (a local art student), and already filling with customers, as it was the start of summer and a beautiful day out. My shop would specialize in offering the work of local artists as well as classes in the studio located in back. Our studio would be equipped for almost anything an aspiring art student might need, from painting and drawing to pottery to jewelry-making and lapidary.
On this day, our studio had a visiting local artist teaching a jewelry metal-smithing class, which I was looking forward to attending. Before the class started, I took a quick inventory of our pottery because I knew we needed to re-stock a few items soon – some of which I would be making myself in the days to come. In addition, I gathered and boxed the orders for shipping, getting them ready for pick-up by the postman. I also helped a few customers in their choices for gifts to take home – and every customer walked out with a purchase and a smile on their face.
After attending the class (most of which was like a refresher class for me as I already knew how to do it), and enjoying a light lunch with my fellow students – all of whom made a purchase of the instructor’s jewelry from our shop – I helped my employees clean and close up and took the day’s receipts with me to enter into my database at home.
Arriving home, I went straight to my over-sized, farmhouse style kitchen to start preparing dinner for a dinner party that night with the jewelry instructor, my employees and other local artists. (And of course, to feed the cat, who greeted me at the door coming home.) After a wonderful dinner with lots of wine, laughter, conversation and compliments on my food, I went with the cat back to my office where I prepared the day’s receipts and inventory (on a program I’d written myself) and checked email and orders one last time, getting everything ready for another great day tomorrow.
From Wishcraft:
With pen in hand and as much paper as you need (or a tape recorder if you prefer to dream out loud), take a leisurely walk through a day that would be perfect if it represented your usual days – not a vacation day, not a compromise day, but the very substance of your life as you’d love it to be. Live through that day in the present tense and in detail, from getting up in the morning to going to sleep at night. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up? What do you have for breakfast? Do you make it yourself – or is it brought to you in bed, with a single rose and the morning paper? Do you take a long, hot bath? a bracing cold shower? What kinds of clothes do you put on? How do you spend the morning? the afternoon? At each time of day, are you indoors or outdoors, quiet or active, alone or with people?
As you go through the hours of your fantasy day, there are three helpful categories to keep in mind: what, where, and who.
Posted in Business, Wishcraft | art, artists, barbara sher, Business, ideal day, Wishcraft | Leave a commentPublished September 21, 2009 | 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
Published August 27, 2009 | 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
Published July 30, 2009 | 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!
Toe detail:
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!
Published July 25, 2009 | 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.
Published June 23, 2009 | 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
Published June 16, 2009 | 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.
