Currently I'm dealing with an explosion of creativity and no time (and money??) to work with it! It's like the opposite of writer's block. Which is fun and exciting, but definitely frustrating when you can't do anything about it. Kinda like artistic sexual tension....wha??? Anyway, I'm too busy with the bachelorette party to really work on my own projects. But once Christmas arrives, not only will I have tons more time (the dead of winter is perfect for craft projects!) and more money via JoAnn gift card(s!) and such. Excellent. Meanwhile I fear that because I have this craving to go nuts with creativity, I'm going to get all crazy with the bachelorette party creative crafty shenanigans. And 'getting all crazy' is just another word for spending all my moneys. STOP ME OH-HO-HO STOP ME!!!!
The other day I suggested to a couple coworkers who are on the Culture Committee that our company should do some sort of art/craft fair. Even to raise money for charity or something. So my brain's been in that mode this past week and I've thought of so many cool ideas. Even if we don't have a fair, I do have to gather up a selection of items in case I were to be in one anyway (#14).
In the meantime I'll try and be as conservative as I possibly can for this batch party. And keeping writing down all my little ideas. PS My fave ideas always come to me when I'm falling asleep. It reminds me of college days :) There's nothing like creative brainstorming to lift the spirits, I think!
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
It's bloggin time
...while our servers are down. As if Monday's aren't hard enough...now we're just sitting around waiting to work. Ugh, that's the worst.
You know what else is the worst? Wasting talent. Today's topic of conversation is how I'm living in this naive world with my fingers in my ears going lalalalalalalalala in regards to the fact that I am undoubtedly wasting my talents at my current place of employment. And who isn't? We've got a lot of talented people here and all we do is type addresses and phone numbers into white and black boxes full of mundane text. The worst part is that we do this in Adobe Illustrator of all programs. Suddenly the irony is suffocating.
And why are my fingers in my ears in this scenario? Because every once in a while, I'll hear about former colleagues of mine who are doing MUCH bigger and better things. The worst part is that I was the first to get out of the hellhole that was my prior job. I thought I was the cats pj's because I was moving on to the agency world while they were stuck in a world of grocery circulars that everyone throws away. Well, now they've all moved on too and I'M the one who's stuck in the receptacle.
So with all this said, I'm going to play devil's advocate a tad. First of all, I don't ONLY type addresses and phone numbers into white and black boxes full of mundane text. I've had several creative opportunities here of which I've taken advantage in their fullest capacity. I wish there were MORE opportunities, but at least there have been a few. Secondly, my mom is my hero. Like me, she works for a fantastic company that treats its employees very well. I too have tons of perks, benefits, and stability here. With that said, however, like me, it isn't as if my mom gets to express her most wondrous talents at work. No, let me restate that...she expresses her wondrous managerial and organizational talents at work ;) but the creative opportunities are few and far between. So how has she solved this problem? By becoming a published author in her spare time! While authors all over the world are struggling to get noticed and simultaneously trying to earn a living by doing so, my mom writes and publishes her own novels (AND does most of her own PR/marketing!) MEANWHILE earning her regular paycheck! My mom is someone to which I aspire.
Now I know there are the rare people out there who do both: creative, fulfilling career WITH creative, fulfilling hobby/moneymaker on the side. What? Yeah I don't know. It seems impossible, but I'm sure these people exist. But I don't think I'm one of those people. I mean just sanity-wise. With all that creativity 24/7, my brain would most assuredly melt into my spinal cord. And at this point in life, I don't see myself getting, or even WANTING, the crazy 60-70 hour agency art director position. Therefore, it only makes sense to put all of my creative energy into a spare time freelance hobby of some kind. And, like my mom, the added bonus would be making a tad of extra money :)
So while my peers and colleagues move along the advertising and graphic design career path, I'm going to keep my fingers in my ears, lalala-ing MY way down a path where I watch my humble paycheck automatically deposit into my checking account, and yet I am satisfied with the logos, business cards, brochures, greeting cards, and invitations I design for friends and family. Besides, the world needs lowly production artists just like cities need garbagemen right?
[ed. note: Halfway through this blog, my mom emailed me to let me know my beloved CS2 from eBay arrived. SAVE ME HOME COMPUTER COMPLETE WITH GRAPHICS SOFTWARE! SAVE ME!]
You know what else is the worst? Wasting talent. Today's topic of conversation is how I'm living in this naive world with my fingers in my ears going lalalalalalalalala in regards to the fact that I am undoubtedly wasting my talents at my current place of employment. And who isn't? We've got a lot of talented people here and all we do is type addresses and phone numbers into white and black boxes full of mundane text. The worst part is that we do this in Adobe Illustrator of all programs. Suddenly the irony is suffocating.
And why are my fingers in my ears in this scenario? Because every once in a while, I'll hear about former colleagues of mine who are doing MUCH bigger and better things. The worst part is that I was the first to get out of the hellhole that was my prior job. I thought I was the cats pj's because I was moving on to the agency world while they were stuck in a world of grocery circulars that everyone throws away. Well, now they've all moved on too and I'M the one who's stuck in the receptacle.
So with all this said, I'm going to play devil's advocate a tad. First of all, I don't ONLY type addresses and phone numbers into white and black boxes full of mundane text. I've had several creative opportunities here of which I've taken advantage in their fullest capacity. I wish there were MORE opportunities, but at least there have been a few. Secondly, my mom is my hero. Like me, she works for a fantastic company that treats its employees very well. I too have tons of perks, benefits, and stability here. With that said, however, like me, it isn't as if my mom gets to express her most wondrous talents at work. No, let me restate that...she expresses her wondrous managerial and organizational talents at work ;) but the creative opportunities are few and far between. So how has she solved this problem? By becoming a published author in her spare time! While authors all over the world are struggling to get noticed and simultaneously trying to earn a living by doing so, my mom writes and publishes her own novels (AND does most of her own PR/marketing!) MEANWHILE earning her regular paycheck! My mom is someone to which I aspire.
Now I know there are the rare people out there who do both: creative, fulfilling career WITH creative, fulfilling hobby/moneymaker on the side. What? Yeah I don't know. It seems impossible, but I'm sure these people exist. But I don't think I'm one of those people. I mean just sanity-wise. With all that creativity 24/7, my brain would most assuredly melt into my spinal cord. And at this point in life, I don't see myself getting, or even WANTING, the crazy 60-70 hour agency art director position. Therefore, it only makes sense to put all of my creative energy into a spare time freelance hobby of some kind. And, like my mom, the added bonus would be making a tad of extra money :)
So while my peers and colleagues move along the advertising and graphic design career path, I'm going to keep my fingers in my ears, lalala-ing MY way down a path where I watch my humble paycheck automatically deposit into my checking account, and yet I am satisfied with the logos, business cards, brochures, greeting cards, and invitations I design for friends and family. Besides, the world needs lowly production artists just like cities need garbagemen right?
[ed. note: Halfway through this blog, my mom emailed me to let me know my beloved CS2 from eBay arrived. SAVE ME HOME COMPUTER COMPLETE WITH GRAPHICS SOFTWARE! SAVE ME!]
Friday, September 21, 2007
it's really happening....
Yesterday I tried looking up the link my mom sent to a company that sells Adobe CS2 and I was saddened to see that the software was no longer available. So I quick hop on over to eBay, and sure enough, some fabulous fellow is selling it for $300 cheaper. HOLY HOTDOGS BUY IT NOW! That's what my brain AND mother exclaimed anyway. And so I did. Oh man. It better install. It better work. I better not lose $1100? But the joy and wonder to finally have it...I can just imagine :)
In other news, we all know how often I use quotes right? I even sheepishly mentioned it in a past blog. Well, speaking of talking about quotes in a blog, check this out: everyone hates quotes. Siiiggggh. It's like the word random. Did I go off on that once too? I don't remember. But ya know? Sometimes people have ticks. Why not talk about how bad it is that people shoot other people in the face instead? Because it isn't funny. And the chick's site is pretty hilarious actually. People are pretty dumb sometimes. But who cares? I'm going to continue to use the word random superfluously, say awesome constantly, and use QUOTES, as well as Quotes' dirty annoying cousin Air Quotes, as much as I damn well please! Until next time............. "
Thursday, September 20, 2007
major project completed!!!
Omgomgomg the invitations I made for Monica's bachelorette party are in the mail!!! Let's see, I started this project July 28? It's funny because I created the design in a couple hours. Seriously. But all the planning in order to write out all the details inside the thing, and then all the paper buying (and more paper buying), and then the printing (and more printing, and more printing), it's crazy how much time I put in. But total, the project wasn't even that expensive! I'm impressed and proud! Especially once they were all coming together...totally stoked. Hopefully everyone likes them...especially the bride-to-be! ;)
I've still got a lot to do bachelorette planning wise, however. I mean the core plans are made, but all the little details have yet to be worked out. It should be fun planning though :)
weeee!
I've still got a lot to do bachelorette planning wise, however. I mean the core plans are made, but all the little details have yet to be worked out. It should be fun planning though :)
weeee!
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
when life takes a turn toward the meh
Ugh, what a day yesterday...not fun at all. I don't like arguing and yelling, but I don't like not being able to stand up for my principles either. At the end of the day, however, not everyone is going to be a grownup and follow the rules. And I have to learn to accept that. I'm not sporting my rose tinted shades by any means, but with so much crap going on in the world that is beyond our control, I feel that much stronger about injustices that we CAN control. But that's what happens sometimes and hopefully things will carry on for the better the rest of the week. N-N-Now th-th-that don't kill me can only make me stronger??
On a more productive positive note, here are some updates!
#17 - I was proud of John for his hard work lately and so surprised him with some eggrolls and homemade Orange/Kung Pao Chicken. Yum!
#28 - John and I took Grace to the zoo a couple weekends ago so fun!! We did indeed pet some sharks (rough skin) and sting rays (soft skin!)...and collected five Mold•A•Ramas. Gotta love the zoo! It was probably the most perfect day too...clear blue skies, about 70 degrees...gorge. I love the zoo!
#30 - One more new restaurant to add to the bunch: Cafe Lulu! Now what a fantastic place THIS is...the decor is all funky and hipster (as is the clientèle!) and the food is absolutely delicious at the most perfect price. Ok "free" would be a perfect price, but a huge avocado/bacon/cheddar melt and ginormous helping of the best Asian slaw I've ever had for $7.50? You can't go wrong. Plus downtown you'll get a Jack and Coke and fancy drink for $6 and $9 respectively. At Cafe Lulu (in Bayview just outside downtown) you'll get a Jack and Coke and, in my case, an Oranjito (don't get me started) for $4.50 and $7 respectively. Amazing!!! Haha! We also got a side order of "Bleu Lulu" chips: those really thick, good quality, homemade chips with blue cheese dip! Mmmmmmm. Now I just need to go to their breakfast: toasted sourdough bread topped with boursin, garlicky spinach, roma'matoes, two poached eggs and hollandaise??? You gotta be kidding me.
#87 - New-to-me band/artist of THIS month is Mark Ronson: kickass producer/dj/musician of the year. Obsessed. So much talent.
The only other thing I've got in the works right now is the bachelorette party. I cannot WAIT to be done planning!!! Not that it's a pain in the ass or anything, but just a lot of little things to keep tabs on, cancellations, making sure everything is fair, splitting up costs, etc. Not to mention the invites which are almost finished thank the powers that be!!!
To conclude, when life hands you lemons, make a vodka tonic...with lemon...but when life hands you lemons and you're at work and can't find the key to the booze drawer, listen to some good music....
On a more productive positive note, here are some updates!
#17 - I was proud of John for his hard work lately and so surprised him with some eggrolls and homemade Orange/Kung Pao Chicken. Yum!
#28 - John and I took Grace to the zoo a couple weekends ago so fun!! We did indeed pet some sharks (rough skin) and sting rays (soft skin!)...and collected five Mold•A•Ramas. Gotta love the zoo! It was probably the most perfect day too...clear blue skies, about 70 degrees...gorge. I love the zoo!
#30 - One more new restaurant to add to the bunch: Cafe Lulu! Now what a fantastic place THIS is...the decor is all funky and hipster (as is the clientèle!) and the food is absolutely delicious at the most perfect price. Ok "free" would be a perfect price, but a huge avocado/bacon/cheddar melt and ginormous helping of the best Asian slaw I've ever had for $7.50? You can't go wrong. Plus downtown you'll get a Jack and Coke and fancy drink for $6 and $9 respectively. At Cafe Lulu (in Bayview just outside downtown) you'll get a Jack and Coke and, in my case, an Oranjito (don't get me started) for $4.50 and $7 respectively. Amazing!!! Haha! We also got a side order of "Bleu Lulu" chips: those really thick, good quality, homemade chips with blue cheese dip! Mmmmmmm. Now I just need to go to their breakfast: toasted sourdough bread topped with boursin, garlicky spinach, roma'matoes, two poached eggs and hollandaise??? You gotta be kidding me.
#87 - New-to-me band/artist of THIS month is Mark Ronson: kickass producer/dj/musician of the year. Obsessed. So much talent.
The only other thing I've got in the works right now is the bachelorette party. I cannot WAIT to be done planning!!! Not that it's a pain in the ass or anything, but just a lot of little things to keep tabs on, cancellations, making sure everything is fair, splitting up costs, etc. Not to mention the invites which are almost finished thank the powers that be!!!
To conclude, when life hands you lemons, make a vodka tonic...with lemon...but when life hands you lemons and you're at work and can't find the key to the booze drawer, listen to some good music....
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Quarter of the way there...
At the end of this month I will have officially closed in on the quarter marker of 1001 days. Do I have a quarter of my tasks completed?? Let's do a quick recap for those playing at home:
•Tasks officially crossed off: 17
•Tasks in progress, but will be completed in the near future: 4
•Tasks continuously in progress until the end of the 1001 days: 21
Total tasks completed/in progress: 42!
And we all know that 42/101 is almost half, so I think I'm making some good progress here. But that might be because most of the remaining items are all complex and difficult or require dropping a chunk of change.
There are a small handful of tasks I may have to adjust due to time restraints or financial status (here's lookin' at you trips to Vegas and NYC)...but for the most part everything else seems do-able. Once Monica's wedding is over, I'll be able to focus back on my own creative projects; bust out my pinking shears at least a couple times this coming winter. A Jo-Ann gift card is certainly in order this Christmas as that will alleviate the financial burden of creating a scrapbook so intricate and involved as the INKYTNMO book will be!
In other news, the monitor for my prize mac has been purchased, the site from where I will buy the memory has been marked, and I think, with my mom's help, I have located a place to buy Adobe CS2. What a pain in the ass that was. Adobe swallowed up all the remaining CS2s to pave the way for CS3 (which we're actually getting at work in the next couple weeks!). But I don't want to pay $1800 for a creative suite. I want to pay the original $120o price. Well the one my mom found is $1400, BUT comes with Flash which would be pretty awesome to have since I already know the basics of the program. Now it's simply a matter of taking that money out of my savings :( Why suddenly is it so hard??? Well, obviously I have a huge problem with parting with huge sums of money: a character trait that has haunted me since my poor college days and even poorer post-college days. But also, right now I just don't have enough Quality Time to spend with my dear Adobe and Apple products (See: Monica's Wedding). So buying it now feels like a waste. HOWEVER my opportunity to purchase CS2 is quickly waning and who cares if I don't use it right this very second? Right? Right? Right.
In still other updates, I made it through the entire month of August without sipping any alcohol other than Miller Lite (oh and the occasional sip of church wine...blood of Christ, come on). The funny thing is that I had three Miller Lites the night of August 31st...something I've done many a time...and for whatever reason, paid dearly the following morning. Undoubtedly because of the 6.5 hrs sleep I got, but I almost like to think it was Miller Lite bidding me a not-so-fond farewell. Well F you too ML! Anyway, what was my first alcoholic beverage of choice on Sept 1st? Point Beer. Ouch. Haha! But that's all they had at this drive in party I attended. Come Sept 2, my SECOND alcoholic beverage of choice? Some random sparkly berry wine cooler that was chilling out in John's sister's fridge. I never even drink wine coolers! But my THIRD alcoholic beverage of choice: A sweet, refreshing, ice-clamoring glass of Jack and Coke. Ahhhhhhhh. My first in over two months! Yum. In any case, this months "give up" is fancy coffee drinks (a la Starbucks)...much easier than August, and it'll also get me revved up for delicious pumpkin spice lattes at Barnes & Noble come October. I do so love to deprive myself of things in order to truly appreciate them. And I'm a masochist, what can I say?
•Tasks officially crossed off: 17
•Tasks in progress, but will be completed in the near future: 4
•Tasks continuously in progress until the end of the 1001 days: 21
Total tasks completed/in progress: 42!
And we all know that 42/101 is almost half, so I think I'm making some good progress here. But that might be because most of the remaining items are all complex and difficult or require dropping a chunk of change.
There are a small handful of tasks I may have to adjust due to time restraints or financial status (here's lookin' at you trips to Vegas and NYC)...but for the most part everything else seems do-able. Once Monica's wedding is over, I'll be able to focus back on my own creative projects; bust out my pinking shears at least a couple times this coming winter. A Jo-Ann gift card is certainly in order this Christmas as that will alleviate the financial burden of creating a scrapbook so intricate and involved as the INKYTNMO book will be!
In other news, the monitor for my prize mac has been purchased, the site from where I will buy the memory has been marked, and I think, with my mom's help, I have located a place to buy Adobe CS2. What a pain in the ass that was. Adobe swallowed up all the remaining CS2s to pave the way for CS3 (which we're actually getting at work in the next couple weeks!). But I don't want to pay $1800 for a creative suite. I want to pay the original $120o price. Well the one my mom found is $1400, BUT comes with Flash which would be pretty awesome to have since I already know the basics of the program. Now it's simply a matter of taking that money out of my savings :( Why suddenly is it so hard??? Well, obviously I have a huge problem with parting with huge sums of money: a character trait that has haunted me since my poor college days and even poorer post-college days. But also, right now I just don't have enough Quality Time to spend with my dear Adobe and Apple products (See: Monica's Wedding). So buying it now feels like a waste. HOWEVER my opportunity to purchase CS2 is quickly waning and who cares if I don't use it right this very second? Right? Right? Right.
In still other updates, I made it through the entire month of August without sipping any alcohol other than Miller Lite (oh and the occasional sip of church wine...blood of Christ, come on). The funny thing is that I had three Miller Lites the night of August 31st...something I've done many a time...and for whatever reason, paid dearly the following morning. Undoubtedly because of the 6.5 hrs sleep I got, but I almost like to think it was Miller Lite bidding me a not-so-fond farewell. Well F you too ML! Anyway, what was my first alcoholic beverage of choice on Sept 1st? Point Beer. Ouch. Haha! But that's all they had at this drive in party I attended. Come Sept 2, my SECOND alcoholic beverage of choice? Some random sparkly berry wine cooler that was chilling out in John's sister's fridge. I never even drink wine coolers! But my THIRD alcoholic beverage of choice: A sweet, refreshing, ice-clamoring glass of Jack and Coke. Ahhhhhhhh. My first in over two months! Yum. In any case, this months "give up" is fancy coffee drinks (a la Starbucks)...much easier than August, and it'll also get me revved up for delicious pumpkin spice lattes at Barnes & Noble come October. I do so love to deprive myself of things in order to truly appreciate them. And I'm a masochist, what can I say?
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