Spiral of Life
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Marlow
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More than enough
everything filled, overflowing
joy, peace, love, bliss even
ever running over
abundance of spirit
prosperity of the soul
blessings
Illustrators Blues
I’ve illustrated several books, however, not all of them have been published. I am in the process of completely reconfiguring my website so that I can feature more of my illustrations as well as offer my fine art work for sale right here on the website.
I’m really excited about this project because I figure it’s high time I do what I am a natural at, and what I love doing, rather than what I really suck at, and just suffer doing (web coding, for example – ARGH!) Still, I am not quite ready to completely give up the blues, yet, so I thought I’d sing them here about the fact that I cannot show you some of my better work (yet). La la la… OK, that’s it. All the blues I’ve got right now.
So, back to that web coding, and stuff like that.
Joy of Life x3
Wow! OK, so I did not start writing on here everyday. However, I have been feeling great joy everyday!
First, and foremost in the JOY category lately has been the experience of becoming a Grandma. I am so very deeply grateful for being able to be at the hospital the day my granddaughter (the first grandchild) was born! There is much I would say, yet her parents are very private folks, so suffice it to say I am beside myself with joy! I am totally enchanted with this little girl, and looking forward to celebrating everyday of her life. What a precious precious gift. Life is joy.
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I am doing more of what I love to do lately. And, I see the joy of that practice becoming even more prevalent in my life. With all the financial talk around the country, I find great joy in the expression of life, and the fact that I get to continue doing what I enjoy the most for a living.
Every day there is a new opportunity to expand on creative expression, to flesh out new ideas, and share new plans. Each moment, I find myself at choice: (1) to allow guidance to show me the next step in expression and feel the exhilaration of that surrender, or (2) to block that incredible blessing by shutting it down with some form of fear. More and more my moments are guided, and I am in joy – the real joy of life.
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Awake, aware, alive, amazing life.
Designing vs Designing for the Web
One of the constant battles for me as a visual designer has been the attempt to keep up with all of the coding necessary for creating working websites. If you factor in all of the reading, training, and struggling time it would quickly become apparent that I have been essentially paying clients for the privilege of getting them online. That is, until recently.
Not long ago, I discovered Artisteer. It is a drag and drop web design tool that serves me really well.
I don’t know exactly what the block was, but I spent 2 years studying WordPress theme development, and I still couldn’t get it. I’m an intelligent person. I certainly purchased and read enough books to at least get a BA in WordPress, however I would have flunked out. No go. Then I found Artisteer. Voila!
In less than 1/2 an hour, I had designed a WordPress theme with custom graphics I had created for a client. It would easily have taken me two weeks on my own, and I am not sure that it would have functioned. Suddenly, I AM FREE to do what I am truly good at, without the struggle!
Somehow, through the ethers I guess, word got out that I could custom design for WordPress, and I got a new bunch of clients.
Even more exciting, I discovered that I could change into a template for here on Blogger, or a regular html site template with all the good css built right in. (How many hours did I pull at my hair in not so silent struggles learning that?!) Now I use Dreamweaver for the meta tagging and little tweaks that Artisteer may not include, but I develop the Look and Feel in Artisteer.
I have up til now avoided the affiliate thing, but I am sold on Artisteer, and they have a great affiliate program, so I signed up. If you are an artist/designer first, and a techno-geek last, check it out. I think you will be pleased.
Nowadays, I am doing what I love: my art, illustration and visual design!
