The Pip Printing 2008 poster calendar featuring my Manette Bridge print unveiling was a big success, I was able to sell some stuff and it was nice to be apart of something. I had to sign a lot of posters, being an artist you would think that I’m used to that by now, but I’m not, I’ve gotten my signature down, for the most part, but I tend to sign my name small and off to the side, as if it’s a second thought. And, the people at Pips wanted me to sign my name big, no big deal, right? Wrong, I had a time and it took me out of comfort zone. I actually had to practice it a little before I tried it on the posters. Even when I signing my own prints, I mess up so many times, that it’s just annoying. And don’t get me started on signing the “Kissing Elephants” print, it never fells for me to start off right with “KIS…” and then I go and mess it up with “HA” as if I’m writing my name, Kisha.
So, my advice to all artist out there, practice your signature a lot both small and large. And be sure to do a trial practice run before you sit and sign a lot of stuff, just so you can get into the grove of things.
This is the official Blog for Buddy-Girl Greetings & Design Services created by Helena designer and maker of Buddy-Girl.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Totally Random: Off the Wall Thoughts
How weird is it, that me, a peanut butter and cookie freak doesn’t like peanut butter cookies or even Nutty Buddies? Also, I love oatmeal and raisins and them both together hot in a bowl is so good. Yet, I can't stand oatmeal raisin cookies. Random, I know, but I just wanted to share.
Ongoings at BGG: Current Events
The Blackberry Festival started off rocky; but it ended on a high note. I exceeded most of my goals and sold a lot of stuff. It’s so nice to hear people walk or stop by my booth and say how nice my work is. Although, all I can do is smile and say “thank you” which to me always sounds really silly (which is silly in it’s own right, cause what else am I to say). I got voted, “Berry Best Craft Booth” I totally almost cried, cause the Blackberry Festival means so much to me and I put some much work into it more than any other festival I do, to be honored for that is so cool. It was even cooler cause it wasn’t Kisha who was being honored it was Buddy-Girl Greetings, and that totally rocks, because it means that Buddy-Girl Greeting is starting be more than just something Kisha Baggs does part-time. Thank you to everyone that help me out, stopped by my booth, voted for Buddy-Girl, and of course everyone that bought something.
I got, my first wholesale account (yaay me!), you can now find most of your favorite local themed Buddy-Girl items at the Olympic College Bookstore, at 1600 Chester Ave, Bremerton, WA. It was a small order so everyone go out there and buy it all up, so they have to make a big order next time. Also, on a sad note, BGG can no longer be found at The Made in Bremerton Store as it has closed its doors.
The 2nd Annual Kitsap Calendars are finally here so, order yours now or pick it up at the OC Bookstore. Special thanks to KPS Health Plans for increasing their order of their customized version of the Kitsap Calendar this year. And, thank you to Kitsap Credit Union for letting me include a photo of KCU flagship building in downtown Bremerton.
I got, my first wholesale account (yaay me!), you can now find most of your favorite local themed Buddy-Girl items at the Olympic College Bookstore, at 1600 Chester Ave, Bremerton, WA. It was a small order so everyone go out there and buy it all up, so they have to make a big order next time. Also, on a sad note, BGG can no longer be found at The Made in Bremerton Store as it has closed its doors.
The 2nd Annual Kitsap Calendars are finally here so, order yours now or pick it up at the OC Bookstore. Special thanks to KPS Health Plans for increasing their order of their customized version of the Kitsap Calendar this year. And, thank you to Kitsap Credit Union for letting me include a photo of KCU flagship building in downtown Bremerton.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
About Helena: Current Events in My Life
It looks like I’m back on my game, “Thank God!” I’ve been just working away the last few weeks. I’ve gotten 3 new prints done, 4 new cards, the 2007-2008 calendar is off to the printers, and I feel like I’m finally getting my head out of the clouds. As you can see, I have been busy with the blog, 3 new articles including this one. I’m ordering supplies and planning out stuff for the up coming festivals which include the Ollala, WA. Bluegrass Festival on Aug. 18th and the Bremerton Blackberry festival over Labor Day weekend. (Be sure to come out and support me)
I’ve been really getting into Photography the last few weeks, as well as using the heck out of my Canon PowerShot S3 IS. I’ve been learning all about Digital Photography, reading articles (visit: http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/ ). I've even learned tons from a Photography Class; I assisted with teaching in July for Olympic College - Edventure Camp Program. It was really fun; I learned, I taught, and I got to spend time with kids (something I love to do). Well, that’s it for me be sure to visit Buddygirlgreetings.com in the coming weeks, I should have it updated by Aug. 20th.
I’ve been really getting into Photography the last few weeks, as well as using the heck out of my Canon PowerShot S3 IS. I’ve been learning all about Digital Photography, reading articles (visit: http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/ ). I've even learned tons from a Photography Class; I assisted with teaching in July for Olympic College - Edventure Camp Program. It was really fun; I learned, I taught, and I got to spend time with kids (something I love to do). Well, that’s it for me be sure to visit Buddygirlgreetings.com in the coming weeks, I should have it updated by Aug. 20th.
Starting a Business - What I've Learned...Part 3
The third thing I learned about when I decided to start my own business, was to how to keep production/product cost down. After I figured out what all I could do myself, I needed to figure how to get my cards and other products produced without spending a lot of money. And the best way to do this is to shop around; I searched online, around town, and asked everyone I knew about places to get supplies, printing, and equipment at. Bargain shopping is a must when you don’t have enough overhead. But you also got to keep in mind that spending too little might undermined your quality; it’s a fine line to walk. But in my research, I found that people and the internet were the best place to find new or almost new and usually priced high supplies at a good price or for free (people are really good for free stuff or a trade, you just have to ask). Any bargain shopper will tell you that you have look and look and look for good deals, but to be honest I’m can be quite inpatient so looking and looking can be a little too time consuming for me. So, I usually price compare the things I wanted the easy quick way.
For instant, I needed a cutter, something that would give me a straight cut, something that had a brace and a pretty large surface, but it couldn’t be too big as I was working out of my very small (but cute) apartment and space is limited, which meant that one of those heavy duty guillotine cutters was out of the question as they are big, bulky, and really hard to move around. (But someday, I will have one). I found one that would work for me for under $60, it’s not as great as the on nice sliver ones with all the really fancy stuff and I can only cut one sheet at a time. Still, it has a top brace that acts as an extra hand holding the paper in place and it has a magnetic stopper to brace the edge of the paper at a right-angle, all things that just a plain cutter for $25 doesn’t have and this can speed up the cutting time of a sheet of paper a lot, cause you don’t have to stop and take that minute or so to make sure that each new sheet of paper is align. And this I found by doing a Google search and once I got the name of the cutter, I looked it up on Ebay.com and YahooShopping to compare price, once I found the lowest price for it, I was set. And this is how I went about buying everything from plastic sleeves to computer software.
Finding a print shop, was little different, but as I had time constraints to worry about as I figured out that it would save me money if I only printed the bare minimum for samples and small displays, I would print cards for orders once I got the order in, saving me on overhead. Which means that my turn around time needs to be as short as possible, which also means that sending to some online printer in New York wouldn’t do. So, I called up all the local printers I could find in the phone book asking for quotes. I was able to narrow down my list by crossing out all the printers that couldn’t do small orders of one or two sheets. I then figured out that printing on 11x17 sheet of paper didn’t cost much more than a Letter sized sheet. This meant that if I could figure out how to get 2 or more cards on a single 11x17 sheet, it would cost less than getting 1 or more on 2 sheets of Letter size paper, thus saving me money.
I was then able to narrow it down to 2 printers, one cost a little more than the other; but the one that cost that little extra was located closer to where I lived making it easier for me to pickup my finished order. But, still I needed to know who printed better so, I sent both printers my files. The result were that the printer that cost more used a thicker cardstock, which I liked, but the cheaper printers printed my designs with very soft edges better and for some of my design the color was a lot brighter. Still the paper thickness and location, and the fact that the more costlier printers were a lot nicer to me, made them the place were I get most of my products printed. I tend to send the products with the soft edges and the brighter colors to the other printers. It works out.
For instant, I needed a cutter, something that would give me a straight cut, something that had a brace and a pretty large surface, but it couldn’t be too big as I was working out of my very small (but cute) apartment and space is limited, which meant that one of those heavy duty guillotine cutters was out of the question as they are big, bulky, and really hard to move around. (But someday, I will have one). I found one that would work for me for under $60, it’s not as great as the on nice sliver ones with all the really fancy stuff and I can only cut one sheet at a time. Still, it has a top brace that acts as an extra hand holding the paper in place and it has a magnetic stopper to brace the edge of the paper at a right-angle, all things that just a plain cutter for $25 doesn’t have and this can speed up the cutting time of a sheet of paper a lot, cause you don’t have to stop and take that minute or so to make sure that each new sheet of paper is align. And this I found by doing a Google search and once I got the name of the cutter, I looked it up on Ebay.com and YahooShopping to compare price, once I found the lowest price for it, I was set. And this is how I went about buying everything from plastic sleeves to computer software.
Finding a print shop, was little different, but as I had time constraints to worry about as I figured out that it would save me money if I only printed the bare minimum for samples and small displays, I would print cards for orders once I got the order in, saving me on overhead. Which means that my turn around time needs to be as short as possible, which also means that sending to some online printer in New York wouldn’t do. So, I called up all the local printers I could find in the phone book asking for quotes. I was able to narrow down my list by crossing out all the printers that couldn’t do small orders of one or two sheets. I then figured out that printing on 11x17 sheet of paper didn’t cost much more than a Letter sized sheet. This meant that if I could figure out how to get 2 or more cards on a single 11x17 sheet, it would cost less than getting 1 or more on 2 sheets of Letter size paper, thus saving me money.
I was then able to narrow it down to 2 printers, one cost a little more than the other; but the one that cost that little extra was located closer to where I lived making it easier for me to pickup my finished order. But, still I needed to know who printed better so, I sent both printers my files. The result were that the printer that cost more used a thicker cardstock, which I liked, but the cheaper printers printed my designs with very soft edges better and for some of my design the color was a lot brighter. Still the paper thickness and location, and the fact that the more costlier printers were a lot nicer to me, made them the place were I get most of my products printed. I tend to send the products with the soft edges and the brighter colors to the other printers. It works out.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Random Thoughts: Summer Movies 2007: Part 3
Okay, so I’ve finished up my Summer movies, for this year, I know there are few more to come in August, but I’ve got festivals coming up and tons of work to get done for Buddy-Girl. Besides nothing's coming out that I’m really excited for, Stardust might be cool, but I’m not sure. I’m going to see Rush Hour 3 because my little brother wants to see it. I am looking forward to Resident Evil: Extinction, I’m a sucker for chicks-that-kick-butt movies, but that’s not coming out until September or October.
I did see Transformers, Ratatouille, and the latest Harry Porter and boy were they great! Harry Potter was really, really dark and had way more magic and action throughout the movie than any of other ones. The kids are growing so much and there acting is so much better, plus Ron my favorite of the 3 wasn’t an ass this time around, I could have killed him for how he treated Hermione and Harry in the last one. I do wish that Harry and Cho had more scenes together and that kiss of theirs was hot and lasted a really long time. Overall, the film was good it could have been longer in some spots explaining more here instead of there. Still, it had more magical spell casting throughout and a great fight scene at the end. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is my second favorite Potter film, my first being the second one (it’s the one that got me hooked on Harry in first place).
Transformers, the storyline could have been deeper (but it's base on a toyline) and it could of use a little more time with the bad guys, still even with all that, the movie was really cool. My Shia LaBeouf (check old post for reference), was as funny as ever, the chick was hot (a little too hot if you ask me, there is something too much about her, I don’t know what but something just doesn’t sit right with me), best of all the Giant Robots looked so cool and real too. I mean the whole film I was like WOW, they are so cool! I love the fight scenes, who knew giant robots could box with a hint of Kung Fu!
Ratatouille was cute and kinda of gross at the same time, it was about a rat who cooks food after all, my only real complaint about the movie (which really isn’t a complaint) is that it was a kid’s movie that had a few too many jokes or moments that only adults were suppose to get. I love cartoons, in fact I’m a huge animation and anime buff, still when I go to see a kid’s movie/family flix, I don’t expect to see bit jokes or hints with explicated tones that are aimed towards people my age or older, it's fun to see one every now and again like in the first Sherk (the second and thrid ones, you could just tell that it was more for adults), but Ratatouille had more than just one or two, and kids are smarter than we give them credit for. I’m not one of these “kids shouldn’t be expose to this kind of stuff person”; I’m just asking for a little more warning, that’s all. Did I mention that the CGI in it was off the hook, because it was and it was very sweet movie, with a good overall message.
That does it for my unofficial summer movie reviews, although if Rush Hour 3 is any good or is really bad, I will let you know.
I did see Transformers, Ratatouille, and the latest Harry Porter and boy were they great! Harry Potter was really, really dark and had way more magic and action throughout the movie than any of other ones. The kids are growing so much and there acting is so much better, plus Ron my favorite of the 3 wasn’t an ass this time around, I could have killed him for how he treated Hermione and Harry in the last one. I do wish that Harry and Cho had more scenes together and that kiss of theirs was hot and lasted a really long time. Overall, the film was good it could have been longer in some spots explaining more here instead of there. Still, it had more magical spell casting throughout and a great fight scene at the end. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is my second favorite Potter film, my first being the second one (it’s the one that got me hooked on Harry in first place).
Transformers, the storyline could have been deeper (but it's base on a toyline) and it could of use a little more time with the bad guys, still even with all that, the movie was really cool. My Shia LaBeouf (check old post for reference), was as funny as ever, the chick was hot (a little too hot if you ask me, there is something too much about her, I don’t know what but something just doesn’t sit right with me), best of all the Giant Robots looked so cool and real too. I mean the whole film I was like WOW, they are so cool! I love the fight scenes, who knew giant robots could box with a hint of Kung Fu!
Ratatouille was cute and kinda of gross at the same time, it was about a rat who cooks food after all, my only real complaint about the movie (which really isn’t a complaint) is that it was a kid’s movie that had a few too many jokes or moments that only adults were suppose to get. I love cartoons, in fact I’m a huge animation and anime buff, still when I go to see a kid’s movie/family flix, I don’t expect to see bit jokes or hints with explicated tones that are aimed towards people my age or older, it's fun to see one every now and again like in the first Sherk (the second and thrid ones, you could just tell that it was more for adults), but Ratatouille had more than just one or two, and kids are smarter than we give them credit for. I’m not one of these “kids shouldn’t be expose to this kind of stuff person”; I’m just asking for a little more warning, that’s all. Did I mention that the CGI in it was off the hook, because it was and it was very sweet movie, with a good overall message.
That does it for my unofficial summer movie reviews, although if Rush Hour 3 is any good or is really bad, I will let you know.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
About Helena: Current Events in My Life
I must say, that I’ve been pretty lazy the last few months, I haven’t done much work on Buddy-Girl Greetings other than starting this blog and making minor updates to the website. I’ve just been in a funk lately, watching movies and spacing out pretty much. I try to get to work but then I get side track. I do somehow manage to get projects done for people who really need me too, but even then I’m later than usually. I’m sorry to all those this has happen to.
I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’m sure I will get over it soon, I have to, I have festivals coming up and a big order for the 2007-2008 calendar, all things I have put in place to kind of force me out of my funk. Please keep your fingers cross for me. I get like this sometimes and usually once I get back into creating stuff for me (and you guys) I tend to snap out of it, I'm sorry to be so down and lazy, I promise to have new work soon.
I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’m sure I will get over it soon, I have to, I have festivals coming up and a big order for the 2007-2008 calendar, all things I have put in place to kind of force me out of my funk. Please keep your fingers cross for me. I get like this sometimes and usually once I get back into creating stuff for me (and you guys) I tend to snap out of it, I'm sorry to be so down and lazy, I promise to have new work soon.
Random Thoughts: Summer Movies 2007: Part 2
Okay so, I went to see the new Fantastic 4 movie, I liked it, I know critics hated it, maybe not as much as the first one, but they sure didn’t love it. I don’t get it, critics, seem to judge movies on the same bases that they judge all movies, and personally I don’t think it’s fair. Personally, I judge movies and anything else I input into my brain on a simple scale, which I adjust considering on what it is I’m taking in. Take Fantastic 4 for example, I only watch the first because my bother made me. I’m sure I would of gotten around to it at some point because I’m a huge Jessica Alba fan (I know what you’re thinking, I don’t love her because she’s the best actress ever) she just so freaking hot and I loved that Dark Angel series. Whenever I look at her I just think she just this tiny, cute, glowing, hot chick. She’s really skinny but not in the “she looks like she should eat something” kind of way. She just seems to be a really good person (I don’t know her personally so I can't say for sure). Sure, maybe she shouldn’t be posing in swimsuits all the time or taking photos that show water dripping from her month if she wants to be taken as more than just a sexy hotty. Still, I don’t mind seeing her that way, and maybe someday being a sexpot won’t be interpret as being incapable of being taken serious. For me, I just like most of the movies and shows I’ve seen her in, and you got to rent the “Sleeping Dictionary” her best acting work to date. And I will never forget how the theatre went wild when she came on screen for the first time in “Sin City”. (How cool is that!)
Anyways back to my scale of judging movies, Fantastic 4 the first one, when I watch it I didn’t think much of the movie before hand so my expectations for it wasn’t that high. But, it surprised me, it's a good movie, it had action, I laughed a few times, the story didn’t bore me or seem way off base (considering it was based off a comic book), Jessica Alba looked hot, and the good guys won. What more do you want; was it X-Men, no (but even I had my problems with X-Men as it was more near and dear to my heart). Still, the first F4 was a pretty good way to pass the time not like some other comic book movies that I wished I had never seen, The Punisher, Ghost Rider.
So my judging scale for F4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, you can probably guess was simple, some action, a few laughs, a story that didn’t bore me, the good guys winning, and of course Jessica Alba looking hot. Did they deliver? Yep, so if I got what I wanted from the film why wouldn’t I like it? I’m not saying the F4 movies are the best movies out there. But you can tell that the filmmakers for this weren’t trying to make the best ever comic book movie, if they were they would have gave it more depth, more realism, and they would of cut out some the cheesy one liners. Still, in the end F4 give me more of what I wanted than say, Spiderman 3 or Pirates 3, two movies that left me hanging and didn’t fulfill my expectations. I didn’t hate them (I’m still going to buy them to complete the series), I just thought they were trying too hard, and that they could of finished them better, stronger.
Anyways back to my scale of judging movies, Fantastic 4 the first one, when I watch it I didn’t think much of the movie before hand so my expectations for it wasn’t that high. But, it surprised me, it's a good movie, it had action, I laughed a few times, the story didn’t bore me or seem way off base (considering it was based off a comic book), Jessica Alba looked hot, and the good guys won. What more do you want; was it X-Men, no (but even I had my problems with X-Men as it was more near and dear to my heart). Still, the first F4 was a pretty good way to pass the time not like some other comic book movies that I wished I had never seen, The Punisher, Ghost Rider.
So my judging scale for F4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, you can probably guess was simple, some action, a few laughs, a story that didn’t bore me, the good guys winning, and of course Jessica Alba looking hot. Did they deliver? Yep, so if I got what I wanted from the film why wouldn’t I like it? I’m not saying the F4 movies are the best movies out there. But you can tell that the filmmakers for this weren’t trying to make the best ever comic book movie, if they were they would have gave it more depth, more realism, and they would of cut out some the cheesy one liners. Still, in the end F4 give me more of what I wanted than say, Spiderman 3 or Pirates 3, two movies that left me hanging and didn’t fulfill my expectations. I didn’t hate them (I’m still going to buy them to complete the series), I just thought they were trying too hard, and that they could of finished them better, stronger.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Random Thoughts: Summer Movies 2007
This year's summer movie selections has been off the hook, I’ve seen 4 movies in the last month alone, I love movies, I look up movies news like 50 times as day, I like to know all the latest scoop as soon as I can get it. So, of course that means I’ve been waiting for this year’s movie season since early last year. I’ve seen all the 3’s so far, Spider-Man, Sherk, Pirates, and although I didn’t love them as much as the early ones they were still worth seeing. Spider-Man 2 is my favorite, you just can’t top the train scene, the third one was way funnier than one would expect from Spider-man, plus I think it would have been better if they had saved Venom for the 4th one, still have the transformation at the end but leave the battle with him until the 4th one (Which Sony has said there will be with or without the original cast and crew). Pirates 3 was good, expect, that they went a little too far with crazy Jack and him being delusional, plus at the end there is a huge build up to something, but then they never give you the payoff (remember to stay for all the credits, I hate when they don’t warn you about that). Sherk 3 was cute, it was just missing something.
Not to say that all movies so far have been just so, so. I just saw Surf’s Up, and that is a must, it’s so cute and so much fun, the direction is so smart, that half way through you kinda forget you are watching penguins. Plus, I’m totally in love with Shia LaBeouf not in the sense of how I love Zack Braff or Ty Diggs, but in the sense I’ve been watching this kid since his Disney’s Even Stevens days and I always felt he had something, great comedic timing, charm, sweetness, you just knew he was going to be big (I've been saying it for years), I just want to meet him one day and grab his checks (facial checks) and tell him, he is such a good boy! And I couldn’t be more happy for the guy with Disturbia doing so well, Transformers on its way, plus Indy 4 to work on, this kid is going somewhere, and I get to say, I told you so.
I’m next going to see Fantastic 4 (Jessica Alba Rules!), Transformers, Harry 5, and Talk to Me with Chiwetel Ejiofor (another actor I’m just loving right now, took me forever to pronounce his name, but if you watch the trailer for Talk to Me at http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/talktome.html you can hear them say it, the best way for me to remember it is Chew a tel Ed gi o 4. To really see his range, just watch these 3 movies Serenity, Kinky Boots, and Four Brothers, you really only have to see Serenity and Four Brothers, but you got to gave the man credit for dressing in drag. In both Serenity and Four Brothers he plays bad guys, but they are so different that I just couldn’t believe it was the same guy in Four Brothers, yes they looked the same but still that’s how good of an actor he is.
Not to say that all movies so far have been just so, so. I just saw Surf’s Up, and that is a must, it’s so cute and so much fun, the direction is so smart, that half way through you kinda forget you are watching penguins. Plus, I’m totally in love with Shia LaBeouf not in the sense of how I love Zack Braff or Ty Diggs, but in the sense I’ve been watching this kid since his Disney’s Even Stevens days and I always felt he had something, great comedic timing, charm, sweetness, you just knew he was going to be big (I've been saying it for years), I just want to meet him one day and grab his checks (facial checks) and tell him, he is such a good boy! And I couldn’t be more happy for the guy with Disturbia doing so well, Transformers on its way, plus Indy 4 to work on, this kid is going somewhere, and I get to say, I told you so.
I’m next going to see Fantastic 4 (Jessica Alba Rules!), Transformers, Harry 5, and Talk to Me with Chiwetel Ejiofor (another actor I’m just loving right now, took me forever to pronounce his name, but if you watch the trailer for Talk to Me at http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/talktome.html you can hear them say it, the best way for me to remember it is Chew a tel Ed gi o 4. To really see his range, just watch these 3 movies Serenity, Kinky Boots, and Four Brothers, you really only have to see Serenity and Four Brothers, but you got to gave the man credit for dressing in drag. In both Serenity and Four Brothers he plays bad guys, but they are so different that I just couldn’t believe it was the same guy in Four Brothers, yes they looked the same but still that’s how good of an actor he is.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Side Thought: Time Management Advice
One of the hardest things for me has always been time management, so my advice, give yourself time for trial and error, for procrastination if you know you do that. Set deadlines for yourself; write these deadlines down on a calendar or sheet and place it somewhere you can see it staring you in the face. Keep in mind everything that usually affects your working habits, family, friends, job, TV shows, laziness, etc. You don’t have to cut these things out of your life, just down a little, and work with them instead of around them.
Personally, I’m a huge TV fan and I only get to hangout with family and friends on the weekends, plus my part-time job and the freelance work I do when I get it. And, did I mention I’m a huge procrastinator.
So, to combat this I tend to work out blocks of TV time for only the must see prime time shows Heroes, Gilmore Girls (I miss you), Smallville, the list goes on, I give myself 3 hours or less a night. And I love the fact, that now you can watch a lot of shows online so, now I can work during a show I like and watch it later when I have free-time or need a brain break, plus you get fewer commercial breaks. And, I hate reruns so I have a lot more time in the off season. All this, leaves me with time before my shows and time after my shows to work.
To deal with family and friends, I also block out time the best I can; I give at least one day of the weekend to visiting people. Which day depends on how much and when the work needs to be done by. I try to figure this out by Thursday night. If, I’m leaving town for the weekend, I tend to take work with me and work it in when I can. I didn’t stress on not getting everything done on these trips, just more than I would if I hadn’t taken it with me. So, when everyone else is just watching TV or doing there own thing, I get in a little work. When it comes to meeting deadlines if I have to miss an outing with my family or friends, then I just miss that out. The best advice I can give about making time for family and friends is to just plan it into your schedule, make the plans for dinner and a movie 1-3 weeks in advance, keep remaining yourself of said plans as much a possible, that way your working towards dinner and a movie and not dropping everything to go out to dinner and a movie.
And, if you are just lazy, then remember that you are, if you need something done by Monday than tell yourself that it’s due Sunday. If you know that something takes an hour or so for you to do it, then give yourself 2-3 hours to do it. If a client/customer ask for something by the 15th tell them you will try, but it might be the 16th or 17th before you have it done. If you are a big procrastinator then give yourself time to procrastinate. It also helps to do the project is parts, a little now, a little later, that way it slowly gets done, something is always better than nothing.
Personally, I’m a huge TV fan and I only get to hangout with family and friends on the weekends, plus my part-time job and the freelance work I do when I get it. And, did I mention I’m a huge procrastinator.
So, to combat this I tend to work out blocks of TV time for only the must see prime time shows Heroes, Gilmore Girls (I miss you), Smallville, the list goes on, I give myself 3 hours or less a night. And I love the fact, that now you can watch a lot of shows online so, now I can work during a show I like and watch it later when I have free-time or need a brain break, plus you get fewer commercial breaks. And, I hate reruns so I have a lot more time in the off season. All this, leaves me with time before my shows and time after my shows to work.
To deal with family and friends, I also block out time the best I can; I give at least one day of the weekend to visiting people. Which day depends on how much and when the work needs to be done by. I try to figure this out by Thursday night. If, I’m leaving town for the weekend, I tend to take work with me and work it in when I can. I didn’t stress on not getting everything done on these trips, just more than I would if I hadn’t taken it with me. So, when everyone else is just watching TV or doing there own thing, I get in a little work. When it comes to meeting deadlines if I have to miss an outing with my family or friends, then I just miss that out. The best advice I can give about making time for family and friends is to just plan it into your schedule, make the plans for dinner and a movie 1-3 weeks in advance, keep remaining yourself of said plans as much a possible, that way your working towards dinner and a movie and not dropping everything to go out to dinner and a movie.
And, if you are just lazy, then remember that you are, if you need something done by Monday than tell yourself that it’s due Sunday. If you know that something takes an hour or so for you to do it, then give yourself 2-3 hours to do it. If a client/customer ask for something by the 15th tell them you will try, but it might be the 16th or 17th before you have it done. If you are a big procrastinator then give yourself time to procrastinate. It also helps to do the project is parts, a little now, a little later, that way it slowly gets done, something is always better than nothing.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Starting a Business - What I've Learned...Part Two
The Second thing, I did was build from my talent, I’m an artist, a designer by nature, it’s the only thing that can give me a headache and still make me happy. So, to make life easier, I designed everything having to do with Buddy-Girl Greetings, the products, the flyers, the website, the catalog, etc. If you already know how to do something and you do it well, than do that before you worry about the things you can’t do. This way you have more time to worry/learn about the things you don’t know.
Something Random: Potential?
Recently, I was asked how do I know, when I’m not living up to my potential?
My reply, I’m not happy. I’m not talking in terms of my dog just die, I’m not happy. I’m talking about an overall happiness, that my life feels right, feels as if it’s going in the right direction. When that happens I’m usually working towards something I want using my potential to get what I want out of life. It doesn’t matter what you want or where you want to go in life, it doesn’t have to big; it just has to be something. Even when nothing in your life is going right and you have little control, if you focus on something big or small and work towards getting it you’d be amazed at how the other stuff in your life, that you thought you had no control over begins to shape up.
My reply, I’m not happy. I’m not talking in terms of my dog just die, I’m not happy. I’m talking about an overall happiness, that my life feels right, feels as if it’s going in the right direction. When that happens I’m usually working towards something I want using my potential to get what I want out of life. It doesn’t matter what you want or where you want to go in life, it doesn’t have to big; it just has to be something. Even when nothing in your life is going right and you have little control, if you focus on something big or small and work towards getting it you’d be amazed at how the other stuff in your life, that you thought you had no control over begins to shape up.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Starting a Business - What I've Learned...Part One
When I decided to start my own Greeting Card business 2 years ago, I had only a vague clue on what to do and what not to do. And, for me going slow was probably 1 of the 2 best moves I’ve made the other being, starting small.
Like most people who want to start a business, I had very little business knowledge and even littler start up capital. But, I did have card production skills, some marketing/design skill, research/networking knowledge, a part-time job with flexible hours, and an iron will to make my dream come true.
The first thing I did once I decided to start my own greeting card business was tell everyone I knewn of my plans and get all the feedback I could. I learned that the more people I told about things/ideas concerning Buddy-Girl Greetings the more likely those things/ideas were to happen. People where excite for me and I didn't want to disappoint them, I didn't want to have someone asked me, "what happen to the greeting card business you wanted to start?" and me having to say, "yeah, it didn't happen." I didn't want to have to tell anyone that I failed at my dream. Therefore, I told any and everyone, making failure not an option. Beside, everyone knows that word-of-mouth is the best FREE advertising you can get and the more you talk about your business to people the more likely someone else is going to talk about your business.
Like most people who want to start a business, I had very little business knowledge and even littler start up capital. But, I did have card production skills, some marketing/design skill, research/networking knowledge, a part-time job with flexible hours, and an iron will to make my dream come true.
The first thing I did once I decided to start my own greeting card business was tell everyone I knewn of my plans and get all the feedback I could. I learned that the more people I told about things/ideas concerning Buddy-Girl Greetings the more likely those things/ideas were to happen. People where excite for me and I didn't want to disappoint them, I didn't want to have someone asked me, "what happen to the greeting card business you wanted to start?" and me having to say, "yeah, it didn't happen." I didn't want to have to tell anyone that I failed at my dream. Therefore, I told any and everyone, making failure not an option. Beside, everyone knows that word-of-mouth is the best FREE advertising you can get and the more you talk about your business to people the more likely someone else is going to talk about your business.
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