The day the Stress-o-Meter exploded

The day the Stress-o-Meter exploded
At my stressful job, I finally got to the point of not caring. My attitude was, “If you have an issue, take a tissue!” There was a large tissue box conspicuously placed on the edge of my desk. A large sign near the door read “There will be a $10 charge for whining. My fees have gone up.”
The last straw was when I worked a 12-hour day. Not so irregular in my line of work. But, that day I was not feeling so well. Cursed with back problems for many years, I have downed more than my daily RDA of Motrin, Tylenol, and Asprin. My chiropractor was on speed dial. My back ached and I longed to curl up at my desk and put my feet up to alleviate the stress on my back. Of course, the big boss wanted everything NOW. No time for the luxury of sitting down. Oh, did I mention that I was extremely pregnant with my first child? I did not realize at first that I was in labor. Labor pains were supposed to be in front -- in the stomach area. My stomach felt fine; it was by back that was killing me. Later I learned that some women have back labor. Never heard of it! I finished my tasks for the day at 8 pm, now fully realizing I was about to have a baby. I was not a such a dedicated employee that I as willing to give birth at my desk. I went home. The next morning I said hello to my beautiful baby girl. What a change in perspective! She was the single most important thing in my life! Can I stay on maternity leave forever?

Mom Haiku

School has been cancelled. Bored kids take over the house. Crayon explosion!

Any artists out there?

Any artists out there? Why do many artists have such a hard time marketing themselves and making money? Everyone in my family is an artist: actor, musician, fine artist, writer, furniture designer, graphic artist. We ALL struggle with the money issue. I’ve heard that art, as a business, should be 10% inspiration, 90% perspiration. I guess that either artists are REALLY lazy, or they would rather have more fun being creative! I’m with the second choice! Play now; work later!

In praise of the dot

I am staring at a big white computer screen, fingers poised over the keyboard. Ten years ago I stared, pen in hand, at a blank page. Ten years before that I held a paintbrush and stared at a blank canvas. When I was 10 years old I grabbed fistful of crayons and stared at a blank page. Ten years before that I was the blank slate. Anothe ten years prior, I was in utero, just tiny cell, a dot, really. I guess that means every great artistic journey begins with a single dot. Profound, huh?

People on my "I Want to Invite to Dinner" list

Artists / writers / bloggers I admire.

Hugh McLeod has a wonderful website. He does these minimalist cartoon illustrations he calls "cube bombs" - dry humor. Ya gotta see them. They are so simply drawn, but have so much mass-market appeal. His writing is quirky and unexpected. He posted the first part of his book online "Ignore Everybody - and 39 Other Keys to Creativity."
http://gapingvoid.com/
His online gallery: http://gapingvoidgallery.com/

I adore Vanessa Valencia's site. It's in the form of a blog, has photos, illustrations, loosely-woven-together stories. I emailed her & told her she should do children's books. This gal does it all - a real jack of all trades creative. When I grow up I want to BE her! No, seriously. Her blog:
http://afancifultwist.typepad.com/
Her art is whimsical, full of joy. I especially love the pieces that are textural, use bunches of newspaper to fan out and form a ballerina's dress. Her art site:
http://www.vanessavalencia.com/

These two people are on my People I Want to Invite to Dinner List.
Let me know if they make your list.

My Publishing Odyssey

I call my spotty writing career "My Personal Publishing Odyssey." You may remember from college English courses that Homer wrote this epic poem more than a few centuries ago. Some days I feel lost and wandering like Odysseus on his long 10-year journey home after the Trojan War. No war in my life, thankfully, but I have been struggling with writing and publishing for more than 20 years. My first forrays were generic, as vague and self-important as writing from a 20-year old's perspective can get. It got better. Starting with an idea and QuarkXpress, I designed a deck of spiritual encouragement cards and an accompanying book. I was the writer, designer, printer, and salsperson. I sold them at local shops, and I considered each sale a personal victory. Having little idea of the publishing world, I sent the collection to publishers. One positive response, but no deal. I self-published many more booklets. My laminated quick reference sheets were one of my better ideas. I compressed several books' worth info onto one page, with themes like Feng Shui and Native American spirituality. I had not learned that New Age topics do not have mass market appeal and that it is a niche market.
Through the years, as an artist, craftsperson, and jack-of-all artistic trades I experimented with jewelry design, T-shirt art, gift baskets, making purses, basic clothing design, home made perfume, even compiling music for a CD. When I look back at all my dabblings, the only consistent theme was writing, with craft projects on the side. Crafting is a tough, tough business. Publishing is an even harder business. Both are a joy, but I have yet to see any financial returns. Perhaps I am persisting with a stereotype, but artists are poor marketers of their own work.
Since the birth of my daughter I have begun writing children's books. I started out with simple picture books. The writing progressed and evolved as she grew. Now I am writing longer books, verging on Middle Grade novels. Pulishing is a tricky and elusive business. J.K. Rowling, author of the blockbuster Harry Potter series, sent out tons of query letters before her first manuscript was accepted. I made the decision to self-publish, this time from a different angle. I still design and self-publish books, but do it online as e-books. My evil plan is to circumvent those persnickety publishers! My website is http://www.kidzbookz.vpweb.com/ It offers several downloadable children's e-books and goodies for adults. For now, the books are free. Soon, the more meatier books will be Pay Pal worthy.
Technology has grown to the advantage of aspiring authors. The Web, U-Tube, Facebook, etc., have catapulted aspiring authors to new heights. Publish-on-Demand (POD) printers let authors print as many books as they want. Self publishing is growing at an astronomical rate. E-books and downloadable Kindle books (among other services) are starting to take off. Barnes and Noble is wisely getting into the mix. Services like CreateSpace allow authors to become their own publishers and marketers. I say, "Hooray for that!" But, I digress. Tangents are the siren's song of bloggers.
There is a lot of controversy about self-publishing. At first, vanity presses were considered just that - egotistical and self-serving. Now self-publishing has become a respectable, valid and substantive industry. I believe that it unties the apron strings and allows talented writers to do it "my way." It is exhilarating for an artist to "get it out there." Creating their art and sharing their creations - the "raison d'etre" for artists.
My own take on self-publishing e-books is that it is quick, easy, and it is ecologically friendly. It is satisfying because, like the 5-year olds I write for, I want immediate gratification! It can take up to 2 years to be traditionally published. While I am still pursuing publishing houses, I have found a way to express myself in the here and now. Very exciting. I have posted 4 children's picture books on my site and "Christmas Carols for Cats," Christmas songs from felines' perspective. I have more than 40 other books in the works, all in various stages of completion. Some are nearly ready for conversion to e-books for the website, and some are just a title.
Writing is my passion. Art is who I am. Creativity is what I live for. I've found and embrace the genre of e-books; they are the perfect way for me to express my overflowing creativity and life's passion.
Please support me on my publishing odyssey and travel with me to http://www.kidzbookz.vpweb.com/

Networking & Facebooking

Networking. What exactly does that mean? Shaking hands? Collecting business cards? Going to social events? Why is it important? My personal life coach suggested that I start networking to help get my writing business off the ground. What??? How could that possibly help? Well, what he heck. I tried it. I went to a ladies networking luncheon and met a wonderful group of professional women, had a good time, and got to meet a few potential contacts. True, I now have a giant box 'o' business cards. But, 4 of the 40 were actually useful. I got hooked to write a spec story for a local women's magazine. I also found a new hairdresser. Interestingly, when I told others about my interests, they were able to refer me to a wider network of their contacts. Aha! Some leads to local authors, editors, and a writing coach! So, the luncheon was a worthwhile and productive event.
The other face of networking, besides meeting real live people locally, is online networking. What's exciting is that I've met people from around the world who have similar interests. I've become a Facebook junkie. It's truly as addictive as videogames. Through Facebook I have discovered several local "meetups," folks who start a local get-together to socialize and . . . network. I am helping to organize a local aspiring authors' group. We set up the time, the place, and the theme. 18 people are signed into the meetup, and hopefully, 6 or 8 will show up! I also discovered a regional chapter of a national writers' organization who meets locally. So, I'm hooked. Networking. Facebook. All because I ventured outside of my comfort zone, fired up by my personal life coach. It took a push and a leap of faith. Net-work it!