lately i've been trying to focus on how i want to grow my little business, and i keep thinking about patterns. when i started college, i always wanted to design fabric, and i think it may be coming about that time to actually make that dream a reality. here are some patterns that i find to be oh so fun!
the day has finally arrived! my new website is ready! i've been working hard to perfect all the little nifty do-dads that have been included in the update. this new layout is going to allow for lots of expansion in organization, product offerings and more interaction with you guys! i couldn't be more pleased with the way it turned out - i could just hug it! (if one could hug a website lol) check out the screen shot below, and go have fun playing with it by clicking here.
i'd love to hear what you think! and if there is anything that you notice that isn't quite right, please feel free to send me an email at hello@maiautumn.com or leave a comment letting me know! i'm still testing out every last feature , so it is totally possible i may have missed a thing or two.
it feels *so* good to have this done! just sayin' :)
yes, i know, this is not the absolute most exciting reason to celebrate.. but that yippee up there was just way too fun to pass up! i needed a yipee! and weight calculated shipping is a pretty cool thing, if you think about it - if you only get a teeny print or a teeny necklace, the shop site will now figure out how much your actual shipping cost is! woohoo for that! so go place that itty bitty order you've been wanting to place but couldn't justify the flat rate shipping! go for it!
while you're doing that, i'm going to be celebrating my mastery of my own website a little bit. i've been putting this whole thing off for way too long! and this little addition brings me one step closer to my big plans for the year!
yippee for that for real!
:)
this is the result of yesterday afternoon's painting -
after creating both of these guys, i am actually tempted to keep the originals for myself! they look kind of amazing when flanking my armoire in my bedroom. for an artist, i actually have very little art up in my apartment (let alone my own!) (i actually probably won't get around to picking out frames for them and wouldn't want to hold onto any of my work for too long - makes me itchy or something! lol)
i'm really starting to get down to making a whole lot more art to fill up the new categories that are going to start popping up over in the shop, so i'm hoping this inspiration streak continues! i really want to create a whole world with my work and express just about everything i can imagine. i have no idea where this notion is going to take me, but the freedom of subject matter i've started to allow myself has been feeling pretty darn liberating!
on a small side note: in the coming months, i also have plans to unleash a whole bunch of new card designs, now that you can purchase card singles! shipping for one card is only $1.75! (flat rate shipping on the site is actually going away soon. shipping charges will be based on weight, so if you're only ordering teeny things, you pay less for shipping. yippee for that!)
enough about all my miniature empire type plans! off i go to attempt more painting/designing/scheming! :)
(you can find prints/the original of mr. peacock over in the shop.)
if you recall back in february, when i started talking about designing a line of throw pillows, this post is going to sound kind of similar. i'm always dreaming up new things i want to make, and this week has been no exception. the throw pillows are still in the back of my mind, (don't you worry!) but i got to thinking what i would really love... to design a line of clothes someday. now, this is kind of just a distant, far out there kind of dream, for now, (since i hardly know how to sew, and i definitely don't know how to design patterns.. yet) but i wanted to throw it out there to see if it feels right. you know, putting it in writing and all.
i mean, really, eventually, i would like to have all sorts of beautiful things available. i want to create my own little world and furnish it with everything i could possibly imagine! it's a bit insane, i know. but i think i'm going in the right direction. it feels good. and that's what matters, right? (sometimes i do feel like i might need to rein myself in a little though.) so for now, all i'm going to say... is that i'm dreaming up some pretty things to wear. here's some inspiration from the amazingly talented independent designers on etsy:
jamie and the jones
i'm keeping this notion in the back of my mind (probably for a few months, if not a whole year!) but it's there.. that little voice is saying *you can do it someday!*
:)
this morning, during my daily procrastination ritual, i keep coming upon references to one being a workaholic. first thing this morning, i opened up my unread copy of creative, inc., to exactly the spot where they list 'symptoms' of workaholism. let me tell you - i rank up there. i'm not a total lost cause yet, but i'm starting to wonder if i don't do something soon, just how bad it'll get.
i then, almost immediately after, came across a post on potter, whitney smith's blog. an amazing ceramicist, she's also super snarky and i love it. in this post, she compares being a workaholic to being an alcoholic. i have to say, the similarities between the two are quite striking:
from whitney's blog--
I've had to admit to myself that I am a workaholic. I resist that word because it seems like a word that would apply to somebody else doing different kind of work. But if I take some of the classic symptoms of alcoholism and apply them to work, it's hard to deny that I have a work problem. For example:
- I minimize how much time I actually spend working, the way an alcoholic minimizes how much he drinks.
- I don't count certain types of work as work, like listing stuff on etsy or cleaning my studio, the way an alcoholic may say that beer isn't really alcohol.
- I hide work, like snapping my computer shut and pretend like I was in the middle of doing something else when my husband walks into the room, and we all know alcoholics hide booze.
- And then the classic: does work make your home life unhappy? Yes, yes, and yes. My husband is an independent soul who doesn't allow me to dictate the mood at home, but there's no doubt I undermine his pleasure in life when I come home and whine about work, or worse, cry because the stress is getting to me.
this is absolutely true for me as well! it's bad. i've just been working myself like crazy these past few days and i am now sitting at my desk, thinking how i should be designing something, because i finally have a free minute. i'm almost reprimanding myself for writing this blog post!
i am kind of big on paying attention to the signs the universe throws your way, and after stumbling upon both of these glaringly obvious, and in my opinion, not coincidental, suggestions, i feel compelled to pay attention.
a while back, i sought advice from the amazing painter, janet hill, and she gave me a great tip - when inspiration isn't coming, go do something else. right now, i'm considering just that. i have no idea where this day is going to lead me, but i guess that's part of my job, and that's ok.
i hope you're all enjoying the short week out there! i think a workaholic like me might need to embrace it a little :) wish me luck!
image via galahad dumfries
i am seriously motivated today to get in as much as i can. firstly, because it's actually nice out today! and secondly, because tomorrow i want to get down to making some art!
what are you striving for today? are you motivated this week?
hope it's sunny wherever you are!
(image via from up north)
it may not be january 1st or anything, but i've felt that i was getting into some pretty awful habits in my entrepreneurial life, so i am changing some things.
most of the things i feel need to change are simple things (like making sure to eat breakfast and lunch, or actually getting out of my pjs to start my work day!) but they seem necessary before this new season gets here. surprisingly, it becomes really easy to get used to neglecting yourself once no one tells you what to do any more. there's no one to tell you to take a day off or reward you when you accomplish something big. it's just me. i'm my own HR and i need to reprimand myself for treating my employees so poorly (aka me).
all this action started because i stumbled upon a site called miss persimmon. the site is on a little break, but all the great resources are still available to help any business lady become more productive and healthier. i hope all these new habits stick, because i'm feeling much more myself already.
i'll leave you on my favorite point from the resources - 'Remember - work clothes are for working, pajamas are for sleeping!' hehe i love that! :)
prints of this photo in the shop
i almost forgot to mention that i have been accepted as an artist on zatista.com - an amazingly beautiful curated collection of original art online! i am so excited to start getting some more original work over in my shop there. although i have sold some original paintings on etsy and my own shop site, i really feel like this site is a really great location to reach potential customers who are looking to buy originals. i am honored to be amongst the other artists on this site! so much gorgeous work to be found!
image via Storeyshop
so, today i'm trying to figure out how to handle all the extra "social" things i can do out there. there's so much! and i feel so weird inviting everyone to all these places! i'm generally not the most social person in real life, so i still can't wrap my brain around the idea that anyone really needs to know what i'm up to!
well, in my attempt to get involved, i have found some things that are somewhat painless, at least in terms of how much i expose about my little self:
i think that should be enough for now? i sort of feel confused about who is even looking at any of this stuff and it seems like i'm blabbing into a big dark room when i'm on all these other websites! my blog feels like a safe place. and that is good.
i analyze everything way too much, so i'm hoping this philosophical questioning about social networking will work itself out soon! *sigh*
