Gratitude

The craft show didn't have a lot of traffic. It was very well-advertised, but perhaps the location was not the best. I made enough to cover my table, plus a little. Most of the vendors there also had etsy sites, so it was awesome to get to know them! The craft show gave me a lot of confidence about my work, though, so it was a wonderful thing to have done!

I found out last night that I'm booked for a one month show in a restaurant in downtown Portland starting May 1! I will post more details as it gets closer. This coming week I will be checking out the space and deciding on sizes of prints to hang. It will be a pretty large undertaking for me.

I also woke up to find that my shop is included in a gift site listing on this blog today! I'd love if you could check it out!

Life is pretty amazing. I'm enjoying the forward movement. My plan is to keep the momentum going. Life is good, and I am thankful... gratitude is a constant with me, and I am grateful for so many things. Thankful for readers of my blog and their amazing support. Thankful for a wonderful etsy community, thankful for friends around the world thanks to the internet. Amazingly thankful for my loving, supportive family! Those who are related, and those who aren't.

Prep for a show

I dreamed last night about all the things I need to get done for the craft show. It's still a long list, but they are little things. So I'll list them out and start checking them off. Today I'm ordering the last of my photos. The 5X7's to mat, I'm having them printed locally. I am nervous about this show. My first show as a photographer. And my first show in the Portland area. I hope that it's the first of many.

I will be starting a newsletter up soon, and will have a signup at the show, amongst other places. It seems that so many of my actions these days are propelling me forward. My mindset is one that each action not only is for the moment I'm executing it, but also laying the groundwork for the future. In work, my personal life, and my photography business.

I need that. I need plans, and I need to be actively working towards moving forward. Without that plan, that movement, I lose will. Good thing I know that!

Thanksgiving Week

It's Monday again. And I am tired. But luckily, it will be a short work week, and I can sleep in for several days! I went to a friend's house last night and took lots of farm photos. I also had a good time visiting and getting out of my house.

This week, I will be making more progress towards the craft show, placing my final photo order. I made all of my greeting card sets for it on Saturday, and I'll be handing out fliers from now til the day of the show!

I have done some more thinking about my true north... talked a bit with Dad about it. Oh, Dad went home from the hospital on Saturday! He will be on some strong antibiotics for a couple more weeks, but he sounded great. Anyway, Dad was very encouraging when I told him what I'm being led to do. Now... to move forward with that.

The Thanksgiving break will be about relaxing and working towards goals. No traditional meal for me, no traditional cleanup either. Just working towards stuff I want to do. I am very thankful for that!

Fasten Your Seatbelts!

As a general rule, there are two speeds in my life... crawling along and fasten your seatbelts! I'm embarking on one of those crazy times when I need to be buckled in. Today I'm signing up for a craft show Dec. 4th and 5th. It's local, it's with some good friends. And so far, I'll be the only photographer there.

I am thrilled beyond words... and majorly overwhelmed. But I know me. Today I will start making lists of all the preparations that need to be done, and I will start doing them. I started researching packaging yeserday, and have some sources bookmarked to order from. I also received some metallic prints in the mail that I will sell in the show.

That in itself was a funny bit of synchronicity. I never order prints until they are ordered. Then (depending on specifics of the order) I order them locally and mail them, or have them shipped directly from my lab. But the other day, I ordered 11 8X10 prints, to see how they look. 5 regular, 6 metallic. So I feel like I am a little ahead of the game.

More research today. And if you have any suggestions for items I need to have there, please do mention it! Or... for photos I must include...

Pay attention... listen to the signs of the universe. When you are ready, it will start throwing stuff your way.

A photo Weekend

What a busy weekend! Two photo days fully taken advantage of! Yesterday we went for a drive up the coast. It was windy and rainy and cold. Still got quite a few pictures, though, including some of a lighthouse. One of my friends' has requested photos of all the Oregon lighthouses. 1 down... 8 or 9 to go.

This is Cape Meares Lighthouse. It's near Tillamook and since it's on such high ground, it's only 38' tall, making it the shortest lighthouse in Oregon. Currently for sale in my shop.

Last week, I put my stuff in a craft show. It was a different experience for me because in this craft show, I paid for table space and set up my stuff, then 5 days later I picked my stuff up. There were workers there all the time, but nobody manned their booth. And that's how it was meant to be. Well, I crashed and burned. One journal sold and that's it. I did not even pay for my table.

Perhaps it's the economy, perhaps it's because I didn't sit there, talking my stuff up. I think more the latter. There is another show like this in November, and I doubt that I'll consider it I think it's so important to actively market. To be there for questions, to point things out that they wouldn't see if they are just walking through. Perhaps I will still do craft shows, but not unmanned ones.

I'll be posting pics from my weekend throughout the week.

Feeling Amazingly Good!

I am feeling so good! Really, I feel normal, which is great! I've gotten the meds back into my system. I'm sleeping well and I'm productive like I was before!

This weekend I made five new journals and listed them! I had pulled all journals out of my shop to take to the craft show, and my shop being bare of journals did not sit well with me! Four of them can be seen here: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6370303&section_id=5775933 the other one is an art journal and can be seen here. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23272654

So, Saturday I took tons of journals and photo pendants to the craft show. The show starts on the 7th. And Sunday I had my radio interview. I had a couple of technical difficulties, but all in all, it went well. Mona (my interviewer) put me at ease and was wonderful! Then we went to the mall. I was cranky and did not want to go. We had a beautiful warm, sunshiney day and I wanted to go take pictures... but you don't always get what you want. So, I bought some gorgeous papers for my next line of journals and scrapbooks. Let's just say I'm kicking it up a notch! Some new ones should be listed this week.

Next weekend will be busy. Saturday, going out and taking pictures, then picking up any unsold items from the craft show. Then Sunday we will drive to the coast to take some pictures of lighthouses. I have a friend whose husband collects lighthouse photos and she has asked me to do this for her. Those will be in my shop next Monday!

I hope you are all feeling well, and if you're not that you can find out why! *raising glass* here's to a wonderful Monday for us all!