by Linda | Feb 9, 2012 | my creative journal
I was surprised to look back at the date of my first creative business 101 post on this blog… almost a year ago. The unfortunate feeling though, is that I’m not very far from my original struggles. I’m still working to license my art, however I’ve actually added on some other ventures as well. Reading through the comments from people made me feel like I failed them all. It’s obvious my attempts to focus are futile. I can’t help but want to do more. The problem is that diverting my efforts causes chaos in my brain…and scarce results in real life. Taking on more than I was planning to, gave me an automatic excuse to fail as well.
I could go into a deep analysis of what this all means and how my actions are probably unconscious attempts to sabotage myself. Perhaps because I don’t really want what I think I want? It doesn’t really matter though. The obvious solution is to just concentrate on doing one thing and get some damn results – or some definitive answer with measurable proof. But I don’t have the willpower to focus in that way. I often get distracted by a new shiny idea, derailing my own plans.
I’ve been thinking a long time about my struggles and I just need to suck it up already. I know it must be weird to be pep talking myself on the blog… but here I am typing this. I’m tired of not being able to do it. I want it all. So I’ve decided to swing to the other side of chaos. I will do it all…yes, call me crazy now and try to send me virtual shaking-you-with-2-hands vibes.
This might very well be the beginning of another failed experiment. Oh well. I’m going for it anyway. One aspect that has really helped me, is accountability and regular check-ins. So I’m going to be posting weekly and spilling my guts on how things are going. How I’ve been successful or how I’ve failed and fallen flat on my face. It will be my own fault, no matter what lame excuses I come up with. I hope these blog posts will not be used to analyze my psychological state in the future… hehe…
So why the sudden push? I suppose everyone hits a point where they need to make change. And often, change works the best when done in an epic manner…some kind of great gesture is needed. It helps with momentum anyway. Plus, I’m finishing up a project this week and should have no excuses to not be carrying out my creative business plans. So there.
As I mentioned previously, doing it all means that I have plans for about 3 people. I’m going to attempt to do them all as 1 person. I don’t really think I’m super human, but at the same time I also don’t think it’s impossible. So there. (I have no idea why I’m typing frantically, as if needing to answer back to a bully…maybe the fear inside of me is the bully I’m speaking to.)
And now, I just have to muster up the courage to publish this post. Wish me luck.
by Linda | Feb 4, 2012 | my creative journal
For today, I created a sweet little treat box to hold one of the Lindor chocolates that my husband really loves. I think it’s fun to create your own boxes using paper, so it was bound to happen during this little valentines series.
I’ve put some filler in the bottom of my box, since I only want to include one ball of chocolate, but you can stuff it with lots of other goodies of course!
Download Sweet Treats Box Template ZIP
Feel free to download the template and print for your personal use, I hope you enjoy it and create a sweet treat for a loved one with it. It’s easy to create, just print out at the size you would like, then cut along the lines.
I went ahead and scored all the fold lines before folding the box together and gluing the side flap. For the bottom, there are numbers under the flaps in the template to tell you the order to close up the bottom. You can also glue those flaps closed, but I didn’t find it necessary at all.
That’s it, treat box done! You can decorate and label as you would like. Enjoy!
by Linda | Feb 1, 2012 | my creative journal
My husband and I never really celebrate Valentine’s Day with big gestures or all the commercial stuff. We think it’s just that, an overblown commercial holiday. That said, I think it’s fine to celebrate in whatever way you see fit…because it’s good to express your love! Hopefully you do it all yearlong…but I totally understand that the holiday is a nice little reminder.
This year I’ve decided to create little valentines to give to my husband. A countdown of sorts, with a card-a-day from February 1st up to Valentine’s Day on February 14th. I’ll be leaving little treats and sweet notes to brighten up his day and express my love. Just something small, but meaningful…not to mention stretching out the whole affair into two weeks. Sometimes we don’t have to make cards to send in the mail. Try making cards for those you see everyday – it will still be appreciate. My first little valentine is a mock bag of heart treats- I liked the idea of mimicking a treat bag, but really wanted to include a bar of chocolate. So I included the folded paper in my mock treat bag to slip the bar of chocolate into.
I printed out my own design of Valentine treat bag toppers for this project, so please feel free to download for your own personal use below. There are six different designs to choose from, just print at your desired size and fold in half over your treat bags.
Download Valentine treat bag toppers ZIP
It was simple to make this little valentine with a bunch of paper punched hearts inside a glassine envelope, stapled under the printed design. On the back, I wrote a little note and actually messed up a bit…see the sparkly glob there. I decided to stamp, doodle, and glue word strips over it all – a nice way to cover up mistakes. It’s definitely handmade!
I think it turned out quite nicely for a mock treat bag. Of course, you could make a real treat bag with candy or little chocolates inside. It all depends on what sweets you would like to include.
Alternatively, you can also slip in a bar of chocolate as I did…or a gift card or similar gift. Simply sweet, no?
