Precariously close to the holidays...

After an even longer absence than the previous one, I'm back to catch up on this blog.  Many changes in the works- I have a separate blog called Zen Photographer, which is different from this artsy/daily one in the sense that it focuses almost completely on the happy and positive moments.  I'm doing a lot of freelance photography- shot my first wedding this past October- 350 photos later I settled in to do edits.  Lots of great moments captured on film.  It was a beautiful day, and the perfect location wedding- New Orleans- ceremony in the middle of Jackson Square (closed off for the wedding), followed by a reception on the Natchez steamship.  My first steamboat experience!

Despite the fact that my reliable long-lens-less camera is getting "up there" in years, its continuing to do a good job and its my workhorse.  My thoughtful hubby is treating me to a new photo quality printer for my birthday (late present to avoid conflicts with those crazy Black Friday shoppers! not worth the savings to get crushed to bits by an angry crowd) so I'll be able to start giving gorgeous portraits to family and friends as gifts for the holidays.  Not to mention this adds another important facet to my freelance shutterbugg business- offering potential clients a physical print of their photos will only help things out. 

What else? Lots apparently- too many to list here, even in a checklist.  Let's give it a whirl anyway:

We are once again gearing up for the holiday time.  I have all three plastic storage bins dragged into the house, awaiting some free time so we can decorate the house.  Will probably do it this Friday after the work week is finished, and I'll bake cookies and make cocoa to get us in the mood (decorating! minds outta the gutter, lol).

My volunteer work with Sula is still going strong- they made me the Volunteer Coordinator a few months ago.  Nonstop busy, but its good to help the animals, and the people involved are stand-up awesome folks.  Beau is still spoiled rotten, but momma is not putting up with it anymore.  Discipline is in the works and one day it will pay off (I hope, I hope!)

I am getting back to my writing roots and helped out a friend- Chuck- formerly of Agents of Oblivion (Google it, great local Louisiana band that is now defunct- Dax Riggs is still going strong as Deadboy and the Elephantmen, and we might see a reunion in the future).  I wrote Chuck's song lyrics to a melody he calls "She cries in her sleep".  He's working on recording it in his new studio in CA as we write/blog.  I'll post a link to it/Chuck's site once its up and running.

The weather finally feels like the holidays, and pretty soon the house and the neighborhood will reflect it as well.  In the spirit of the season, wishing you all Happy Holidays! Stay tuned to hear the rest of my crazy life brought into blog focus....

Checking In, Checklist

Its been a very long time since my last blog, and my last art session.  Working 40 hour weeks, volunteering for SPCA and Sula Foundation in my (extremely limited) spare time, and caring for my "special needs" (read: spoiled) dog, Beau, have drained my calendar.  While some of it has been rewarding, most of it has been hard and thankless work. But this is not my sounding board for complaints.  I just need to take a spare minute for myself, to write a checklist of things I would like to accomplish once the frenzy of activity winds down, and to put everything in perspective.  Here goes:  

THE LIST

1. Revamp the mask page on Weebly.  It has a good solid foundation but things need to be tweaked, rearranged, edited- not unlike decorating a house.  I want this House of Masks to rock and it needs a little TLC before I can put it "on the market."
2. Update my photography page on Weebly (http://nolaphotos007.weebly.com/)- since this link is now listed on my professional resume I have hidden some pages (necklaces, blog), and need to make the photo section really stand out and shine. 
3. Check in to my Linkedin account on a weekly basis.  Upload a basic professional profile. Stay in touch with contacts.
4. Currently I am working on a new photo/blog/online journal.  I have a couple of interesting and unusual ideas bouncing around in my head, and will have to sketch them out and keep them under wraps until I have a structured website.  (Note: may need to consider condensing everything under one big heading/blog).  This website will be in addition to my Flickr- I find the 200 photo limit constraining and need something that I can add to on a daily basis, without limits.  I will supplement it with creative writing and see where the journey takes me.  It will definitely be a more spontaneous endeavor than my original photo site.  
5. Schedule more photo sessions/shoots.   I have done quite a few over these recent months for the animal foundations, but need to branch off into other areas- portrait, landscapes, abstract, action shots, special (non-animal) events.  Hoping to add a wedding or two to my repertoire-would love to be unleashed to capture someone's Big Day, and document all the joy and romance. 
6. Commence working on the mask line with Lucas again.  Lucas's 14 hr day/7 day a week schedule makes mine look like child's play, however we are both working on balance, and anticipating some free time in the upcoming months. 
7. Organize my jewelry supplies and begin making necklaces again.  This is yet another special project that has been put to the backburner due to work, work and more work.  I plan on checking out online craft sites like Etsy to see if that would help propel the jewelry line out there. 
8. Set a specific date to do the Art Market- Palmer Park.  I will do a "test run" with the necklaces- get the layout of the market, learn how to set up/break down our tent area, and practice the "art of the sell"- before debuting our mask line. Note: October might be the ideal month to introduce our masks due to Halloween and great fall weather=more people.

That's all for now.  Will get back on track with documenting our corner of the art world on this blog.  In the meantime, wishing everyone balance, art and creative moments in your daily lives.