Category: the Life of anieKsteph

Where everything else falls…in the life category.

5 Reasons Why You Haven’t Started the Artistic Career You Want

You have decided that this is what you want: you want a life where you make an income from pursing artistic passions that set your heart ablaze. You have saved up your nest egg and are so close to closing the door on your old life; but something keeps standing in your way…

Here are my…

5 Reasons why you have not yet started the artistic career you want

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Photo by Buenosia Carol on Pexels.com

Not enough time

Perhaps you set up your hobby before dinner, but after eating you fall asleep. Perhaps you set an intention to write three excellent pages of content for your next book, but Friday night plans get in the way and you forget about your goal. Running out of time is a symptom of a bigger problem. You may need to restructure your schedule to allow for blocks of time to devote to the pursuit of your passion projects.

Blocking off segments of time accomplishes two things:

  1. You are able to set realistic timelines for your projects, (because you may not be allocating enough time in the first place).
  2. It forces you to take a hard look at your life to see where you may be wasting time without realizing it. Do you procrastinate to leave the house in the morning? Perhaps preparing for the next day is something that you could do the night before. Pre plan your lunches, clothing choices, and automate more things in your life. With these strategies, you might find yourself with an extra 45 minutes to one hour each morning that was previously wasted by decision making from a groggy mind.

 

Not enough resources

I like to look at this as a problem that can be solved with creativity; however, more practical star signs would see a lack of resources as a huge roadblock to the pursuit of their passions. Some times the dreams of an artist are too big for their current station in life. I think it is a wonderful gift for artists to dream big- which can include having dreams that are costly, or involving materials of a high price. Whatever the reason, having the idea is important to hold on to because the circumstance of a person’s resources can change.

If you allow the resources available for your passion projects as being a hindrance to spelling out your dreams to the universe, you might be robbing the world of something amazing. So what if you don’t have enough diamonds to make a 50 foot tall Buddha statue? Try making one that is one foot tall, and instead of diamonds, use rhinestones! Your vision may not suffer as much as you think it will.

 

Not enough help

Similar to not having the right resources, it may be an issue to gather the help you need to start your passion projects. This is a difficult problem to overcome, because you cannot invent people- even if you have an army of tiny Buddha statues at your disposal. Finding out that your ambitions are greater than the help that is available to fulfill them can pose a really stubborn roadblock. You may need to spend extra time networking with other people who are working in the career that you aspire towards. Reconnecting with good friends may also find you help. Always remember the law of reciprocity when asking for favours!

 

Not enough cheerleaders- too many cheerloafters!

There may be too many people surrounding you who do not believe in you or your dreams. These are the people who ridicule your dreams, compare you to things having low value (in their opinion, of course), or people who downplay your idea only to present it to others as their own. These are what I call “cheerloafters” and they are the opposite of cheerleaders. [Read my article on How to Tell the Difference Between Cheerleaders and Cheerloafters here]

Cheerleaders promote you, encourage you, and believe in your dreams. They want to help you achieve your potential because they are good people and they hold core beliefs that reflect this idea: when you succeed, I also succeed.

Pay attention to who you keep in your inner circle. You might have some cheerloafters lurking in the shadows.

 

You think that all of the good ideas are taken

When you start to pursue your passions, you move one more step toward understanding and embracing your purpose in life. When you embrace your life’s purpose, you will also begin to see the world in patterns of abundance. Abundance is a concept that many successful people subscribe to. It opposes the fear-based belief that there is a finite amount of opportunity in the world.

When you start thinking that the possibilites are limitless, there is no such thing as believing that “all of the good ideas are taken”.. I mean how could it be true? There is only ONE version of you! Even if you tried to copy someone else exactly, the end result would still be a new concept as it would be you, (in your flesh) pretending to be some other guy.

Imagine if Samsung  had decided that there was no point in creating their amazing phones because Apple had already taken all of the good ideas when they made the iPhone. It seems silly! Samsung (and android devices over all) have led the market in innovation for years now- just like you will lead your niche with your innovative work for years to come.

 

If you are still waiting to start, but the reason is not on this list, please leave a comment in the section below. Thanks for stopping by.

 

Stephanie

 

by @Lillybochic

5 Reasons why happiness is a choice

Positivity is something that I talk about a lot. I speak about it so much because it has worked to help me through very dark times in my life. I recall a conversation with my surgeon in 2012 (before my cancer operation). He told me that the biggest determining factor between cancer survivors and those who do not survive, is an outlook of hopefulness and positivity. I survived, so I believe that it is a beneficial practice.

Being positive can lead you on a direct path to happiness; and by happiness I mean a general contentment with the here and now. To be happy does not mean that you must be ignorant to suffering; however, even in moments of loss, we can still appreciate and have gratitude for what remains.

Here are my…

5 Reasons why happiness is a choice

You see what you see

Your focus depends on the beliefs and thoughts you hold. Your inner narrative can put you on a broken record of despair if you get stuck in negative beliefs and thoughts about yourself. If the record is always playing the song: “I’m a victim, I’m a victim”, and it is your number one hit; it may be time to change the song that is playing. Perhaps even throw the record out of the window to escape those self-defeating thoughts.

If you are experiencing this, it is no wonder that your focus (in the external world) will be one that focuses on things that tend to make you feel unhappy. You are seeing what you are concentrating your mind on seeing. Change your focus, and you will see things differently.

Your experiences give insight

At some point, you should get some guidance for future actions from your past experiences. You may have made a poor decision in the past; however after getting through it you should now have the experience to do things differently if the same situation presents itself again.

If you are not learning from your past mistakes, you should examine why not. There may be some reasons that need to be examined that will give you insight into your mistakes. Learning from your mistakes is a choice that will clear a path toward happiness. That choice is one that only you can make.

At any moment…

One of my favourite quotes says something like: “At any moment you can turn everything around.” I think this is a great quote because it challenges the belief that our lives are in a “predetermined continuum”. I like to believe that there is no singular future for anyone- but infinite possibilities that are constantly flowing out from what we think, say, and do. If this is true, then there are infinite future timelines where YOU are happy, and YOU made choices that took you to that outcome. Equally, there are timelines where you are in the same place as you are now, as well as others where things have become much worse.

Either way, these ideas are not unique to me. I think that many people accept this, and those people are often living successfully happy lives.

Not choosing is also a choice

Sometimes people think that not making a decision will delay the outcome of what making a decision would bring. This is to say, that they sit on their hands and wait to see what will happen by doing nothing. Choosing nothing means that you have equally chosen to be happy, and not to be happy. These are cancelled out, and leaves you in the same spot you continue to be in.

Change your perspective

If you have no control or choice over your life decisions, you may need to look at your happiness in a gratitude centered way. Spend a day, or an entire week practicing gratitude. Use post it notes, a journal, or your cellphone to record things you are grateful for in your life. You will start seeing a difference in your happiness levels when you consciously take inventory of what you are grateful for.

Do you have more ideas for this list? Leave your comments in the section below, and thanks for stopping by.

Stephanie

by @Lillybochic

3 Signs that it is time to leave your job and pursue your passions

The Pandemic of 2020 has shown many of us that life can be incredibly short. The lives we have become accustomed to can change rapidly, and on a macro scale. For some, this has led to the revelation that the life they are leading may not be sustainable in the long run. If you are experiencing any of these following signs, it may be time to leave your unhappy job and pursue a passion, or a lifestyle that will bring you more satisfaction.

3 Signs that it is time to leave your job and pursue your passions

 

photo of woman painting with blue paint
Photo by Retha Ferguson on Pexels.com

You always wonder…what if?

Wondering about “what if” can be dangerous because it prevents you from fully investing in the life that you have. It can cause a state of “waiting around to see if something better will come along”. Meanwhile, waiting for something better distracts you from the real work to be done: improving yourself.

Perhaps the path for your life was laid out by your parents, or some other tradition. Perhaps you have never needed to think about where you would end up in life. If you find yourself asking many “what if” questions during sleepless nights; there may be things that need to be explored within your mind.

You are unhappy at milestones

If you are feeling unsatisfied with the trajectory of your life, news of people moving on can cripple you emotionally. Think of it like being stuck on a lifeboat at sea, and the other passengers get rescued one by one. While everyone else is being rescued, you remain in peril. Stranded. Isolated. Many emotions apply to this idea, but the one that you can get stuck with is jealousy.

When you are not pursuing your passions, a deficit can begin to emerge. The space that you want to fill can, in fact, grow wider. This can cause people to become bitter and jealous when they see others being rescued from the life boat. This can cause a more immediate and extreme need to leave your unhappy job, and to start pursuing your passions.

You are spending too much $$$ just to get there.

Have you ever sat down and completed a budget? Many people think they know how much they are spending to get to and from work; however, these numbers rarely get recorded or tracked.

You may surprise yourself to learn that between paying for:

  • Parking/ transit cost
  • Gasoline/ miscellaneous coffee and snacks
  • Lunch (10$ per day)
  • Time spent commuting (2 hrs per day round trip @ your hourly rate)

…in a major North American city may be costing you as much as 29% of your biweekly income.

If this could be your financial picture, you may need a serious wake-up call! Your job is costing you too much! At 29% of your biweekly income, on getting to and from work, you may find that you would be farther ahead if you made less money, but worked closer to home. Do the math tonight!

 

If you have experienced any of these three signs, you may benefit from leaving your terrible job to pursue passions that help you build satisfaction with your life. Life is short, so why not spend it in a better mood?

Thanks for stopping by,

 

Stephanie

 

 

 

 

by @Lillybochic

5 Tips for Modelling your Do It Yourself Fashions for your Online Blog

As a lover of fashion, I have always designed and sewn my own clothing. I love the creativity that comes from wearing garments that I made, as well as the enjoyment from having a customized fit. Making your own clothes allows a person to wear unique clothing patterns, and to experiment with different fabrics. One time I made a skin tight long sleeve dress out of scuba material that was to die for!

If you share this passion, and you are interested in posting your Do It Yourself clothing on your blog, you may be tempted to use a mannequin exclusively to model your creations. I would argue that the best way to showcase your fashion is by modeling it yourself, on your own body.

Here are my…

5 Tips for modelling your own Do It Yourself fashions for your online blog

woman in white button up shirt
Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

Your photos should be taken outdoors.

Unless you have a sophisticated lighting system that includes floodlights, spotlights, or other high quality lumen projection, it is very unlikely that the lighting in your home will be good enough. Nothing is better than sunlight, so if you must take photos indoors, do so near a large window.

Overcast daytime skies are the best time to take photographs, as direct sunlight can overexpose images. You will want to have the best photos taken at the time of your shoot, and you will want to avoid needing to retouch images. Retouching images is not something you should rely on to make your photos more effective, as it takes extra time and it is reactive instead of proactive.

 

Use a tripod with a height of at least 57 inches (144 CM)

Becoming familiar with using a tripod will save you a lot of heartache. There are times when you my be tempted to set your phone, or camera on an insecure surface to take a photo; however this ruins your workflow. When you do not have the proper equipment available to do your projects, it puts a damper on your motivation to start and to finish it.

A tripod allows versatility for the setting of your photos. You will be able to have more variance in the types of poses you can take. You will also more more mobility because you can simply pick the tripod up, and place it anywhere the ground is level.

If you have been delaying the purchase of a tripod because you are unsure if you need it, take my advice: you need it. Now go order one!

Wear shoes!

Never show your bare feet when taking photos to model your D.I.Y. fashions. Unless being barefoot is part of your photo narrative (i.e. time spent at the beach or in the water), it is not a good decision in my opinion. The reason is that having bare feet in photos where you are showing off your artistic ability seems less professional. It may be interpreted as though you are not very serious about your work. If you’re not that serious, then why should anyone else care?

Use photo ready makeup

Using photo ready make up has been a game changer for my photography. Photo ready make up has a reflective quality that works very well under bright lights. When modeling your Do It Yourself creations, a good reflective surface will help you capture your best side.

 

Get your items ready!

When you are having your photo shoot, have all of the items ready nearby on a table or laid out on your bed. If you want to take it up a notch, I recommend steaming and hanging all of the outfits that you plan to model, on hangers.

When you streamline the process by pre-planning every item you will use, your work will benefit. In my past years, I recall being part of a theater production (as a chorus girl).  During performances, all props were kept in the wings and laid out on a picnic table in the order of their appearance in the play. It was easy for each character to access the props they needed in time for their part in the scene. I think that this strategy is  a great way to stay organized in other projects as well.

 

Modelling your Do It Yourself fashions is a great way to display your work in an accurate way. I have had a lot of fun trying this over the years, and it is a great feeling to wear something that didn’t exist before you decided to take your scissors to some fabric.

Do you enjoy sewing your own fashions? Leave a comment in the section below, and thanks for stopping by.

 

Stephanie

by @Lillybochic

3 Reasons to paint your dream sequence

Dreams can tell us a lot about our internal thoughts. There have been times where my dreams revealed concepts to me that I had barely registered in the waking world. I think that there are so many competing priorities in our day while we are awake, that it is now more important than ever to get adequate sleep so that our brains have an opportunity to “catch up”.

In my artistic practice I strive toward trying new things, and toward exploring new concepts. What better way to explore, than to use the inspiration of a dream from the past to express an artistic passion?

If you have never thought about using the events of your dreams to fuel an art project, it is worth a try! In the least, you can check out my…

 

3 Reasons why painting your dream sequence works

 

Dreams are personal

Your dreams are the enactment of the thoughts and experiences you have had. Usually dreams are current; their meaning connects to something currently happening in your life. You dream about the things that are pertinent to who you are right now, and so the personalized nature of a dream sequence is really incomparable.

When you use dreams to create art, it will be identifiable in your work.

Dreams contain layers of meaning

Each layer of meaning is a story that can be shared. As you create your artwork, go deeper into the dream. If you dream of certain animals, for instance, there may be a message that your dream is communicating.  Embrace your weirdness and include deep messages in your work. They will lead you to a unique and very creative product.

 

Pushing your creativity to new limits

Using your dream sequences combines two huge skills: memory and artistic skill. Being able to recall a dream sequence is not easy, and can prove to be nearly impossible at first. However, our brains can be trained over time to improve the ability to recall information. If you are tracking your dreams and want to remember them, assist yourself by keeping a journal near your bed to record things before they wither away.

Your artistic skill will be pushed to its limit because the images contained in your dream sequences may not be the easiest things to represent. Strange things can happen in dreams, and it may be a challenge to accurately represent them in your artistic work.

 

 

I often use digital drawings to assist me when I am using my dream sequences as inspiration. This has helped me to communicate diverse concepts in a single drawing. Have you ever tried this? How did it work for you? Please leave your comments in the section below, and thanks for stopping by.

 

Stephanie

 

by @Lillybochic

3 Reasons Why Visiting a New Neighborhood Will Spark Your Creativity

The Pandemic has created many changes in the way we live day to day. In the old days, I would go on long walks downtown and take in the eclectic sights and sounds contained therein. These walks would always result in great exercise, but also to widen my experiences. I always learn something new each day, and the best way for me to accomplish this learning is by exploring.

Exploring a new neighborhood can help you to expand your creativity. When your creativity is expanded, your artistic pursuits will benefit.

Here are my…

 

3 Reasons Why Visiting a New Neighborhood will Spark Your Creativity

 

Mental Connections

When you visit a new neighborhood, you are allowing your mind to take inventory of the unfamiliar imagery it is absorbing. During the long walks I would take (in unfamiliar neighborhoods in Hamilton), I would always find myself interested in the architectural features of historical buildings. (Corbels fascinated me particularly, and seemed to be present atop every building in the downtown area). These mental connections would result in inspiration for blog posts, areas of study, and topics of conversation.

person holding white ceramic bowl with vegetable salad
Photo by Daria Shevtsova on Pexels.com

New Restaurants

New foods are well known to help form connections in the brain. I love trying new things, especially food! A new restaurant has an ambiance that is fresh and exciting. The waitstaff is new and their performance is almost improvisational. The overall experience is one that will turn the neighborhood that you are exploring into a familiar haunt by the end of the season.

brown wooden house on edge of cliff
Photo by Martin Pu00e9chy on Pexels.com

New Scenery

One of the easily overlooked aspects of exploring a new neighborhood is the way in which this new scenery can help you as an artist. As a storyteller, I am well versed in the fact that the best stories come from a mixture of real experience and uncovered desires. In order to weave a believable tale, it is of great value to use settings that are real, and that you have personally visited. The memorization of new environments will help you to easily retrace the physical aspects of a location. Your storytelling will benefit from these ideas, as it adds layers of believe-ablility to your work. The same is also true for creating sketches and drawings: a real setting to base your work on will result in work that has a more authentic feel to it.

 

Do you have ideas to add to this list? Leave your comments in the section below, and as always, thank you for stopping by.

 

Stephanie

by @Lillybochic

5 Ways to Refashion Old Clothes on a Budget

The Pandemic has really opened my eyes to how many clothing items I have amassed over the years. As a Canadian, I have sweaters for every occasion, and enough socks to last me a month before needing to do laundry.

One of my pass times from my life before pursuing my passions was shopping. I am not alone in this, as many women would agree. When the Pandemic began to spread and lock-downs became the norm, I realized that many of my outfits could easily be refreshed and given a new look by making simple changes (without needing to be an experienced seamstress).

Here are my…

5 Ways to Refashion Old Clothes on a Budget

woman in white crop top and white booty short
Photo by TUBARONES PHOTOGRAPHY on Pexels.com

Add designs to your clothing using fabric paint.

Fabric paint is easily obtainable at a craft or fabric store. Using a paint brush, you can personalize your clothing as much or as little as you want. If you are very talented, why not paint versions of your favourite designer logos to impress your friends?

Add elastic for a better fit.

Ill-fitting clothes can occur at different stages in our lives. If you have recently lost weight (congratulations by the way!) and your clothes seem a bit loose in undesirable ways, you can add elastic to help obtain a better fit. This method works well with waist bands, and sleeves.

Add ruffles, lace, and zippers.

Do you have a basic black dress that could use a bit of an update? Fabric stores have many varieties of notions that you can purchase by the meter or centimeter (metric). Sometimes a little ruffle on a hemline or some lace across a neckline can add value to a basic-looking item of clothing. The best part about this idea is that you may not even need to sew anything- fabric glue works great!

Sew a design.

Perhaps you are better acquainted with a needle and thread than others, and you have some experience in needlepoint. If so, many denim items are made beautiful by adding a patchwork design, or some simple needlepoint design. Brands like Levi’s already offer services where you can pay extra to have a design sewn onto your new pair of jeans, so this idea is very trendy right now for 2020.

Remove sleeves or shorten pants.

I have done this many times when it comes to summer clothing for myself and for my daughter. When warm weather hits, sometimes there is no better option than to take a pair of scissors to an old pair of pants or an old blouse to turn them into shorts and a t-shirt.

If you are careful to cut along seams when removing sleeves, the difference is usually impossible to tell! The downside with this idea, is that if you cut the sleeves off of a favourite top, or shorten a pair of pants that you hope to wear again in the winter, you might not be able to re-attach those lost appendages.

Do you have ideas for how to refashion old clothing? Have you needed to think outside of the box when it comes items that have been unavailable due to the worldwide Pandemic? Leave your comments in the section below, and as always, thanks for stopping by.

Stephanie

by @Lillybochic

5 Ways to Train Your Mind for Imaginative Design

When you begin to pursue your passions, you may find it difficult to keep thinking of new ideas. You may have aspirations for where you want to end up, but lack strategies for how to build your practice day by day to get that end result.

Remember that the new life you are pursuing will take work. Each day will present new challenges, but it is up to you to push through and continue to work on your passions.

Ocean Spray by Stephanie Konu Blue ocean abstract painting with a reflective gold sun
Ocean Spray by Stephanie Konu

Here are my…

5 ways to Train Your Mind for Imaginative Design and Practices, and to Improve your Skills in your Artistic Practice

Use an inexpensive medium for your sketches and ideas.

My favourite medium for my ideas is to use a very sharp #2 pencil. I find it enjoyable to write down my ideas in a “stream of consciousness” with a pencil (as opposed to using ink).

I will take my pencil and my notepad to a quiet place, and simply write what I am thinking about. It is important to do this without putting too much judgement on yourself. Be open and honest when performing this exercise. When I make errors, or go off track, I can easily erase the pencil mark without much fuss. However, I rarely erase my ideas once they come out of my thoughts.

Read something new every day.

Depending on what you set your goal at, (say 500-1000 words), you can reach this first thing in the morning by checking a news website, or scholarly article. When you set a commitment to read every day, you will surprise yourself by how many new thoughts will emerge into your conscious and subconscious mind.

Say hello and be friendly!

When you are about to leave your house and enter the public sphere, ready yourself by bringing your mood level up and putting a smile on your face. You will be more approachable and it will be easier to obtain the services that you want.

When things go your way, you will feel like accomplishing more things which will in turn help you imagine more positive outcomes. Positive outcomes are the life blood of creativity and imagination, so it is important to see the connection between your outlook and what you hope to achieve in your artistic pursuits.

Focus your mind, then rest your mind.

Depending on what you hope to improve in your skills, it is helpful to focus your mind on related concepts by looking at photos, videos, and reading books. After you have absorbed related media, give your mind a rest. In rest, your mind will organize what you just learned and ideas will begin to flow when you return your mind to those concepts later on.

The rest period is one that many people often overlook because sleeping is an activity that seems to be in decline; however resting your mind can take the form of meditation, sitting quietly for a few minutes without being on your phone, or just going out and watching people in public for a little while.

Exercise and eat healthy!

There is nothing better for your body than to take good care of it. If you want your mind to run a marathon, you had better train it and fuel it properly. Don’t skimp out on the nutrients!

 

Imagination is not an easy thing to train yourself to develop, but it is possible. It will take time, but the pay off you will gain from conceptualizing unique and novel ideas will be immensely beneficial to the pursuit of your passions, and in furthering your artistic practice.

Do you agree with my list? Leave comments in the section below, and as always thanks for stopping by.

 

Stephanie

by @Lillybochic