Archive for March, 2011
There’s something undeniably alluring about Justin Richel’s fine art prints and original paintings (available on Etsy). The art ranges in theme from simple and sweet to unique and historic, all with a pleasant pastel veneer that gives the line a consistent feel.
The range of art and prints from Justin Richel are not only unique, they’re accessible and affordable.
Please visit Justin Richel Fine Art on Etsy to view more of his work.
Sometimes blogging success feels like an impossible dream. If you publish thoughtful posts and no one’s responding, you might be missing the secret ingredient in your blogging recipe. That simple and vital ingredient is passion.
In this post, I’ll let you know why a smoldering passion is necessary to accomplish your lofty blogging goals, and how to generate blogging mojo after your creativity is drained.
Blogging is Work
Successful blogging isn’t easy, it’s hard work. You can’t plan, write, and take pictures for your blog day in and day out unless you love it. Work without passion, and you’re guaranteed to crash and burn. This is why good blogs are sometimes abandoned.
Pick the Right Topic
If you’re struggling to write for your blog every day, maybe you need to change your focus. Brainstorm; think about the subject that you could never stop gushing about it. Maybe you’ll end up picking a few of these topics.
Narrow your focus down to the top three topics you love. When you make the topics you’re the most passionate about the focus of your blog, you’ll never run out of things to write.
Passion Creates Quality Blog Posts
When you’re passionate about a subject, you’ll want to create the highest quality content possible.
People Will Relate to Your Passion
When you’re passionate about your blog, it’s obvious. Your readers will sense your energy. They’ll share your blog posts, they’ll comment, and they’ll relate to you. After all, every niche has its followers.
When You’re Passionate, You’ll Network
Even the hard stuff, like marketing your blog, is easier when you’re passionate. Out of passion you’ve already created a quality product you’re proud to promote. Since you’ve chosen a topic you love, networking with others in your niche comes naturally. It’s so easy to chat with people when they love the same things you do and share your interests.
When you blog about a subject you’re passionate about, the hard work is already done for you. Blogging when you’re not passionate is like swimming against the current. Make blogging and be successful by choosing the right topic.
*image Happy Moment by Shirae
Vanessa wrote this post. She is a full time copywriter and webmarketer with a passion for art, creativity, and thrift. She writes about thrifting, creating, and saving money every weekday on her blog, Thrift Core.
While putting together last week’s Interior Obsessions post about lamps, I felt myself drawn to a group of images with one thing in common – their absolute lack of color. Cloudy skies had been the norm in our area, and these interior shots fit right in. But the stunning thing about these colorless vignettes was that not only did they not look lifeless, but they were full of tone and texture, creating a calm environment within which life could play the colorful part. Although this week’s sunny skies have brought about cheerier moods, those grey images stuck with me.
Grey interiors are often mitigated by bits of black and white, allowing a full tonal range within such a limited palette. Like many of the brighter colors, the variation within shades of grey is virtually limitless. Grey floors or walls offer a muted backdrop for other neutral items, but can be either light and relaxed or dark and deep. Metal and mirror finishes can add easily to the tonal range while including a difference in finish that draws the eye into the scene. Although grey on its own can be quite relaxing, it also serves as a lovely backdrop for popular brights such as yellows, oranges, blues and greens, as well as an amazing foil for natural wood finishes. There is ultimately something soothing about a monochromatic interior, especially when the designer plays with a range of textural finishes to differentiate each item.
(above) Grey Pillowed Breakfast Nook
Grey Plaster + Metal Accessories
Pewter Lamp + Monochrome Living
Amy wrote this post. She is the designer and owner of FormFire Glassworks, where she creates modern lampwork glass beads and jewelry. You can follow her twitter @formfireglass.
All the way from the UK, Mengsel (meaning mixture) is a blend of bold colors + fun prints for your living space. Luzelle, the design mind behind Mengsel, uses the silkscreen printing process to create limited edition prints to grace your walls, along with other home goods. Check out the Moka Express tea towels, to enhance your chef-y experience or my favorite, the Whale screenprint!
Visit Mengsel on Etsy to view the entire collection.
About Rachel Anne: She is a 20-something wife and mother of one, who enjoys making things for her embroidery and tiny handmade goodies shop called, Goose and Trisser. You can visit Rachel Anne on her blog here.
We all define “being professional” in a different way. For ourselves and for our business. This video is about a blog post I wrote a in February of 2011, where I used the F word (in a way that was intended to be lighthearted and comical).
Most people “got it”, but a few people sent me emails saying that I was unprofessional to use such language, etc. I was surprised by the email feedback I received, since the comments in the post were overwhelmingly positive and fun. Immediately, I took to twitter to get some thoughts (without giving any details). This is the question I asked: Do you think it is unprofessional to use the f* word on your blog? I got quite a few responses. Some people said yes, some people said no. But the answers were cut and dry- no in between- just varying opinions.
And at the end of the day, I was actually kind of glad that an opportunity for discussion was able to arise out of this.
It lead to a great debate on twitter and ultimately, to this post. So, it was a good thing. For sure. And of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and I appreciate those opinions (whether I agree or disagree with them). If you’ve ever been in a similar situation, watch this video and then, if you wouldn’t mind, please answer this question for me…
What do you define as “being professional” when it comes to small businesses?
*If you like this video and think others would benefit from watching it, I would love for you to retweet or facebook it.
…everything about this!
image c/o Nest Living (ferm living wall decal)
Spring is trying really hard to show its face around these parts. In the meantime, I’m indulging in the work of Laura Trevey to get by. The original watercolor paintings of beautiful scenes help to transport me away from this 30 degree weather to the dreamy locales that inspired Laura.
The pieces come ready to decorate any space in your home. You can check out more paintings and prints in Laura’s shop, Bright, Bold and Beautiful and read up on her inspiration for others on her blog of the same name.
Rachel Anne wrote this post. She is a 20-something wife and mother of one, who enjoys making things for her embroidery and tiny handmade goodies shop called, Goose and Trisser. You can visit Rachel Anne on her blog here.
