Importance of a Home button on a blog

If you track your site, you know that people type in the most random phrases like, "what to do with beets" and that's how they find your site. With this said, in order to keep them on your site, you need to have an obvious way for them to find the new content. For me, I wanted a "home button."

Literally, since I set up this blog over a year ago, I've been trying to figure out how to ad one. Not too savvy with HTML (yet), that I had to resort to looking at tons of google searches and pick through the technical jargon. Today I had enough. I just wanted it done, so I wouldn't have to keep moving it from one to-do list to the next. So I went to Craigslist and asked for help in the arts discussion forum.

Jackie pointed me in the right direction on how to create a "home button." She is training to run a marathon! Go Jackie!

Code for a "Home Button"
http://www.dynamicdrive.com/dynamicindex5/ns4home.htm

For me, I couldn't get the code to work from the above link by pasting it in the HTML template on my blog. An error message popped up when I clicked on the home button. So instead I pasted the code into a gadget under the layout section. This is the same as adding a widget. Super easy! After pasting the code in a text widget, I hit save and closed the window. Then opened up the text widget and I highlighted the code and hyper linked it to my blog. Amazingly it worked.

I hope I gave you HTML techies a good laugh. Thank you again Jackie!

Week 9 HITS

Week 9
Happenings
In
The
Studio

Learning to Listen

I've been working so much that I've managed to strain my eyes. Basically they burn when I look at any type of screen: monitor, TV, camera. Being aware of the achy eyes, I took it easy this week. Often I felt guilty for not getting more done, or sitting and reading.

Using my new calendar, I tallied up the hours I spent on art, and it was 33 hours. Talk about a surprise. That is way more than I expected. Being a creative, we are notorious for being very bad at guessing amounts, like weight and time. Often I overestimate a project if it's something I don't enjoy and underestimate for something I adore. That's why I am writing down how long things take, so I can give accurate estimates for commissions. Either way, my eyes still hurt.

I wonder how many hours I work in a "regular week?" No wonder I get so much done in a week. It will be interesting to track my hours in my new, handy dandy calendar. (More about the calendar on the picasa link.)

With that said, this is going to be a short post. It kills me to do something half-assed, but that's the way it is sometimes.



















(left to right) Bumblebee Cactus (available) and A Cactus for Cactus (sold)


Real quick.
Weekly goals:
1. Continue to ad art to online store (check! Cactus lights are now on my etsy store.)

2. Stay current and diligent on freelance work (Roger. Even picked up another side gig. I'll be teaching a water color lesson at a French themed birthday party. My friend is turning 10! Now all I need is a hat. I already have a dress.)

3. Finish reading "organizing for the creative person." (I even wrote the outline for the book review. It is going to be on capitalistchicks.com. Starting on March 15th, this will be the first article for my column called "the missing link" between art and business.

4. Daily tweet on Twitter. (I picked this tip thanks to an article my mom sent me. It's called 10 tweet tips for artists.)


















You know the drill. More photos of the last 7 days are here.

Biggest Challenge of the Week

Resting!

My eyes are calling the shots, so this is all for week 9 HITS. I know it's a few days early for this weekly update, but I have friend coming into town for the weekend. I am taking the weekend off! Thanks for reading. Have a wonderful weekend too.

Thank you to everyone who voted on which layout for HITS that you prefer!!!






read:
Week 10 HITS
Week 8 HITS
Table of Contents for HITS (Happenings in the Studio)

Batteries are done charging...

...so that means take 2 for the photo shoot!

In the process of documenting inventory
of cactus lights for etsy store.

At this exact moment...

...I'm waiting for the batteries to charge for the camera, so it's editing in the meantime.

Organizing for Creatives

I've been reading "Organizing for the Creative Person" by Dorothy Lehmkuhl and Dolores Cotter Lamping C.S.W. and ironically this wfmw tip is in there, except that's not where I picked it up.

To many it's a surprise that I am girly; trying on all sorts of outfits before picking the most practical and best suited for my mood. After getting dressed the bedroom has piles everywhere. It's been a fight keeping my room clean ever since I was born. It's through trial and error that I came across what works for me.


OLD SYSTEM-
First I tried keeping the closet organized by tshirts, tanktops, pants, skirts, and dresses. Then the shorts, sweaters and underware went in their own drawers. Because I loath hanging clothes and folding them, this made me constantly put off doing laundry.

Then I tried simplifying the process of picking out an outfit. I divided the closet in half. One side for art making clothes, AKA "boy's clothes" because they were stained or had holes in them. The other half of the closet had my nice clothes. This system worked nicely for getting dressed, but I still didn't want to put things away when I was done.

NEW SYSTEM-























I adore the fabric cubbie on wheels!!! Each cubbie is designated a theme, like gym clothes, tshirts, hoodies or sweaters. Since these things don't get wrinkly, I just toss them into the appropriate cubbie. No folding nessessary! If I felt inclined to make the room look less cluttered, the cubbie can be rolled to face the wall.

In the closet there are only nice clothes hanging up. Since I'm typically at home working or at the gym, there hasn't been much demand for them. By eliminating steps for putting away clothes (opening the closet door and putting on hangers or opening drawers and folding), I've kept my room clean for months!

This way of organizing feels so natural, that I'm looking for other places to utilize a cubbie system. One place has been for organizing my art supplies. More about this in the future.


Creatives Organize Differently

"Organizing for the Creative Person" goes over ways to organize that feels natural for you, which is the key to staying organized. By using the typical organizing containers this creates an added challenge for right-brain dominant people. Us creatives need to think creatively about getting and staying organized.

For more Works-for-me-Wednesday tips, go here.

On March 15th, my monthly column, The Missing Link, on capitalistchicks.com will review this organizing book and key tips that have worked for me.

Where to recycle electronics in Sacramento

Local non-profit is looking for your electronics, working or not. Help your community and the environment by recycling your electronics. Proceeds go to supporting women’s ministries at Cordova Neighborhood Church in Rancho Cordova, CA.

We are collecting (working or not):

· Laptops/Notebook Computers

· Digital cameras

· Cell phones

· Ink Cartridges (no laser or toner cartridges)

· MP3 Players

· Handheld Game Systems, like PSPs

· Digital Video Cameras

Top of our wish list:

Any Laptop or Notebook Computers and the following Cell phones-

iphones

Nokia N91, E90, N81, N82, N95, 8600 Luna

Blackberry 9000 or 9530

HTC G1 or 8925 Tilt

Touch Pro/Fuze

Samsung SPHM800- Instinct

Please drop electronics off at the Cordova Neighborhood Church office.

Located: 10600 Coloma Rd at Cordova Lane.

Office hours: m-f 9-4pm. Closed for lunch from noon -1pm.

Questions? 916-635-5992 or office@cnchurch.org.

Thank you for helping!!!

Week 8 HITS

Week 8 HITS
Happenings in the Studio from Feb. 22nd to March 1st


New Format

During meals, I’m guilty of watching reality shows on TLC. This has been going on for two months! But it was this week that it dawned on me the parallels between reality shows and the Happenings in the Studio. Most of the time on the shows, only one day is catalogued, not a week. The people go about their day and there’s enough content to keep me watching the full hour. How about using that same formula for HITS? That way HITS will be more focused and concise (for both of our sakes).

Week 8 is the guinea pig for a more focused HITS. I’m going to veer away from impersonal bullet point lists to stories. It’s going to be hard to write this way, because lists are nice for skimming and easier to write, but I’d rather entertain you, then wow you with all that was done this week.

The first section of this new format is the weekly goals. I figured to serve you better, I’d share what decisions I make and why. This should add to the funny factor because of my stubborn, quirky ways and perhaps some thinking patterns will be of use to you. The way I choose to structure my weeks, since writing HITS, has been by writing down the weekly goals. Of course I always want to do more than those few things, but these weekly goals are the urgent tasks, most exciting or most irritating (I want to get them over with and have that feeling of relief!). I think of the weekly goals like, “you do not pass go, you do not collect $100.” They have to be done in seven days. Everything else accomplished is a bonus. It feels good having bonuses done plus the few weekly goals instead of not finishing a super long list of goals.

The new format is not tossing the online picasa photo album. The photos are here to stay (but for variety slide shows or a video are in the works)!!!

For the test run, the highlight of a specific day is going to be apart of the Biggest Weekly Challenge. For my records I’m going to carry on writing down what I accomplished all week. It’s been super encouraging to see that I get done. I tend to focus on what wasn’t done, so this list will help me be less negative. Plus it would be good in case I ever need to prove legally that I am productive and don’t just watch reality tv shows.

Weekly Goals

1. Add products to my Etsy store.













I set up an account last Fall when I first heard of the online “mall” of all things handmade. I hadn't added any artwork for sale, until this week.

For this weeks goal, I didn’t want to scare myself away by picking a number of artwork to be posted for sale. I am really happy about all that was done and I’m looking forward to spending more time on it this week. This is a 180 degree attitude switch for me. Yahoo! :-)

a. Posted 12 items for sale

b. Signed up for Google Analytics to track the traffic to the store

c. A friend emailed me an image that I needed for advertising the individual 11 x 14 Braille boards. For some bizarre reason I lost or deleted the original file and thankfully he took photos of them last Summer. That saved me a ton of time in not having to reshoot. Thank you Luke!

d. Posted widget advertising the store on elizabethsymington.com and on the blog

e. On elizabethsymington.com I wrote about where to make inquires on purchasing art

f. Added content to etsy store: bio and welcome page

g. Created a folder on my computer called “etsy store.” That way if anything should happen, I can easily upload all of the files again.

Making Decisions without all of the Information

I’ve had the online store for five months, but left it empty all that time. So what was holding me back from posting the inventory? Last Fall I decided to not make any choices until I had all the facts. Seeing that the store wasn’t progressing, I had to go ahead and make decisions without all of the information. As some of you know, I am a stickler for accuracy. This killed me making decisions on educated guesses, but it had to be done.

For each artwork posted I had to figure out how much shipping would cost. I don’t have a scale or even the packing materials. How could I accurately give the customer a price?I looked on usps.com and I calculated a rough estimate on how much the art weights. I am horrible at estimating anything (quantity, distance, weight), so I had to gauge the artwork off of the only weight I knew: my dog Chip is 4 pounds.

After picking a price for shipping, I had to console myself by saying that as soon as I sell one of that kind of art, be it a tac sheep or Braille board, I’ll track how much time and money it really took to ship. I think I estimated low on the s & h, because I couldn’t bear the thought of overcharging my customers. So if you want a good deal on shipping, be the first to buy on etsy.

2. Continue to sort tangled cord from SCRAP

The fabric cord is for knitting future cactus lights.
Can you believe that this cord cost $6?!?




















Mom has been a huge help and encourager of sorting the mess into neat balls. We’ve been detangling and watching the Gilmore Girls season 5 on DVD. By watching this, I get jazzed up about establishing my own business as a self-supported artist. That’s because the show centers around two very likable, quirky and talented small business owners.

Detangling is a relaxing task for the mind. By pairing it with the intense computer work of setting up the etsy shop, it helped me to avoid burnout by alternating between right and left brain activities. (Tip - I picked that tip up from the “Organizing for the Creative Person.” I’m half way through the book and I’m loving how applicable it is to me and how I think.)


This weeks photos are in the "Week 8 album" on picasa.



Biggest Weekly Challenge

Putting "Relaxing Time" On the To-Do List

I'm pretty good at knocking out goals, but I am dismal at relaxing. Monday I gave myself permission to sleep in but instead woke up at 7. Then on Tuesday I tried it again and somehow made it to 10am. The problem was that I had forgotten that the mattress regulates how long it can be slept on. It does this by killing my lower back after 9 hours. So sleeping in is not a good way to relax. What about getting up at 7 and taking the day off from art? I wasn't sure that was possible, but I tried on Thursday.

Not really sure what to do on a day off, especially with rainy weather, I watched lots of Gillmore Girl (while detangling the cord). Sitting is something I am beginning to loath, from all of the computer work, so basically it wasn't that fun or relaxing watching TV. It's hard not to do art related things on my day off, because I enjoy what I do. That night, I tallied it up. I did four hours of work. That is drastically lighter in workload then other days, so I considered it a successful day off.

I've heard many times that productivity lowers if you don't have down time. I understand that. It's very difficult trying to think of relaxing as a necessary weekly task. I have to constantly remind myself that relaxing isn't goofing off, but a very productive time to recharge emotionally, physically and mentally. It's not that relaxing or interesting to stay at home on days off, since I work from home. But where to go on a rainy day for free? The gym is top of the list because I love going there, but it's not very spontaneous.

I have added to my Google Calendar, that Mondays are a day off. Now that it is on the to-do list, I am hoping it will get more respect. That means no computer time (for fun or for work due to too much screen time during the week) and not aloud to do anything art related. I really do have other interests, I've just become focused on the task at hand, of establishing me and my art. And now I am drawing a blank as to other things I enjoy. That's a sign if I ever saw one.

Wish I could say from now on I will be able to work hard getting things done and take time off without thinking of work. This revised view of relaxing is productive should put me in the right direction.

Do you like this new format for week 8 or do you prefer the old style? Cast your vote in the box on the very top right of this blog. Your feedback helps shape next weeks HITS.








read:
Week 9 HITS
Week 7 HITS
Table of Contents for HITS (Happenings in the Studio)