Such A Good Night!!!

I hope you noticed that this posts title required not 1 but 3 exclamation points! I had my portfolio review at school tonight. I wasn't expecting much and had a few teachers in mind who I was less than thrilled to have in the case they would be the ones doing the review. However, when I got there, I was so excited to discover that I had my web design teacher, a woman Matt said was a great reviewer and another teacher I'd never met. I was nervous though, and my friend Nicole said, "it's because you care." She was right, aside from my immediate family, doing this work is the only thing I truly care about, it gives me purpose. I had their rapt attention the entire time, WITH mouths agape, literally, the teacher I didn't know sat there with his mouth open. :)

It couldn't have gone any better, they complimented my use of color, typography, structure, etc, it felt SO good. The teacher I really wanted feedback from told me I had the best student portfolio he'd seen in years. I was bouncing off the walls on the inside of my body. In his notes to me he said, "your skills dictate that you should be employed." Couldn't have said it better myself! When I left, the woman told me that it had been a pleasure to review my portfolio.

AMEN!

I had coffee with my friend and we talked for a couple hours about design about family, felt good to talk to someone new. She's young, doesn't have a family yet, but she is good listener and good for conversation. Awesome night!

Me, Cameron Crowe and Marvin Gaye?

Got some interesting and exciting news today. Don't even really know if I'm allowed to share it, but he won't find out, but let's try to keep it hush hush for now. A friend of mine is a painter, his name is Tony Roko. He is a self taught painter who currently works for Ford Automotive and for a long time he worked on the line, but now he's been asked to return to his duty of mural painting for them. However, this is not what I'm about to tell you. Tony was commissioned to created a work for Marvin Gaye as they were celebrating Marvin at the Motown Museum this year. Tony painted it and got some rave reviews about it. Now, writer and director Cameron Crowe, who's going to be doing a biopic on Marvin Gaye potentially wants Tony's painting in the movie! The cool part for moi is that I created postcards of Tony's work for his press kit and now some of my work is being emailed directly to Cameron Frickin' Crowe! My first and probably only ever brush with fame. I'm quite tickled.

Where My Heads At

Since I've begun this cleansing ritual, I've realized that I'm also cutting off things I didn't mean to. Such as potential clients via some friends, friends who's emails I must obtain and those people who never did anything to me, but who will get swept under the rug because I have no way to contact them unless I break this vow of digital celibacy. Hmmm, what to do, a problem for another time I suppose. But, it has really put into perspective what I need to focus on. Not in any particular order other than brain dumping order: my health, my daughters health, my job search, my portfolio, my ability to learn and retain, the list could go on and on, but these you see are the highlights.

Was busy a couple weeks ago doing an invitation for my cousin's baby shower and I had to have them printed and buy envelopes for them. I LOVE LOVE LOVE how they turned out and it's for a boy so I wanted different envelopes and to match the theme, I purchased an earth friendly version. Love anything printed onto or just made from the same material as paper grocery bags and wouldn't ya know it, the envelopes were called "grocery bag" envelopes. I even found a cheap source that ships for free in the US! Yeah for my cheap ass and my unwillingness to pay too much. Plus, why should envelopes cost $8 and ship for $15? I mean, hello, I don't even think they weigh a pound and your charging me almost double the cost of the damn items themselves?

Something of note that's come out from all of this is I feel like I'm already having more meaningful conversations via email. Strange how a lack of lol's, emoticons and ......'s can change how you feel about the language.

I'll be pretty heads down the next few days getting my portfolio ready for a instructor review at school tomorrow night, working on a website redesign for my final project, creating a hat logo/flyer for a Kentucky Derby event and I'm sure more that Im forgetting at the moment. But, because I've missed you so much, I'll be back soon.

A Cleanse of Sorts.

I did it, and hopefully for good. I really started hating Facebook and to be honest, we had a rather abusive relationship. I would get angry, I would say things I meant and then take them back. Then I just wouldn't say anything for a while. Then of course the nasty messages were sent and posts deleted and the damage had been done. I'm hoping that this is a forever severed relationship, but if not, when I do decide to come back, it will be to a foreshortened list of friends and family who seem to get me. I never mean negativity or unkindness to anyone, but damn some folks just seem to ask for it don't they?

I think too that this will be better for my home and work life. I get so easily distracted by the games, message board etc that I often just sit and surf and come back to it in the hopes that something new and different has been posted, but really is it ever that ground-breaking or interesting? NO! Just like me, it is a lot of crap that you must filter through to get to the real meaningful stuff, but I figure if I'm off Facebook that means I can blog more often and get more done and spend more quality time with the people that surround.

OK, now back to life.

So Much Up In The Air.

As is everyone in life, all things in mine are up in the air. I am trying to surround myself with positive people, positive ideas, progress and such. I've attained potential new clients, thrust myself back into the life of digital scrapbook design and am trying my hardest currently to embrace my necessary schooling that will push me along the way. I don't know if any of you remember or even know that a long time ago I was a part of this great little group at KJOI Studios? I had to step away for a while because of work commitments and other things that ended up actually sidelining my life rather than helping it when I could have been make stuff and having a blast doing it all along. DOH! Well, I took that step and asked the lovely Kara if she'd have me back and she welcomed me with open arms. Thanks Kara, I'm thinking to you that in the future I will owe you my sanity because you may have just given me the place to call my own and hone my skills. I am really excited.

On another note, I met up with an old friend, who was actually a boss of mine in a former life while I worked at the Gap as a young 20-something and I am designing a business card for her and she has a few ideas up her sleeve as well for more and more clients. Oh how I love new clients, it's what keeps me alive. She also sells Aloette cosmetics. Any of you who know me, probably know that I am a no frills, low maintenance kinda gal, but I am 32 now and soon enough my skin won't be gettin' any more elasticy and so Jo turned me on to their line for us ladies who are veering on upward towards the middle part of our lives so that we may maintain our luxurious young elasticity and youthful glow and looking damn pretty to boot.

SO, I said well sign me up after a nice facial and moisture rich rebuff. I feel better, my skin looks better even after only one application too. You need these products, they are a must. Visit her website to order products from her, you won't be sorry.