Lady in Waiting: Studio Renovation

Phelps's Laws of Renovation: Any renovation project on an old house will cost twice as much and take three times as long as originally estimated.

Per my previous post I was so genuinely excited about, the project idea and preparation started out strong. The problems, however, are beginning to slowly chip away at what was assumed minor finishing steps to the studio remodel.

The initial prep work was done two days early last week: selecting and ordering carpet, selecting an affordable contractor for minor drywall repairs and wall/ceiling texture application, stripping borders, pulling nails, and clearing the room of items that collect in an unused/unfinished room. The contractor was supposed to arrive and work Wednesday and Thursday. On Tuesday evening, due to problems at their current assignment, my project was moved to Thursday and Friday. On Thursday afternoon, after not arriving that morning, I was informed my job would be moved to Tuesday. At that point, my project was now seven days behind schedule. In the mean time, all the items moved from the project room have been occupying the floor space in my current tiny studio; this is not good for productivity at all.

The contractors arrive today, a very nice family crew of three. Introductions are made, and instructions are gone over again. They methodically and systematically get to work. Toward the end of the work day, problems with the construction of the room begin to emerge. Drywall damage that was not noticed or foreseen show up due to the "wet" texture applied to the walls and ceiling. Poor workmanship of prior repairs and nicotine stains are now apparent. Now it's time to discuss newly required repairs to fix the unexpected damage. I am bummed out to say the least; however, that is only temporary. It is not my style to see the negative side of things. I can always find the bright side. I am very capable of seeing my vision come to fruition.



We now negotiate the resolution and the cost and time of the new issues. We consult our calendars and come up with a plan of action. I will not be beat down by a mere delay, nor the additional expense and time. I have decided my goals, and taking my action steps; something I've become very accustomed to doing in my Artful Success program now.



Although we have issues to resolve - more repairs to ceiling and walls, and cost and time of painting has now been added to the project - the carpet installation will go as scheduled this week. The contractors will be back on Monday to continue working.

While it's true I am behind my ideal schedule, I am still excited about my vision and my new studio space!

Have you had a home repair or remodeling setback disappoint you lately? Were you able to stay positive? I hope so.

Much Love.

Organization Motivation Inspiration

I've been very busy the past few weeks with several things, including inspiration for a new project. Although school started last week, we were once again enjoying a fun weekend on the go; which including motorcycle riding, swimming, sunning and live music.

This week though, due to my work in the Artful Success program, I was very motivated and inspired to get to work on my newest project; upgrading my studio/office space. I'm now concentrating on completing a room remodel we started months ago. This will give me some elbow room to make very special work for very special people - doing what I love to do best!

Originally, it was to be a master bedroom; however, this program has caused me to think about some things. Last week I decided it will be completed sooner than planned and used as my studio/office until our larger garage-slash-workshop can be built. Since moving, I have been cramped into a small spare bedroom; I was used to a large studio space with plenty of storage. I really have been frustrated with it, and was avoiding the room altogether much of the time. This has affected my creative production. Also, I cannot stay organized because there is no storage. I have plastic tubs everywhere and dig through them to find things. That makes more chaos and mess to clean up, and it's just a vicious cycle. It feels very claustrophobic.


Therefore, I decided to temporarily claim the "master bedroom". I have now ordered the materials and hired a contractor to complete the job. I can move my workshop into that room, install storage units and get organized again. This will be a breath of fresh air; literally, because I'll have two large windows for cross-ventilation of fumes.


I'm also working on restructuring my business, changing the name, and revising all my websites over the next few months; that story to be continued. For now, I have much work to do preparing the new studio for business and creating new work. I'll post more pictures about the new studio as it progresses over the next month. I'm so excited about it all!

What new project have you been inspired to work on lately? I hope it brings you much enjoyment...

Much Love!

Travel Humor and Frog Appetizers

"Your ability to go through life successfully will depend largely upon your traveling with courage and a good sense of humor, for both are conditions of survival." ~John R. Silber



This has always been one of my favorite quotes. I'm not sure if it is because I have "traveled" a lot on my journey of dreams or because I BELIEVE you should never leave home without your sense of humor. Plan to make it part of each and every day, like brushing your teeth or combing your hair.

I am very busy with my "Frog" Appetizers today. Tomorrow I will be eating a large Frog, whole. Lately, I have not liked Frogs so much - I've avoided them completely as a matter of fact. To help you decipher the strange code language you are probably now wondering about, I'm referring to my task of doing things (frogs) I do not wish to do, with the best of my resistance. Frogs are what we refer to in the Artful Success program as "the things we avoid and procrastinate, yet we know we need to just do them".

This summer, I had a long list of Frogs I needed to chow down on. I was traveling 3 out of the last 6 weeks and then fell ill for the last 7 days; however in the world was I going to chomp all those Frogs with that schedule? Well I finally told myself I was not allowed ANY excuses; valid or invalid. I woke up this morning full of energy and hopped right to eating those Frogs. My energy held out, even though I was so sick last week. I accomplished not only unpacking a number of boxes from my move; but also, cleaning, laundry and answering some email.

I'm on a roll now and ready to get right back to it tomorrow. This is a great feeling of accomplishment and I want to keep it going!!!

What large "Frog" do you need to eat? Just think about what a great feeling it would be to chomp them down, gobble them up. If you need a little help, you can find some over at Tonya Davidson's - Artful Success website. There are tons of tips and tricks and free videos over there. It's worth the travel!

Much Love!
xoxo

Friend or Faux... and have I mentioned Johnny Depp yet today?

"Anybody can sympathise with the sufferings of a friend, but it requires a very fine nature to sympathise with a friend's success." ~Oscar Wilde

This is the perfect quote to segue into my thought for today! 'Supporting and giving positive encouragement to your friends or family in their personal business and/or struggles' ... a subject I'd been pondering lately in my work with the Artful Success program (because we are there supporting others), and then it came up again today. So I say it's close enough to three times that I want to express my thoughts on it.

So I ask you, do you support your friends and family's successes - in a manner that's clear and understood?

Do you do that; give encouragement and support or do you keep quiet, assume they "just know" you support their efforts, their endeavors? I mean, do you say it, do you discuss it with them, do you discuss it with others on occasion? Do you click "LIKE" on Facebook pages, posts, links? Share their websites & fan pages (referred to as "link love") the way you might share your favorite music video, news article or photos of dead celebrities? It's helpful and important you know. Do you Retweet their links on Twitter when you see them and say to yourself, "Hey, this would probably help them out a lot to spread their information out in the world, give them a little extra exposure in the sea of social and media overload"? ...Do you think like that? Do you do that? Do you realize it's helpful, it's desired, it's supportive?

I'm just saying... because they'll remember it, they'll appreciate it. They LOVE it! We LOVE it! I LOVE it! It isn't about validation; nope, not at all. They don't need it to feel accepted; they need it to feel "supported". It makes us feel big love, all warm and fuzzy - by those we admire and love back.

Now, don't get me wrong... I'm not saying it's a condition of love and friendship, because it isn't that way at all. I just began to wonder if it was common knowledge to those that don't rely or depend on social media and referrals for new and additional business connections. Personal referrals and testimonials are a business's life blood. Especially small businesses, the self-employed and artists - like me and so many other entrepreneurs.

So go on, show your favorite business people a little "Link Love" every now and then. They won't forget you. They won't forget you even if you don't share Link Love...

Just a little "public service announcement. Now back to your regularly scheduled station".

Much Love!
<3

Technology: Addiction or Necessity?

Last week I left for my final "vacation" away from home for the summer. I was very excited to see my family, and have been having a wonderful visit.

Naively though, I assumed I would be able to spend time on the Internet, on my design journals, and on my "Artful Success" program to-do list. Little did I know, it would not be as easy as I thought. Not only was the Internet availability intermittent, at the speed of dial-up connection, but my cell service and phone Internet was not much better. Is it just me, or does that make you want to beat your head into the wall also?

This little jaunt away from technology made me realize just how much we depend on modern technology for so many things - every day! This caused a problem not only with keeping up with tasks and with downloading and reading my "Artful Success" weekly update information, but also keeping up with my intended goals for the week. Had I realized this might happen, I would have planned an alternate set of goals ... and brought a few books to read.

Just goes to show, when you are passionate about what you do, it ceases to feel like a job or a chore - and turns into another form of passion.

What job or task are you doing that you are passionate about? Does it feel like work, does it fill you up?

Much Love!
<3