Another year, another change

So, it's been almost two years - wow! - since my last post (which was, coincidentally, about transformation) and now I'm here to talk about what a difference a year (or two) makes.  Almost two years ago, I decided to pursue more of my digital design work due to competing priorities. This met with varying success - sometimes more business than I could handle on top of too much "day job" duties made me have to put it on hiatus for a while, then started up again last year.  I hadn't been blogging much in the past few years anyway, since work and Facebook seemed to be where most of my social time was spent.

Anyway, 2014 was full of challenges and rewards. Day job was a bear as always (working 50-100 hours per week), and my part-time gig, Sterling Design Studio, was also keeping me fairly busy. Then at the beginning of October, my wonderful boss was let go and our whole department was combined with another, less worker-friendly department in an unexpected restructuring.  From then onward, I was miserable, overworked, and really not liking the way things were headed.  I'd already been having to turn business away because of work conflicts, but with the new supervisor, I was going to have to cut back or even quit the artwork altogether.

About that time I ran across three things that had a major impact:  the books "Be a Free Range Human" by Marianne Cantwell and "Escape From Cubicle Nation" by Pamela Slim, and this video of a commencement speech by Jim Carrey. 



http://www.buzzfeed.com/maycie/this-61-second-video-of-jim-carreys-commencement-speech-will?utm_term=.da6OkYAZq&sub=3324049_3121257

There's more about what transpired here (SM Freedman Blog) in an interview that I gave to S.M. Freedman, author of the "The Faithful" and one of my clients.  (Side note regarding that book: one of Oprah Winfrey's staff read it and liked it enough to give to Oprah to read, and suggested it for her book club. Congratulations to S.M. Freedman - a great writer and a wonderful person!)  

Anyway, to make a long story short:  I quit my day job. Am now a full-time artist and writer - just like I've always wanted to be. :)  Where it will lead from here, who knows... but at least I plan on enjoying the journey while I can.

So, that's my recent big news - what's up in your world that you'd like to share?

Magical Mondays: The Power of Positive Visualization, Part 2

Well, I decided to not go into too much more detail about the last post and risk boring you. So, to cut a long story short: I did reach (and surpass) all those monetary goals that I kept in mind, one after the other.

First $9/hr, then $15/hr, then $64K/yr, and the one after $64k/yr -- $120K/yr -- is now within a few months of my reach should I continue to pursue it.  In fact, I've already crossed that one off my list and moved the next goal into first place, even though technically, I'm not there yet.  It's just that I KNOW I could if I wanted. All I have to do is switch from employee to consultant, which I might do next year.

Keeping goals firmly in mind -- and believing you'll reach them -- really works, folks.

Even for healing, as we can see from the placebo effect.

Definition of Placebo effect

(from http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=31481)_

Placebo effect: Also called the placebo response. A remarkable phenomenon in which a placebo -- a fake treatment, an inactive substance like sugar, distilled water, or saline solution -- can sometimes improve a patient's condition simply because the person has the expectation that it will be helpful. Expectation to plays a potent role in the placebo effect. The more a person believes they are going to benefit from a treatment, the more likely it is that they will experience a benefit. (highlight and italics mine)

In 2006, I was at work and had sudden, bad chest pain. I went to the ER and they took some images. The first one, on 6/22, showed evidence of a compression fracture. I saw a specialist who looked at the images and agreed. He wanted me to wear a back brace, which I didn't really want to do. When I went to be fitted for the brace, the office I had to go to was closed and it would be a couple of weeks before I go again. 

Over the next two weeks, every single day and several times a day, I strongly visualized my back healing and repeated over and over, "my back is completely healed."  I believed it would work, and was already feeling better by the time I went back for the second set of images on 7/9.

 Below are the results from my own medical record taken 17 days apart.

Of course, people could always come up with alternative explanations for what happened; however, I believed that my back was healthy, and it was. Yet, that's mild compared to what others have been through, and their sheer determination to overcome difficulties.  Morris Goodman comes to mind, and I know there are many others out there as well.

Do you have any stories you'd like to share about the power of positive thinking in your life?

Promos and Motivation

I've read a few books lately on Indie publishing, and it seems the thing they stress the most is social networking - promo, promo, promo.

Being a naturally reclusive type, that is a bit hard for me.  However, it did occur to me that while I might have a hard time self-promoting, I don't mind at all to promote other people's work when I like it.  In fact, I started to wonder why I'd never invited any of the authors whose cover art I did to come by my blog and talk about their books.  Seems a natural thing to do, right?  And why haven't I done more book reviews?  I've read tons of books this past year - many by my blogging pals.  I could have been active in promoting them - I have no problem pumping up other writers on my blog, facebook, and twitter.

So, to those of you I've overlooked:  My deepest apologies; I'll remedy that situation very soon.

To myself... maybe I need to create an alter ego to peddle my own stuff? lol

Meanwhile, I've got three - count 'em three - WIPS I want to finish this year, but I'm finding it hard to stay focused and motivated.  However, I did narrow it down to two to focus on, but I still need to choose one to finish first, and decided to ask for you help in choosing by posting two excerpts to vote on.  You can find the candidates in the header tabs above.

With that in mind, I also decided to take a page from the awesomely talented Avery DeBow and try a Mad Lib (or, as she called it, Bad Lib) approach to finish the chosen story. Avery had posted a bit of a story each week, and asked for people to supply words which she had to include in the next week's excerpt. Her end story was incredible, and while I don't have the same amount of talent as Avery, the utter horror and shame should I fail to produce something might just be motivation enough to keep me going.

Mind you, both of those ideas fill me with utter terror.  You might not bother to show up.  You might hate both excerpts and refuse to vote.  You might hate the mad lib and not participate.  You might hate me.

And worst of all, I might be incapable of producing anything usable in such a manner on a weekly basis.

Oh, well.  All I can do is try.  If you don't want to play along and torture me even more senseless than I already am, I suppose I could just randomly pick words out of the dictionary.  It does lack that motivating, public humiliation factor, though.

UPDATE 6/30: By the way, if you participate, I'll promote your book across facebook, twitter, amazon, etc., and you'll be entered to win a free cover art package should you wish to receive one.  Just let me know.