Tag: thoughts

Monday Ponderings

Hmmm… just a collection of thoughts on this Monday afternoon.

On savoring life: 

As I mentioned in Friday’s post, I am really psyched about the future. However, I know that once my feet touch Californian soil my heart will ache for the life and friends I have now. So, Friday night my girlfriends and I went to Wichita for a bachelorette party for our friend Lisa. (She still has a month until her big day, but perhaps we can stretch the festivities out longer?)

Last week, we got together with a couple from our church and played board games and let our dogs chase each other for a couple of hours. Tomorrow, Doug has his last show (yes, this will be the last one) with I Heard A Lion (if you’re in the Wichita area please come to Rock Island Live for the show) which is very bittersweet as the band has meant a lot to us for over a year and a half now.

I’m keenly aware that sometimes the things I do will be “the last time” I do them as a resident in my town. While I try not to get bogged down in being too sentimental, I do like this way of thinking. I guess anyone could live like this every day, since we don’t know if we will even be gifted with a “tomorrow.”

So, for the blog, I think I’ll do a few retrospective posts on this house, our garden, and time with friends.

On decorating: 

I am beyond psyched to have another blank slate to decorate! We are getting rid of a significant amount of furniture in the next few weeks and will have to make do with bare bones until we figure out income sources in California. We might have to scrape by for a little while, but I eagerly await saving up for a new couch to complement (NOT match) our vintage gray couch, buying a bed frame, and maybe coming up with something new and different for our dining setup. I’m trying not to buy the cart before the horse, but we will be so close to an IKEA it’s hard not to lose myself in their catalog. Not to make it sound like all I’m excited about is shopping. I’m really looking forward to using our furniture, art, textiles, etc in new and interesting ways! The brown dining room curtains may make their appearance in the bedroom, the green vine curtains could be in the kitchen! Who knows, really, since I have no idea what my apartment will be like yet!

For the blog, Look for some hypothetical inspiration boards in this vein!

Once we settle on an apartment I’ll do a post about floor planning, making different pieces work in different rooms, AND my pallet installment will be getting a creative second life (it came to me in a stroke of inspiration!)

What kind of thoughts are occupying you lately? 

Dreaming.

“Be your own boss.”

A tempting offer that has lured many into work-at-home scams. This is not what I’m talking about, though. I’m talking about doing my own thing–doing something I am passionate about–and getting compensated for it. Enough for the endeavor to be sustainable, and preferably with a little cash to take home as well.

I already mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I’d like to make blogging a full-time gig. Now, I don’t expect to get rich and travel wth world blogging… I know that it’s hard and you have to have a stroke of luck. Even if I start heading in that direction (getting compensated for blogging) I know I’ll probably continue to depend a LOT on my husband’s income. That said, I could use blogging to promote myself and any ventures I decide to undertake. Branching out. Diversifying. Many of the bloggers I admire most do freelance writing, design, or some other creative enterprise that they can devote themselves to, work hard, and ENJOY!

On a side note, most of the more well-known bloggers I read say, “It started as a hobby; I never thought I’d be a professional blogger,” etc, etc. This is kind of frustrating. In this world, we’re told to pick a goal and pursue it. This is my goal but there are tons of others reaching for the same thing and, honestly, crowding each other out. This is a big hurdle that I’m going to have to give lots of thought. I don’t have the solution, anyways. So, there you go, an incomplete thought thrown into the middle of the post. It’s just worth being realistic, I think.

Anyway, back on topic.. Here is my dreamt-up list of “someday maybe” jobs… And I’m not talking that I’ll do all of them. Maybe one of them. Maybe a combination of two. Maybe blogging half time and collaborating with the right person who happens to cross my path. Maybe something completely different.

  • Provide design consultations for home and public areas
  • Refurbish old furniture and have a small retail store
  • Freelance short travel & lifestyle article
  • Own a small boutique B&B
  • Own/run a hostel

What are your dreams? Are you taking any steps to achieve them? 

Focus.

I’d love to transform this blog into a full-time gig, or at least, use the blog as a springboard for a different full-time gig, something along the lines of interior designer/decorator/consultant. There. I said it. I put it out for the bloggy world to know.  That’s the first step, I hear.

This, I have admitted to myself, might or might not happen. Becoming a successful blogger is kind of like becoming a famous athlete or actress… Tons of hopefuls, but hard work and yes, talent, will set one apart from the rest. Clearly, I am currently in “the rest.” Let’s change that.

Homework.

Confession time: I recently read every post from Making it Lovely from the beginning of her blog to now. Seeing Nicole’s home come together from scratch was very encouraging. Same thing with Young House Love.

Tangent: I must keep reminding myself that I’m young, that funds are tight, that I do have a full time job that I have committed 40 hours a week to, etc etc. It’s so hard when the bloggers I admire are in their 30s. And already using their blog (among other avenues) for their living. On that note… perhaps I can be the voice of the struggling fresh-out-of college-niche? Although I’m not that fresh out of college anymore. I’m an in-betweener.

Back to homework: I am list-making, putting it in a binder, and I am filing away a few articles like this one and this one to study and try to take to heart.

Investment.

I’ve bought a camera to use for blogging but have only used it a few times.

Maybe if I knew how to use it a little better?

Do I want to save up for alt design summit next January? Seems like every blogger I follow went to it. Maybe if I’m a little more “established” by then?

Upgrading my wordpress and doing a custom design is something I’m interested in, but website woes I’ve been dealing with this week at work make me second-guess going to the next level. We shall see.

Boldness.

They say “if you want something, just ask.” I would feel like such a pest bugging “real” bloggers with links to my blog, so I haven’t done it. But I need to learn to take pride in my work! So what if my home tour hasn’t been featured on an interior design blog yet (ahem.) I am proud of my photos and my friends tell me they’re great. If my content wasn’t great, why would anyone go out of their way to tell me they like it? They would just ignore it like the elephant in the room. The fact of the matter is, I have had people complement my home and my blog, and instead of going “aww shucks,” I need to grab ahold of it with both hands and try to parlay it into the next phase of my life. This means offering to write guest posts, asking for people to write for me, doing more DIY tutorials (possibly) and just focusing and working hard instead of making excuses.

Right?