Here are a few sites to look at over the holiday weekend if you find a spare minute.
Link Love – Sketching Part Deux
Tag Archives: Link Love
Link Love
Let’s talk about podcasts. I love podcasts. I don’t remember how or why I started listening to them, but they’ve changed my life. That’s not an exaggeration. I used to just turn on some music and get to work, but I’ve found I like podcasts even better. Although, when I’m driving for hours I like books on tape. Ones on becoming a successful creative.
Back to the podcasts, not only do they help me focus while cleaning or painting, and even sleeping, they really help with my motivation. They distract me from the intense anxiety that crops up around painting and they give me great ideas.
Here are my favorites:
Motivation:
These really help me to keep going when nearly everyone around me thinks being an artist and living in an RV is ridiculous. It’s very hard to do what is in my heart when most people are telling me I’m kidding myself or saying things like, “Who does that?” in a really condescending tone. I need help reminding myself that people actually live wonderfully strange lives on purpose. That life does not have to center around making money to buy clothes and a car you need for work. Not that there is anything wrong with that, either. I just don’t want it and people try some very creative ways to force it on me.
TED Radio Hour (I also have TED Talks Audio) If I had my way, every single public television, i.e. gas pump TVs, would only play TED Talks by law. I’m a benevolent tyrant.
The Chalene Show I actually listen to both.
Entertainment:
Art/Business:
The last two are new to me, but Artist Helping Artists is my most listened to podcast and they mention The Social Media Examiner all the time.
Sleeping:
We all have trouble sleeping now and then. I am usually out before the intro is finished. These work really well for me if I wake up in the middle of the night and need to fall back to sleep.
I subscribe to so many more podcasts. These are the ones I listen to consistently (except for the last two in the Art/Business section. I’m sure they will become regulars though).
I use to use Beyond Pod for subscribing to the casts, but every time I got a new phone I had to set up my list. I’m currently using Pocket Cast. I can log into Pocket Cast and I’m hoping, save my subscriptions.
Do you listen to podcasts? If so, which ones? Please share in the comments. Like books, I can never have enough podcast subscriptions.
Link Love (Paleo Edition)
Speaking of a new routine, I have eaten almost 100% paleo for a few weeks. I heard about it for years, as I’m sure you have. I believe I first heard of it from Dooce. Glenn is also a fan. However, I didn’t give it a serious look until I started reading Nerd Fitness. I say almost 100% because I still have goat cheese and sour cream almost everyday and I have a bit of creamer in my coffee. (More on that in a minute.) I have yet to find one recipe I do not adore. And yes, I feel better/more energized/etc. But really, the easy, quick, delicious recipes are what sold me.
I was looking for a cookie recipe to help me break my sugar habit and having some paleo type chocolate is a must. Enter Paleomg. I found double chocolate cookies. My first batch was truly awful. It was heart breaking. I still ate them. *hangs head
Because I still finished them off, (1 a day) I was brave enough to try again. I over baked them. My RV oven usually takes longer so I added time automatically. I added mint extract the second batch because I ran out of vanilla. The third batch I added walnuts. Now I have walnut double chocolate mint cookies and I could not be happier. I bought the coconut sugar to use in the next batch instead of the stevia I have used.
I tried her pulled pork with apples and while I liked it (it would be great on a sandwich with some mayo), I prefer this pulled pork recipe. I have eaten it almost every night for 3 weeks. I tried a few variations, but my favorite way to eat them is to heat up the meat with some pineapple, I love crushed, put it all on some romaine lettuce leaves, add some goat cheese and sour cream, and a bit of jalapeño. So messy, so yum. Heating the pineapple is crucial.
Back to Paleomg. This week I made her cherry jam crepes. This is a little more complicated, but only because you need to make 3 extremely simple recipes. Completely worth the effort. I was going to say it’s great for Sunday breakfast or if you have company, but after looking at it again, I think I’m going to make it just for me again tomorrow. I already have the whipped topping because I made some just to put in my coffee. That’s how easy it is. I just literally whipped some up this morning so I could have it in my coffee. Now I won’t be sad when my current bottle of creamer is gone and I go full paleo coffee. I do like bullet proof coffee, but that is actually more work than making your own whipped cream out of coconut cream. I wonder if I could add butter…..Why can you have butter, but not other dairy?
I also tried my hand at ice cream. I did not add spinach. Yeah, it’s delicious too.
I believe it was the fall of 2010 when I decided to give up Coca Cola. It took me until January of this year to even consider giving up other soda. I haven’t had any since then. I switched to Gatorade, sweet tea, lemonade, etc. Most people would consider all that the same thing, but it isn’t. Not mentally. I back that up with evidence that it took me years to give up other soda and only months to give up the rest. 3 weeks ago I gave up everything else except coffee and unsweetened tea. It has been so easy. I have between 85 and 100 oz of water every day. I actually go to the bathroom less. I don’t wake up in the middle of the night either.
I’m not hardcore paleo, although I’m getting there. I am not above going out for a regular meal with family/friends. I won’t demand anyone cater to my dietary needs. I just prefer paleo.
Organize Your Art Biz
Last week I started my third class with Alyson B. Stanfield.
She is the author of my favorite art business book, I’d Rather Be In The Studio.
The first week, among other things, we were supposed to take a before picture of our office and do one thing to immediately improve it.
Saturday morning showed my office to look like this. Clearly, not operational. My first plan was to just clean and organize the tools. I had already planned on this and thought it was a good place to start.
Sunday night showed the living room /office / studio to look like this:
Johnny and I cleaned, took out the couch frame and removed the upper cabinet. I was seriously procrastinating taking down that cabinet. I started, maybe 5 times over the last few months. I would look at it and just turn around.
I would have flash backs to the bedroom cabinets. Johnny was able to get the cabinet down in 1 entire piece. That is such a huge relief.
After that, we cleaned up the area and Johnny finished ripping up the carpet under the couch.
Clearly, the office is still not operational. I realized I wanted to do something I can start using right now.
When I moved into the old RV I purchased a very cute hanging file box. You could close it up to look like a brief case, but if you hung it on the wall, the files would slide down and you could see everything.
It broke almost immediately and is not functional.
I recently bought a new box for my house files, but hadn’t bought anything for the business stuff. Last night, I went to Target and bought this pretty little thing with matching folders and I bought a dry erase day-of-the week organizer. Eventually, I hope to sit down at the beginning of the week and plan out the week’s larger goals. This way I can see them and stay focused.
I also bought another fire safe. The one I have has a broken lock. I have been meaning to get another for a couple of years, but of course, haven’t.
I am going to use this link to make pretty labels for ALL my things!
Now, I am ready to organize any paper files.
*Edit: I have 2 storage bins that are stackable, similar to this, but not quite:
Image from Personalorganizing.about.com
Currently, both bins are used for art supplies. However, I signed up for stamps.com (another thing that I have been meaning to do for years) and it comes with a mail scale. I realized I will need a portable “desk drawer” for all my supplies. I am going to use one of these bins for all my office supplies.
Serious Link Love
This is some legit stuff. I’m only going to give you 4 1/2 today because I want you to pace yourself. These are rockin’.
In order to go from a “studio” apartment to an RV I need to learn a lot about organizing. I love having a clean house, but I’m not a fan of cleaning it. It always seemed so redundant. Plus having someone constantly tell you you don’t do as much as they do, even after you prove them wrong (hello dry erase, color coordinated chore chart), really puts a damper on the whole thing. I can organize a desk, but I have a bit more trouble organizing an entire house. Not to mention keeping it that way. Enter the FLYLady. Yes.
My tips for FLYLady: sign up for all the emails. It was a bit much at first, but they work. I have very rarely made my bed. Only when I did a big cleaning of the bedroom did it ever get made. I now make my bed every morning and I love it.
The Fitocracy site/app and Arnold 1% Challenge. The site makes working out like a video game. You even level up. You don’t get anything for leveling up, but I plan on making a reward system soon. As for the challenge: 15 minute work outs every other day. You get fancy badges.
A word of caution, the barbell workout may or may not be how I hurt my back. My office chair is definitely a culprit. Also, mostly not stretching.
I felt so amazing after I did these work outs when I came home from work. I would do them as I made dinner and suddenly I had energy. I was actually getting bored before I would get tired. I can’t wait to get back into it.
Yoga Journal: There is a 21 day yoga challenge starting on 5/13. I really want to try that betty out.
Young House Love. I have been reading their blog for a few weeks now. So awesome. I was at Barnes and Noble the other day and randomly came across their book. I bought it. It’s awesome too.