An Adventurous Life Archives - Page 19 of 34

The Adventures

Every week is an adventure and this is the view, the path and the finds that made this one special. You can follow all my adventures here.

The view

Kitty yawn!

Finished a new hat!

A finished wholesale order

Snuggling with my handmade throw

Spun by my 13 year old knitting student (she carded and spun the yarn from a local llama!)

The path

This week's email (How to not get bummed about the internet) really struck a chord and the replies have been flooding my inbox in a wave of solidarity. If you've been feeling down in comparison to everyone's apparent success, read it.

Budgets + Boundaries, my advice-column-y take on the tricky issue of your business money + your family, on OhMyHandmade. It sparked deep + sweet conversations during the live chat. I'm always open to chatting about this, so if you need a sounding board, don't hesitate to write. (I might be the only person in the world that really loves my inbox. Don't be shy!)

The ladies at Create Hype interviewed me! You can read the truth about fear (uh, yeah, I have it!) here.

The finds

“Sometimes we set out to do something, like write a novel, and we fail at writing that particular novel. But in the process of failing at that novel, we can actually succeed at writing another.”

-Wil Wheaton, in this awesome post on failure. (Thanks to Kim's newsletter for the link!)

(This is doubly true for business. You might start to sell one thing, and have one kind of business and decide to change your mind (500 times). While you've “failed” to do the first business, that process created your better idea)

This is a beautifully honest post by Diane. Please read the whole thing.

Thanks to Alex for sharing ReciteThis. With it, I made this in about 30 seconds:

What was your adventure this week?

The Adventures

The view

Every week is an adventure and this is the view, the path and the finds that made this one special. You can follow all my adventures here.

The first flowers of the year!

How my to-do list gets done

Starbucks Vanilla Spice Soy latte: my new best friend

Eep! I pinked the tips of my hair (instead of the front stripe)

Currently knitting

The Path

My week was filled up with class discussion and solo-sessions with Starship members (I had five, which might be a record!). It's so invigorating to talk to interesting people about their adventure.

I just brought on a new writing client and I'm just loving the inside view at a business I've long admired. I don't do much writing-for-other-people because with the wrong fit, it can be draining (for both of us!)…so I'm also delighted (and a little shocked) when someone finds the info and signs up. Which reminds me, I should probably mention that I do that kind of thing, sometimes.

Banana yarn finally (finally!) came back in stock! I've got just a few skeins left, and you can grab 'em here.

I'm a Frockstar! Karina Dresses said so!

The Finds

I was delighted to learn that fellow coffeeshop-regular David makes music I love. Listen in here.

Handmade Ryan Gosling. And Feminist Ryan Gosling. Thank you, internet.

This retreat is SO close to me, I almost can't not go. Who's coming with me?

This envelope for expenses is going to the change the way I live (currently: all recipes for a whole year go in sad, torn-up envelope at the bottom of my purse)

Bonzai Aphrodite is back! My favorite vegan-ish blog.

The Adventures

Every week is an adventure and this is the view and the finds that made this one special. You can follow all my adventures here.

The View

The finds

On my car trip yesterday I listed to this interview from On Being, with Seth Godin. It is so good. Every maker, artist, or thinker should listen in.
Tammie Bennett made the MOST AWESOME map. Check it out here.
Confession: I know nothing about who comes to my site or how they got here. I check Google Analytics every once in a while, but I'd like to be smarter about it. Thank goodness Diane is teaching this series of classes.

My path

How to plan your daring adventure – my post on the Karina Chronicles
Right now I'm in Cookeville, for my mom's first EVER Art exhibit! There's an opening reception tonight at Corner Coffeebar + Arthouse. If you're nearby – stop by and say hi!
The best part of this week was opening the new class and meeting the new students! Join us here.

The Adventures

Every week is an Adventure..and this is the view and the finds that made this one special. You can see all my adventures here.

The view

The Fonz + Pinky Tuscadero

Stella crushing my arm while I try to work

Love-y wrapping for the Month of Love packages

Valjean + Javert

Planning my next class

The Finds

Love this card that Amy sent me (get yours here!)

Yay! Sat down to spin a Dr Who + TARDIS yarn...and got this @amysnotdeadyet card on the mail! #serendipity #drwho

Tammie Bennett (my new favorite artist) sketched everyday for 100 days. And then made an adorable video:

I get a lot of questions from people who haven't started their businesses quite yet. And while I answer every single one, I'm far more interested in talking about all the middle parts. So I'm delighted when I find something I can recommend that covers all those just-launching-your-site steps. Paul Jarvis's new book, Be Awesome at Online Business, is exactly that. From finding a designer to writing your content to preparing for the launch, it's got what you need. This is my new official answer to “Where do I start with a website?“

And if you wanna get started with having a business selling your art or craft, Leonie's got you covered. Her business guide has every single step from pricing to printing your prints to shipping.

What did you find this week?

If you love yarn…

This is for you, yarn-lovers!

(If you don't, scroll down for business-y goodness.)

Today begins the 5th Annual Month of Love, over at my yarn company Blonde Chicken Boutique.

To celebrate (and introduce it), I made a video:

To suggest a yarn, head over here.

And if you have a creative business…

I actually started this SIX years ago, but…I kinda forgot all about it last year (oh yeah, I was a little busy writing the book!) The project taught me all kinds of things about marketing, talking directly to your customers and collaborating…but for now, I'll just leave you with a question:

What do you do every year (or month, or week) to collaborate directly with your customers? What could you do?

The Adventures

Every week is an Adventure..and these are the view, the finds and the path that made this one special. You can see all my adventures here.

The View

A new place for shawls!

My long-lost favorite bobby pin

A Mary Oliver poem read New Year's morning

The Finds

The BIG FIND of the week was a Scrappy Trip quilt-along. The best way to view it is the Flickr group, or the Instagram tag #scrappyquiltalong. The pattern is here…and I will be starting it this weekend.
If you wanna join me, this is a great guide to how many strips (and thus, fabric) you'll need.
And in between this weekend's quilt obsession, I jumped all over the Seafoam edition of Project Life. Can't wait!
If you've been wondering how to eat more veggies, whole grains and less meat or cheese, this series is a very good place to start. (You don't have to be fully vegan to want to eat more vegetable-centric meals!)

The Path

It was completely delightful to get to meet Maritel. If you missed it, you can catch up on our conversation here.
I opened up the Map-Making Guide this morning (yes, I use it to make my quarterly plans!) and was overwhelmed with the desire to update it ALL. So I did! New fonts, new facts (gathered from over a year of helping explorers make their own maps!), and a few edits for great clarity.
Finally! I jumped into a “public” Facebook page. Hang out with me here?

How was your week? What was your view, path or finds?

New Video Series + 12 Questions with Martiel from CraftyLink

I had a lovely time when Martiel, of SewMantra asked me 12 (very compelling) questions, live on video, for CraftyLink.

She asked about being the scientist and the guinea pig of your own experiments and why Right People are important. You can watch the whole thing here:

Sigh. Right at the end my power cut out and I lost my connection!

This is the first in a new series of videos.

Every Wednesday (for at least this month), I'll answer one (or more!) of your questions via video. Got a question about sharing your work, talking to your customers or growing your business in a sustainable way? Ask me in the comments, or privately here.

Trust. Adventure. Explore. Beam. Boldly.

After working through Leonie's yearly workbook and finishing the Captain's Log (a new workbook/journal/stay-on-track-er that we'll be using in the Starship all year), I'm practically glowing with gratitude for 2012 and hope for the coming year. My favorite part is seeing how the disparate pieces fit together to create some overall themes and lessons.

2011 was the year of Yes.

Last year I wrote that I had learned (from 2011!) that saying yes even when I'm afraid led to amazingness. I practiced this consciously in 2012, saying yes to: a book party (and my first live-speaking thing…ever!); my first live workshop; following my enthusiasm; feeling good; creating what I longed to create.

Tara Swiger teaching marketing in Seattle

2012 was the year of Trust.

The thing with saying Yes? It involves a heckova lot of trust. Trust that you'll figure it out. Trust that it's all going to be ok. Trust that you've done your best, and now you need to let go. Trust that you're enough. Trust that connecting is more fulfilling and profitable than closing up.

2012 was the year of Enthusiasm.

Saying yes to my enthusiasm is something I learned this year from reading Sarah J. and idea-partnering with Kelly P. I followed my enthusiasm towards Project Life, quilting, embroidery, writing on new topics and finally, finally finding the balance between creativity and work in my daily life.

2012 was the year of Adventure.

Oh the adventures!
Publishing: writing, writing, writing, thousands and thousands of words every day; working with Shannon on the cover, title, layout; the endless tiny changes; and then! the release day! The lovely reviews, thrilling book party, guest posts, interviews, giveaways; and then! A royalty check! The magic!

Traveling: San Diego, Charleston, Boston, San Diego (again), Seattle, Asheville, Nashville, Knoxville for dates with a new baby and old friend, the heart-breakingly beautiful Oregon coast, the redwoods, the campfire pancakes.

Writing: Yes, the book, of course, the book! But I also wrote an three email mini-courses (one of them is free, here), a book read-along guide, a class (and then workbook) on blogging effectively, an all-new Holiday Sanity Guide, the Captain's Log, and the truest, most enthusiastic blog posts in my 10 year blogging life. And for the first time, writing came easy, it was a part of my life and my world and the very way I live in the world. And it's always, always an adventure.

And with these lessons, with trust and enthusiasm and adventure, I turn towards 2013, the year to…

Explore

hot air balloon

While I have fewer “traditional” explorations scheduled (I'll be traveling much less), the close-to-home approach is giving me a chance to explore deeply. Home, new projects, researching what works for others, experimenting with what works for me…all of it is about exploring. I don't know what exactly it'll mean (yet), but here's what I do know:

Last June I sat down at the beach and outlined a whole new class – the title: Explore You. Obviously, now's the time for it.
There's so much I don't know, but so much new info I close myself off from, to avoid overwhelm. Explore gives me the frame to learn more, and be open, in a focused, healthy way.
I've started listing Things To Explore, and think I'll pick a new one each month.

Beam

I don't really get this one yet, but it came to me, strong and true and..Yes, Ok, BEAM. Here's what I know about it so far:

It's my job to not just shine my little light, but to make sure it beams.
Tractor beam, sunbeam, beaming beacon, a lighthouse beams into the darkness, beaming smiles
A light beams when: it's not gunked up with stuff, it is focused in one spot.

Join me. What was 2012 the year of? And what will 2013 hold?

This is one of the (over 45 pages of) exercises in the Captain's Log. If you'd like to get support (and practical dream-reaching), beam aboard the Starship. It closes to new members tomorrow.

The Holiday Adventures

Every week is an Adventure..and this is round-up of the view, the links and the inspiration that made it special. You can see all the adventures here.

The View

The finds

I was delighted to be a guest writer on DesignSponge this week. Read my post about enjoying the holidays right here.

The Internet blew up over Instagram's new Terms of Service. Here's the scary way of looking at it…and here's the less-scary way of interpreting it (short version: YouTube + Twitter have nearly identical language). I'll be on Instagram for the near future, but I'm also on Flickr if you've moved there (with their new app, I'll be more involved in commenting, fo sho.)

“Your life is too short and too valuable to fritter away in work.” I can't wait to read this book, How to Avoid Work.

This video is my favorite thing of the week, for thinking about how I want to work in the New Year.

And with that, I'm offline (except for welcoming new Starship Captains aboard) until the new year.

Speaking of, the Starship closes January 3rd. If you're curious, sign up here to learn more about who the Starship is for, and to get to know a few of the members. And if you're hoping to get my book or any support for your biz for a holiday gift? Here's a template for asking.

The Adventures

Every week is an Adventure..and this is round-up of the view, the links and the inspiration that made it special. You can see all the adventures here.

The View

The lovely Johnson City

The finished tree

Yarn Mail by Christmas-tree-light

Back-of-the-couch snorgling

Sewing by Christmas tree light

This hat gets the best reactions…because it's a Happy Hat!

The Finds

“Yarnover Truck is your local yarn store on wheels, implementing the food truck business model and applying it to a mobile yarn store.” How cool is that? Support these clever entrepreneurs right here.

It's official. We're a total trend. This morning NPR did a story about what we're doing here: young (ish) entrepreneurs with no outside funding, who are succeeding thanks to….the internet! Read or listen here.

Do you sound like a robot when you write? Here are my tips for sounding like a real human being. (This book has everything I know about blogging)

Balance life + business during the holidays with this post on The Karina Chronicles.

Planning your New Year in your creative business? Tammie has a list of 10 things people + spaces that can help you with that!

What were your adventures this week?

2 years ago: Sabbatical
3 years ago: My real-life yarn shop
4 years ago: Seattle recap