Lovely Web Links: June 28, 2012

+ Great tips for designing your website. (via Nubby Twiglet.)

+ Graphic designers - here are some great tips on how to build a font library.

+ How to digitally add handwriting to your photos using Photoshop.

+ Feeling social media obliged? Here's how to deal.

+ The most amazing home, in a crazy mix of styles - but it works! (This is why I love interior design!)

+ Photographer Susannah Conway (whose book reading I'm attending in July, eek!) just launched a self-guided photography e-course called Photo Meditations. Sounds simply lovely.

+ Katie's 9 year-old daughter Hope guest posts on her blog. So sweet.

Happy Thursday!
 

Lovely Web Links: June 21, 2012

+ I love this photo by The Sartorialist (and gosh, I want that dress!).

+ How to keep your cool as a small business owner.

+ So true.

+ All about blending modes in Photoshop. With colorful (and easy to understand) visuals. Thanks, Katrina!

+ Color + Beyonce = Beyonce Palettes.

+ I didn't know a flying camel would make me laugh this much...

Happy Thursday!
 

Creative Inspiration: MetroCard Collages

Even though I live in LA, my love for NYC is still burning strong. (Can you believe my husband has never been? I sense a trip in our future!) Combine New York with collage art, and I'm pretty much in love. Which is why I'm so crazy about these collages by Nina Boesch - she collects discarded MetroCards and re-purposes them into some amazing NYC-themed art. I love that she's able to find beauty in a medium that most would overlook, and that a limited color palette doesn't limit her creativity. Booyeah.

[Collages by Nina Boesch via Apartment Therapy]

Happy Wednesday!
 

Oh, Monday...

[Image via Pinterest; original source unknown]

Is it just me, or is anyone else having one of those Mondays? (Although, this made me giggle and feel a little better.)

Happy Monday...?
 

Life Lately: June 15, 2012

This week: reluctantly removing part of my face (sadly, it was time for the lip piercing to go as it was beginning to damage my gums); enjoying a yummy breakfast on the most relaxing Saturday of all Saturdays EVER; finding little love notes from Nate tucked away (this one is from 2010 - he sent me flowers while I was on the road touring with CTI!); and setting up my little Sunday morning cafe at Mosaic. It's been a peaceful week, with lots of rest, relaxation, and friends. I'm definitely looking forward to continuing that trend this weekend! (And also looking forward to getting my husband back on Friday! He's been away for 16 days, not that I'm counting or anything...)

How was your week? Thanks so much for stopping by and taking a peek at mine. You can find me on Instagram - I'm @lesleymyrick. 

Have a lovely weekend!
 

Lovely Web Links: June 14, 2012

+ I love Lisa Congdon's 365 Days of Hand Lettering project.

+ Are those social media sharing buttons on your blog posts really doing any good? Sweep the Sleaze is a great read for any blogger.

"...do these buttons work? It’s hard to say. What we know for sure is that these magic buttons promote their own brands — and that they tend to make you look a little desperate. Not too desperate, just a little bit."

+ How do you keep on truckin' after a harsh criticism of your work? Bri and Katie discuss on DesignLoveFest.

+ How to access font variants in Photoshop. So useful!

+ And finally...28 ways Sex and the City would be different if it were on TV now.  (My favorite? "Carrie would refuse to give up her BlackBerry while all her friends make fun of her for not having an iPhone.")

Happy Thursday!
 

12 Goals for 2012: Be Featured on a Blog

[If Carrie Bradshaw blogged, I would totally read it. Image found here.]

The surge of excitement to complete your New Year's resolutions certainly dwindles as the year goes on, doesn't it? It's mid June, and I'm feeling the push again to get moving towards my goals!

Thankfully, it's time to cross #9 off the list - be featured on a blog I admire. (Yes, this is a big one!) Recently, the fab team at Create Hype interviewed me about my Etsy business, blogging, and advice on how to take the leap from a full-time to freelance career.

I must've sounded pretty intelligent, because Create Hype called it "a must read for the artists out there". (Thanks guys - you're making me blush!)

Here's a little  preview:

What advice would you have for someone who wants to move from a career/job to a business of their own?

I think the idea of freelancing and being totally self-employed is highly glamorized in the blog world – but it’s important not to compare yourself with others, and to really know that running your own business full-time is the route you want to take. I love the idea of being a full-time freelancer (sleeping in! making my own hours! creating more art!) – but right now in my life, it makes way more sense for me to have the stability of a full-time job, and slowly grow my business on nights and weekends.

You can find the full interview with yours truly on Create Hype. (Also, here's the complete list of my 12 Goals for 2012 - only seven more to go!)

Happy Wednesday!
 

Indie Business: Why I Do What I Do

[A collage I made for Nate, for our first Christmas together in 2009. Lyrics from "our" song.]

Etsy just launched new About pages for all its shop owners - a place to share the story of your business and why you do what you do as an artistpreneur. And this got me thinking...

...why do I do what I do? Why collage art?

Here's why.

Words, images, colors, textures...individually they are beautiful. But arranged and re-arranged, collaged into something new - the sum is greater than the whole, and a transformation takes place from the mundane into the magical where individual pieces become threads woven into in your story. 

What words tell your story? What photos tell your story? What ticket stubs, subway maps, love letters, song lyrics, photographs, or scripture verses tell your story?

Your story matters. 

Let's capture it. 

If you're interested in a custom collage, please contact me! I'd love to work with you to help tell your story. (And if you'd like, you can take a peek at my new about page here - you might need to be logged in to Etsy to see it.)

Much love, 

PS. I'd love to know...why do you do what you do? 

Rest + Rejuvenation

This week has been a time for relaxation, for rejuvenation, for re-connecting. For reading and relaxing. For realizing my limits, and accepting that I need to make more time to rest. (And for thinking of a lot of verbs that start with the letter "R"). 

Hope you had a wonderful week! Looking forward to sharing a couple of freelance projects I've been working on, along with some new art. xo

Happy Friday!
 

Life Lately: June 1, 2012

This week: cherishing time with my bestie and husband (and wishing I needed a pair of heart-shaped sunglasses!); snuggling up in my zebra hoodie at a Dodgers game;  and checking out the stunning sunset at the Santa Monica pier. It's been a few weeks full of adventures (Disneyland! The beach! Best friends  and family visiting!) and I'm looking forward to some low-key Lesley time in the coming weeks to rock some new art and spend far too long watching Sex and the City. 

On Instagram too? Let's be friends! I'm @lesleymyrick on Instagram.

Happy Friday! Have a most lovely weekend.