Tweet!!

Tuesday is my "scheduled" day off from blogging but I thought it couldn't hurt to keep you interested and get me more and more into the habit of blogging. 

I'm TWEETING!  I have actually had a Twitter account for a few months but I never did anything with it...until now!  Follow me on Twitter, username MikkelPaige.

Like my new Twitter button?  I think it's kind of cute with the little birdie.  I actually made those birds for a paper pack about a year ago (maybe it was more actually) for digital scrapbooking so I'm happy she has been repurposed and resurfaced!

And if you have any insight on ways to use Twitter for a business, all about retweets, hash tags, etc....please tell me!  I'm learning and I could use the help!

Update on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at 5:43PM by Mikkel Paige

I am trying to figure out how to post some Tweets of mine from today to display the cool things I've found in a few hours!  But alas, no success yet. 

For now, it's worth checking out my Twitter page.

I will add a widget to my blog later for Twitter.  We'll see if I'm successful in that venture! 

Let me tell you though, I wanted to be convinced I should Tweet and in just a few short hours I've been convinced.  I'm fascinated!

Step 1: Get Organized...and Photo Shoot Update!

I'm sticking to my business plan of blog topics for certain days of the week but I need to catch up to my busienss plan progress so today's a dual-purpose post. First I'll post photos from Kathy and Jennifer's photo shoot then let you know my first major step in getting organized and on track for my business plan.

First off, my photo shoot "sheet" as I call it, with Kathy and her teenage daughter, Jennifer.  I'm discovering who I am as a photographer and that involves discovering what works best for me not only on location during the shoot but also in post-processing.  This is the scheme I used for this sheet.  It is not definitive of my style but it's certainly a part of it and it indicates I'm artsy, which is true. 

I may not know the camera like some others, and I don't claim to be an expert, but I know I'm talented, have a great eye for some fun shots and good framing, and I have some cool ideas about post-processing.  And this...girl...can use....Photoshop!  Which I'm proud of.  (I was called the "Photoshop Guru" in college and someone called me that the other day at work too actually.  Always a nice compliment!)

Thanks again to Kathy and Jennifer for being so wonderful and inspirational!  I actually love how it turned out.

Next - organizing my thoughts and plans in something dedicated to photography.

Step 1: GET A NOTEBOOK

About 5 years ago I was in the a national design competition for Walt Disney Imagineering (called Imagi-Nations for you Disney fans out there) and during our finalist week in Glendale, CA we got these awesome sketchbooks.  They were Moleskin, that I'm sure many of you are already familiar with.  Moleskins are legendary (so they claim) and have been used by the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Henri Matisse, Vincent van Gogh and even Pablo Picasso. 

What's so special and fantastic about these notebooks?  It's simple - THEY ARE SIMPLE.  It's a hardcover book with plain paper, an elastic band to keep it closed and an accordian-style small pocket inside the back cover.  That's it.  (They actually make ones for musicians with blank music lines, ones for architects with grid paper, and some other styles now but I'm talking about their original books that are still probaly their best-sellers.)

I love these two quotes I found on the Moleskin website:

'My sketchbook is a witness of what I am experiencing, scribbling things whenever they happen.' - Van Gogh

'Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.' - Picasso

The first one's great because it's so true - something happens and you can jot it down.  An idea pops into your head while waiting to pay for your morning coffee - jot it down.  Want to take notes at a speaking engagement?  Jot them down.  It's so easy to use, there's no chance of it malfunctioning and it's so small you can literally always carry it with you.  Sure, computers are small these days but let's be honest - you're not taking your computer into Starbucks in the morning to simply grab coffee.  But what if you have a great idea you don't want to forget?  Jot it down in your handy-dandy notebook!  (And no, your iPhone, for as fast and wonderful as it does, doesn't respond as fast as your hand with a pen to the paper does either.)

The second quote is great because it's most often the case.  Computers don't provide you with tons of ideas.  Your own mind does.  Step away from the computer (as I sit here typing to you!  haha)...sit outside with your thoughts and write down some questions you have for yourself, some ideas and you never know what else can and will happen.

So I set out to buy a note specifically for photography.  I went to Barnes and Noble (because it's close by and I know they have Moleskins) and looked around for the one that would be suit my needs.  But the drawback to Moleskins is that I've only seen them in three colors in person - black (most popular), navy blue and a dark red.  NOT ME AT ALL.  Sure black's agreeable, but when I saw Ecosystem's answer to Moleskins on another display rack I was sold.

They come in fun colors (orange, hot pink, bright blue and lime green - or as they call them clementine, watermelon, lagoon and kiwi...and of course they carry black or onyx as they call it), they're made from 100% post-consumer recycled products, 100% made in the good 'ole US of A and the company's little leaf logo is oh-so-cute.

I pulled this image from their website.  I own the kiwi one because I love green and the size of mine is their small book that's 3 5/8 x 5 5/8" with a hard cover. Like I said, small enough to fit in your pocket - of course, that's if my jeans were loose but they're not so it's small enough to fit in a hangbag in my case!  Below is a photo of my handbag (I switch my bags a lot actually) with my Ecosystem book.  See, I love bright?  My bag's purple and the notebook green - bright, cheery, bold.  Just like me.

Here's photos from mine:

^ Check out those 100% stats!

As an eco-friendly girl (or at least I try as hard as I can to be) I was hooked.  Actually, I didn't even realize just how completely cool these books are until yesterday after I'd already owned it for 2 weeks.

In the back of each book is a unique number.  If you go to their site and register your book you can:

1. Hope that if it's ever lost some nice person who finds it will look inside and follow the instructions that will allow the book to be linked back to you.
2. Find out where your book was made and what your book is made of!  SO COOL!

Here's the back of the book.  The number's on the right in that leaf:

Read on the inside front cover where it tells you what you can discover!

Here's a screen snapshot of what I discovered about my book:

I love that it was mostly produced in the Northeast because I was too!  (I'm from NY.) And I feel like I know my book better now because I know where it "grew up" and can relate as I envision the everygreen trees surrounding the factories, the crisp air, the color of the skies there and more.  Call me crazy, but it's what I think of.  It even tells you when the book was made.  Mine was made in July 2009, which I think is funny because my life was changing for the better then (it's when I reconected with Dan, my boyfriend now and my life was just incredibly happy...as it still is) and I think it's changing for the better now too.

So Step 1: GET A NOTEBOOK

I can only speak to how I'm doing things, my way.  I love that I thought to buy a notebook dedicated to my purpose - photography.  And it's working out really well for me.  Do what works for you!

And I'll leave you with this little "gem" I just got from a Dove chocolate (yum) I had.  Maybe it'll inspire you to do something you've been meaning to get done for yourself.  Happy Monday!

Here's my plan...

I think my blog's been all over the place.  I try to be diligent aout marking my posts with a category (and think I'm fairly good at that) and blogging about what I think is interesting but even I think it's a little all over the place.

As part of my business redesign, if you will, I plan to blog on a schedule.  For the reader I think it's great - you know what to expect on a given day of the week topic-wise while still being surprised by the content of what's going to be discussed within that topic for the day.  For me, it keeps me focused and my thoughts organized.

Last night I needed to get out of the apartment after a long day of sleeping and getting over headache after headache.  I worked a lot this week then came home and did a lot of personal work (photo editing, website stuff, etc.) so naturally I out-did myself and was paying for it by not feeling well yesterday.  So at around 6:30pm, after showering, having something to eat and pulling myself together, I had cabin fever and needed to get out!  I decided to go to Waterford Lakes on Alafaya Trail (if you've never been there it's an amazing, huge shopping center in Orlando close to UCF) to indulge in some Sweet! Cupcakes, go to Joanns to pick up some sewing thread and stop at Bed Bath & Beyond. 

For your viewing pleasure (because I think blog posts are boring without photos) here's the mini-cupcakes taster box I bought last night.  What?!  There's one missing?! Where did that S'mores cupcake go?!! Well...what's left in there is a Chocolate Mint (one of my all-time favorite flavor combos), a Key Lime, and Red Velvet.  I don't like Red Velvet normally but that is because few places know how to do it RIGHT.  Sweet Cupcakes DOES.

 

I've had most of their cupcakes (btw - that dot on the Chocolate Mint one's a Junior Mint candy!  Fun!) but never their Key Lime so I was excited to try it.  There's a Key Lime custard inside (yum) and a fruit jelly sliver on top that always takes me back to my childhood because I used to love those and my mom would bring them home from the grocery store for me.  I digress...  I had an added surprise from the cupcake when I took it out of the paper - it has a graham cracker base!  Genius. :-)  And see the black specks in the frosting?  That's REAL VANILLA BEAN frosting.  Another reason Sweet kicks ass.

Sweet was really busy (that place is a gold mine and deserves it) but I was determined to at least sit down for a few minutes to write in my Ecosystem Journal to brainstorm and get a plan down on paper.

(Ecosystem Journals are like Moleskin Journals.  I originally went to Barnes & Noble to get a Moleskin but I truly believe in recycling so when I saw the Ecosystem ones (and saw they came in fun colors) I was sold!  More on these journals tomorrow when I combine 2 posts into one just to get on schedule.

So I put my pen to the paper and jotted down a few ideas, had a cupcake and left feeling pretty relieved I had done it because I wanted to write down something pertaining to my business plan for a few weeks.  And that desire was burning more and more after the Thursday PUG meeting.

Here's my notebook, which, by the way, has a different plan for posts/days of the week because I organized my thoughts a little more clearly on this post.

So here's my blog plan.  I'm sharing it with all of you so we're on the same page, you know what to expect, and so I uphold my end of the bargain.  It's simple really.  I will lay it out here for you, day by day:

• Sunday: Business plan and progress - what's going on in my photography "career"? How am I getting my site up and running?  Keeping up with my blog?  Marketing myself? Etc.  I think it'll be fun for others to follow along with my success, failures, lessons learned, inspiration and more, especially if they're starting a business, have a business and can provide advice or just enjoy tagging along.

• Monday: Upload and share photos from a professional stand point.  This will help me get on a schedule with my editing and practicing photography.  Even if it's only one or two photos, or 20, at least I'll be sticking to a goal, and a schedule, and sharing my work with everyone.

• Tuesday: Day off (I'm being realistic) - note to self: GO TO THE GYM!

• Wednesday: Artist Inpiration.  I find inspiration in so many places from craft sites to other photographers and scrapbookers, to stories I find in literature or other people's blogs.  I want to share my inspiration with you in hopes it will inspire you and give you a glimpse into where I draw ideas from, which happen to ultimately motivate me.  I hope something I post will keep you inspired and motivated too. 

• Thursday/Friday: Craft project/supplies.  I'll probably flip flop what days I blog on for this to work some realistic wiggle-room into my schedule  So one will be my blog day, the other a day off. My blog was originally intended for scrapbooking purposes but as I grow and "come into my own" it's evolved.  I love photography and that's what I'm focusing on now, however other crafts are very much a part of my life.  I still want to start an Etsy store, I still scrapbook, I still bake and create jewelry so I'm going to reserve Thursdays/Fridays for this purpose even if it's just to share some cool new supplies I bought or that's already in my stash. 
  

• Saturday: Share something about myself.  Should be easy, right?  I'm going to work on projects behind-the-scenes in my personal life on Saturdays too.  Focus on organizing thoughts for the next week, organizing my apartment, staying centered, go to the gym, hang out with friends, do some art projects, etc.

I think I've done a good job in working towards a realistic schedule.  I'm a dreamer and I try to reach for the stars but I think that I'm reasonably realistic and down-to-earth too.  It's important not to be too hard on yourself!  Know your limitations with both your personality and your schedule AND STICK TO THE PLAN.  I'm going to print out this schedule and post it next to my computer so I can't forget to do it.  Inevitably I think the blog may evolve overtime, which is usually a good thing, but evolution needs to stem from a starting point...and this is mine.

I'm off to set up some blog posts for the week and edit photos.  Happy Super Bowl Sunday!



Blog Enhancements

After some inspiration from Studio 222 Photography's Becka and Nate at the Orlando PUG meeting this past week I've been doing some "soul searching" about what I want my blog and website to be.  So...I've enhanced some things this week.

<------  Look left!  I have 4 new buttons I added so you can easily find my Facebook Fan Page, email me, subscribe to the blog's RSS Feed, and quickly find the "about me" section I added last night below. Besides, who doesn't love simple, clean, direct graphics?

Stay tuned...lots more exciting changes happening!

I'm a transplanted New Yorker living in Orlando, Florida since 2006.  I love the warm weather, I love the sunshine.  Sunshine = happiness.  I miss my family and best friends in New York but am so lucky to have awesome co-workers and some really wonderful friends here.

I photograph.  I scrapbook.  I bake.

I love emoticons :-) , acoustic music, dessert, and the feel of an outdoor breeze on a gorgeous day.  I love my friends and family and would do anything for them. 

I stay up way too late.  I go off on tangents.  I make lists.  I have used a Filo Fax organizer every year since 1996.  I follow through with my commitments.  I am organized and detailed oriented.  I am crafty and a do-er who's always busy.  I believe in good energy and am intrigued by chemistry between people.  I am sensitive, caring and loyal, sarcastic, bubbly and blunt.  I am not shy. 

I love being in love and seeing others who are in love.  I am selfless.  I love making other people smile.

I believe that 8 years of sleepaway summer camp, amazingly honest, loyal and loving family members, artistic talent, living far away from home, and the ability to self-reflect/self-evaluate have had integral roles in shaping me into the person I am today and the person I will become in the future.

Orlando PUG meeting

I wanted to thank Becka and Nate of Studio 222 Photography for their completely awesome, inspirational meeting tonight (I guess it was "last night" at this point!).  You said some truly valuable things and made some amazing points and it has just enabled the flame inside me to burn longer to reach my goal of launching a photography website in March. 

Please check out their website, here.  They're such great photographers!

And thank you to Tim and everyone else involved in the meeting, especially getting us all to Ember, in downtown Orlando, afterwards!  Tons of fun and I'm so jealous most of you will be in WPPI in Vegas in a few weeks!  Oh well. I suppose it's something to look forward to next year!

In the immediate future, however, I look forward to staying in touch with a lot of you!!

Sweet dreams!!!