Day 12: Five Lessons I've Learned from Writing Everyday

Back when I was young & creative, I used to constantly sketch.
Picture by Mark Congdon
(I think? Or whoever I was dating at the time)

When you've tasked yourself to write everyday, you quickly learn what your limitations are:

1. I am not good at schedules or deadlines because I am better at triaging situations that need my attention

Whether it's a client who needs input for her first craft fair or taking a night off to recharge, some things take precedence over writing words on time.

2. Even if I missed the deadline, I'll write the f*ckin' words anyway!

I'm super awesome at getting down on myself when I don't meet an arbitrary goal I've set.

I'm sure some of you are, too.

I suppose I'm feel rather enthusiastic lately!

Custom Elliott Smith shirt by my hubs.
We're thinkin' of sellin' em...

Email me if you want one!

One thing I really took away from podcast Episode 101 of "Explore Your Enthusiasm" with Tara Swiger was the actions we take after we don't meet our goals matter just as much, if not MORE, than meeting them in the first place. She breaks down a bunch of reasons why we may not have met our goals and ways to execute them anyway. (If you wanna listen, click here. There's also a free goal worksheet!)

When I walked around the neighborhood at night listening to that episode, I decided that goals are markers we want to reach. But without doing the work (if we just give up), we'll never get any closer.

So now I just write the damn words!

3. I have nuggets of wisdom in all of this profanity & people enjoy it.

The thing I'm hearing most in the feedback from this project so far is "I had no idea you were so funny!"

*dead pan stare*

... seriously, guys?

... like, seriously?

Ugh. Apparently, I need to talk to you more.

4. I need to work on my "22 minute episode" format.

The thing about slice of life posts is that it needs a beginning, a middle and an end with a moral or lesson. It's the reason sitcoms are so popular: they tackle an issue while telling funny stories that get resolved in 22 minutes.

If you couldn't tell, I'm not concise. I effing SUCK at getting to the point. I need pointers on getting point-y. Help?

5. It's not as hard as I thought. But I don't consider myself a blogger.

My friend, Andie, introduced me to another writer (professional columnist extraordinaire, Minerva Jayne) as a blogger. And while I do BLOG, I know being a blogger is a lot more work than just putting words on the Internet.

I still consider myself a quirky writer. Thoughts?!

I'm open to hearing what you think, internet.

If you're out there : WHAT SAY YOU?!?

Day 3: On Being a "Writer"

via Palmetto Publishing (a source of constant inspiration on my Facebook feed)

I'm going to Shut Up & Write and I'm scared.

Not because they're a bunch of Judgey McJudgersons (although my mentor is because that's how he rolls), but because I feel like a fraud.

The group solely exists to give one an hour to write uninterrupted. The unspoken rule is one it to work on a body of work. But it seems like I just do my client work or social media marketing planning instead.

But I'm planning all this stuff for an ebook I haven't finished the first draft of.

My editor (as gracious and patient as he is) has asked me to write more. "You were doing so well!" he said, trying to motivate me while I was slumped on the floor, overwhelmed with my workload. "Just keep going..."

It's a funny thing about building an empire: you don't expect all the supplies you need to build it up will arrive at the same time. And when they do, you're like "WTF, mate?!?!"

I feel like a fraud cos he also had said something to the effect of "I bugs me when people start marketing stuff they haven't even created yet. How do they know what they're even putting out there?"

*hangs head* *mumbles* I just do. Trust me...? Please?

And, really, I need to trust myself.

I think that trusting ourselves as creative humans requires an inordinate amount of trust. Like, I'm talkin' RIDICULOUS!

Sometimes it may be due to the fact that we feel as if we may need to prove our "worth" to those around us. That we deserve to take up the space that we're currently inhabiting in our little corner of the creative universe. 

But, dude - that's a waste of energy. We don't need to prove ourselves to anyone. We could just create.

When I trusted myself a bit more, I accomplished the following (p.s. I love lists - it's a chronic condition):

• I've put words on pages. 
• I've outlined the shit outta two books. 
• I've got a marketing plan that will be tweaked as we go, as allllll good marketing plans are (because they take into account the feedback they're receiving from the target audience and tailor it to them... JUST to hit them babes in the FEELS)!
• I've assembled a brain trust of humans I will allow to build me up and tear me down at will.
• I've taken class after workshop after lecture on alllllllll things literary
• I've made a bunch of connections with people I truly admire and want to help in any way I can
• I've seen a return on my investment in myself that I quantify with the amount of work piling up (in my notebooks, inboxes, event invitations, business lunches/coffees, meet-ups, etc.)
• I'm scared shitless of the success because I've been used to not being successful for a very long time.

Now I'm at Shut Up & Write. I was stoked to see my friends that I've gotten to know over the last two months reporting on the incredible progress they're making with their projects. Two folks even FINISHED THEIR BOOKS! How amazing is that?!

In SU&W tradition, we all quickly introduced ourselves and shared the current state of our projects. When it came to my turn, I read the few lines of this blog post out loud.

It was scary to do that because I was basically admitting to a group of accomplished humans that I felt shitty about my efforts.

Before the meeting had started, I was delighted to see that Natalie from Gad About the Globe (a rad travel blog which centers around "Bringing the World Home") was already set up at a table. We'd met at an event for the Nonfiction Authors Association MeetUp and had an instant connection over humor, travel and gay dads (for more on that, you'll have to check out her memoir). 

As I settled into my spot, we started talking about different groups we were a part of and what we liked about them. Natalie has been in the game quite a bit longer than I have. I really enjoy hearing about her journey and she always has this uniquely thoughtful perspective that I admire. So when we started discussing a group that I was going to attend, she asked me to let her know what I thought of them. We both agreed when we went to a group, we wanted to take something away from the time we put into it. 

"When I go to an event, I want to grow from it. When I don't feel that way, I have to step back," she said, wisely. "Most of these folks haven't even written their first book yet and so they're still figuring it out. I need something that's gonna help me with where I'm at."

She made the most sense ever in that moment, but also seemed to speak to the tiny anxious monster hidden in my belly - the one constantly jumping around, stomping, shouting about how I'm a faker and I'll never make anything of myself.

After a shallow breath, I voiced that to Natalie, shyly... but it took all the courage I had to open my mouth in the first place.

"But there's a difference: you've got skillz!" she smiled. "You've DONE things and MADE things. You know what you're talking about. You've got SKILLZ!"

Your FACE has skillz, Natalie. *blushes*

Of course, she was totally right, you guys.

She reminded me of something I've been trying to prove to folks (and remember what I said about "proving yourself to others" and how fricken useful THAT is *eye roll*) and to myself.

I know the things. Things be hella familiar to me. I can teach the things because I've taught the things!

But when someone who had only met me ONE TIME before could tell that I knew the things after a 20 minutes conversation... 

THAT shut the little bugger in my belly right up!

My aim as a writer/consultant/mentor to the creative business owners & freelancers out there is to take what is new to them (i.e. starting a business and selling their skills for money) and make it familiar so it's not so scary.

Cos this is scary business. Even I get scurrrred. And the things I've learned are familiar to me... so that should make them easy to translate. Except for the fact that I'm new to writing them down and giving them to people.

Thank you, Natalie and Shut Up & Write for making me face my fears and do the things I already know how to do.

And a huge thanks to Liks for believing in me when I don't quite believe in myself. And for trusting me even when I don't make sense quite yet. If you need an editor for ANYTHING, he's the man! Contact him here.

So... I guess I am good enough. Even if no one believed in me (and I'm lucky that a few people do), I would still be good enough to call myself a "writer."

What are you calling yourself these days?

No, but FOR REALZ! Tell me...

- Steph

nerd JERK First Vlog

The fact that I'm vlogging right now is probably a sign that the universe has made it easy enough for preschoolers to make movies.

And yet, I encourage you to take a few minutes and watch this, cos it's got some important news about some changes at nerd JERK... along with a whole lot of other stuff that isn't quite as important. 

---

However, I would like to take a moment to say that this latest venture into the blogosphere was made possible by the following sponsors:

I got an email on day from Tammy George at PuNk rAwK pUrL with a link to her newest vlog. Although she'd sent it along with a cute joke about her looking like a frog in the screenshot (not true, BTW), I saw the instant connection that can be made with peeps over the internets once you can hear and see them.

Tammy did her vlog in answer to a conversation on My Girl Thursday's blog, in which she's been giving away items (giveaway ends today at 11:59 PM) in celebration of her blog recently reaching 1,000 followers! :D She's now well into the 1,100s, but that's totally reason to celebrate! She had a few questions that were posed on her blog that seemed to inspire answers in their video bloggin'! So, like Tammy, I was inspired to do the same. Check out the questions below the video.

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Steph's First Vlog 
from Steph Cortes @ nerdJERK on Vimeo.

PSST! Here were the questions I couldn't remember on the 4th take of this video:

1.Do you have a middle name?

2. What was your favourite subject in school?

3. What's your favourite drink?

4. Favourite song at the moment?

5. What would you name your children?

6. Do you participate in any sports?

7. Favourite Book?

8. Favourite Colour?

9. Favourite Animal?

10. Favourite perfume?

Image c/o Madame Scodioli

Solid Perfume mentioned in this vlog:

Madame Scodioli's

EUPHORIUM 

$12 USD

Possibly the greatest perfume I've EVER worn. Lovely notes of almond, milk & honey mingle & melt on your skin to leave you smelling of some sort of dreamy marzipan! YUM!

---

And who knows... maybe I'll post some outtakes of the first couple of versions of this once I figure out how to do video editing on my iPad. But until then, I'm afraid you're stuck with one-shot takes! :D

---

Comments encouraged, but please be gentle. ;D

I'm such a n00b!

New Year = New Awesomeness: Goals for Motivational Inspiration in 2011

Custom Red Fox Animal Scarf
by Social Squitten - $100 USD

We all make ourselves a bunch of promises at the beginning of every new year, hoping to emerge better people with stronger willpower and follow-thru. But this year, I'm just gonna state the facts: I'm gonna be awesome-er.

Traditionally, there will be lists of items that we makes to measure our progress. And while I'm a big believer in lists, I'll be the first to admit that I often lose that sheet of paper with all my goals written on it some time by the second week of January. Therefore, I have no choice but to put my list into cyberspace.

Keeping in mind a few things I've learned from some inspirational guru somewhere along the time, I know that in order for these goals to happen, they need to be S.M.A.R.T. ones.

According to Wikipedia, there are many versions of S.M.A.R.T. goals, but for the sake of this blog post, here are the definitive words I'm going to choose:

SPECIFIC: Something that I cannot get away with vaguely alluding to.. such as previously promised awesomeness.
MEANINGFUL: If I give a crap about it, chances are it's gonna get done.
ACTION-ORIENTED: Things only happen when I put them in action. So enough talking - more DOING!
REALISTIC: I'm not going to be King of the World (Master of Geekery is quite enough, thank you), but I know that a certain level of greatness is attainable. Why not reach for it?
TIME-BOUND: With a deadline looming, there's always something to word towards. It's one of my favourite motivators!

Some of my S.M.A.R.T goals for 2011 include:

Orange Luma inspired by
Super Mario Galaxy
by nerd JERK - $46 USD

- Reach 50 items or more listed in my Etsy Shop by the end of January 2011

You guys may not know this, but I have a TON of new amazing products that I've been selling out at craft shows in San Francisco since the end of June 2010. Yeah -- I know -- why haven't I posted it yet? Well, cos it didn't make it past the craft shows! And I had to keep remaking everything... for another craft show... and remake to photograph for Etsy... until the next craft show showed up. So THIS TIME, I'm gonna photograph these suckers FOR REAL! And you're gonna get to see them and swoon... like I do when I make them!

- At least 3 regularly scheduled blog posts a week by March 2011

Another tidbit of knowledge that's only been floating around in my atmosphere is that I have 5 freakin' topics for 5 days of the week that I wanna post... all the time!!! And I've been trying to be better about lining up interviews, giveaways, Etsy Seller tips, Geek Chic Guides and New Stuff Sneak Peeks that I haven't actually gotten around to posting them as much as I'd like. While I may not get all 5 for everyday of the week, I can start with 3 regular posts. And have YOU hold me accountable!

HELLO Convo Calculator
iPhone & Gadget Case
My Tutorial on CRAFTzine.com

- Work towards more reader-based feedback on the blog - 2 to 6 comments per blog post by June 2011

I hope that you all know that I love hearing what you have to say. And I also hope that you know that what you say actually affects what gets posted here. It would be my dream that I could have guest posts and relevant advertising , etc on nerd JERK: Inspire Your Inner Geek, cos guess what? There aren't enough geek blogs representing out there. But it all comes from you. For example, I'd like to start doing more simple Tutorials & Recommended Reads, but I don't know how people are gonna react. Tell me what you want and I'll try to make it happen!

- Make between 5-10 items per week for my inventory for crafts shows 4 to 10 months in advance!

If you were my close and personal friend this past year, you saw how nutty and sleep-deprived I gradually became. I started throwing old fun exercising habits to the wayside and gave into a lot of caffeine and late-night fast food runs (doesn't help there's a 24-hr McDonald's around the corner from my house!). But one can let oneself go in more ways than just weight & health... like sanity. When all you have is 2 weeks before your biggest show yet during the holiday season and your average amount of hours of sleep per week is around 10... total!? You've got issues. Now that's it the slow season, I'll take my time to bulk up on the rad items without killing my wrists (cos I make everything myself) and without as much caffeine. And, hopefully, I'll be able to post more Sneak Peaks at my studio as well!

In keep with some of my goals, I want to let you know that I'll be featuring an Awesome Artist Feature of Amy Ng from Social Squitten and learning about the wonder world of thrifting in the City, living in SF and making the raddest scarves on the planet by hand. Make sure to stay tuned for that on Monday morning. :)

And it'd be great to hear from you: What are some of your goals this year? What kind of dreams will you dare to make come true?

The Roving Reporter - A New Member of the SF Etsy Blog Team

Self-portrait of an artist hard at work. Apparently, Diet Grapefruit Soda is essential.

"It isn't easy being Cheesey!" once said a very famous Cheetah. And now that I have been given a similarly monumental task, I understand all too well.

A few weeks ago, I ended up going to an SF Etsy Team Blog meeting chat at 9 PM on a Thursday. I thought it was mandatory for all SF Etsy members and was looking forward to meeting some new people on the team, as I'd only recently joined. However, when I found that it was just me, Jen of Mama's Magic Studio, Ros of Scottish Lily Jewelry and Eko from Eko Jewelry Design, I found it a pleasant surprise to see that I was actually at a meeting to talk about blog ideas.

I guess it helps when you don't read the fine print; you get some of the greatest opportunities of your life that way.

Having already vowed to myself that I would be better about working diligently to make my own blog a gigantic success (still pending), I'd read up on different ways to work on productivity & ideas beforehand. Going into a chat with these ideas in mind, you wouldn't believe the different kinds of discussions you can have when a whole team is on the same brainstormin' page!

By the end of the chat, I was feeling all geared up after tossing out idea after idea with such fantastic feedback coming at me. And then I did something I never would have done a year ago: I volunteered to write for the Blog.

Keep in mind, I've been against all social media for as long as I can remember (I didn't join MySpace til it was on its way out and I still abhor Twitter with a passion), so even starting THIS blog was a bit out of my comfort zone.

However, when I said,

"Well I have a camera and I love taking photos for my blog. I could go around to craft shows & the like to make the blog more visual..?"

I didn't know that it was going to translate to

"Oh, so you could go to shows, take pictures & do write-ups about them to report 'em back to the blog! That's GREAT!"

... Um... yeah? :D

Thus, one of the newest members of the SF Etsy Team was dreamed up: The Roving Reporter!

While very exciting, it's also very scary to think that my blog posts will be read by anymore than 29 people at a time. :)

On the other hand, it's going to force to step up my game and actually rock out a little harder than usual.

Jenn Meyer (left) & Christina Richards (right) share a laugh in front of the Blue Macaw

as I failed yet again to capture a shot of Jenn doin' the Running Man at Market- SF.

Having already taken on assignments for upcoming/on-going shows in San Francisco, my first post is going to be covering Market-SF - its beginnings, what it stands for and where it's heading. Jenn Meyer of RomeyDesigns & Christina Richards of Finch Design have been more than generous with their time & efforts, so I'll be letting you all get a more in-depth view of the story behind one of the newest on-going artist showcases in the City. Look forward to that post at the SF Etsy Team Blog in the next few days!

My second & third assignments are kind of grouped together in one (except in involves 3 days of reporting and photography!) as I aim to capture the spirit of handmade at the Etsy Meet Up at MOCFA this Friday AND the 3rd Annual Renegade Craft Fair this Saturday and Sunday (11 AM til 7 PM).

I've already sent out a call-out invitation for both SF Etsy members that will be at the Meet-Up and at Renegade to let me know when they'll be available to chat and take pics. Hopefully this leads to some very exciting times for the blog.

Now, if I could only get myself to figure out how to make myself write stuff without the monumental amount of pressure I put on myself to make these Roving Reporter posts the best pieces I've ever written...

How have you overcome challenges that may have prevented you from succeeding in something you REALLY wanted to do well at?

What helped you along? What didn't help so much?

Music is so awesome, but I don't make it as much as I used to

There was a time in my life that I would play music... a lot.

I had a guitar. I had a voice. I could use them both at the same time. And yet, these days, I just stay on my home... catching up with the TV from 2004.

..probably the year that I was "into" music. :)

But just a few minutes ago, I was listening to Sebadoh's "License to Confuse" & really missing MySpace.


If I'm forced to think about it, I probably stopped playing the guitar & singing when I started playing Guitar Hero.


I guess the reason I miss MySpace is because at the end of your blog posts, you could put what you're listening to. I always found that whilst perusing the old posts, I was most interested in what I used to listened to.

I could tell my mood from what I was listening to. I could tell how awesome i felt by the lyrics.

Today, "License to Confuse" starts with a rather angry riff; rock it out & then admit "I'm not attractive today, I'm not a sight for sore eyes."

Today, my entry tells you how fox-tastic I am NOT feeling.

Despite that, I still played some music on my guitar.

Well, not MY guitar. Roger's guitar, since he was under the weather and it seems that every time I play guitar & sing, he gets happier for some reason.

It's probably because I'm not a very good rhythm guitarist. :)

But the point of the story is that Roger gave me my dream guitar for my birthday: A Seafoam Green Squire Fender Strat with pretty pick-ups and a matching Honeytone mini-amp that I can clip into my skirt and rock out with anywhere I'd like! It even has a freakin' hardcase.....

SOMEone loves me!

Why haven't I taken pictures of it yet? I don't know.

But I do know one thing: The first ting I learned to play was "Undone (The Sweater Song)" by Weezer. It's the only song that's easy enough to repeat over & over again and still sounds rad. ESPECIALLY the talking parts.

I need to get pictures of me rockin' out... making music and making music awesome!

What kind of music are people listening to today? What kind of moods are you feeling? I didn't see any music features on your blogs either. ;D

Re-Tooling the Site

Yes, it's that time again...

I've got to re-tool the Etsy Shop so that it reflects more of my awesomeness rather than everyone else's fuzzy feelings that are had from Nintendo inspired geekery.

Which is too bad, since I'm a big fan of making things like that.

The new banner up top shows just one part of the new look. I'll finally be making those rad geeky calculator holders for gadgets (I put my new fancy camera in the BOOBS one, spelled 80085). The two prototypes that I had made look something like this:



Classy, right?

Well, I've thought of a new one: The Calculator from HELL! And it'll have flames on it. Which is relatively rad.

I know there are a ton of people that do gadget pouches, but I'm pretty stoked on my designs since they use rad buttons for the buttons on the calculators.

Also, I'm going to finally make the typewriter Post-It holders. :D They'll come in about 4 colours. They'll also have buttons for keys and come with a Post-It pad to start ya off right!

The new Nerdity Notebook designs are taking a little longer to come up with that I could like. I'd ended up finishing "Spike" the Punk Cactus with a Mohawk (or as I like to call him: "Mohawktus") and Indie Kitty is pretty much finished.

Spike/Mohawktus is going to be screen printed onto pretty awesomely soft shirts with a raging neon pink mohawk. We're hoping to sell a lot of the new items with custom designs this way. :D

If you missed them on our Facebook, then you can catch the concept design sketches right here:




So, as you can see, I've got a lot going on. :D Whew!

Plus, my boyfriend, Roger and I are about to take a trip up to Portland, OR for my birthday on Thursday! Right now we're planning what we're going to do for Friday, Saturday & Sunday... It'll be my first real vacation in a while to my favourite place in the whole wide world! Would love to hear some ideas from people that know the area.

We joked about gettin' married at the famous VooDoo Doughnut cos, yeah, you can really, really do that, but since he nevered proposed with a Cracker Jack ring, it might be jumpin' the gun a little bit. ;)

Plus, sugar has been making me feel MIGHTY weird lately (as in my vision goes out of whack and everything gets ultra lucid) so I think I'm going to only have ONE doughnut... and that's the one I wanna marry... The "Memphis Mafia"..! It combines the ultimate tastiness trifecta: bananas, chocolate & peanut butter! UBER BONUS: It's in fritter form!

Probably contains the amount of calories that would be used to power a street lamp for 3 days but *shrugs* I don't get to eat those but once a year and I'm sharing the one I get...

...maybe.

*narrows eyes*

Would you share a banana fritter (think apple, but replace it with potassium-laden goodness) with cinnamon baked in, topped with peanuts & chocolate chips and striped with a dash of peanut butter & fudge glaze?

Only if you were sane.

Well, here's to hoping lots of working out gets done, lots of blog posts get finished and tons of items get posted before I leave on the 20th!

Rock on!

Motivated Schmotivated

Gee - Remember all that talk about getting off my butt to get things done since the only way to show things can get done is by doing it?

Hehe

Well, instead of doin' a ton of blog posts that not only sounded motivational, but rather interesting reads, I ended up spending time with my awesome sister and her boyfriend in San Francisco last week.

When I had to go and sit down to do some blog posts that I'd been thinkin' about doing all week, my face looked something like this:



Incredibly attractive... I know.

But on the plus side, my sister & I had a lot of bonding experiences.

Yesterday, I ended up doing a ton of gardening and felt rather accomplished. SO much so that I thought I outta conquer that whole "How I End Up Makin' a Comic in a Couple of Days" post. Although I'd had a feeling that it would be relatively EPIC, I had no idea how many freakin' references and back story there were in making a 10 panel comic.

And that got me to thinkin'... How much of that story do you guys really wanna know ANYways?

With having rocked the garden pretty hard and forgetting to eat while asking my boyfriend to get back on task (was supposed to be workin' on his work bench for his screen printing business instead of cleaning 3 year-old paintball splatter that'd decorated our garage door), I felt like I might accomplish almost anything. And then I tried tackling the beast-of-a-post for 1.5 hours.

Things That I've Learned From This Experience or MOTIVATION 101:

- Eat something before takin' on big projects. Your friends will thank you.

- Make a list of what needs to get done. This is like a shopping list, just more prioritized. You can even make sub-bullets of awesomeness needing to be addressed so that you don't forget why these things were important.

- Set time goals. Preferably used for the highest priority items so that no matter what, you have addressed them. An example of this was transplanting the plants between 3 PM and 8 PM in order to still have enough daylight to do so.

- Have a Plan B, C & D for next time. It's not always going to happen the way you'd like it to. Having a plan for getting it done no matter what is what'll help get you through.

Lather, rinse & repeat this process.

Simple, yet effective, folks. Having lists = achieving boy scout-esque preparedness status. Feeling like you're prepared can also help you stay on task.

Today my list looks like this:



And since I'm almost done blogging, I think I've got a pretty good chance of getting the rest of it done.

Holler.

Practise What You Preach - To Blog or To Sit & Stare?

I'm really great at procrastination. Like, for reals.

But I'm also really good at givin' out advice. Oh MAN, am I ever!

Sound familiar to anyone?

*sigh*

Recently, I've been speakin' with the ladies on the D-Listers Team May Forum thread about blogs, giveaways, not-enough-time-in-each-day and "If I plan an awesome party, will they come?" syndrome.

It's not necessarily a pity party; it's more like a "I have this problem. Oh. You have that problem too? Holy crap. No WAY! Man, it's hard" kind of a party.

But being a solution minded type of girl, I thought that maybe we could do something about it. So I suggested that maybe we could hold a team challenge to get us all motivated...

And then this little light bulb went on...



I need to get rockin'! I can yap-yap-yap and dish out awesomeness (like the most solid gold bricks of knowledge that I've stored away in the recesses of my noggin!) til I'm blue in the effin' face, but truth is that you can't preach somethin' that you haven't practised.

Plus, whatever happen to my "Awesome-ating" blogging aspect!? (read two posts down)

SO, BALLS! I've got to get off my tush o' mush and rock some cool topics.

Some of the amazing items that you can look forward to this week are:

- "How I End Up Makin' a Comic in a Couple of Days": This post will be featuring the entire process behind my recent submission to PAPERLINKS.oRG

- "Gettin' a Small Space to Look Like a Big Business": I haven't got a lot of resources (monetarily speaking) to be able to run my business and since I'm unemployed, it makes it even harder to make my business look & feel professional (Spending money to make money is hard when you gots none, yo!). So, I plan on sharing a few steps that I've taken to represent NerdJerk as a whole.

- "What Did You Wanna Be When You Grew Up? : Knowing Your Roots & Using Them to Help Motivate Yourself": I've got some potentially embarrassing pictures (including a 6 year old self with a mullet) to illustrate the fact that knowing who you were when you were a kid, livin' in dreamland and remembering what it is that you dreamt about can really help you keep focus in the long run.

Plus, some Etsy sellers, fellow artists & awesome items should be featured as well!

So, if you're remotely interested in reading about this AND/OR taking part in this (such as being featured/interviewed), please feel free to follow this blog AND/OR email me.

Comments & concerns completely encouraged!

Awesome-ating the Blogger Site... Awesome-ating My Blog Posts!

If you're familiar with Strong Bad and his crazy emails, then you'll get the Trogdor the Burnanator reference. And if you didn't, just click on Trogdor link to check out the awesomeness.

Also, play the song on Guitar Hero II if you have that readily available.

I'm not "Burnanating the countryside" but I'm attempting to Awesome-nate this blog, yo.

I'll admit it, I haven't been too awesome with the blog posts and the links. But since I'm working on getting people interested in what I do and how I do it, or even what other people do and how THEY do it, then I should probably post pretty regularly.

Gotta admit that this is a relatively daunting task, seeing as how I had never wanted to blog before I started up Nerd Jerk or watched Julie & Julia, but now that I've got a brand to set up, I best do something about it.

Strangely enough, the thing that got me to wanna blog better OTHER than Julie & Julia was Zombieland.

Yeah... you heard right. I took my cues from a movie meant to show the funny side of gore.... or something... the neurotic side of it?

And I almost never watched this movie (at all!), mainly cos of Woody Harrelson, but I actually enjoyed his character (Tallahassee) the most. His lack of tact and blunt awesomeness made me open my eyes. Yes, it was him who said "Time to NUT UP or SHUT UP!"

So I decided to nut up.

As you're reading this (all 6 followers that I've acquired over a few months of non-work), you're probably thinking, "Wow... she sure does use a lot of nerdy pop culture references." And you'd be absolutely right.

But it's things like this that inspire me. Sure, I use a lot of crafty how-to blog posts and books to help me figure out how to make things more rad, but for the most part, it's movies, comics and TV on DVD.

So here's to actually nuttin' up (despite my obvious lack of testicles), and bloggin' a whole lot more.

And as time goes on, I'll work on actually making content a whole lot more interactive and awesome-ated.



P.S. Any suggestions as to what ya'll would like to hear about?