Happy Thanksgiving Day!

I am grateful for the opportunity to have my own craft business and the path I'm taking to begin my photography business, too. I was very happy in my old job, going to sea and playing with fish, and loved working for that company, so when I was injured, I was pretty lost for a while. This has provided me with the opportunity to make an income on my own schedule!
If my back is flaring up because I've been upright too long, I don't have to tell my boss I have to go lie down or suffer until my scheduled break. If I do something to aggravate my back somehow and I'm out of commission for a couple days, I don't have to forgo a commitment I made to a company. The only commitment I have is to my customers and most of my products don't require me to work for 8+ hours at a time, with minimal breaks. I can also craft in the comfort of my own home, where I have access to ice packs and heating pads and a place to rest comfortably, when I take breaks.
I am also grateful for those who have been supportive by purchasing items and sharing Funny Paws with others! It is a good feeling to know my work is appreciated by others - handmade items are one of those things that people either relate to or they don't. There are many artists whom I respect for doing what they love and putting their heart and soul into their work, but their work just doesn't resonate with me. I'm sure it's the same way with some people and my work!
I am in my last week of my Photography Business class online and can't wait to really get the ball rolling after the holidays. I have already put up a facebook page to display some of my work so far and hope to get at least two more couple shoots in before making it official. It is always more difficult to convince the males, it seems, when it comes to couple shoots. I am so happy my husband and I had my sister follow us around while I directed poses, for an engagement shoot. Why? Because my husband really got comfortable with the idea after the first 10 minutes and we now have nice pictures of the two of us, newly engaged, and looking naturally ourselves and happy. I feel like any noteworthy time in a family's life should be recorded - not for "likes" and popularity on social networking sites, but for the family itself to look back and recall the joy of that day, even if there was a little bit of stress involved! How long does a newborn stay a newborn before they are already in the next stage of life? How long after their wedding does a couple remember how happy that day was? How long does it take for a new college student to forget how much they've accomplished already, by graduating high school? We get so tied up in the hustle of life, it is good to reminisce at times. Pictures just make that memory more vivid! That's why I bring my point-and-shoot wherever I go - I never know when inspiration will strike, with a bright blue flower blooming when all other flowers have succumbed to the wintery frost or a tiny chipmunk chattering away from a tree at a bird that's gotten too close to its nest. And then sometimes, one of my cats is being particularly cute that day or I'm sitting next to my very shy nephew who has decided to give a big bear hug to his cousin, once-removed. If I don't have my camera, I almost feel as if a very valuable moment has been lost! Okay, so I'm a little sentimental, haha.
One of my biggest problems with setting up a photography business was that it would be so much easier to combine both talents into one company...however, "Funny Paws" does not sound like a business that does photography of anything other than animals. I got to thinking that, while I take pictures of animals in nature and of my cats and the occasional one of my friends' pets, I have never really considered myself much of a pet photographer. So, when my friend asked me to bring her new little furballs in to get their booster vaccines, I brought my camera along to use after the appointment. It's one thing to take photos of your own two cats, who know you and you know their personalities. It's a totally different task to photograph four cats who don't know you as well and you vaguely know their personalities. I had some frustration at first, trying to get them to look where I wanted them to look and wondered why these beautiful creatures looked like blurry monsters on my camera's preview screen. So, I just decided to follow them around, while they did their typical cat activities - I got down on the floor with them and rewarded them with play and scratches behind the ears. Of course! Why didn't I do that in the first place? The end result was this:

This was a perfect example of their personalities, when they are together. Link is the dominant male, at the forefront; Peach always wants to do what Link is doing, but is a good "sister" to Luma; Luma is a very playful kitten, but at 16 weeks, she still gets tired out very quickly; Zelda is a very sweet kitty, but stays aloof, when they are all together.

Not bad for my first official pet portraits, I thought. So, who knows? Maybe I will do people shoots, but specialize in pet photography. I don't think I will necessarily find my niche until I work with people I don't know as well or at all! But, regardless, I choose to keep the two businesses separate for now.

Colder Months = More Productivity?

The temperature has dropped significantly in the last couple months and we have run the pellet stove pretty consistently for the last 3 weeks. During the day, it is still warm enough outside to spend time doing outside chores. However, those outside chores decreased significantly when most of the dead foliage dropped and was cleaned up, most of our outdoor plants stopped growing and/or died, and the number of birds at our feeders dropped. I was excited, a couple weeks ago, to see flowers like this:

And this:

They are now gone, but it was nice to get one last glimpse of color before the impending whiteout. Winter is fast approaching! So, I should have more time during the day to work on projects for Funny Paws and my photography, right?
Somehow, the month of November is here now and I find myself busier than ever without any clue how that happened, haha. It's a good thing - I remember a year ago, when I was finally diagnosed with a bulging disc in my back, but waited another month and half to find out how to treat it, due to worker's comp. I was so bored, but so scared to do anything that could make it worse! I was still on call 24/7 to drive coworkers from port to port in New England, but increasingly dreading the day I knew was coming, when I would have to quit the company I had been with for almost 5 years. They offered very little in the way of light duty work and working less than 8 hours every couple of weeks with no pay compensation was not going to cut it for very long. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place, some might say.
I, thankfully, had another thing to draw my focus away from the stress and physical pain - my upcoming wedding day! Today, we celebrate 6 months of marital bliss and I couldn't ask for a more generous, more loving husband. I am a strong believer, especially as I get older, that God puts certain people in our lives exactly when we need them, even if it's just for a quick conversation in the grocery store or a smile from a child, after a tough day at work.
So what HAVE I been up to in the last month? I finished up my Portrait Photography course with 3 more photo shoots, each increasing in the work it took to set them up and run them, but all of them fun! The second week, they asked that we take a self-portrait. I figured that would be easier - no one else with whom to try and collaborate schedules and no one else to have to direct or position in the way my mind sees them. However, it became quite the challenge without anyone else involved. I decided auto-focus (which I generally hate using) was the easiest way to get the focus right, but it generally stayed focused on whatever was behind me or focused on something else altogether, when I used the timer. Finding sturdy places to put it on, when it was so windy, was also a challenge. The poses themselves ended up very awkward and I erased all but 29 of the 200+ photos I took in the shoot, haha. It was probably the most difficult shoot I did all month!

Finally, I found that the "selfies" taken with the camera at arm's length were coming out the best, and I settled on the picture above to submit. Definitely something to work on in the future!
The third week, I had 2 possible photo shoots and ended up with none, so my aforementioned loving husband agreed to stand in at the last minute. We learned how to give direction and tips on achieving great candid shots. They also gave us information on what settings and lenses worked best for portraits.

I think he did a pretty great job, as a last-minute model, but then again, I am slightly biased. ;)
The last week, we learned tips on how to prep for a photo shoot and more about lenses. It made me want to run out and buy another lens, if only they weren't so pricey! I was able to get together with my friend and her husband, who were so great in front of the camera. It helped that they are easy on the eyes, but moreso, so many of the shots captured the love they share and I couldn't have been happier with them! It was also an incredibly stormy day literally up until the time I got to the park to prep my camera settings.

As you can see, the lighting was amazing for a shoot and the ground was completely dry. Pretty awesome. I also liked these two shots for the more creative and private feel:

Hopefully this month's class of Photography Business will help me figure out if I want to add this to Funny Paws, for more possibilities!
I did finish my Halloween costume, the day before we celebrated with family, haha. It was fun and I can probably alter it a little for a costume next year. I made the vest and a gun holster and added a band to the foam hat I bought at Michael's.

Not too shabby! And I, of course, wore Halloween knee-high socks with ankle boots I found at Payless. I figured I am more likely to wear ankle boots in the future, as I've never been much of a boot person.
I also finally made my sample baby hangers:

And I got my first sale of one, as well! I will say the personalized hangers are definitely the most popular, as they are the only sales I've made, so far. I've gotten likes on other items in my shop, but nothing has come of those. Makes sense, as I like a lot of creative projects on Etsy, but I either have no need for the item at the time or I figure it's something I can make, too. I'm hoping my next post will include the baby blanket I have been meaning to make for months now, as well as at least one more painting! I haven't painted since the summertime and my sea life alphabet is severely lacking. I also had the idea to do a triptych painting and bought the canvas forever ago!
Perhaps the coldest months will bring more creativity than the colder months. :)

Another Month, Another Class!

I really enjoyed last month's class of Creative Composition, as it was right up my alley. This month's Portrait Photography has been more of a challenge. I don't know why - I like taking pictures of people. Maybe it's moreso that I've grown sensitive to people who don't like their picture taken. I don't entirely understand it - I don't like my picture to be taken if I'm lounging in my home and haven't showered, but if I am presentable enough to go out in public, I don't mind my picture being taken. Funny enough, this second week, my assignment is a self-portrait, haha. Too bad my head feels like it's floating away with this head cold!
So, my final two assignment submissions for last month's course were these:

Macro and Perspective

Reflection, Perspective, Horizon, and Symmetry

The last assignment was to submit a photo that included as much as I learned during the course as possible - kind of like a final.
This last week, I got to take photos of my nephews and niece for my assignment on location and props. They were great to shoot, because they knew how to pose on cue, haha. My final submission was this one:

This last week, I also worked on getting a different color wire for my new try at making personalized baby/toddler/child hangers. The hangers I ordered are padded muslin, but the wire hook at the top is brass. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring the hanger with me to Michael's and didn't have it to match the color, so I ended up picking up copper wire. Guess I'll just have to go back to Michael's and exchange or return it. How sad. :P
I haven't worked on much else this month, as far as crafts, but that will change soon, as I am making my Halloween costume! Nothing too crazy and most of it is regular clothes. My husband dressed up as a cowboy this summer for a family camping event (not his choice, but he willingly went along with it, haha), so I am just making a cowgirl costume to go with it. I'm not normally one to dress as a cowgirl and I am far from country, but it will be easy enough! I just need to sew the vest out of the fabric I got from Michael's and decorate the hat...and figure out shoes. I'm not getting cowgirl boots just for the costume - maybe I can work around it with modernized boots - I always wanted to see how I would look in something like this. Maybe a trip to Marshall's or TJ Maxx is in order...I do have $10 to spend there!
Until next time!

Three Months In

It's hard to believe Funny Paws is a quarter-year old already! Thanks to those who have been supporting me along the way - especially my husband. :)
With this anniversary mark comes another opportunity for learning and growth. I am considering adding photography to the mix, as something that allows me to work short, flexible hours, for my back. I was given the last push I needed from a new friend and professional photographer, Michelle, when she overheard my other new, but dear friend, Barb, compliment me on my photos of nature before we began our Bible study. After finding this Groupon for Flying School Photography that I had seen before on the site, I signed up for 3 of their online photography courses, to better my skills with a camera, before I pursue working with it professionally. I am currently taking "Creative Composition" and learning so much, even just in the second week. Last week, I posted this picture:

Using simplicity and rule of thirds and almost leading lines.

 This week, I need to post a picture on the assignment board that includes either or all blurred, framed, silhouette, and horizon views. I'm considering this one:

framed and blurred (also his head is at the "crash point", using rule of thirds)

I wish I had Photoshop to get rid of the car in the background, haha. I love that it was completely candid and relaxed, because he had been posing very awkwardly before this. :P
I'm having a lot of fun with the class and can't wait to take "Portrait Photography" and finally, "Starting A Photography Business". I think the last one will be the most challenging, as it will probably be less creative and more, well, business. I decided, with the approval of my husband, to invest in a more professional camera, too. In his words, "Even if you don't make any money with it, at least we'll have a nice camera.
Along the same line, I decided to make blank greeting cards with the photos I've taken in the past year or so, with my almost-as-good Canon Powershot, and put them up on Etsy in themed packs of 10!

"No Need For Flowery Words"

"For The Birds"

"Six-Legged Beauties"

"Back To Nature"

I need to get back to working on my Sea Life Alphabet, too. I have 22 letters to go! :)
Thanks for reading!
P.S. Here's the final result of the 2 paintings I showed you in the last post that weren't quite finished!

Walrus

Super Moon

I'm In Business!

As most of the summer has been, it's been a busy couple of weeks! This week doesn't look too busy, but neither did last week and that flew by, haha. Last Tuesday, I had my first 2 Etsy sales! Both wanted one of my personalized satin hangers. Hopefully, they enjoy them - I certainly enjoyed making them! :)
I also started two more oil paintings last Thursday and two more yesterday. So far, I have 3 1/2 paintings for my sealife alphabet collection! Here's the final result of my first oil painting:

A birthday present for my sister-in-law :)

And here's the collection so far:

Jellyfish

Pufferfish

Orca

The walrus is getting there, but I need to wait until the paint dries to add the tusks and whiskers. The one downside to oil paints, I've found, is the time they take to dry! They require much more patience to work with.

I thought this step looked funny :P

all wrinkled up

The other two paintings, I'm not as proud of, only because they revealed that I'm not good at painting EVERYTHING. I've never been great at drawing reptiles, amphibians, or fish, even though they are some of my favorite animals and I observe them every chance I get!

Froggy Friend By The Pond

I can get the shape and the heads, usually. I'm just not great at the legs and fins. I'll have to work on that, especially since my sealife alphabet involves fish, reptiles, and amphibians, haha.
I'm pretty good at landscape design, it seems, if it is from a distance - the close-up of the rocks, moss, and water did not turn out how I wanted them to, either. I may add some details later to see if I can make the moss more moss-y. I should've added a tiny bit of black to the blue, too, to make it darker - that blue makes the pond look fake, like the streams at mini-golf courses. The other painting is of the supermoon. It's not done yet, because I need to wait till it dries to add some details, but it came out very artsy-fartsy looking, when I didn't mean for that to happen, haha.

Supermoon, not quite done yet

I went by the picture I took of the moon, back when it was supposedly larger, in June, and noticed there were rings of orange and yellow, and then a very clear outline of the moon, itself. Then, on the moon, itself, were darker gray patches. Perhaps the yellow and orange are just too dark and not fuzzy-looking enough. I might be able to fix it with the next coat...

Picture of the Supermoon June 2013

Speaking of photography, I got an excellent idea that I had considered in the past, from a lovely woman in my Bible study, who has been a professional photographer on the side. There are a limited amount of jobs that wouldn't cause eventual intense pain that is only helped by laying down for at least 20-30 minutes. There are even fewer jobs that allow for laying down when one's back needs a break. It was suggested to me to take a couple courses in photography, just to go beyond the basics I already know and refine my skills.
I've thought of a photography business as needing to be on my feet for whole days or having to crouch down in awkward positions to get the best shot. However, if I just do portraits of posed people scheduled at definite times, that could most likely work. Just a matter of finding clients that don't need me to drive 2 hours to get there (driving is probably one of the worst positions for my back). So, I found this Groupon (I love Groupon for stuff like this!) for photography courses online at a website that had good reviews. I am signed up to begin "Creative Composition" in September and can't wait to start. At the same time, I have not taken an educational course since training for my last job, which was intense, mind you, but a lot different, since having the closest thing I could get to my dream job relied on passing it. I suppose I could trick my brain into believing the same for this course, plus I think it should be fun!
Meanwhile, I will keep creating things and see what kind of market there is for it. I have some cute pirate mouse cloth laying around - I don't remember when, why, or where I purchased it. It was probably in a craft store in the bargain bin and I couldn't pass it up. (I find it hard to pass up most things nautical or pirate-y, unless they are really tacky - even then, I have to stop and look!) So, I bought some satin ribbon for edging and I am going to create a baby blanket - I just hope I can sell it for a profit, since the ribbon alone was $13! I also have nautical/lobster cloth that I do remember buying at the same time, but also no idea why. I'm not sure what I will make with that...maybe bibs, but the cloth is too absorbent to be useful for that, so I would need to buy some sort of clear vinyl to protect it. We'll see! I do foresee a trip to Jo-Ann's sometime soon, haha.
I will leave you with my favorite picture of the week, an Indigo Bunting that was at our feeder one day and I have yet to see it since. So pretty!

An Artist's Exploration

So, as in my last post, I've been doing a lot more drawing, lately. I went a little crazy at Michael's, too, when I got a 25% coupon, and bought a whole bunch of different project materials! Everything I saw, I wanted to try. Good for the creative mind, bad for the wallet, haha. I got some more pearl beads and jewelry-making equipment, some clay for making beads and pendants, and some more canvas. These are all fairly new projects to me - things I never thought of doing before!
I haven't ventured to do the clay yet, since it's been so hot, and I hate running the oven for it. I have made some more pearl necklaces and put them up for sale, though!

white pearl

twist clasp

gray

 

 

pink

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then, I continued to sketch, making excuses not to start my painting project, like, "I can't possibly paint without an easel" and, "If only I had some mineral spirits, because the tutorial I watched on oil painting said they are essential to good oil painting." Well, turns out my husband wanted to build me an easel and he found mineral spirits in our house somewhere, left from the previous owners! Okay, God, I get it - no more excuses.
 I searched through my photographs, trying to find a picture I could attempt copying and landed on this one:

As I began painting, I found creating the colors, picking the right brushes, feeling the brushstrokes and developing the right textures to be more fun than I anticipated! When I worked on the trees, I even heard Bob Ross's voice in my head saying "happy little trees," haha.

1/3 finished

2/3 finished!

 Now to wait for the paint to dry, so I can add the boats...its been 2 days so far, but can be 4 days or more, apparently, for oil paints. That's one thing the oil paint tutorial did not teach me! Stay tuned for the final product, which I've decided is going to be a gift, so long as it turns out nicely.
I urge you artists/crafters out there to explore your creativity, too! Don't just stick to one medium or style - maybe you'll discover a talent you never knew you had. :)