Almost There 2010
My independent study course idea was approved by the professor as well. This next week’s task is to write up the official proposal for the course so he can approve that and I can register. I’m really hoping that this course work will lead me closer to my ultimate life goals. While I’m overseas I need to do some major research into the path of visual anthropology.
It is quite hard though writing up my New Years resolutions when three months of my year are going to be so very disjointed, but I am currently working on the list of long term goals for year none the less. I have a few loose ends to tie up tonight. Then by tomorrow I should have a pretty shiny new list of polished goals for the New Year and a new business career.
Getting Ready for Research
This semester I am taking a course about the qualitative research methods used for ethnographic studies. Very exciting stuff, at least to me. What is good about it is that it is my first practical usage of anthropology, and will be a nice test run for my three months in Thailand. I’m trying to come up with a good study proposal to work on while I’m there. Right now it’s something around social networking and disease prevention awareness. But the whole concept of even writing a real study is so new to me, I really hope that I can learn the tricks and how to’s all in this semester.
It’s hard to believe that I only have four more months to prepare for this thing. It’s coming up so quickly. Everyone keeps asking me questions that I can still barely answer myself. I have to get my application in for glimpse program soon too. The problem in like I said I’m still not fully aware of what all I’m going to be doing over there. I’ve got to decipher that soon, it’s my goal for next week to have my application in.
Meditation on Financial Priorities
I was reminded of an important fact today in regards to personal finance. I was listening to one of my favorite personal finance podcasts today Frugal Coast 2 Coast from last week and they played a rebroadcast of their first show. In it Lynnae mentioned that you need to spend less on the things that are less important to you so that you’ll actually have the money to spend on the things that you really do care about and want. I think that is something that is all to easy to forget in the modern material world.
Starting today I want to make a major change in my thought process. I’ve already been trying to reduce material possessions but I think really taking a long look at what matters to me will help me over all with my personal finances. It’s all to easy for me to run out and spend on a spur, or worse spend to fit in. One big ticket item is my stress about moving in with my mother. I really need to just breathe and realize that where I’m sleeping isn’t that important right now, it’s where I want to go that is important, and so having the money saved to do that is a big deal deserving of sacrifice.
So I sat down to think about some of the things that are really important to me, kinda important to me and really not that important. From this list I need to sit down and really think up a workable budget (something I’ve been lacking for a while).
Really Important
1. Going to Thailand – $1000 ticket, $500 minimum while I’m there & money to live on after returning until I find a new job
2. Learning- $1200 for UWM class $150 for casting class and $45 for etching class
Kinda Important
1. Getting coffee at Rochambo Regularly – $10-25 a week
2. Getting a Backpacking bag for the trip – $300
3. Having healthy fresh food
Able to be Sacrificed In
1. Living on my own – save $500 a month
2. Buying new clothes
3. Things as in all the little stuff bought on a spur at stores
4. Updating electronics/phone
5. Going out to eat
Looking at this list I can draw a few budget conclusions right away. Fist that I need to get over the living with mom. Secondly perhaps I can reduce the amount of going to Rochambo, if I can cut down to a max of 3 coffee’s a week I could save $10. A third thing to do would be just not go to shopping stores. If I can avoid them I won’t be tempted to spend there. Lastly if I eat healthier with fresh food I can cook more and go out less. The hardest thing about that is bringing the boyfriend on board. Really even just the small getting lunch or dinner just because I’m away from the house might be able to be prevented if I come up with some more travel friendly food options.
Moving…again
So I’m getting ready to move again. This time back in with the mother. It sounds horribly pathetic. I know the real reason for doing it is so that I don’t have to worry about moving all my stuff in February, since last year when I moved hear in February it was -23 degrees Fahrenheit with the wind chill. Not to mention that saving on my biggest bill with will make a slightly more secure savings for my return. It still doesn’t make me feel less pathetic. Even knowing that 2-3 days a week will be spent with my boy doesn’t help.
To make it even worse I have to give my boyfriend my cat because my mother can’t have cats at her place. So now instead of just missing him during the week I’ll be missing my kitten as well. I mostly afraid of how she is going to do adjusting without me in a strange place with another strange cat. I hope she doesn’t think I abandoned her.
"Sometimes I feel like I'll never wear out the entrance to a home."
With all my stuff packed up in storage hopefully being at my mom’s will just keep me more focused on all my ventures. I’m getting to the point where I’m seriously getting sick of moving. I’m wondering why I even bother unpacking…and worse, why do I even bother owning stuff? Well this time around I’m trying to downsize more than ever at least. It’s hard, but I’m trying to remember it won’t do me any good in Thailand. Just sometimes I feel like sometimes I feel like I’ll never wear out the entrance to a home. I’m just in this state of constant moving.
All this means one big thing though…Thailand is getting ever closer! I’m really starting to get excited.
Portfolio Pains
I spent this recent wonderful three day weekend going through all of my photos from the past year attempting to narrow it down to just 20-25 images that I felt best showcased me. I’m use to using 5-10 of my best pieces for portfolios. Who would have ever thought that having to have a higher number would actually be harder? I am currently only down to 33…and I know that I want to throw in at least one image from a job I did this summer. At this point I think I need to set up something for some peer review, to help me nail down really what pulls peoples attention.
One of my worries is that I think I get emotionally attached to some images just because of the experiences I had taking them so they might not always be the best. I guess that is not so much of a worry but a fact. I just get emotionally attached to ideas very easily so it isn’t surprising that the idea of a photo would be much different. Take for instance the image “Famous” I love this photo, it brings up intense emotion for me largely because it is of my favorite street in Milwaukee. The problem occurs when I look at it from a technical side, that is where I begin to question myself. Generally it would be seen as a bad image to have such an intense light source right in the middle of the view. Though in actuality that was done purposefully to trick the sensors in a fully automatic camera. It is situations like that where I get torn.
One area that I feel pretty confident about is the people shots. That’s a big note in the gallery qualifications is that they want to see faces of people. I can rest fairly confidently on my band shoots to get me through that. Though I am trying to be sure to have other forms of images with people as well. The one people is almost certain to be in the final portfolio. It is an image of Anne while she was in That 90’s Band. It was taken on film and scanned. I think I might want to develop a few more rolls of film before I turn in the final grouping, there is something about film images that always just seem better.
Anne
Sell Sell Sell
Today I was scolded for not having more of my wire jewelry up on my etsy account. It seems to be a reoccurring request. I’ll have to make sure to get some more things up this weekend. My largest problem with posting things on etsy is that I’m not very good at giving my jewelry an item description. It’s pretty and shinny just doesn’t seem like enough! 
Perhaps Sean can help me come up with some good copy. Also I think I need to add some way of taking special request orders via my web page.
One of my friends is getting a booth at the school craft fair this semester and has asked me if I would like to sell as well. That should be exciting, my first craft fair! I’m thinking I’ll have to do make a lot of some of my favorite designs so it looks a little more mass produced, but then still have a few unique one of a kind pieces. I’m excited to see how that goes.
I’m also excited because this same friend and I have decided to take some jewelry making course threw the campus art center. I’ll be doing an intro metals course, and a casting course. While a lot of it will probably be just a review of things I already know it will be fun to have access to the tools. There are just short few day courses but getting to do it all with a friend makes it even more awesome.
Back in Action
Okay I’m back from my hiatus! I’ve had time to gather my thoughts as well as a build up a small inventory of posts. I’ve had time to get things rolling a bit more with my photography. I’ve also gotten my Etsy up any going. You can check it out at www.wingsoflea.etsy.com Also I got my web page up! www.WingsOfLea.com To top it all off I finally got a separate facebook for my photography and…brace for it….a TWITTER!!!! It’s frightening, I never thought I’d do it. The scariest part is that here I thought I was awesome at all things social. It seems I have social weakness after all. I am completely lost on twitter. If anyone has any advice it would be greatly appreciated. I couldn’t even figure out how to reply to a post. I’ll have to spend the next few days trouble shooting how to use it.
Today’s picture is one of the ones I decided to put on my new facebook. I think I want to play around with some more HDR. This is an awesome view from I couldn’t resist while Sean and I were walking along the river in Dublin. This fall weather reminds me of Dublin. It really was wonderful. Though I’m still bummed that we had such an incredibly short summer.
Redesign
I’ve been blogging for about a month now and I’m starting to get a feel for things a little more (though I know I have a long way to go still). One thing I’ve noticed is the blog does seem to be lacking a strong sense of topic. That’s a problem I need to work out. I figure it’s best to nip it in the butt now while the blog is still young. I know the concept I’m aiming for in this blog, narrowing it down and making it precise it the challenging part. I’ve always been a jack of all trades on top of a flighty personality, so I just ask that you bear with me the next couple of weeks while I try to bring a focused vision to life. Until then enjoy this chaotic photo-manipulation of a derive:
Taking Off
Taking off from Phoenix at sunset.
Things seem to be really taking off these days. I’ve been booking up portraits at a nice starting rate. Nothing to impressive but enough to have me pass on some social activities. If things continue like this might be able to save even quicker for Thailand. Though I am realizing that more bookings equals more administrative work.
The time frame for Thailand is also starting to finalize. There is still some debate between a few weeks, and of course until the tickets are purchased there will be leeway of a few days. My biggest hope is that I can be established as a photographer here when I leave and that it will just be a short hiatus from regular customers. I will be leaving during a slow season for portraits so it shouldn’t be to bad.
Sibling Rivalry
Waiting for the new sister.
For the sake of fairness to the new big brother I thought I should probably show him off too. Loki is my boy, he melted my heart from day one. He’s going to have a lot changing in his world though. With any luck they’ll learn to love each other more than they fight.
Loki is a total ham for cameras. Between me always having mine on me, and his mother and grandmothers strong interest in photography as well it’s no wonder. The nurses had taken the baby away to get a bath before her brother showed up. We ended up with a crowd just waiting for them to bring the baby back. There weren’t as many chairs as people visiting in the room so I figured I’d give up my chair to the grandma and just squat down and talk to Loki. He thought the squatting pose was cool so he kept mimicking me.
