Getting my blog together... FABULOUS AND FREE RESOURCE

Morning...
So every once in a while the universe hears ya and you get a little bit of what you need landing in your lap... or your inbox.

I really like the idea of having a blog. I have blog envy when I look at some folk's blogs - they're consistent in style, tone and posting. Me? I'm a little bit all over the place but I'm enthusiastic.

The big buzzword for me this year is PLANNING since I've heard a lot of people talking about individuals only having a certain amount of Decision Juice. What you use up deciding what to wear and what to eat each morning you don't get back... so you might have run out by lunch time if you're anything like me and suffer DECISION FATIGUE!!!

Therefore, planning is bang on trend. Schedule a time to plan your weekly wardrobe, or whattheheck: be like Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Barack Obama or Albert Einstein and get your own uniform wardrobe. I don't think I can bear to wear or eat the same thing everyday but I can spend one moment each week planning it. And I can simplify lots of other things in my life by not having to make a series of decisions about them every single day.

So how does this relate to my blog? Well I'd started back with enthusiasm a few weeks ago with a new schedule of 3 times a week. On Monday I missed my post. I just couldn't think what to write and I have so much design work to do at the moment that I just couldn't spend the time deciding what to write about. Then I saw THIS... I can't quite remember in all the madness of trying to get stuff done if the offer for it just appeared in my inbox or if I clicked through some links in an email about something else but whatever happened it appeared without me searching for it at all.

It took me no time at all to read through it and fill in the plan and oh what a plan! Themed weeks and scheduling stuff will really help to keep me enthused and organised and get the blog that I really want for you, dear reader (I love that phrase!!!).

So, Beth Kempton - cheers, you really are fab.
Love
Frankie x

Hello May! Progress etc...

Good morning!
A little bit of what's happened in April and what lies ahead for May...

1. Life has started to get a bit busier and I'm back using the Pomodoro Technique again. I don't follow it to the letter - I don't log every task that I do but I have started making sure that every time I start a task I hit the timer. I haven't been doing it for a while because my timer broke and I didn't replace it. It really does make a huge difference to my day - I'm not so confused about where all the time has goes and I don't end up spending the whole day on one task.

2. On Monday I started this course and it comes highly recommended. I'm so glad I took the plunge - I've been feeling a little bit stuck lately - like I've been busy but not getting anywhere. The course is all about really focussing in on yourself to find out what you really want so it's helped me to start making those things happen. It's really exciting and I'll post a full review of Do What You Love For Life in my Essential Resources when I've finished.

3. I completed 2 lots of freelance work in April for Postcards for Peace http://www.postcardsforpeace.org. It's a great organisation that I feel really honoured to be associated with. Three of my postcards are already in the shop and more will be available soon. You can read my blog post about it here.

4. I've started painting again! Hurrah! On Easter Monday I made an A3 seamless repeat hand painted with gouache. It was quite an undertaking and took me a while to stitch it all together and make it repeat in Photoshop the next day but I loved it and it made me realise what was missing in my work: more of my own 'handwriting'. I know a lot of people work straight into Illustrator as that is their chosen method and really fits their style. However, it's not so fitting for me and I've realised that my reason for trying to just draw with my wacom was out of fear/avoidance/convenience/laziness/speed. I've been yearning to find my own style since I started and I really believe that the only way I will do this is by taking the time to experiment lots to find the tools and marks that express 'me'. And of course, once you make a start on these things, they end up being really great fun.

May for me will be...
Birthday fun, continuing my course, building my portfolio, launching a competition on my blog, reaching out to friends old and new, honing my style and making things HAPPEN! What about you?

Thanks for reading!
Frankie x