New horizons

I'm moving right along in my pet sitting business venture. This is the first version of my logo. I'm getting some new graphics software tomorrow from my friend at the aquarium shop so I can color it a little better. He's going to put Adobe Fireworks on my little 'ol girl. I'm tired of Photoshop and I'd like to see what I can do with this in another program for a change. He's also going to help me build a website. I've got my domain name, too! I'll reveal that a little later in the process when things are a little more concrete. But it's a start to getting myself out there. The business cards will come a little later. A website is a better first step... Then I'll have the address on the cards! In' 'nat sumpthin'? Heh...

So I'm going to concentrate on exotics. Birds, reptiles, rodents, insects... Of course I'll offer services for dogs and cats, but my heart with the not so traditional pets. There aren't too many people willing to take your Boa for a weekend or read to your lonely cockatoo while you're on a business trip. Well, maybe there are... But I'd love to be one of them.

In other news, my marriage continues to improve. I don't know what it is... Maybe we just needed to hit rock bottom. I know it's never going to be easy, but I think we're picking up the tools to make this work a little better. And it's so true... In order to make a change in a relationship, or anywhere in life, you need to start with yourself. That's what I've done. I started with this anxiety I keep having over cleaning. I've finally realized that the clean police are not going to break down my door and drag me away to dirty jail for not vacuuming every day. The dishes can wait, too. Keeping up and doing them little by little helps, too. The main thing is that it's doesn't all HAVE to be done NOW. Ron doesn't even nag me. It's ME who keeps putting all this pressure on myself. I don't need it anymore.

That's it for an update. I've gotta eat din din now. Mmmm... Tuna Helper. I am SUCH a cook.

Feeling a little small...but fyne.

Well hi and a very late Happy New Year! Now I'm going to ask the inevitable... Is it ALREADY 2010?! What the hell happened to the last ten years?!

So things have been going fine lately. Just the usual. The first pet sitting job went great and I was invited back for the next week. I'm now working on my business card design and will hopefully have it printed by next week. I'm also psyching myself up to look at the vet tech/animal husbandry classes at some nearby *gulp* schools. I figure I need to strengthen my skills and it may as well be with the animals because I would like that to be my career.

Speaking of "career"... To the people who keep telling me how talented and wonderful my drawing is and how I should make that my main career goal, make cartoons, go into graphic art (BLAH), paint, sell, sell, sell because I could make so much more money at it! First of all, thank you very much for your confidence in my talent. HOWEVER. I am not interesed in making it a career. It is something that I used to love and it has become a major source of anxiety. I can't sit down and just draw for the joy of it anymore without a voice in my head telling me I missed the boat and should have done this for a living and that I'ma great big failure because everyone is always wondering WHY I didn't do my ART ART ART because I'm so TALENTED.

I'm working on making it enjoyable again and that's about all I can do right now. I know there are so many things I can do with art when it comes to making money. Really though, the market is flooded with artists. I've also gotten screwed a few times, which is inevitable when you're starting out. I know that sounds like an excuse but honestly, I'm just not interested in putting in the effort to make myself a known artist. Maybe some day I'll meet someone serious, someone who actually has the FUNDS to PAY ME for my work. Until then I will continue to work on not putting so much pressure on myself and loving it again like I used to. Also, I will NEVER, EVER, EVER, EEEVVVVERRRRR do ANYTHING FOR ANYONE without PAYMENT, FIRST AND FOREMOST!

No... I'm not bitter. I'm excited about figuring out the next step in doing something that I actually like as my everyday job. I know that I'll always have my art and I WILL be inspired again. It's never too late.

Other than that, things are just peachy. I can't believe how much Ron and my attitudes have changed in the past few months. I hope we can keep it up because we're doing well. We're finally communicating like adults. I expect some more pitfalls here and there, but I'm not going to let it get as bad as it did before. That's all for now. Maybe I'll be back sooner than three weeks next time...

Later!