AN ARTIST'S LIFE AND JOURNEY THROUGH THE UNIVERSE OF CREATIVITY.
My online journal of the process of making goals, turning negative to positive, artistic visualization and practicing gratitude for the talents I've been given.
Be the creative person you are by practicing The Secret of Universal Law, visualization and gratitude.
Without art life is gray - Art brings color to the world!
Here's where I blog about my newest art pieces, how they came to be and how I am creating a better life as an artist through a new attitude.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

ART, BOOMER POWER, LIFE & HOT DOGS

I've been busy this week designing graphics for another new project I started called The Boomer Power Crusade. Yeah, I know, another project? But I got all excited after a Growing Bolder Twitter chat at AgeOp on the problems facing Boomers in today's world and the best way for me to make any statement is with art!

The top design is the first one and was sort of my template for the series called "DOWN WITH AGEISM" - a retro styled graphic with the main element being a protest sign and an empowering message bordering the sign's statement. This design allows me to change the background graphic and the sign's message to create new crusade goals. I did up a few more (below) and have since been jotting down slogans for the rest of the series of Boomer Protest Art.

I have to be honest with you - this is a fun group of graphics and illustrations for me. I get to do the kind of graphic art that I like and I get to be a little smart ass at the same time. Happy, happy, joy, joy! I love tongue in cheek, in your face humor - as long as it's tasteful and not too raunchy!

ARTART
I also created another design for The Feisty Side of Fifty's soon to be launched Cafe Press boutique - Sixty, Sassy & Sensational (below) and I'm working on 3 more for Eileen which will be included in the next blog post. If my designs have a similar theme as Eileen's it's because Eileen, Joyce Mason (Hot Flashbacks, Cool Insights) and I are going to be putting together another little project where we are all involved as a group (more on that later!)


Plus I'm working on a web design and web graphics for an ad client of mine. I don't really look for web design jobs, in fact I kind of avoid it nowadays, but if a client asks I'll do one for them. Frankly, I think doing web design as a profession is going to be extinct very soon - there are many online platforms that 90% of would be web owners can use themselves, including blogging platforms. (I myself will probably be testing out a new online web platform called Square Space for my next major website.)

BUT, that being said, there is still a huge market for a web graphics designer - because no matter how easy it is to put content on a website - making the graphics and art content requires more than a graphics software program. It requires a trained graphic designer. It doesn't hurt if that designer is also experienced in marketing and advertising! Yes, that would be me - d'oh!

While I've been busy creating, Pixel (my Yorkipoo) has been busy pretending to be a mother. She's in her bi-annual nesting mode and is hormonal as all get out. And I emphasize the "moan" part - she's whining almost non-stop. And she insists on carrying around her "baby" - a little hot dog squeeky toy that has seen better days. She will not drop it, she frets if it comes up missing and she won't even let go of it long enough to eat a cookie! Poor baby - the doggy estrogen is rampaging, thank heaven this only lasts a week or so! I'm forced to work with headphones on to block out the whimpering!

So, all my thoughts this last week have been centered around agesim, baby boomer art and motherless yorkies - all in a positive frame, of course!

VISUALIZE - VISUALIZE: I'm seeing lots of web traffic and moolah from all my new age oriented designs. I've already seen a huge increase in hits on my main 3 blogs and website from my new targeting campaign. I'm also visualizing the end of dental work and I'm ignoring the steps in between.

IT'S ALL IN HOW YOU LOOK AT IT: Age is something that happens to all of us. We can let the gray hairs and the added wrinkles depress us so much that we give up. That is the fastest path to senility! I prefer to see my aging process as a natural part of life, treat it with humor and attempt to turn it into a whole new passage in my life. I'm not getting older - I'm becoming a classic and classics are worth more!

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE: Yup, already said it - I'm very grateful this Pixel-Mama phrase only lasts a week or so. I'm really grateful for headsets - OMG, am I grateful. I'm grateful for the inspiration from Growing Bolder for this whole new series of graphics - they are a great bunch of people over there and they actually pay attention to their members!

Now, you boomers out there, click on the images above - grab a tee or something for your home and Join the Boomer Power Crusade!
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Unless otherwise noted, all images and art on this site are © PopArtDiva.com 2002 - 2009. All Rights Reserved.
Buy Great Art Inspired Products at The LIFE IS LIKE ART Shop!

Sunday, February 15, 2009

WHERE'S THE ART TOOTH FAIRY WHEN YOU NEED HER?

The last few weeks have been difficult for me. I'm going through the process of getting some serious dental work done and the pain has been a pain, sorry for the bad pun! I don't know about you but tooth pain is the worst for me. I've had bleeding ulcers, I've had my ankle ripped open to the bone in a motorcycle accident and I've dealt with a seriously tweaked back for 20 years but they never got me down. But one darn bad tooth and I'm whining like a baby! And I have more than one bad tooth!

I actually have had to take a few days and not work - OMG, I must be sick, lol.

Even with some serious dental issues going on in the last few weeks I've managed to complete 3 new designs for my friend Eileen for her new Feisty Side of Fifty products (coming soon to a CafePress store near you!)

Eileen's blog is baby boomer themed and aimed at boomer women - and since Eileen herself identifies so strongly with the sixties decade, we're going with a sixties/hippie feel updated to today's over 50 women.

(The following 3 designs are copyrighted 2009 by Feisty Side of Fifty.com and All Rights are Reserved. No permission is given to share, distribute, copy, post, or reproduce without written permission from Feisty Side of Fifty.)
I can't wait to see these on some tees and cups and other fun stuff - hint, hint, Eileen, Spring is coming and I could use a few nice new tee shirts, lol!!

And, btw, if you want to sell products and need some great graphics and/or slogan help - feel free to contact me at NeedGraphics@popartdiva.com! I'll be happy to give you a quote.

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And I also designed a couple of recipe cards for The Martini Diva and The Diva of Tiny Foods this week - the Academy Awards are this coming Sunday, Feb 22nd. I'm a big Oscar fan and love to treat the night as a party and figure others might want to do the same so it's Oscar Fans week at both sites all week.
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And I've posted a piece of martini greeting card art on my Easy Greeting Cards site, The Cosmopolitan Martini Recipe and will be posting another later today!
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Plus I'm going to add another feature here occasionally - a revisit to some of my existing art! Today I'm revisiting THE MONA LISA MEETS MODERN CONSUMERISM:
From The PopArtDiva Boutique
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VISUALIZE VISUALIZE: Mostly I've been visualizing new teeth. But I have also been visualizing the kinds of food I'm going to get to eat again with them! Sore teeth and crunchy foods don't mix and I love crunchy!

IT'S ALL IN HOW YOU LOOK AT IT: Though I dislike having pain and having to take pain pills it has allowed me to catch up on some more reading and watch some movies I've been wanting to see. I haven't produced the amount of work that I usually do and I was beating myself up over it a bit (especially after taking some "me" days earlier this month!), but I think the universe might have a reason for this little dip in productivity so I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt, at least for the time being.

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE:
  • I'm grateful I'm finally getting the teeth issue resolved. No, I'm not looking forward to the actual work but I'm casting my visions forward to when it's all done and over and I'm crunching on nuts and a nice juicy steak again!
  • I'm grateful I have to time to be able to baby myself and my sore teeth right now. My usual work schedule is not one that allows for any amount of pampering or whining. Hey, it's okay to whine occasionally - just don't make a habit of it!
  • I'm grateful it's something that can be taken care of. There are many people out there who suffer from illnesses that never go away. My issues are temporary. This is a blessing.
  • I'm grateful for the fun designs that I got to do for Eileen at Feisty Side of Fifty - they're kinda cool if I do say so myself!
  • I'm grateful for my little Pixel who comes up to me and gives me "boo boo kisses" when I'm hurting - how cute is it that my little dog is trying to kiss away the pain? Awww.
    From Pixel's MySpace
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Unless otherwise noted, all images and art on this site are © PopArtDiva.com 2002 - 2009. All Rights Reserved.
Buy Great Art Inspired Products at The LIFE IS LIKE ART Shop!

Monday, February 2, 2009

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY, ART, ART, ART - Back in the Saddle Again!

I'm not even sure where to start I've been so busy doing new art! Okay, I'll just dive in.

First, I did these really fun drawings above for my Post Card Party Invitations for my newest site Easy Greeting Cards - each photo links to it's particular blog page.

Then I redesigned those images to be put on party products at my online store The PopArtDiva Boutique's Fun Department:

I'm also in the middle of doing a series of pop art, Peter Max style designs for a line of products for Feisty Side of Fifty. The first one is below:

And I did up some new Valentine's Day Theme recipe cards for all my Valentine recipes at The Martini Diva and The Diva of Tiny Foods:

Not to mention testing out all those recipes - oh my, the martini recipes were SO difficult to try out, lol!! I did four dessert recipes for this holiday - all chocolate, that was tough to handle too -NOT!

I also did a couple of other recipe card designs for The Martini Diva, in fact I usually do 3 new ones each week, but this one I thought you'd get a kick out of:

I've also been doing ad work and a power point presentation for some clients - nothing exciting so I won't bother posting an image here, but this is the kind of work that pays the bills so I can't complain about it!

VISUALIZE VISUZLIZE: So, what have I been working on in my personal and artistic growth area? Well, to be honest, not so much. My recent move has upset my normal life flow and I'm just now getting back into the swing of things. I haven't been consciously visualizing much of anything - except maybe dinner!

It happens, folks. We can't always be on top of everything in our life all the time and maybe that's a good focus for my positive thinking post today. GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK! Quit beating yourself up all the time for not being perfect! Maybe it's okay to visualize a day off!!

Actually I did visualize - I visualized a day off! I was so busy working that I needed a "me" day so I actually saw myself sitting out in the back, soaking in the sun, reading a book, and I saw myself primping and relaxing and watching tv! I planned some downtime. And guess what? That's what I did all day yesterday!!! It was freakin' great! I didn't touch my computers except to check my e-mail and then I SHUT THEM OFF! I even read a bit of Joy Luck Club again!

IT'S ALL IN HOW YOU LOOK AT IT: Sometimes working is not the best thing you can do. Sometimes not working is the best thing you can do. A fresh mind, a rested body and some downtime can do wonders for your attitude! I am much more aligned with myself after yesterday.

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE: I am grateful I allowed myself not to do something! I am grateful it was warm and sunny so I could soak up Vitamin D for a while. I'm grateful for good books and good drama on television that shuts off my overworking little noggin. I'm grateful I got to watch Pixel snoozing in the sun. I'm grateful for DVD recorder technology that allowed me something else to watch besides the Super Bowl. I'm grateful for Sundays.

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Unless otherwise noted, all images and art on this site are © PopArtDiva.com 2002 - 2009. All Rights Reserved.