A Look Back

2013 was a great (and stressful) year. Peter and I moved in to our very own home, after nine months being out of work I was offered a great job, my freelance worked picked up to a point where I could barely keep track of it, but I managed and learned a lot in the process. Most importantly, however, is that my outlook has changed greatly over the past year.

Had I written the previous paragraph at the beginning of January 2013 it would have gone something like this: I lost my job and spent nine months unemployed being turned down by every job I applied for. This got so bad that I was convinced I was obviously terrible at what I do and almost gave up on my freelance work which ended up almost impossible to keep on top of.

I can't tell you how awesome it feels to have changed that! I still have a ways to go yet, but it feels fantastic that I've been able to make that one change - to see the positives when before I would concentrate on the negatives.

With this in mind, there are a lot of posts I've written in the last year that I'm very proud of so I thought it might be a good idea to share some as a little retrospective on my blogging growth and to keep the positivity flowing around here.

In 2013 I met some amazing folk. Three in particular have been a constant source of encouragement, support and inspiration. Whether they know it or not, they helped me a great deal in changing my outlook and becoming more positive and I'm so grateful to them. So I'm also sharing a couple of posts from each of these great bloggers that have helped me during the last year - a positive naming and shaming if you like ;)

My Favourite Posts of 2013
How to Keep Calm and Focused While Working Freelance
Five Things We Can Learn From Rocky
Embrace Your Inner Geek
Blogging 101 - What I've Learned So Far
Make It So

And now for a couple of my favourite posts from the lovely ladies I was telling you about

Crystal at The Happy Type
Protecting Your joy
Work It Out

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Melyssa at The Nectar Collective
15 Tips for Being Positive
The Rules of Positivity

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Erika at Chimerikal
Throwing Away My Bucket List
The Middles

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Five Things We Can Learn From Rocky

If you’ve read any of my Random Fact posts it’s fairly obvious that I’m a bit of a movie nerd. Well one of my all time favourite movies is Rocky. To some that will make total sense, to others not so much.

When I was younger I loved Rocky because it was about boxing, but as I got older and time went on I began to realise it was about a lot more than that. I began to understand what it was really about – following your gut, your heart and your dreams, to achieve things even you weren’t sure you could do. To keep going no matter how tough things get and if life knocks you down to get back up!

The movie is full of inspiration and motivation, but so is the story of how Stallone made it happen. He went broke, people laughed at him and he even had to sell his dog!  But he stuck to his dream, worked hard, struggled and eventually it worked out!

So what can we learn from the story of Rocky, both on and off screen? Here’s a list of my five lessons.

Keep moving forward

Don’t let negative past experiences ruin today. This is a bad habit of mine, but is something I’m working on now with my fitness challenge. I told myself that I’d never be able to reach my fitness goals because I’ve never stuck to a regime before, so why is now any different. With a little support, encouragement and positive outlook I’m finally doing it.  I’m 18 days in and although I may miss the odd one, I’m trying not to let it bother me. I suck it up and focus on the next day’s routine.
So if you want to try something new or something you feel you’ve failed at before move forward, let past negatives go and focus on now! If you have a blip, let it go and start fresh. 

Sylvester Stallone felt rejection so many times in his journey to get Rocky made. He stuck to his guns though, got the part, got it produced and even won an Oscar! He didn’t let all the negativity that was thrown his way bring him down:
“I take rejection as someone blowing a bugle in my ear to wake me up and get going, rather than retreat.”

There ain’t no can’ts!

Or as my Grandma says “can’t means won’t”. Saying you can’t do something is pretty much a sure fire way to fail before you’ve even started. Everyone’s guilty of this at some point in their lives. I’ve had a lot of folk say to me “I can’t draw” and to them I should really ask, have you tried? Most folk will probably say something like “yeah, once and I was rubbish” compared to who? Someone who has being at it for years? All you need is practice and determination. Both in time will build your confidence in your skills and yourself. Find yourself an art class or a book on drawing or whatever it is you want to do. Research, the right information, tutorials and hard work will serve you well and soon you’ll realise you can do it!

In order to beat Apollo, Rocky has to learn to fight right handed, something he says he “can’t” do. With hard work, determination,  Mickey screaming at him (encouragingly of course) and a training montage he gets the job done and wins the fight. 

Believe in yourself

Believing in yourself can sometimes be difficult, especially if doing the opposite is a lifetime habit. It was a terrible habit of mine, doubting my skills and I’ve only recently truly started to think more positively about them.  

One way to start believing in yourself and thinking more positively is to write a list of all your achievements. It doesn’t matter how small they are, as long as you felt good about it. When I did my 30ish before 30 list it brought back great memories and things I’d completely forgotten about. It helped me realise that I’ve done some pretty cool things already in my life and there is no reason why I can’t achieve more.

Stallone believed in himself and the story of Rocky so much that he turned down so many offers for the script, offers that would have made him a lot of money. He wanted to play Rocky so refused any offer that didn’t include him – that’s awesome self belief right there!

Life ain’t all sunshine and rainbows

Let’s be honest, sometimes life can suck and things can get tough – you just have to keep on punching! If you’ve hit rock bottom, take heart that the only direction left is up. Take steps to live more positively, choose how you react to things. I’ve heard folk say that gratitude journals help them develop a more positive outlook and although I’ve never tried this myself I can understand the merit in it. I tried making a positive list – each night write down one positive thing that happened or you felt through the day, then on the following Monday you’ll have a list of seven things that made you happy. This made the start of my week pretty sweet and overtime you start to look for the positives in everything and your whole outlook eventually changes, worth a shot right?

Every movie in the franchise delivers life blows to Rocky and each time he overcomes them to win or see things through to the end - “It ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward”

Go the distance

If you want to accomplish your goals or do something new – go for it! Immerse yourself in it, take a class, join a club, do some tutorials, or take part in a hangout online. Whether it’s saving up for a once in a lifetime trip, to learn Photoshop or play an instrument. Just do what it takes to make your dreams come true, but also be aware that it’s ok for those goals to change and evolve. Don’t do things half assed, do them to the full and be enthusiastic. If you start to get bogged down and start to worry you’re not getting there fast enough, take a moment, breathe and remember why you wanted to do it in the first place. See it through to the end and you’ll never have to say that you didn’t try and you won’t regret a thing!

“Cause all I wanna do is go the distance. Nobody's ever gone the distance with Creed, and if I can go that distance, you see, and that bell rings and I'm still standin', I'm gonna know for the first time in my life, see, that I weren't just another bum from the neighbourhood.”

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So there you go, that's why Rocky inspires me. Now do you have any movies or quotes that inspire you to keep going, to try something new, or believe in yourself? Then share them in the comments because we all need a little motivation at times!

Positivity Round Up

I love a good post on positivity and how to spread it. So that's my goal with this post today - spread a little positivity around the blogosphere with some of my favourite posts on the subject. I've found myself needing a little positive boost in recent years and thanks to these ladies I'm well on my way to living a more positive and present life. These are my go to places for daily reads too, so once your done reading these awesome posts be sure to check out the awesome ladies behind them!

*Click the pics to read each post.*

 

Let's start with Chimerikal. This was a great post about flipping your bucket list in to a more positive and encouraging thing. Focusing solely on what you want to achieve in the, if you're like me, can make you feel like a bit of a failure if you don't start ticking things off your list. Instead celebrate the amazing things you've already accomplished. I've done this myself as part of my Weekly Wishes and it felt great. Looking back and remembering all the things I've already done is a great motivator to continue trying new and different things.

Melyssa is a highly positive gal and aims to spread that positivity around the world with her blog The Nectar Collective. I've only been reading Melyssa's posts for a couple of months now and I'm hooked. Her positive voice is infectious and has certainly played a massive part in kicking my blogging ass in to gear and thinking more positively about work and life in general. This post is full of ideas to spread positivity throughout your life in simple, but effective ways. My favourites include making a sunshine box, challenging negative thoughts with positive ones and... get a dog!

Jen is an artist based in Tasmania whose work I just love. Her 50 simple ways to feel better now are fun and inspired. From as simple as drinking more water and breathing {my favourite relaxation technique that's so easily forgotten} to as fun as wearing colourful socks and having a shot on the swings in your nearest park. I did this the other day and had forgotten how magical it felt *swiiiing!
I also love Jen's post on inventing her own job. It hit the nail on the head for me in accepting the way things are with work at the moment and to push myself to work on my designs as a career. Thanks Jen!

I read Crystal's post Protecting Your Joy on Wednesday and loved it so much I've read it many times since! They are obvious things when you think about it and yet we all forget them. Taking the time to empathise with others who may not be having as good a day as you works wonders. Believe me there's been plenty of times I've felt less than perfect at work and been faced with greeting the public with a welcoming smile that was hard to muster. However there's always that one customer who says something nice {or just acknowledges you} that changes the rest of your day. This is my post of the week and I'll be reading it more alter :)

So those are my favourite positivity posts from the interweb at the moment. Now I think you should all spend some time reading them and getting to know the lovely ladies behind the posts. You won't be disappointed by their blogs and content they share. Thanks for reading and spreading the joy that wee bit further.

Got your own favourite posts on staying positive? Or have you written one yourself? Share them in the comments, I'd love to read them.

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Make It So

Behold... My new greeting card designs. 

I'm posting this with a skip in my step and a smile on my face. This past month or so, since I started the Blog Everyday in May challenge I've learned a lot about me and about being more positive and kinder to myself. Today when I was planning this post I looked at my cards and felt something I've not felt in a while - pride and confidence in myself, my skills and my ideas.

I've been on a bit of a downer since Christmas due to the loss of a job that I thought could really go somewhere. By January I was telling myself all sorts of rubbish; you weren't good enough, they probably never even liked you and all the usual nonsense that comes with that kind of situation. However it was all mixed with happy feelings as Peter and I had finally made the big grown up move of buying ourselves a flat and starting on the next phase of our lives together. I don't know whether that made things more confusing for me, but my head was all over the place. 

Jump to late April when I vowed to make a proper go of blogging and really push it in order to start some work that could really go somewhere if I, in the words of Jean Luc Picard "make it so". I tried my best in the challenge and am really happy with all the writing I did. I'm now beginning to feel more comfortable and like I'm on my way to finding my voice in the blogging community. I've met lovely folk and found loads of information, writing and creativity to be inspired by. Not to mention the endless amounts of encouragement I get from you, the folk that read my blog. As a previous life-long self doubter you have no idea what that means to me.

It's made me look back at all the other things in my life I have achieved and think positively about them. The easiest to think of is the image above. Just over two years ago I never thought I'd be able to use Illustrator, and look at me now - working the pen tool like a boss! I taught myself Photoshop in Uni, I've taught myself the basics of HTML and CSS, I became a dress making tutor after only 10 weeks of lessons when all I'd done before was break my Mum's sewing machine. How had I been missing these accomplishments?! Negativity that's how. Now I'm on my journey of positivity and mindfulness things are looking better and I'm recognising these things for what they are, my drive to learn and learn until nothing else fits in my brain.

So the point of this post? To tell you to go find your ideas, dreams, whatever you want to do and do whatever it takes to...

 

I also wanted to share something exciting that's going on over at The Nectar Collective. The Snail Mail Collective is a new idea from Melyssa at TNC and Chelsea over on Lost in Travels that involves bloggers from around the world getting to know one another and after a couple of weeks we send each other a wee prezzie native to our homeland. I'm super excited to be part of it and can't wait for all the fun to kick off.

Rules & Information

In order to participate in the Snail Mail Collective this July, please fill out this form. Filling out the form means you commit to actively participating and following the rules below. 

1. You will be paired with one new person. We will do our best to make sure this person is from a different country, or at the very least, a different area of your country. We will strive for you to make international friends, but it’s also nice to get to know the different parts of our own homeland.

2. Each month’s gifts will have a theme. The first theme (for July) is to introduce where you live – what’s special about it? 

3. Each month, we will be taking sign-ups until the 7th day of the month. After that, the pairings will be posted on our blogs on the 9th or 10th of the month. Please check Lost in Travels or The Nectar Collective to find out who you’re paired with.

4. You will have 72 hours to contact your partner (both partners must communicate together). If your partner does not respond within 72 hours, please e-mail Melyssa or Chelsea.

5. You will have about two weeks to get to know your partner. After that time, your gifts must be sent by the 22nd of the month.

6. Gifts: Your present(s) should not total more than $5. We want this project to be affordable for you, so think small, but meaningful. Also, all packages must include a postcard (preferable) or a letter to your partner. Motivate them, tell them all the beautiful things you learned about them this month, and make them feel special! We could all use a little encouragement, especially from our new friends.

7. Once you receive your gifts, we highly encourage you to write a blog post about your experience. Share what you gave, received, and learned through participating in the Snail Mail Collective and meeting your new buddy.

8. At the beginning of each month, we will hold a link-up on our blogs (The Nectar Collective & Lost in Travels) where you can share and link-up your SMC blog posts. This way, you can see how people around the world interpreted the theme, learn about other cultures, and meet even more new friends.

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Weekly Wishes #2

No, my weekly wish isn't to smooch the face of Batman, although if the Animator and I could recreate this as our wedding photo that would be all kinds of awesome! My weekly Wish last week was to write a review for the Batman comic series Hush. Well I failed. Not completely, I have started it and written my intro, but as for the complete review - nopers!

The problem is that I forgot how long the series is and Peter has the giant hardcover version which is soooo beautiful that it makes me paranoid to handle it. I've also been working a lot in the theatre and wasn't able to take it with me. Look at me making excuses! I will have it done by next week though, promise.


This week's wishes:

Obviously finish my review, but I'd also like to add this cool little addition to my repertoire of skills » RC car shell design. A while ago a friend of ours asked me to draw out some body work for an RC car he was going to paint for his Dad. I had never done anything like this before so was willing to give it a go. It was so much fun and I came up with a pretty bad ass tribal design for it if I do say so myself. I never saw the finished paint job as it was a gift, but I'm getting to relive the fun this week. Yesterday I was asked for a duplicate of the design so I'm drawing it all out again to get it finished for Saturday. Here's a peek. 

This time I'm going to ask for a couple of pics of the finished paint job. Our RC mad friend Iain has mad skills with an airbrush, turning out some incredible paint jobs on these cars so I'm really hoping to see this one all finished. We are also hoping *ahem* for an invite to an RC race to see these bad boys in action. 

My other non-design realted wish is to practice mindfulness for at least five minutes every day before I work on my review or the tattoo commission I'm working on at the moment to try and boost my creativity. Okay so that's almost non-design related.

This week's highlights :

In order to continue on the positive track that Melyssa over at Nectar Collective has started me on it would be a cool idea to share three of my highlights from the week. A way to keep the happy and positive things in mind when it comes to dealing with Monday morning. Here goes; 

1.  On Friday I had a race with a plane. I was driving alongside the airport when I saw a plane lining up for takeoff. I watched with the excitement of a five year old as it sped up, over took me and lifted those lucky folk off on their holidays. 

2.  An exciting project is in the works with my best bud Anna over at Am Bothan, hoping to get stuck in to that by the end of this week.

3.  I found two new shoots on my peace lily - this confirms I am not killing it! *celebratory air punch*

What are your Weekly Wishes and highlights? Join the link up over at The Nectar Collective.

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New Directions and Being Positive

Lately I've been thinking of the directions I'd like DaisyBisley to take. I've been doing tattoos for so long now that it was beginning to feel like a different kind of commission would never appear. Luckily the lovely Katherine at Meltemi Dive came along and asked for two t-shirt designs, a fantastic change of scene that pushed me right outside my comfort zone.

Now, hungry for more and looking for new ground to cover, I have finally put a ten year old idea in to action - greetings cards. It seems more and more folk are getting in to this area, making me wish I had just got my ass in gear all those years ago and done it. Alas I was just finishing high school and was more interested in the year off I was about to take before uni. 

Flash forward to a few weeks ago when words started to appear in my sketchbook and it hit me - You really should put these words on cards, someone might just like them.

What do you think? Are these the kind of card ideas you'd be interested in? I'll post more designs posted in the coming weeks as things get rolling. I'm feeling positive about this, even more so thanks to a fantastic post found in my feed yesterday morning over on The Nectar Collective.

Sometimes positivity is a little hard to come by. It's not that I'm a pessimist or depressed, I just get a little blue sometimes due to the pressure I put myself under to be awesome at art and life. I was always told as an artist you'll never be 100% satisfied with your work, but sometimes it just takes over and all my work will go in the bin - ridiculous and a terrible habit that needs to be broken. Needless to say I will be looking through Melyssa's post every morning from now on to give myself a good boot up the ar*e!!

How do you stay positive? Read 15 Tips for Being Positive here.

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