Artistic Endeavors Archives | Page 52 of 55

Artistic Endeavors

Photography

bathroompreviewgallery

If you’ve been working on improving your photography skills, you may have picked up on the fact that lighting is the key. It’s not just about adding more light, but controlling the light you have. I was shocked when I watched the first professional photographer who worked at shooting my house. For one shot, the room was almost completely dark. Why? He was controlling the light. Light that was coming in through my windows was casting strange, harsh shadows on the subject. Sometimes that can look cool, but generally soft, even light looks better when shooting interiors. I was so excited about installing a skylight tube in my master bathroom, which is an interior room that had no natural light. It brought in that beautiful light I was craving, but it did cause a slight problem. The light was all coming from the ceiling, so the shadows made taking pictures

August 13, 2013 44 Comments

Miscellaneus

how I develop my photos

I thought I would take a break from the projects and share a bit of behind the scenes stuff. For the first several months of my blog, I didn’t edit my photos. Not at all. I finally picked up on the fact that photos were important for the growth of a blog, so started adjusting the brightness and contrast and basic stuff in Windows Live Photo Gallery. I still didn’t do it on most of my photos. It was so tedious and time consuming. Well, welcome to blogging, Marian. Anyway, my father-in-law sent me an extra disk he had hanging around – Abode Photoshop Elements. So, my mom bought me a PSE for Dummies book and I started to muddle my way through the digital darkroom. I never got very far with PSE. I liked it, but when I upgraded to a more recent version, I felt lost again. I

March 6, 2013 No Comments

Miscellaneus

bedroom2gallery

March 5, 2013 49 Comments

Photography

tutorial on making tutorials

I currently have a huge to-do list of tutorials to make for HGTV.com, so I thought while I was in the middle of making all of these tutorials, I would share some tips with you on making a tutorial. A tutorial on making tutorials, if you will. Good tutorials to be exact. 1.) Pick a good project. Try to show how to make something that’s totally original, a hack of something really expensive or take the mystery out of a project that seems complicated. Tutorials like these will get the most views, pins, comments, thank yous, etc. 2.) Do your research and know what you’re talking about. I’m going to admit that I have sometimes figured things out as I’m making the tutorial (and I really wish I could go back and redo some of those), but I usually do a lot of research and practice what I’m going

February 2, 2013 33 Comments

Photography

writing a book | the photography

I’ve written a few posts about the experience I had writing my book and it’s been a while since the last one. I thought it was about time I picked it up again. When the reality of a book offer from Thomas Nelson was right around the corner, it needed to be decided if I would do the photography or if we would hire a professional or perhaps a hybrid where I take some pictures and a pro swoops in for the money shots. I was not 100% confident in my photography abilities, so I sent them some of the shots I did for Cottages & Bungalows and HGTV.com to get their opinion. We had a conference call about it a few days later. I was out shopping with my mom and I remember sitting on a planter outside of Kohl’s when I learned that I would be the photographer

December 18, 2012 No Comments

Running a Business

Writing a Book | Acknowledgements

Since today is a day of Thanksgiving here in the US, I thought it was a good time to combine saying thanks and sharing just a little more about the book-writing process in one post. I had already turned in the final manuscript and my editor, Michelle, asked me to write my acknowledgements. Oh…I hadn’t even thought about that! I felt like I could write a book of thank yous to people, but I didn’t want to bore readers, so I mentioned the key people and kept it brief. I’d like to expand on those acknowledgements here, though, to let you know why I mentioned who I did… My family, of course, for all of their love. This one is obvious. My family has been a huge part of this entire journey. My mom prodded me to start a business and my parents were my initial investors. They have also

November 22, 2012 No Comments

Running a Business

Today is THE day!

Today is a big day! Not only is it election day here in the US, which affects a lot of people, but it’s a big day for me personally. Today is the official release date of my book, Inspired You. The book has actually been available for a couple of weeks, but now it’s widely available and the e-book is now available. The enhanced e-book will also be available soon through Apple. The enhanced e-book is more than just the book in an electronic format. There is a video for each chapter that shares additional tips and ideas. I think Thomas Nelson also shows more of the pictures I submitted as well. (I turned in over 500 and I think there are about 250 in the final copy of the book.) To give you an idea what the videos will be like, here is the Chapter 1 video – How to

November 7, 2012 No Comments

Running a Business

Writing a book | Now I actually have to write a book…

The impossiblepossible thing had happened. I had received a book contract from Thomas Nelson and I signed it. (You can read about how it happened HERE.) It was now my job to produce 35,000 encouraging words and over 250 inspiring photographs in 10 chapters. And I only had about 3 months to do it. AND I’ve never written a book before. Oh crap. Lots of deep breaths and tears and prayers and pep talks came after that realization. I kept bringing myself back to taking one page, one photograph, one chapter, one idea at a time. I also kept reminding myself that the people at Thomas Nelson are good at what they do and they had confidence in me. I can do this. The first thing we did was put together an outline for the book. I sent along my initial ideas and then went back and forth with my

October 30, 2012 No Comments

I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

next art sale

May 20th, 2026 at 1pm EST

Now Available for Preorder

Move Slow & Make Things

A book about creativity, intention, and making things with care. Sign up to receive updates, preorder details, and exclusive bonus content.

From the Studio

Artful pieces for your home and everyday life.

From original paintings and art prints to Pup Club releases and curated goods, each piece is created or chosen to bring warmth, creativity, and character into your home.

From the Studio and Home

Shop the Feed

A handpicked collection of items styled and shared throughout posts, projects, and social feeds. Every product is thoughtfully chosen to reflect a timeless, collected aesthetic.