Artistic Endeavors Archives | Page 57 of 59

Artistic Endeavors

Photography

50mm

I’ve become a bit of a lens junkie over the past year. It all started when my old Nikon lens (that came with the film SLR I bought about eight years ago) wasn’t working with my new D7000 Nikon. It worked, but it took forever to get it to focus, so it was finally time for an upgrade. Since then, I’ve bought four new lenses and just added one more…a 50 mm. (If your curious about my camera and other lenses, you can read about them HERE.) It’s not the one I really wanted, but this one is $130 and the one I really wanted was almost $700, so I decided I would get this one for now and upgrade later. One reason I wanted this lens is because the aperture can open to 1.8, which is big. That means the camera lets in more light, which is nice for interior

March 10, 2012 No Comments

the book

My life for the past couple of months has basically revolved around the book I’m writing. Things are finally starting to come together. We’ve edited through chapter nine (out of ten) and I just finished my last photo shoot today. YES!! It’s been a lot of work, but very rewarding and I know I will be absolutely over the moon when I see it in print. So, I wanted to answer a few questions I’ve been getting about the book, so you have an idea of what I’ve been up to. How it happened… First of all, in case you’re new(er) to my blog, I want to let you know that my business was started just to help out with the family finances and I had no idea I would ever have the opportunity to write a book. I started writing one about 1 1/2 years ago and shared about

March 5, 2012 No Comments

Miscellaneus

more peeks…

Well, the flurry of activity will be prolonged for a few more days…fortunately. My original deadline for the photos has been extended. Whew! I was going to make it, but I was definitely going to be limping to the finish line. I feel like with a few extra days, I can make the photos even better. I started out the morning by moving things around in my office to make room for hanging wallpaper. I brought in a professional for the job for a few reasons… One: I have never hung wallpaper before and this is unpasted paper, two: I have dozens of other things I need to get done in a short period of time, and three: the paper is for a special project and it’s not a time for me to expand my DIY horizons. I couldn’t help myself, though, and I was soon up on a ladder,

February 25, 2012 No Comments

Running a Business

Sneak Peeks

The next ten days are going to be intense. I’m making my final push to finish the photography and projects for the book (as well as tweaking some of the tutorials.) I did have a very productive day, so I am feeling like I’m in a pretty good place, but I do have to squeeze as much as I can into every minute. I think I definitely will need a massage when it’s all done and maybe a full day in bed watching movies. I can’t show what I’m working on, but I can show a few sneak peeks… …and my house is a mess. Mini is helping to keep me straight, though. She even cleaned out my van today, since it was a disaster. Despite the stress and the hard work, I’m really enjoying this process and I’m learning so much about what I would

February 21, 2012 No Comments

buying & selling antiques

A Visit to Lucketts

Well, I finally crawled out of my writing-induced hermit shell yesterday and spent the day at Lucketts and running some errands. It was mostly book-related, but it was so nice to be out and about (and out of sweatpants.) I went to have my picture taken by the very talented Jody McKitrick. We had never met before, but we were providentially brought together last year by my Union Jack dresser and now she’s helping me out with a little photography for my book. I really needed a few professional shots of myself for promotional purposes, for the book jacket and some interior shots of me shopping, taking pictures, etc. Lucketts was the perfect backdrop. What’s so funny is that I ended up finding (and buying) an awesome primitive table in the process. I picked out the pictures I liked this morning and can’t wait to share some of them as well as

February 10, 2012 No Comments

blogging & writing

I’ve spent the last couple of weeks focused on the writing of my book and I’m finding it so difficult to write blog posts as well. I’ve been locked in my room in sweat pants, just writing. So, what am I going to share on my blog? Yeah…this is challenging. All of my writing and creative juices are going into the book, because I want it to be really good and fresh even to those who have read every post on my blog. I also have a super tight deadline, so I’m having to cram like a college student working on a last minute term paper. I’m enjoying the process, but this is an unexpected side effect. So, here’s the plan. I have another week or two of writing, so I’ll just post about this and that during that time. Once my writing is done, I’m going to start

February 6, 2012 No Comments

Photography

Growing Your Blog – Photography & Styling

  I kinda have to pinch myself today. I have four of my blogging icons here to share some words of wisdom on using quality photos to grow your blog and then I get to chime in on the subject as well. Kate from Centsational Girl brought us together to share a series on Growing Your Blog. I know I would’ve loved to read something like this when I first started, so I’m honored to be a part of this. The topic for today is photography and styling. I’ll give the floor to my guests and then share some additional thoughts with you… Y’all I should be arrested. I use a 4 year old Nikon D40 whose lens cap was lost a year or two ago. I have Photoshop but I don’t have time for the learning curve so if I do any editing it’s in iPhoto that came with

January 5, 2012 8 Comments

the art of styling

When I first started my business, I would paint a piece, pull out my camera and snap a picture of it…just right where it was. Usually the lighting was poor, so I used a flash. I would send the picture to my web designer and ask her to put it on my site. I didn’t realize what a poor representation of my work it was. I just didn’t think of the fact that I should take the time to stage the photo and light it properly. I really had no excuse, either. I had taken a photography class and knew how to take decent pictures, but I didn’t think I could achieve “magazine quality”, so I didn’t even try. Then, I stumbled upon the wonderful work of Shelter Blogs. There were girls just like me, taking really great pictures of their home and their work. I was immediately drawn to

October 16, 2011 109 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.

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