friday roundup

 

first, can i get a T-G-I-F? woot, woot!

now.

lately i've been coming across all kinds of goodies on various media outlets that i just have to share. it's a random assortment which i hope will pique at least one of your interests, but even if something doesn't immediately jump out, give it a chance, you never know what you might find. anyway, just some things to peruse over the weekend:

+ have you all heard of picmonkey? i downloaded the free online service two years ago when it replaced picnik as a photo editing program but didn't even use it until recently. now i'm hooked. it's photoshop or lightroom for the non-graphic designer. see the nifty icon by current tempo up there on the tab? yeah, i did that on picmonkey. no big deal. also, their blog post on 2013 word-of-the-year, 'selfie', gave me courage to snap the sequence you see above. i still need some work, obvi (<-- 2014 word-of-the-year?).

+ i've developed something of a crush on nana. a few weeks ago i stumbled across her photos on instagram and now sort of obsessively follow her @urbanxkoi. her feed is gorgeous.

+ another new acquaintance thanks to instagram is mary beth of the blog annapolis&company. her pictures and writing reveals that she is a beautiful person with amazing perspective on life - both literally and figuratively. she hosts this series on IG (#theeverydayproject) where she encourages people to search for the beauty in the everyday and capture it. if you're new to photography or just looking for some good photo tips, you must check out her tutorials.

+ this excerpt from molly wizenberg's talk at food blog south where she shared her gut feelings about writing and creativity. i love molly's writing and apparently, her speaking is just as good. p.s. her next book comes out in a couple months and i.can't.wait.

  + last, great news runners who are coffee lovers! turns out caffeine really had absolutely no influence on hydration status. also, the wonderdrink is said to improve memory, hence my DOMINATION in scrabble versus the husband. so. stay thirsty my friends. 

NKOTB: New kid on the blog

I was recently speaking with a friend and fellow blogger about how she got started - picking her brain on blogging tips, and what not. Like the new kid at school, I want to use the mystique of my novelty to attract friends but don't want to appear desperate or like I'm trying too hard. So, feigning nonchalance, I casually asked about her readership (in a short period of time, she's built a strong assemblage). But there was no hiding it and both of us knew full well my true agenda: how do you become cool build a following? 

First, of course, you identify your audience. She asked "Who are you writing to?"  I was stumped. I know it's like the first thing you're supposed to ask yourself when writing but I hadn't really thought of it. And several days later, I was still pining away for an answer; over analyzing every post and trying to hone in on my demographic. But, then it occurred to me: my audience are readers. Obviously. 

I've mentioned my propensity towards greediness. I was once identified as being a person who "wanted her cake and eat it too". I hate that analogy, by the way. Who would ever get a cake and not want to eat it, I dunno, but lock them up as crazy. So it's no surprise then, that I was reluctant to pick just one group. I want a broad audience. I want to be able to relate to all sorts of people: men, women, 30somethings, teens, moms, dads, runners... you get the  point. 

The Inspiration page of this blog contains quotations that in some way or another have piqued my creativity. Notice the range in not only authors but topics. I, myself have learned so much from writers of both sexes and from all walks of life so I aspire to offer the same; we all have something to offer each other. 
When I first decided to start a blog it was because I wanted to write and felt I had something to say. For me, the joy of writing comes from the act itself. It's an outlet I have found with excitement and frustration fascination. Exploring the depths of my mind, expanding my perspective, forcing analysis and observation (at first at least) and hoping for it to become second nature. 


It's universally known that the two principal ways to become a better writer are to write a lot, and read a lot. Being a good reader makes you a better writer. Much like being a good listener makes you a better speaker... or at least, a more thoughtful one. What we learn as readers, we use as writers. And over time, the aim is that our writing becomes a compilation of all the things we’ve learned as readers, but told in our own voice. That's why it's important to make sure you're reading good writers!

When I read great writing, I am filled with inspiration to write.  I’ll jot down stuff in my Moleskin for a later time. That way, when creativity begins to runs dry, I have a spring of ideas that is constantly bubbling at the source, just needing some capping and development.

Thumbs up

Wait, what? I actually have an audience? And you all even kind of liked what I had to say? Wow. Not only am I flattered but extremely... r-e-l-i-e-v-e-d. 

As some of you may know, I'm not a particularly open person. And as far as social media goes, I have a quasi-sociopath aversion. I mean, the most you'll get out me on Facebook is maybe a "Like" on comments. If I'm super enthusiastic, you'll get a meager, albeit sincere Comment. So naturally, I was all nerves right before hitting "post" on promoting this new blog. But then I got this surge of support and encouragement. 

Thanks to you all for the positive reinforcement and resulting courage to forge onward! I'll do my best to bring genuine introspection and insight to this little slice of the internets.

p.s. Bare with me as this site comes together. Blogger design templates are great but I'm trying to customize bits by teaching myself CSS coding so check back frequently for updates to the Pages. Also, if anyone can help me figure out how to embed this friggin' Snapwidget, I'd be much obliged. I know it should be super easy but I'm having the darnedest time of it. For anyone interested, I learned that only a few gadgets show up in Dynamic views (the template I was using). I had to switch to another template that supports the feature. Boo. You would think that since Dynamic views are the new stuff of Blogger, they'd have the beta testing done before launching... Oh well.