focus

It would seem it only takes a worldwide medical crisis to get me working on my site again.  Who knew?

Before "the storm" (aka COVID-19), I was working as an art instructor teaching painting classes mostly to adults in a paint-and-sip setting.  It was an awesome junction between fine art and entertainment, and I really felt myself being able to teach step-by-step painting while occasionally cracking jokes, depending on the clientele, of course.  However, the work was part-time.  In an effort to get more hours, I sometimes played host/bartender during events when I wasn't instructing.  (There was an odd stipulation that the hourly pay was somehow less as a host, and honestly I still wasn't getting enough hours.) 

I tried to rationalize that I'd work on self-improvement in the meantime, with Canvas and Metal (I haven't sold any art in quite a while), art shows (the Pacifica Winter Art Fair was the last I've done with no current plans for other shows or exhibition), Instagram (@dasoozn in case you're interested), and career counselling (which proved to be way out of my price range with a part-time job).  Now, with the collapse of socializing comes my probable unemployment, aaaaand we're back to soul-searching and figuring out our purpose, aren't we?  (Or, y'know, there's always Netflix and chill...)

Alright.  I've just moved back from East Bay.  It's a new chapter (again, again..)  I have to wait for the world's ship to re-right itself and regain economic/social buoyancy. I've had my wine-and-cry breakdown, tried gardening, organized my makeup, rearranged my marble collection a few times-- methinks it's time to take another crack at ye olde website, hmm?

I tend to lost focus and get discouraged easily, but after so many years of toying with photoshop, drawing, painting, organizing, being me-- I'd like to think I've got some lucrative skills lurking somewhere in this swirling galaxy of chaos, coffee, and snark.

Brainstorming:

• I'm quite funny. Maybe a comedic blog. Is all my comedy geared towards a particular demographic?  Who is my audience? Should I censor myself, and if so, how much?
• I love the idea of comics.  Upon reorganizing my old sketchbooks, I'll come across the occasional scribbled comic I did back in high school or college, and I'll look upon it fondly and think, "I should do more of those."  (I'm not sure if others would like them.  ... Also, it's hard to come up with ideas.  Is this idea too ambitious?)
• I know that I have a weakness: I get pumped-up to start a project, but the execution starts to lose momentum and it can easily fizzle. I also know that I am motivated by others, especially when I establish accountability. Maybe if I built a schedule..? Yep. Yeah, no, I see it.
• I need to gather new/current projects to share: paintings (should I include work paintings?), side projects, customized stuff... What have I been producing? What skills does the product illustrate? Does the product need explanation or context? What's the best way to show it off?
• What is my website showcasing?  What do I want it to say?  Should it be personal or professional?  Where do I draw the line?

... See, originally, I was just going to decide to use this barely-used blog to make entries that show real-world examples of usable skills, like photo editing and graphic design (which seems like SUCH an umbrella term that I don't know how to approach it)... I kinda wish someone would just recognize that I'm a swirling mass of ultra-keen potential with many seedlings of skills in many areas and adopt me as an aide/apprentice to train me to be able to help out in many areas-- like "We need someone to paint a mural, help design website banners, organize/take inventory of our office stock room, socialize with the office cat, composite concept ideas of meditation gardens, create a spreadsheet template for a sign-in form for deliveries, recommend skincare regimens, buy the perfect office decor, and post cute/artsy photos on social media to make us look cool."