LIFESHITTT
Lets get the most important part of this blog out of them way… Seeing Beyoncé live will go down as one of my top five favorite concerts. Understand that I’ve seen a LOT of live music in my life. But man oh man that woman puts on a show and is worth every single penny I paid. I was a fan before but I’m a fully fledge hive member now.
Not only was She, herself, amazing. But the show as a whole was a thought provoking performance piece. She tells a very clear story with visuals, her music and her costumes. At one point she was wearing a gown that is covered in LEDs, projecting the same image that's also being shown on the ground below her - it was actually insane. And totally my kind of art. I love a subversive message, especially when it’s done on this large of a scale.
Beyond that, the whole experience was great. My bestie and I got to dress up in our cowboy fits and I even custom made a Cowboy Couture hat to rock to the show. The creativity of some of people in attendance of this show was next level and I loved the community vibe of it all. Never once did I feel unsafe, despite being utterly overwhelmed by the number of people in the stadium.
WORKSHITTT
So we started with the queen because everything else about this week kind of sucked... Like not to be a Debby Downer but I had to give my Virtual Assistant her two weeks notice.
I had to tell the woman who has been doing an EXCELLENT job of maintaining customer service and ensuring I don’t miss any pressing deadlines - that I could only pay her through the end of this month.
And that sucks to admit, but I am at the point where I’ve got to run my business on as lean of a budget as possible. Nobody tell my accountant they are next on the list.
I’ve ended working relationships before, but never because I couldn’t afford it. I hesitate to even share any of this, but the fact is sales and order amounts are down. And I really don’t foresee them going up any time soon…. or at least not under this administration.
I haven’t given up, friends. I still have some gas in the tank, but it’s going to be the slimmest of margins around here for a while.
A huge shoutout to Alessa for keeping me sane and on top of things these last few years. She’s an amazing VA, if you need one. But more than that, she’s a such lovely human and friend. If you interacted with CS in the last three years you got to see how lovely she really is. I’m going to miss her more than I can ever manage to type.
JOURNALSHITT
I scored some excellent junk for my journal this weekend because #everythingisephemera - including hotel key cards, which make amazing washi sample holders OR washi cutters! I also snagged some note pages from the hotel & saved the ribbon from the light up bracelets we got at the Cowboy Carter show. As soon as it was on my wrist I was fiddling with the placement of the light so it wouldn’t wrinkle the text on it. Priorities people!
Journaling has been such a comfort to me lately. My planner is all work, and a little fun. But my journal is boundless creativity. Every time I open her I get to decide, do I want to draw, watercolor, paint, color, sticker, stamp, write or a combination of all of the above?! I’ve used it as an excuse to play with whatever supply I’m into at the moment.
Right now I’ve been rewriting lyrics to some of my favorite Beyoncé tracks with my NEW Twzbi fountain pen with stub tip. I plan on using them as backdrops to the memory keeping and photos I took from the concert. Points for using my new tool right away! Bonus points for filling it with ink sent to me by Kim!
PROUDSHITTT
Before I go, I do wanna just pat myself on the back for the most recent Patreon workshop I taught. Not only did the students get to learn my method to mental health journaling (a proven and therapist approved method!) but I got to do the “I am” exercise with them.
And if you read this much of the blog, I’m going to treat you with the rules of this exercise. Set ten minutes on the clock. Write down as many "I am" statements as you can. Every sentence should start with "My" or "I am," and the things you write down should all be neutral or positive things about yourself.
Don’t be bashful. This is only for you. Brag about how awesome you are at XYZ. Think about every title you hold. Write down what you think are your most wonderful, helpful, and unique traits are. Try and fill the page, and don’t stop until the ten minutes is up. Read it back to yourself OUTLOUD. And I promise you will feel so empowered by who you are.
Its easy to forget who we are, what we love, what we’re great at - when the world is constantly telling us who we SHOULD be. This exercise puts you back into the drivers & narrator seat at the same time. It’s powerful and I felt so fortunate to be able to share that in our workshop and now again with you, sweet reader.
And hey, if this is something that's up your alley, you can join my Patreon at any time for just $15!
Listening to: Twittering birds and the sounds of landscaping machinery. My most and least favorite sounds.
Watching: The filmed footage from the Cowboy Carter show I was at (listen, I wanna live in that moment forever AND I was up on the side, it’s totally different to see it from the front!)
Waiting on: My Theoretikal design order — technically it was delivered today but I’m not there to grab it!
Crafting: Panic crafting my Cowboy Couture hat for the show and painting warhammer models. Don't ask lol
Wondering: What does space smell like? And does it change based on weather conditions? Like how we can smell when it rains…
Manifesting: Positive sales numbers as we round out the end of month. Please and thankyou for shopping <3
