Wicked Awesome Quotes: A Mélange
A mélange of quotes for you…
Here are some of wise words from others which have caught my eye (and my mind) lately. The artwork is mine… the words belong to someone else.
Enjoy,
~the mess
Habits, Intentions, Ducks & Stuff
The story of my flying fingers.
You may have noticed that the blog is scant on new posts. That’s because I launched my first e-class adventure (The Journey from Habit to Intention) on May 1st. The travelers and I have been really busy. My fingers are flying and the process has turned out to be very fluid. I didn’t originally plan on much interaction with the folks taking the course. That plan didn’t stick (duh…) I was jonesing to “talk” with them and hear what they had to say. So my fingers have reached peak typing capacity!
I have however been pointing and shooting the camera on my iPhone. My newest batch of posters will tell you a lot about where I am. So how about we call this a “photo blog” and my pictures can tell my tale…
**Visit my Original Graphic Quotes Page to See More**
The Evolution of a Poster
Behind the scenes with me and my iPhone.
Every wonder how one of my posters come to life? I wrote this in March for the folks who get my newsletter. I thought it might be of interest to some of you too. I am the most casual of photographers. I really don’t have any formal training. I learn as a I go. I use my trusty iPhone 4S and a few iPhone/iPad apps for most of my creations. The iCloud makes it very easy for me to share photos between my iPhone, iPad, and MacBook.
I’ve been so busy lately I haven’t had time to wander the streets much on dedicated photo expeditions. Many of the shots I take are just lucky finds and grabbed on the fly. My family and friends are becoming used to me lagging behind to catch a pic.
Moon and I headed to lunch last weekend so we could discuss the video blog I was going to record later in the day. She did a fabulous job of parallel parking the car on the street. I opened the door and lo and behold this lovely lonely pink feather was just waiting for me. The darker concrete is the rise of the curb. The feather itself is laying on the street in front of the curb. I started shooting.
I moved the camera around to put the feather in different parts of the frame.
In this photo I wanted less of the dark curb.
I was thinking about leaving blank space for text and I shifted my frame.
I used Instagram to crop the above shot. I’m not sure which filter I used. It was probably Lomo-Fi. I like that one a lot. Instagram causes you to crop your photos with square dimensions.
Once I was happy with the photo, I opened it in Keynote (Mac’s equivalent of PowerPoint.) This allowed me to overlay the text and my watermark on the photograph. I collect quotes and have no real method to my madness when pairing them with photos. I started reading quotes and the Vonnegut quote struck my fancy.
Then Moon and I headed to a bead shop. We were shopping for beads for a special birthday present. The bead store was a full of brightly colored goodies. These peace sign shaped beads caught my eye. If I had it to do over again I would move some of the other colors to the top. Live and learn.
I used Instragram to crop and add a filter.
I knew there was no space for a text overlay. I brought the photograph into Keynote and added the text to the right of the image. I opted for red text this time to continue with the vivid funky theme. The Smedes quote was in inventory and seemed like an obvious match.
The Man and I were dinner guests at another couples’ house. We arrived at 7pm and The evening sun was filtering beautifully through their white azaleas. The azaleas had only popped open a day or two earlier. I noticed the ground cover to the right of the bush and it occurred to me it might make a good background for text. Now that I’m in poster making mode, I think about things like text placement almost automatically.
I was in a hurry to get inside. I took several shots so I would have a variety to choose from later.
The photo above is a close up of the large bloom on the right of this frame. I was standing right in front of the bush and just moved the camera further back to get the longer shot. I rarely use the zoom feature as it tends to diminish quality.
I decided on the first shot with the ground cover. I used Instagram to crop and filter the photo.
Once happy with the photo I imported it into Keynote. On my Mac it’s simple a drop and drag procedure. The purity of the white blooms caused me to pair them with the Buscaglia quote.
I love how photography brings me into my surroundings. I don’t always take time to pay attention and be really present, but when I do subjects jump out of nowhere.
The other thing I love about taking unstaged and random photos with my phone is the life-log they end up creating. My digital photo albums become the diary of my life. Even the quirkiest shots bring up memories and remind me of all sorts of things I’ve done.
The camera on your phone is a powerful tool. Shoot liberally. Take pictures of all sorts of things – not just people. Then delete liberally (you’ll capture lots of crap too.) You’ll be amazed and the memories you save.
xoxox,
~the mess
Worth 5000 Words (as in a picture is…)
5 pictures = 5000 words Here are some of my original graphic creations from the week. xoxoxo, ~the mess
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April 2012
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**Visit my Original Graphic Quotes Page to See More**
It’s My MESSage
Stay away from my belt (please.)
50 people could compliment me, but the voice that would stand out is the naysayer’s. I’m a blogger. I have a popular Facebook Fan Page. I’m living out-loud and wide open. I make no bones about it… I’m a mess. And yes… I’m a beautiful mess too.
It’s my MESSage. I want us to find more beauty in our messes. I want us to realize we’re not alone in these crazy thoughts. I want us to understand that we are more alike than different. I want us to laugh more and take ourselves just a bit less seriously.
So why does it cut me to the core when someone says “you’re not beautiful… you’re just a mess?” Oh yeah… it hurts because I’m human and it’s my issue. It really doesn’t take an extreme amount of insight to figure out I might have a button there. It’s seems obvious that those comments are aimed below my belt. Sadly when someone goes below my belt they are actually going below their own belt too. If they have to point out my messiness (when I’m doing a damn good job of that myself), then they’ve got a button wired there too.
What I’d like for both of us to do is respect each other and be nice. How about we avoid each other’s belts altogether? But if it were going to be that easy I wouldn’t need to be writing about beautiful messes. My MESSsage wouldn’t be resonating with so many would it?
So when the naysayers go “there” just remember it’s my call to action. My skin gets thicker and more importantly my heart gets stronger. I’m learning how to do this. What I hope (and believe) will be true is that I won’t stop caring, but I’ll do a better job of keeping the mini-mess and my heart safe. I’ll get used to it, but I won’t get comfortable with it and I won’t shut my mouth (or stop my fingers.)
<endofrant>
Music that Moves
I first heard the song Never Be the Same by The Kin in the movie Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead (a great documentary about changing your life by changing your diet.) The song still makes me cry (the movie did too.) I imagine being able to sit next to the mini-mess and tell her “everything’s going to be okay.” There are days when “she” really needs to hear that.
To the Voices in My Head
Is there such a thing as silence of the mind? I wonder…
True silence is the rest of the mind; it is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment.
~William Penn
“The word ‘listen’ contains the same letters as the word ‘silent’.”
~Alfred Brendel
<beginrant>
Music that Moves
Drive, Incubus
It’s a song about not letting the voice of fear win…
It’s driven me before
And it seems to be the way that everyone else gets around
But lately I am beginning to find
That when I drive myself my light is found
My New e-Adventure…
What is the Journey from Habit to Intention?
In my own words…
The Journey from Habit to Intention from The Mess on Vimeo.
that was the day
she made herself the promise
to live more from intention
and less from habit~Amy Rubin Flett
Want more information? Click here.
Worth 5000 Words (as in a picture is…)
5 pictures = 5000 words Here are some of my original graphic creations from the week. (Clicking will help you read them if they are too small.) xoxoxo, ~the mess
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April 2012
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**Visit my Original Graphic Quotes Page to See More**
Wicked Awesome Quotes: Mae West
swiped from little lady's iTouch
Lucky, blessed, or receptive: Which one are you?
It’s amazing what a little research will do for you. I saw this quote the other day.
“A woman has got to love a bad man once or twice in her life to be thankful for a good one.”
There was no attribution to an author and I decided to google it so I could give credit where credit was due. Who said it?
~Mae West~
Now that was a golden find! The quote spoke to me without knowing it came from her, but adding her voice and her story brought the words to life.
I identified the source on a page loaded with quotes about love. There were so many I decided not to try to pick a few favorites. I’m linking to it here.
All of this reminded me a of a picture I swiped earlier this year from my 12-year-old granddaughter’s iTouch. I wish I knew then what she seems to know now…
Sometimes we are lucky in love and life, sometimes we are blessed, but it is only when we become receptive to that luck and those blessing that magic happens.
~MEss
Wishing you a “magical” day…
~the amazing beauty that is "little lady"~
Into the Rabbit Hole You Go Alice, signed The Mad Hatter
Join me on a brand new e-Adventure…
that was the day
she made herself the promise
to live more from intention
and less from habit
~Amy Rubin Flett
The Journey from Habit to Intention from The Mess on Vimeo.
Why go on this adventure?
Experts say it takes 21 days to create a new habit. During your 30-day journey, you will be guided through a straight-forward process created to help you change one of those old pesky patterns (habits.) You will be led through the steps to incorporate a healthier practice or routine in your life. Each MESSage will give a you tool to use. You do the digging, but the process shows you how to dig.
In the first week, you will identify a:
habit |ˈhabit|
noun
a settled or regular tendency or practice,
esp. one that is hard to give up
which has been running in the background creating unhappiness or chaos in your life. We’re not tackling things like weight loss or smoking. Instead we’ll be delving deeper. We will bravely go into the rabbit hole of your mental chatter. Think of it like this… you are Alice…I’m the Mad Hatter 
I will guide you through simple and gentle ways to reveal your negative mental chatter.
Habits are safer than rules;
you don’t have to watch them.
And you don’t have to keep them, either.
They keep you.
~Frank Crane
Once the pesky persnickety pattern is identified, the real fun begins. You will be led through a process to create a new
intention |inˈtenCHən|
noun
a thing intended; an aim or plan
for yourself. I will give you concrete ways (in the words of Pink*) to “change the voices inside your head – make them like you instead.”
*a lyric from Pink’s hit song F**king Perfect
Once your new intention has been identified, we will spend the rest of the month implementing the change. You will be supported with daily emails to help you stay on track and be gentle with yourself. Remember, it’s about progress – not perfection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is included for my $19.99?
** One email from me per day for the month of May.
** Each MESSage will be short and to the point. I’m going to try to limit my verbose self to 500 words or less (ha!) I know you are busy. I don’t want you to be bombarded or overloaded with stuff to read.
** Each email will give you clear and specific directions for the day.
** Every MESSage will include a downloadable graphic of the day’s main point. This image makes great wallpaper for your computer screen. Use it as a reminder.
How will this help me?
** You will identify a negative mental habit which is regularly making your life messy.
** You will create a new positive intention to replace the old habit. The new intention will help you create more beauty in your mess.
** You will be guided through steps to implement the change in your life.
** You will integrate the new intention into your daily routine.
** Bottom line: a little more beauty – a little less mess
When and where does it happen?
** I will send you a “Getting Started” email on Monday April 30th at midnight CDT (GMT −6). If you don’t receive it, check your spam folder first. If it’s not there, please email me.
** You will begin receiving regular email MESSages from me at midnight CDT (GMT -6) on Tuesday May 1st.
** This adventure happens on your computer, laptop, iPad, smart phone… wherever you receive your emails!
** There are no attendance requirements, no classes, no forums, and no group participation. I can’t imagine how it could be any easier (or safer) for you.
** You can take things at your own pace. You do it when it’s convenient for you.
Do I have to start on the 1st?
** Your MESSages will begin delivery on May 1st. When you start is up to you. It’s all about flexibility and privacy for you. How you participate or even if you participate is your decision.
** Even if you don’t choose to do the exercise for the day, you will benefit just from reading the daily MESSages. My suggestion is to read each MESSage on the day you get it. After that, decide what works for you. Obviously, the more you put into the process, the more you get out of it.
** You can always go back and repeat a day or do it as time permits. Save the emails. This process can be repeated over and over again focusing on a different habit. This process is not a one-trick pony. You will gain benefit each time you use it.
What if I get sick or have to skip a day?
** You can start, stop, and participate on your own schedule. You will receive one email each day during the month of May. How and when you use them is entirely up to you.
What if I don’t get my email?
** Check your spam folder first. If it’s not there email me.
Can I contact you by email?
** Please contact me if you have technical problems getting emails, etc. It may take several hours for me to get back to you as I am not on-line all of the time. Barring unforeseen circumstances, you should receive a reply from me within 12 hours.
** This is your personal journey. It is designed to stand alone. I will not be able to respond to questions of a personal nature or offer one-on-one assistance. However, I will be announcing an interactive e-course, The Journey from Broken to Beautiful, in the summer. This class will include lots of opportunity for interaction with both the group and me. Stay tuned for more details on that adventure.
Who can participate?
** Anyone 18 years or older is welcome. Your participation will be private. No class list will be created. Your registration information (and your email address) are mine and mine alone! Remember… I’m an only child. I don’t like to share!
How do I register?
** Click the “Click Here to Register” link below and follow the prompts.
**After you get the “Thank you we’ve added you to the mailing list you’ve selected” screen, an email will be on its way to your inbox. Responding to this email is essential to finalizing your registration.
** The email will be from “A Beautiful Mess Inside”. The subject is “Complete Registration.” Open the email and click the “Buy Now” button. This will lead you to your PayPal account and an invoice for $19.99. If you don’t get this email, please check your spam folder. If it doesn’t arrive shortly, you need to email me.
If you would like to know more about me, you can find it here.
What this adventure is NOT…
** Sadly this course will not generate world peace, a cure for cancer, or and end to famine. Neither will it treat or cure any diseases such as depression, bi-polar disorder, or personality disorders.
** The class is educational in nature. It is not a substitute for therapy of any kind.
** This course won’t fix all your woes and it won’t change other people.
** No one-on-one sessions, chats, or personal emails from me are included in the fee.
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