Etsy

Monday 26 October 2015




Besides the fact that I am officially on Etsy, I am now selling my art!


You can click here to be redirected to my new chic digital storefront or you can just navigate there by yourself using this:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheBoldBlog




As it says over on my Etsy page, the mission of The Bold Blog store is to help design cohesive, professional platforms for you and your brand.  That could be anything from business cards to promotional products to blogging graphics, even simply matching social media profiles for all of your personal accounts.  Over at the shop, anything can be done!


To find my personal artworks for sale, you can view the most recent on the shop homepage, or click the Original Artwork tab in the sidebar.


Shoot me an email or send me a direct message from your Etsy account to learn more.



How to Save for Milestones in Your Twenties

Saturday 24 October 2015



        One morning, your parents are sending you off for your first week of Uni, having packed you non-perishable food and enough laundry detergent to last the year.  The next, you’re on your own in the dank little breakfast nook of your new flat, eating porridge with water instead of milk because milk just doesn’t fit into your budget anymore.

       Growing up is exciting, and a necessary step in life, but keeping a budget is not.  We all deserve to treat ourselves, especially when times feel tough.  So why not start saving now for the milestones you’ll want to celebrate later?  Here are some tips on how to save some extra cash.

Buy non-perishables in bulk

The more you buy at once, the cheaper it will be per unit.  If it’s shelf-stable, like tissue paper, fill your cart with the big rolls that will last you several months. Everybody loves wandering through places like Costco and finding things you never knew you needed that will last you almost years.

D.I.Y.

Okay, who doesn’t love a good do-it-yourself project? DIY-ing is totally trending right now, so take advantage of the fad, jump on Pinterest, and have a go at making some of the things you might buy in store.





Find your green thumb

Lots of popular fruits, vegetables, and herbs can be grown on your windowsill or in a miniature garden.  A green thumb would be helpful, but with a little Googling, you can learn the basic tricks of home gardening in a snap!

Take your health seriously

What you eat and drink, how often you exercise, and what habits you partake in on a daily basis may seem like silly little nagging points right now, but might just cost you down the road.  If you take care of yourself while you are still healthy, you could save yourself tons of money that you’d rather put towards a special occasion later in life.

Pay with cash

Paying with debit or credit desensitizes you to the value of money.  When you are standing at the till and have to physically pull the money out of your wallet, you will be more aware of the amount being spent.



        No matter what you do or how you do it, find a way to make saving meaningful.  Every little coin, every note, every cheque, no matter how tiny – all of it counts.  It will pay off later, it will be worth it!  Don’t consider it a daunting task.  Rather, be excited by the prospect of opportunities you’ll be able to have in the future.

The Fear of Not Being Liked

Wednesday 21 October 2015

     

       Life forces us to be surrounded by people; people who like us, people who love us, and people who make it clear they could care less if your head was stuck in a toilet.  Learning how to deal with all sorts of personalities is part of the journey.  And along the way, we have to learn that we simply cannot please everyone.






Indeed, it can be hard to come to terms with the fact that not everybody likes you, but being yourself and building a genuine support group is better than being a people pleaser.  If you’re struggling with the fear of not being liked, try jumping off the deep end with these three tips.

1. If you want to say no, say it.

Here are your options: say yes to everything that’s asked of you and be disappointed in your mediocre outcome.  Or, say yes to what is within your domain and politely decline the tasks you know you won’t be able to live up to.  If you want to make people happy, be honest.  Saying no might yield a negative response at first, but your colleagues will be grateful for your upfront attitude when crunch time comes around.

2. Ask for opinions to gain perspective

For the longest time, I asked the people around me to make decisions for me, with the hopes that I could impress them and gain some respect.  But what I learned from doing that is that if you succeed, you don’t feel proud for having used somebody else’s idea.  And if you fail, you’re embarrassed and no better off than before.
Your boss, your coworkers, and your family will all respect you more for acquiring various perspectives and using them to come to your own decision.  That way, whatever the outcome, you can feel 100% responsible.  Whether your decision succeeds or fails, people will respect you for being your own person.

3. Stand out

Are you a follower, or a leader?  Followers don’t often gain respect from other followers, or from leaders for that matter.  So in trying to be liked by everyone else, you’re just melting into the status quo; becoming one of the same.  To be truly liked, you need to forget about all the social psychoanalytics, step away from the crowd, and be whoever it is that is calling out to you.  Forge a path for yourself!  Be anything and everything!  When you begin to let go of your fears, you will shine in your own way; you’ll attract like-minded people who respect what you do and what you stand for.


You want to be liked?  Here’s the answer: stop trying.  


The Selfie

Sunday 4 October 2015





You either love it or you hate it; the selfie is a controversial photo-taking method. And with the newly redesigned front-facing camera on the iPhone 6s, selfies are only bound to grow in popularity. If you’re going to venture in that direction, you may as well learn how to do it right…or at least, learn what not to do. Here are seven of the biggest selfie mistakes:


1. Getting too close to the camera

Maybe getting closer will cut out the view of your messy bedroom or block the camera from capturing your unicorn pyjama set. But on the other hand, getting too close will just shed light on all of the features you don’t want to highlight.

2. Over-posing

Cheesy, cheesy, cheese. When it’s obvious that you’re trying too hard, you’ve gone too far.

3. Giving yourself a trying-to-be-artsy caption

Captions and hashtags are at least 50% of the work in making a good Instagram pic. But metaphorical, alternative captions have become the latest social media cliché.

4. Faking a candid

Have you ever noticed that people trying to stage a candid don’t look casually candid? They look staged. Purpose defeated.

5. Getting excited with filter effects

Some filters are classy, some light leaks look natural, but irrational combinations of the two can make your photo look worse quality than you started off with.

6. Posting too many

In social media language, there’s value in the selfie. What I mean is that selfies – if done properly – produce a lot of ‘likes’. However, when you post selfies too often, they begin to lose their value. The more selfies you post, the less people will pay attention, if you care about that kind of thing.

7. Overanalyzing

It’s social media; it’s harsh, critical, and unrealistic. Don’t take anything you see or hear personally. That is to say, don’t sit up awake at night thinking about a comment on your selfie. It’s not worth it.





‘Selfie’ just made it into the dictionary, so I suppose it’s something we should start taking seriously. Is there a process; a 5-step guide? Nope. Not yet, but maybe one day. For now, it’s all about trial-and-error. Hopefully, these tips will get you ahead of the game.


 
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