AlishaVernon.com

I realize that I’ve really put this site, as well as art, on the back burner for awhile.  My original plan was to use this blog to record my year long journey of finding my place as an Artist.  I guess I was a little disappointed when I realized that the year had come and gone and I had not emerged victoriously….as I had envisioned.  In all honesty, it’s pretty obvious that I didn’t put very much into this whole process.  I did get distracted quite a bit. I’ve had times where I’ve been sure that painting is my calling, and even an inescapable destiny.  Other times I’ve been sure that I should escape.  But here I am, at 25 years old, with this odd feeling that there is more to it all than I know and this strange feeling that a paintbrush and canvas will always be able to call me back, no matter how old I am.  I think it will all fall in to place when it’s supposed to.

Lately, however, I’ve noticed quite an interest in, shall we say, less glamorous art forms.  Ones that are simple and even quaint….like beeswax candle making, calligraphy, bookbinding, and sewing.  Speaking of sewing, I’ll leave you with my first major sewing project.  (Let it be known that I bought my dogs’ costume)

The Bee Family on Halloween

Serious Bee “…why did my wife make me dress like a freakin’ bee?”

Goofy Bee “…buzz buzz, look at my wings”

Mama and baby bee

One of my goals for this new year was to remember birthdays. You know, send a card, a gift, give a phone call and do it on time. My dear friend Jessica, is amazing at this. Since we graduated from high school 7 years ago, and all went our separate ways, she has, without fail, always sent a birthday card and even remembered things like my wedding anniversaries, valentines day,….I think their may have been a St. Patrick’s day card somewhere in the mix. It always makes me feel very loved.

Anyway, despite my good intentions, I have already forgot to call my niece on her birthday, I sent her present late and totally forgot one of my best friends’ birthdays. I did however, make my mom a hand painted card 2 weeks in advance, and then her birthday just sorta snuck up on me, and it got there a week late. Oh dear.

I can do this!
I know I can.
Any advice?

So what have I been up to lately?  Well,…..not contributing to this blog, that’s for sure.

I just moved last week, into a different house; a nicer house.  As lot of you know, if your house full of stuff, it can be quite a process.  I’m not very good at unpacking right away either, so I’m hoping this weekend I’ll finish up.

Also I’ve been working on my business Sweet & Spunky.  It’s been pretty fun.  Definitely, there’s a sense of satisfaction after each onesie is wrapped up and shipped.  It’s exciting to know that some little bundle of miracle is going to be wearing this little piece of art that I just made.  …and getting an order is also quite flattering…like “wow, it’s not just my mom ordering, to make me feel good.  These are real life people who genuinely like my idea.”

I’ve decided to finish my Bachelors degree, and Monday was the first day of school.  I’m doing an Applied Psychology major at OIT.  I was a little…..ok REALLY hesitant for a while.   I think I was burnt out on the ‘big school” college life.  I’m so glad I decided to do it, because I seriously LOVE  OIT.  Who knew that a tech school, that is perfect for my honey, has such a great Psych program for me.  But what about my Art Major, you ask?  (Ok, so maybe you didn’t ask)  Well, I actually was thinking about changing my major to Psychology while we were in Eugene.  It was the whole reason that I moved there, 5 years ago, in the 1st place.  It’s been between Art and Psych. for a while now.  Some of the reasons are:  1.  I want to use my brain again.  I love my art classes but, after a while a certain part of my brain starts screaming “Don’t forget about me!”  2.  Upper division art classes started getting too weird for me.  3.  Psychology is my other love.  I would like to be a counselor of some sort.

….and I’ve been volunteering for SMART.  I read with elementary school students. More on that later.

And I just realized that I have an assignment due in 2 hours for my 1 online class. …great.

Peace.

Me, Jim, and Wiley woke up on this sunny Saturday morning and decided to take a drive to Crater Lake National Park. We had no idea, but when we got there a guide told us that the park had been closed for the past 3 weeks, because of all the snow, and it just re-opened today. Here’s some pictures that Jim took.

Oh yeah, and when we got home I checked my email and saw that I had my official first sale on Etsy!

All I can say is “Whoa Mama!”….. ok and maybe a little “Wa Wa Wee Wah!” too. (like Borat)

Basically, I’m super excited!

My little experiment of putting a few of my paintings on Etsy is going awesome. This is only the second day and I’ve already been told by two people that they’re going to feature me in their blog, and I’m in 2 treasuries on Etsy. A treasury, on Etsy, is a group of photos of people’s art/crafts compiled by a another member of Etsy. All of these are put into the “Treasury” section on the site and that’s where the front page images are selected from. So, once someone puts you in a treasury, there’s the possibility of going to the front page and getting some major exposure. Plus, just being in a treasury gets you some extra views because people like to see what’s in there. How cool is that!? 2 in just two days.

Here are they are! Click on each image to see it full size. In each one, my paintings are on the bottom row.

{If nothing comes up when you click it’s probably because that one is expired. Try the other one. They only stay on the site for a few days. On the top box I’m in the lower left, and on the bottom box, I’m in the lower right}

Today I read this interview with a seller on Etsy. (It’s a good read) Out of all the things she said in her interview, all I can think about is how she said that she dresses up everyday, even though she spends a lot of days in her studio, and that she believes in dressing up to go to the grocery store. I’ve been spending a lot of time at home lately in sweats, undone hair, and no makeup. I wonder what would happen if I dressed up every day, even if I knew I was probably just staying home or going to the store. Would it put me in a better mood? Would I be more productive because of this good mood? What level of dressing up would I subscribe to?

I’ll have to think about this one.

The possibilities are pretty much endless.

I’ve never really lived in a place this snowy, except my 1 year in Spokane at Whitworth, but I didn’t have a car then. The roads now are finally safe enough to drive in my little honda civic. Shoveling snow has now become part of my husbands daily routine, the snow got so high that my 8 in. dog was easily able to escape our yard, we’ve gotten stuck in our own driveway, and by the way, it’s 9 degrees out right now.

My poor car.

OIT College Campus

In town

More Town.

Wiley, discovering snow.

Mighty Snow Dog.

***Photos courtesy of my husband Jim from Jim.Vernon.com

Many of you have been asking, and I’ve tried to change the subject or just act like I didn’t hear, but I’m tired of living a lie.

YES, my husband and I are ninjas.

This morning started with an egg mcMuffin and hashbrowns from the golden arches, in efforts to prepare myself for my visit to the ER to get my stitches taken out. Ya see, last week, around this time, I dropped a glass and with my cat-like reflexes I tried to catch it. Well I did….with the inside of my hand, right after it broke in several pieces. I had to go to the ER and get a few stitch-a-roonies. It huuuuuuuurrrrrrt. I told the Doctor I was a wuss and didn’t know how I’ll ever be able to give birth someday. He said there were people a lot more wussy than I, and not too worry, because that’s why they make epidurals. Oh yeah, and when he was giving me the shot to numb me up, I was trying not to make a peep, but inadvertent little sounds and squeaks sneaked their way out, and it was making the Doctor laugh. I told him to focus.

…………….and today was the dreaded day of taking them out. It only really hurt when they were trying to wedge the scissors under the thread to cut it, because my cut’s still pretty sore. Pros: I got to miss 3 days of work. Cons: It was my last week working there and I was planning on a bigger paycheck, and now I’m a little behind on my business start-up timeline. So, I’m officially unemployed and working the best I can to get my business started.

Well, okay, I could probably do better by not wasting time watching Court TV and the Montel Williams show today. I watched an episode today with Sylvia Brown, and now I’m a little freaked out. Now I’m off to buy supplies for Sweet and Spunky.

Adorable custom onesies coming soon, to a website near you. (I know, you’re probably pulling you’re hair out screaming “No! I can’t wait! I want them now! NOW!”) ……okay probably not.

So, basically, I’ll admit it. Doing something regularly and consistently doesn’t appear to be one of my strengths. Playing well with others, sense of humor, good handwriting….those kind of things….I have those in the bag. (yeah, and in case you’re wondering I did win the “excellent handwriting” award in 3rd grade. But anyway, my point is that I started this site during a time that I had no job and really nothing else to do besides cook, clean, play with my dog, and hang out with my husband, and sister, not even any friends yet to distract me. Since my last post I quit Staples (after 2 days of training…ugh) , got a job at a local coffee shop, became the Bomb at coffee making, and I just put in my 2 weeks notice last week. (“wow Alisha’s kinda flaky,” you’re thinking) Some may see it that way,,,,I like to call it “smart.” Here’s the deal. My job drains me physically, puts me in a bad mood mentally, time off is impossible, it’s understaffed, oh yeah, and you’d better not even think about getting sick. My poor dog barely gets walked, my poor husband is wondering when I’m going to start cooking dinner again, all creative painting energy has subsided, me and my sister never have the same days off. I’m just not happy. So, after hearing me whine over and over, my “fix-it” husband says,…”figure out of way to fix it instead of just whining and being depressed.” Gasp. After being shocked by his “insensitivity” I realized that he was actually right. I decided to go for my dream of having my own little home business. I really value control of my own schedule. I don’t want to have to miss any more thanksgivings with family. (like this year) I don’t want to have to work the night before a final. In the future I want to be a stay at home mom, but I also want to contribute to the income and have a business as side project to keep me sane. Yes, that business could be painting, but my painting suffers when making money from it is the focus. So, if all goes as planned my business “SWEET AND SPUNKY” will launch sometime during the beginning of December. It will feature hand dyed, custom embroidered baby clothes. So, you can get your baby’s name, nickname, or any other saying you like, hand embroidered on a onesie, in the color of your choice. I’m very excited, and hopefully, with more control over my schedule, I’ll have the time and energy for the things that really matter to me. Plus, I have some new painting ideas looming in the forecast, so stay tuned. Oh, and if you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to my blog. It’s on the right there, under “Pages.”

-Alisha