by Tish MacWebber | Nov 8, 2017 | Treasure Seeker Tuesdays
Hello Treasure Seekers! (Sorry it is Wednesday now, but I needed more time to get something extra special for you!) It is time to write something a little different. Again. 🙂 Stick with me, I have an idea.
I recently went to a movie premiere for Anonymous Zombie. It was filmed here, in New Brunswick, and I know the Special/Visual Makeup Artist for this movie. The title this week gives away my idea, it is to interview my friend, Kadi Oram. I have known her for at least fifteen years, now. We met as vendors at Impossible Realities; a gaming convention, in Saint John, New Brunswick. We have each been travelling on our own individual creative paths to becoming entrepreneurs. I am happy that I was able to see her name on the big screen during the premiere. I think it is really important that we stay in touch, especially as we are both carving our own paths to capture our dreams and rein them in. Here is the interview.
Tish: We first met at Impossible Realities. I find it uncoincidental that we were both there as vendors, wives of Gamer Husbands, trying to make our own craftiness pay off, each one in her own way. What gave you the idea to do that?
Kadi: I have always been crafty. I saw it as an opportunity to get my self out there. Perhaps make a name for myself. I think it was boredom honestly haha.
Tish: What was the first craft that you learned how to do?
Kadi: Ohhh that’s a tough one. I know I used to paint on board and make Holiday crafts around Christmas time. Goodness, that would be back when I was about 8.
Tish: Which craft do you still do from way back?
Kadi: Sadly I don’t actually craft anymore. I used to do perlers, clay work, beadwork. and now I am just far too busy with my new career choice. It doesn’t leave me a lot of free time.
Tish: Is there a creative hobby that you just can’t give up on?
Kadi: I guess my desire to own all the crafty things, even if I may never use em. Haha.
Tish: The desire to own all of the crafty things is something I can totally understand. I think a lot of other creative souls out there will relate to that sentiment, whether or not they are actively working on their crafts. Was there a pivotal moment that made you decide to go to school and pursue your current career path?
Kadi: Yes. three years ago, We went to Crystal Palace as a family and my eldest wanted to get her face painted. We did it, she fell in love with it, and demanded a face painter for her upcoming birthday party. With no avail, I took on the role myself. 3 years later I have achieved quite a reputation for myself and am now on film #3. *winks*
Tish: How did you know it was the right career choice for you?
Kadi: Anything with Beauty, Glam, Gore, Glitter and Colour, pretty much sums up my life so being a Makeup Artist and Face Painter made sense.
Tish: Where does the desire to be a Special/Visual Makeup Artist come from?
Kadi: I suppose it comes from the desire to always be bigger and better. And to go from a children’s party favour to become a critical part of a team for feature films is a pretty solid direction of bigger and better.
Tish: Did you ever think that you would be turning actors into Zombies?
Kadi: Maybe in my head, I did, which is why I think its so easy for me to imagine and put one together. Haha.
Tish: What was the dream that you have been chasing?
Kadi: To make my family and children proud of their Wife, Mom, Daughter.
Tish: Have you achieved it yet?
Kadi: I sure hope so.
Tish: I know you do. As you (may, or may not) know, I am on my own personal journey, taking my beadwork alongside my Author Career Goals. What type of books do you like to read?
Kadi: Ohhh I’m a harrrrrd core nerd. Fantasy is pretty much right up my alley. Hobbit-esque.
Tish: Excellent. After I am finished writing my NaNoWriMo book about cat stories, I am going to work on one of my lifelong dreams of writing a Fantasy Trilogy. Do you have a favourite Author?
Kadi: Well with that I’d have to say, Tolkien. In fact, I have a Tolkien tattoo, it’s elvish, on my thigh *Proud*
Tish: What is next for you in your entrepreneurial goals?
Kadi: Opening a Salon of my own now that I have graduated Aesthetic College with a 99% average, might I add. It made sense for me to open and continue to do my movies and face painting.
Tish: Where does your inspiration come from?
Kadi: My own head, my children, everything and anything around me. I can usually turn my work into something beautiful or something horrifying.
Tish: Other than the wonderful things you have accomplished in your personal life, what are you most proud of yourself for doing?
Kadi: Pushing myself when there were so many days I didn’t feel adequate enough. My children and husband are a huge inspiration of my pride. My friends *smiles*. I’m proud; I refuse to let any of you down.
Tish: What scares you, and how do you overcome the fear?
Kadi: The fear of failing scares me.
I try to look at what I’ve accomplished so far and I remind myself that now, no one can take this away from me. We were surprised with great news today, Anonymous Zombie had won an award in Berlin at the Rising of the Undead Film Festival, for Best Zombie Movie!! Another thing to take with me and hold dear to my heart. and to keep that fear of failing far, far at bay.
Tish: What advice would you give to people who are just starting on their journey, and how are you planning to teach your daughters about this journey?
Kadi: My one piece of advice, would be….
Never think you’re good enough.
Never think you’re the best.
Having that fear of someone else being better will keep you on your toes and keep your game strong and on top. I plan to tell my daughters this. Humility is important in any journey. Always keep yours.
Wow. Am I ever glad I thought of doing this interview. Kadi, thank you for taking the time to answer my questions and lend your wisdom to the Treasure Seekers. I know I certainly have enjoyed being your friend, and watching you take chances and grow as an entrepreneur. You are someone I am going to be proud to call my friend years from now; when we are both having a glass of wine and reminiscing about how we exploded into our own niches and expanded our horizons beyond our wildest imaginations. Congratulations Kadi, for believing in yourself and not settling for anything less than your very best, and Congratulations to the Cast and Crew of Anonymous Zombie for winning that award in Berlin! That is fantastic news. I am so glad you shared it here. I cannot wait to find out when and where I can catch the movie again. I want to share it with my friends!
There you have it! My first interview on my Blog. I know other authors interview authors, and I may try that later on in the blog. Kadi is such an inspiration to me, I love cheering her on, and cannot wait to see what she gets to do next!
Cut! That’s a wrap!
#TreasureSeekerTuesday (on a Wednesday)
Treasure Seeker Tuesday: Photo by Tish MacWebber; Photo Edited by Noa Price
by Tish MacWebber | Nov 7, 2017 | Weekend Warrior
Another late entry. Good news is that I think things are going to slow down for a week or two. I sure hope so. I am trying to write a book this month, and I am falling behind.
Not to fear, tomorrow is a new day, and I will start making up time and words when I have less going on in my social life. Busy, busy, busy. I never had such a busy year as I have this past year. I am not sure of the exact date, but my original blogging journey started in November 2016. I am working on the website, writing a novel this month, writing down thoughts and ideas for my fantasy trilogy. Thinking about all of that makes my head spin.
I had things that needed my attention this past weekend. I was doing a little extra time at work late last week. Then I started my weekend at Houlie’s with a friend. He was helping me out with some rides, and I thought he deserved a thank you meal. We enjoyed the food. It is always good there. There has been a long stretch of road construction in the area, and it had been a while since I had my favourite Mozza sticks. They did not disappoint.
My friend and I ran errands, and then he left me for a viewing of the Silver Wave Film Festival 2017. I needed to be at the Midnight Madness showing of killer ducks and zombie movies. There were two short films and a 78 minute long movie. Short film 1 was called Duck Duck Noose. It was hilarious. I laughed all the way through it, with the rest of the audience. The title was a dead give away. Killer ducks indeed.
The second short film was described as a trailer. It was called Turned. It was a serious fictional documentary zombie movie trailer. It was filmed in Cape Breton (Horray for Cape Breton!) and it started with someone waking up after being bitten by a zombie. It followed her journey home, and her change from being a human to a zombie. It tackled some deep concepts in a few short minutes, and it was enjoyable to see a different perspective on the zombie apocalypse.
The headliner was Anonymous Zombie. It was filmed in New Brunswick, and my friend Kadi Oram was the Special/Visual Makeup Artist for the movie. I wanted to go to the movie premiere to support her and to see the movie. It was great. It was funny, gory, and almost spooky at times. There was a lot of action and clever plot twists from the start to the end. I was glad I made the effort to go and see it. It is the first time I was at the festival or any official movie premiere. I had not been home after work before going, so I was in my casual Friday work clothes. Kadi looked fantastic! I didn’t have a lot of time to chat with her, but I made sure that I told her husband that I enjoyed the movie. I sat right in front of the director. I wondered if he thought that I laughed in a few parts that weren’t supposed to be funny, or not. I have a wacky sense of humour, and I laughed lots while watching the movie. It was meant to be funny, so it wasn’t all serious, but sometimes I felt like I was the only one laughing at certain parts.
Onward to Saturday. I volunteered at the Pet Expo with Boston Terrier Rescue Canada. I was a part of a team, so my presence was only required for 3 hours. A piece of cake. or in this case, a cookie by donation. 🙂 They had the giant chocolate chip and Skor bits cookies again. Fantastic investment of $2.00, and it goes to the rescue.
They were huge and delicious. I went back for more on Sunday, and they were sold out!
I was glad to help, and knowing that it was just a few hours made it easy to pitch in and do my part. Here is the booth. They have a lot of variety!
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BigMac Salad for Lunch
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Cheeseburger Pie
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Cheeseburger Pie
I then went home, after the volunteering shift was over, and I was hungry. So Roy and I went to Houlie’s. (twice for me on the weekend) We got wings and nachos. I didn’t forget the Mozza sticks, I never miss them. It was good, and Roy decided that he likes the breaded wings better. We got 2 flavours, and one breaded, and one not. Now we know. The trick will be to remember.
We met up with the friend from earlier in the story to go and see Thor Ragnarok. If you like this type of movie, it will be a great choice. Stan Lee had a speaking part, and was unexpected character-wise, even though he is expected to appear in all of his movies. There was a new character that was a lot of fun, too. No spoilers here, just go see it. You will be glad that you did.
Sunday had a few errands and an online write in. I did some NaNoWriMo writing in the write-in. It was a way to get back on track. I am falling behind again, but the night is young. I am going to sign off for now. I am sorry it was a little late this week, but that is a wrap. What did you do this weekend?
#WeekendWarrior
by Tish MacWebber | Nov 3, 2017 | Trust Your Gut
The names here may or may not reflect the person’s real name. If someone wants to remain unknown, we will choose a different name for that person’s story. The goal is to help people, and anonymity is a valid personal choice for contributors. I will use a person’s name only if they give permission to do so.
This week I am pleased to share another of my own stories.
Here is Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 36
Well, I have good news, and bad news this week. I went to the Doctor. Not because I was sick, but rather because it was time for a checkup. I met my new doctor. Finally. If first impressions are worth anything, I knew in the first minute I found myself a good one. She seemed meticulous and genuinely wanted to get an idea of my plans in relation to my overall health before my checkup. I needed to find a doctor that I could trust, again. My last doctor was good, but I think this one is going to be great.
The bad news is that I got weighed. I am not at the all-time high from before, but I certainly am not in as good a shape as I have been in the past. I am not following the plan, and I am visibly showing that to the world.
What is wrong with me? Why do I eat things that are bad for me? Why can’t I just lose weight and eat whatever I want to eat, like skinny people do?
I have health issues. I have reasons, and I know that realistically, it didn’t add up overnight, so it will not be removed overnight, either. I know in my mind that junk food is bad for me, and healthy food can taste good. But sometimes I pick the lazy way. Other times I self-sabotage. There are times when I just create excuses and choose to believe them, even though I know they are lies. Chocolate and the monster have been prominent in the last few months.
I don’t know how long I am going to be in this slump. I do know that the number on the scale made me take notice. It is a real number, one I can’t pretend isn’t an issue anymore by refusing to weigh myself. Avoidance is not a valid option when it comes to Diabetes. I know that. I am having difficulties in other parts of my life, and something is holding me back from being the best version of myself.
Sometimes, you have to hit rock bottom before you can climb out of a slump and rise up to your next level. Whatever I am going through in my personal life, I can’t eat it away. I have to face it and deal with it. Head on.
That is not an easy thing to do. It is not an easy thing to think about, let alone to write about, to share with people. But it is going to help me break free and move forward.
Change is hard. I have been pushing my limits with my writing and my blog while keeping a day job and running on coffee. I have been out of the multivitamins for a few months, now, and I plan to buy some again asap. They do help.
I got the doctor to change one of my prescriptions. One of the side effects of the other medication was drowsiness, and I was having a hard time with it. I know that I am a night owl, but I used to be OK with keeping up with my current schedule. I am starting to not do as well as before.
Maybe that was me tapping into the mystical energy people talk about having when they lose weight. I have gone in the wrong direction on the scale, again, and that is definitely a factor. Being heavier means it is harder to do everything because you weigh more. It doesn’t mean I am going to stop and give up.
I need to do some soul searching, and find a reason to get things back on track. I know I felt better, had more energy, and was happier. But if things are not Ok on the inside, and I am spending some of the precious energy I do have in keeping up the appearance of being happy for the world to see, then I need to get to the root of the problem, so I can find a solution.
It isn’t easy, but it is necessary to propel me into my next level. The fear of wondering how bad my weight has become is not holding anything over my head anymore. I know what it is, and I know how it happened. Now I have to find out why, so I can take the next step to working on my goals. I have to keep telling myself that I am worth the effort, that I matter, and that it is important to make my health a priority. It won’t be easy, but nothing worth doing ever is. Time to deep dive into my issues and make some changes.
#TrustYourGut
by Tish MacWebber | Nov 1, 2017 | Treasure Seeker Tuesdays
Happy Halloween Treasure Seekers! I am writing at the end of my day. I got up and put on my costume and makeup. I came home and handed out treats. It is so much fun to open the door in costume and see the reactions of the kids, and even some parents. I got a few compliments and was swarmed by a mob of little, costumed people as they didn’t want to miss out on their treats. It was not scary, most of that crowd was under 5 years old. Their parents had a small bit of panic that they were being rude, but I am from a small rural community (this is a hint about my trilogy-the location-not a real place, but a familiar one) and we used to go into people’s homes for our treats when we were kids. It was how things used to be, in a small, rural community.
Halloween is full of fun, adventure and maybe a scare or two. Some costumes are scary. Some are fun! I like the creative ones, and one boy liked my costume. He was wearing all black, and used glow-sticks to decorate himself, had them as glasses and different parts of his outfit. I returned the sentiment. Being dressed as a leopard, I was more tired tonight than I have been in other years. I know this because when the kid in the Scream mask asked, “Whassup?” My reply was a cranky sounding “Me-yow.” I listened to music, asked preferences of chips or cheesies, and ate the bag of microwave popcorn I got at work today so I didn’t get too hungry before supper.
Before I washed my face, I made a short facebook live video to say hello to people and show that my makeup lasted for the whole day. I was glad to be able to wash my face. I never noticed how many times a day I wanted to scratch my nose before. LOL. Then I made some sandwiches, and I am preparing to go to bed. On the Eve of NaNoWriMo.
I am going to be writing a book in November, with a lot of other people. I am going to need to edit after because I don’t think slamming 50,000 words in 30 days will be the kind of writing that is ready for publishing. I do want to write 1,667 or more words every day in November to win and get to the 50,000 word goal for the month. I have tried before, but I have not won. This year, I have the inspiration generated from thinking about the loss of a friend, who regularly participated in NaNoWriMo. She will be featured. I was originally going to write the whole book about her, but it is less pressure and research if I write about what I know. So the concept has its origins but has evolved. That is how I roll.
This week I am writing about writing. I am preparing to embark on a journey to test my skills in a new format with goals and ideas. As I wrote this I had to stop and make a note. The thoughts are percolating. The ideas are coming out in bits and pieces. This year I am going to win!
I have also made an arbitrary decision that November is MY month. It is the month when I get things together, make changes, try new things, and move forward in my life. It happened last year, and although I am not launching my new website yet, I am getting ready to do it. A year ago I started blogging. This year I am writing books, and building a website. ME! By myself, with coaching and guidance from friends I know or have met on this journey.
What are you going to try this November? Let’s make it a winning month together. I told you what I am doing. How can I help you? Let me know below. Have a great week!
#TreasureSeekerTuesday
Treasure Seeker Tuesday: Photo by Tish MacWebber; Photo Edited by Noa Price
by Tish MacWebber | Oct 31, 2017 | Weekend Warrior
I was so busy this past weekend that I am writing this on Monday after work. It was totally another Hulk Smash weekend win for me! Super busy, unable to attend everything I wanted to do and lots of fun!
I had company Friday night. As they are not fans of Halloween, I spent the evening with them instead of attending my friend’s annual Birthday Halloween Bash. I am a fan of Halloween, and I made up for that Saturday. My company was more rarely able to visit with me, so I spent a quiet night at home, entertaining. We made supper and shared a bottle of wine. It was nice.
Saturday. Oh my goodness, Saturday was a little messed up and a lot of fun! My time management skills were a little off. My guests had a 5 AM wake up call, and I went back to bed after they hit the road. I slept in as long as I could and got up to run errands. I needed to buy ingredients for the One-Eyed Deviled Eggs I was making for the parties. I made regular deviled eggs, sprinkled some smoked paprika on top, and then garnished them with a slice of pimento stuffed green olive and red pepper pieces. They were supposed to look like One-Eyed Devil…ed Eggs. I will share a pic, and you can tell me how I did. I thought I did a good job.
One-Eyed Deviled Eggs
There was a NaNoWriMo kick-off event that I just could not swing. I had two other parties on Saturday, so I had to pick the ones I needed to go to. For social obligatory reasons. As I will be mostly an author/hermit for the month of November, writing my NaNo book. I will have NaNoWriMo friend time in November. As it should be.
I went to the first party late. It took more time than expected to make almost 2 dozen One Eyed Deviled Eggs. Then I had to get into costume and do my makeup. I will let the cat out of the bag, now. I am dressing up as a Leopard this year. I have a nice leopard print two-piece outfit, that can be worn anytime, and in fact, I wear it as an outfit or separately off and on. Paired with other clothes, of course. The top goes with jeans or dressier pants, and the skirt can be worn with usually a black solid dressy top. For Haloween, I am wearing the outfit. I did not manage to find or make a tail, so I am just not going to talk about it. That is what I will say if I am asked, “I don’t want to talk about it.” It should make it awkward if someone pushes the issue, and I am planning to make it that way. Like there was a terrible accident, and I don’t want to talk about it. I do, however, have my own cat toy. 😉 Just for fun!
I use a product by Lise Watier called Magnifix that is a makeup fixative spray. It is made with white tea, it is also paraben and alcohol-free. I was told to get it for my wedding, and it is a wonderful spray to have. I spray it on after finishing my makeup and use the cool air low setting of my hair dryer to dry my face after spraying it on. It does a wonderful job of keeping my makeup on, except for my lips, and well, there isn’t a lipstick I have tried that doesn’t wear off over time. I am getting brave enough to look into some lip staining products.
The second party was with colleagues that are friends. By then Roy & I were hungry, so we showed up with One-Eyed Deviled Eggs and pizza to share. Roy didn’t stay long after the pizza was gone, but he came back for me at the end of the party. It was fun to hang out with friends from work outside of work. 🙂 I had a great time. I learned that Tequila doesn’t make my clothes fall off and that I have a stop signal when drinking it. I was drinking it for the first time as the only alcohol for the evening. My last drink didn’t taste good anymore, so I sadly dumped it down the sink before leaving. I switched to water at that point in the evening. I was tired yesterday, but no headache as I had managed enough water to chase. It is important for a Diabetic to snack when drinking, and for everyone to rehydrate when drinking. And check with your doctor first if you are on any medications before having drinks, just to be sure that there are no side effects. Better safe than sorry.
It’s time to let the cat out of the bag. I am facing Halloween 2017 as a Leopard. I went online for makeup ideas and then bought the supplies. The first run was a blast! I will be in the same costume tomorrow. I may change it up a bit, but the foundation of it will be the same. Time to settle in for the night. I am going to have to be up early to recreate the same kind of look for the day tomorrow.
Happy Halloween!
