by Tish MacWebber | Mar 14, 2018 | Treasure Seeker Tuesdays
In Treasure Seeker Tuesday this week, it is time to tell a story. Once upon a time, more than a few years ago, I was chasing another dream. A local craft store had decided to close. I talked to the owners, I made a business plan, I presented it to a committee, and it was rejected. It was rather deflating. The dreams were dashed, and I put it away. It is hard to put yourself out there for a dream to have it crushed. Really hard.
Inexperience was probably the biggest factor in the rejection. I did not know how to make a business plan. I didn’t have any money of my own to use as an investment. From that rejection, I then tried to create my own jewellery business, which I have yet to officially launch here, on the website. It used to be known as Tish’s Treasures, which was launched years ago at the local Farmer’s Market. I gave it a good try, for 2 years, but there were restrictions. There I was, a brand new entrepreneur, chasing my dreams of turning my hobby into a sustainable source of income; stuck following someone else’s rules. I was allowed to sell beaded ornaments and suncatchers, but not my jewellery. That venture was doomed before it even started.
Tish’s Treasures turned back into a hobby, one that made appearances with me as a vendor in different craft shows. I did sell a piece or two, here and there, but it never really took off. It wasn’t until this past January, when I pulled my product out of a local store, that I realized that the old business, under the old name, was holding me back.
I haven’t launched any of my product here yet, officially. I have shared my new business name, Tish MacWebber, Always Blinging…
I have yet to take pictures to post products for sale on this website. I have dreams and plans, but they are larger than life. My imagination knows no boundaries.
Writing books and being a jewellery designer is something that works in my mind. I don’t know if I am going to be able to make it work in the real world. As I started writing this, I realized what is holding me back. I’m terrified of failure. Literally terrified.
I have followed my dreams before. Not with as much conviction as I have had this time, but I have tried before. I do not like being told no, and I certainly do not like to be proven to be wrong. I can admit when I am wrong and apologize. But how do you apologize to your toughest critic, yourself?
I have grown a lot since I wrote my first business plan. One of my peers is encouraging me to use her template to write my own business plan. I have been avoiding it like the plague. You guessed right, I am scared to try.
Which sounds ridiculous when you think about it. I have spent very little money on my adventure this far, and I am not ready to give up. Not by a longshot. Despite this very thing, I am avoiding writing my books right now. I am scared of not being able to finish them. Yeah, I know, stopping is the fastest way to never finishing them. I have bailed on a lot of projects in my life. This dream is not going to be one of them.
You might think I have things all together on this side of the computer. Nope. I am not an organized planner at all, even though I have two 2018 agendas that match and are waiting to be used. I bought two sizes so that one could be portable if I needed it, and the other would be my main desk planner. One does help me to keep track of appointments and my husband’s work schedule. They are not being used to their full potential.
Neither am I. While I am Always Thinking…
I am not always doing. Therein lies one of my problems. I am not taking action. I am keeping up with the Blog, but it has been a lacklustre effort of late, and I am changing that right now. I am writing something meaningful again, not just writing for the sake of the commitment to the schedule I set up for myself.
I am at a crossroads while I write this. I have two choices. I can say to heck with it and walk away. That would be the easy option. It would lead me back to a life of putting up and shutting up. Taking whatever comes at me, and losing myself in circumstances. Woe is me, the universe is out to get me, and I am helpless to do anything about it. That really is what my life was like before I started putting myself out there and trying to find my purpose and passion. There is the teeniest, tiniest spark left inside of me. That flame needs to be fanned, and nurtured, and fed to grow. It is the part of me that makes me shake my head when I am writing about giving up. It is the part of me that fuels my passion, and I have to let it flourish. To let this spark go out is to let the creative dreamer inside of me die of boredom, frustration, and hopelessness. That is not something I am willing to do, no matter how scared I am of putting my work and myself out into the world again. A failure is only a true failure if you let it beat you. If you pick yourself up and shake the negativity off, to try something different, change your perspective and attack it from a different angle, you win at life. I want to win at life. I need to follow my dreams. I haven’t felt this good about one of my blog posts in a while, so I am taking that as a good sign, and that I am on my way out of whatever was dragging me down.
I have to share one more experience here, with you. It was from before I even tried to open a craft store on my own, and failed. I was in need of legal advice. I met with a lawyer. I told him about my issues, and he advised that it was not the kind of thing that he could help me with. We had a conversation, and he listened to me talking about this crazy idea I had to open my own craft store. I had a floor plan and had talked to people about flooring and storage and the interior design. I wasn’t ready to present the business plan at that point, but it was clear to the lawyer that it was something that lit a fire inside of me, he could sense that I was passionate about this idea. I had other friends at the time see the same thing, and they were excited for me and with me as I gave it my best shot. It didn’t work out.
The lawyer did two things that day that I will never forget. The first one was that he didn’t charge me a dime. How often do you ever hear people say that about a meeting with a lawyer? Not too many. The second thing was a little more insightful. He encouraged me to keep working on my dreams. He told me that he wasn’t sure that this was the right path for me at that time, but he was certain that I was going to be successful at something, he just didn’t know what, or when. Here I am trying something new, and pushing myself harder than I ever have before.
I might just surprise myself and do just what I set out to do this time. Write my books and design jewellery together, because that is how I want it to be. My passion, my dreams, and my rules.
This story may appear in part or in whole in my second book. I am calling it The Art Of Surprising Yourself, which I announced earlier on my social media platforms this week. This is just an example of something that you might find in my second book. What do you think?
#TreasureSeekerTuesday
by Tish MacWebber | Mar 13, 2018 | Makeup Monday
In this, the third Makeup Monday, I’ve got my eyes on the prize. I have been dabbling a little in make-up, and thinking about a new hairstyle. Oh, and now I have new glasses to work with. I am really liking them!
I tried to do my hair Saturday, and it did not cooperate. I want to try the beach hairstyle. If you google it, you will know what I mean. It was not meant to be. I might try one more time. But it didn’t happen this time. I made it work.
I am trying to learn a new eyeshadow and eye makeup technique. I have made a friend that sells Younique, and I have been watching her videos. I saw one that I want to share here so that you can see the look I am going for. Stacey gave me permission to link to her video here.
Stacey Killam’s Eyeshadow Palette video.
I am not using her makeup, but I wanted to try out the technique. After purging my makeup last year, I have 3 palettes with 4 colours in them. I have 2 eyes. I decided to wear the same palette on both eyes Saturday night, and today after work, I used the other two, one for each eye. As I am testing mascaras out, I used 3 different mascaras also.
Top: Maybelline Mocha Motion palette, L’Oreal Blackest Black Voluminous Butterfly Effectwaterproof mascara, with Marcelle Expresso Waterproof Eyeliner. Bottom: left Revlon Illuminance Wild Orchids Creme Shadow, Maybelline Lash Sensational Full Fan Effect Mascara, center worn on both eyes, essence Gel eye pencil waterproof gunmetal eyeliner, and on the right, Lancome Colour Design Sensational effects eyeshadow and essence Lash Princess False Lash effect mascara.
Saturday’s look was the full makeup, and the lipstick was actually applied after I grabbed the pics. Here is a collage of before and after.
I was happy with the look, although I don’t see the depth of colours after I blend the eyeshadows. It is the top makeup the picture above.
Today I just did the eyes. The left is the purples, and the right is the Sensational Effects Eyeshadow Palette.
2 Different eyes, 2 different looks.
What I learned is that I do not know how to make the ‘v’ or the ‘7’ properly yet. The essence mascara is sticky. The Loreal mascara from Saturday looks great, and although the brush is weird, it did an okay job.
I don’t know how to get the colours on properly, and the creme eyeshadows I applied with my fingers. Then I tried the blending brush, but I really don’t know if I was supposed to or if I should blend with my fingers, or not at all.
Makeup is fun. I will keep playing. I will do something different for next month.
#MakeupMonday
by Tish MacWebber | Mar 5, 2018 | Weekend Warrior
In Weekend Warrior #54 And the Academy Award Goes to…I am writing about my weekend as I am watching the Academy Awards. This was a weekend of big and small things. I made a significant decision in my life. It was important, and it will affect me for the next few years.
I have been searching for my new glasses for about a month now. I went out again this weekend with the intention to buy this time. I went back to Costco, where I learned that yes, I could get a temporary shopping pass twice a year, and I could get a member to buy me gift certificates to buy my glasses with there. It seemed like a lot of hassle to me, after I thought about it.
I went back to Pearle Vision. When I couldn’t find the paper in my purse with the frames I had tried the other time I was there, the salesperson walked away. I had told her that I was at Costco and that I was planning to buy my glasses. She lost that sale because she didn’t want to help me finalize my purchase. I had a friend with me, and she wanted to try another store.
I went to Hakim Optical with her. I was worried that they were going to be more expensive, and they were, a little. The prices are not listed on the frames, which made it a little scarier. Vogue was the most expensive store I had visited. I just hadn’t found any glasses that I thought were the pair I wanted to wear for two years or more at this point.
I have written about this on my Facebook page. There was a moment, at the last store. I was looking at a wall of glasses (they have the most frames to choose from of the 4 stores I visited) and my friend missed a pair that I am now saying picked me. Yes, just like the wands on Harry Potter, these glasses stood out from the wall and drew my hand to pick them up. It was magical. That was it. I found them. I got help with the sunglasses, and I am pleased with them as well. I will be sharing my new look as well as a new eyeshadow technique (new to me, anyway) a week from now, as it is less than 20 minutes into Monday where I am now. I might just try something different with my hair, too. If it works, I will be happy. If not, it will be time to plan to go and get my hair cut in a few months. I have been letting it grow, with a new style in mind, but I do not know if it is going to be an option for me. So I will see what happens when I play with my hair and makeup and new glasses, and I will share that in a week.
Sunday had a slower pace. I have gotten up at my normal time, did a little creative work, and went back to bed. I slept in. How I love sleeping and not having to set an alarm. I worked a little on the computer and helped another friend. I ran the dishwasher and did some laundry. I am starting to get my gumption back. This is good, because it is MARCH already, and I have yet to get my spring cleaning done! If I leave it too late, it becomes a miserable job in the heat. I know this. Spring turns to summer overnight here. One day it is cool and rainy, and the next the heat wave hits. Just like that. So I need to get my act together and get some cleaning done. I started tonight, which gives me hope that I can keep it going and make things better here. I have other things to do too, and I find I need to start wherever I feel like I can, and then I can keep going. A start was made today, and this is a really good thing.
I did watch The Academy Awards. They just finished, and I loved all of the dresses. THere were a few beautiful gowns, and I think my favourite look was the one of Sandra Bullock tonight. I really thought she looked beautiful.
That is a wrap for this weekend. I must say that for me this week, it was a win. Hands down! I made an important purchase, planned an extra blog post for next week, and I got some chores done around the house. When you look at the big picture, that is a win for me!
#WeekendWarrior
by Tish MacWebber | Feb 28, 2018 | Treasure Seeker Tuesdays
Hello Treasure Seekers! In Treasure Seeker Tuesday #21 Getting my BLING ON! I am going to talk about the other passion that I am following. It might have been a little bit neglected over the past several months, but I need to give the Bling some love and attention! I have some projects that have been adding up, and this week I am going to play with beads!
While I am writing my books, I am also making a collection of jewellery for each book. That is going to take up a bit of time, and I want to get my current projects all taken care of before I start head first into writing and designing for Book 1. I have started both…and I am back into writing. I have not gotten far with the spring cleaning, but that is for my Weekend Warrior to explain.
Designing jewellery is something that I am learning as I go. Just like the blogging, and the songwriting and the book writing. I am just doing it. I struggle more with the jewellery designing. I have to try things, and take them apart, and try not to waste anything, and try again. I am half Scottish, so I hate to waste anything. When I have to take something apart, I try really hard to not wreck the supplies. It is just what I do
Trial and error happens a lot more in the Blinging. When I write, I just write. I can edit, but I don’t always edit my writing. It depends on what comes out. I started making jewellery from following patterns from magazines. I played with colour. Now I work with a few designs I have created. I have found myself starting to draw out designs. That means I am thinking out the projects from start to finish. It is a huge accomplishment. In gamer terms, I have levelled up!
That means when I am ready to launch Collections for the books, they will be completely unique to my creative designs. Quirky, fun, whimsical and something I would wear myself. If I wouldn’t wear it, then that falls in a custom design and is being made for a specific person.
They say you should have a person that you choose as the ideal customer. I have someone in mind. She is a fictional character, from a TV show. If I was to share it here, then it might bias you as a potential customer. You might think that actress wears stuff that you wouldn’t wear. I am not sure that I have captured the essence yet. I am going to try and implement designing the new collections with her in mind. Maybe one day I will reveal the identity. Obviously, I wish for everyone to love what I create.
I have a friend that really supports my jewellery designs. I have made earring sets for her, as she has two piercings, and she has told me that she likes them to match. She has been my biggest supporter in the last few years, and my best customer. With her in mind, I make more than one type of jewellery. The kind she would wear, and the kind she would not wear. I do work for originality, and when I create a design and then figure out how it will work, it is really something to put it all together. That is why I am bringing the Bling on this journey. I know I can make it work!
#TreasureSeekerTuesday
by Tish MacWebber | Feb 21, 2018 | Treasure Seeker Tuesdays
Treasure Seeker Tuesday #20 Dealing with criticism and learning something new is what is on my mind this week. If you are following this category, then you know I am sharing parts of my creative journey here, to let you know a little more about me, and maybe even to inspire you to chase your own dreams. That is what I have been doing for the last 15 months, now.
At the start, I didn’t know what my dreams were planning for me. I have kept working, and I am still not sure where the path is going to lead me next. I am confident that I am on the right path, though, because it has plenty of twists and turns.
I have been working towards designing my own book cover. I might have it almost done, I have worked really hard at figuring out what I want it to look like. So as I have been doing all along, I shared it for people to help me figure out which one is best. I have had more people voice their opinions, and they weren’t all nice. I can’t please everyone, that is the impossible dream. However, I had to take a step back and try to digest the latest round of constructive criticism.
In the midst of all this, I had a new friend offer to help. So I am waiting to see what they can suggest. Maybe a collaboration will be the answer I need. Maybe it will be the way to get the balance of what I envision to be more translatable to the general public. Maybe I will stick to my own designs and keep going in the same direction that I am heading in already. We are chatting online, and I am open to new ideas. Spoiler Alert: I may be starting the cover all over again, or not as close to being done as I thought it was. This would be the second time I start over if that is what I decide to do.
I do understand the point of what the critics are saying. They are trying to make me think about the cover of my first book as the art section. I am the writer. I will need an editor, so to some people, it would be logical to also need a cover designer. I am not ready to let go of that responsibility. Not yet. I may have to go back to the theoretical drawing board and accept help, but I am not ready to let it go. I have time to make it. I am still writing the book.
Then I reached out to a publisher friend that I really seem to get some genuine support from. This is the online chat that had me working through my frustrated, misunderstood creativity tears. Criticism is hard to take sometimes, especially when it is about something that is right from your heart. I can bottle things up, and this round made me upset. It snuck out when I was sharing my experience with my friend. Then she explained something to me.
My cover doesn’t have to be a mainstream cover. I am not writing a mainstream book. My book is personal, funny and touching. It is being written in honour of someone that was very much on my mind when I was inspired to write it. Why does this all matter? It matters because my friend explained to me that this is a special type of book. A type of book that I never thought I would write. She said my book is a Memoir. She said that because it is different, it may be the best formula for me to keep going in my own direction. In a strange way, this makes sense to me. I am in my own lane with this book, alongside others in this genre. I don’t want it to fit in. I want it to stand out.
So, to keep the common thread of me going my own way, and forging my own path, I will continue. That doesn’t mean I can’t change my mind, or accept help to point me in the right direction. When I need help, I will decide when and who to ask. Until then, I am going to keep working on my book writing goals, and growing new friendships in the writing community. Some people get me, and what I am trying to do. Those are the people that I am going to trust when it is time to ask for help. Those are the people that I want in my corner, cheering me on, and letting me know when I can return the favour.
Did you learn anything new this past week?
#TreasureSeekerTuesday
