Work light! Create a mobile (almost) paperless office

Obtaining a (almost) paperless office is very simple, it just takes some "outside the box" thinking. As we progress to an all "cloud" world, I made changes to my gear with syncing in mind.
      This idea is great for not only bloggers but those with small businesses. My personal favorite part is that it is light and will not strain your shoulder should you need to move to a new space .
     Having a portable office is essential , to me, as you can even take it with you to conventions or to '"finish" up work at the cottage.
      With no further a do, here are some suggested parts for this kit.

1. Tablet
     For writing or business tasks most can be done on via Google Drive and a few social media apps. For offline work, I suggest ensuring the device has an office like program so that you have access to a word processor and excel.
    If you want to do your bookkeeping, either there is excel or one of the many differnt online bookkeeping options. Do your research and I'm sure you will find one that suits your needs.

2. Bluetooth keyboard
      While the integrated screen keyboard is handy, I do prefer to have a little more room for my fingers to move across. This option is great as it virtually turns your tablet into a touchscreen "laptop" of awesomeness.

3. Smart Phone
       There have been a few times that I have not been able to access WiFi and love that I have some data for my phone. If you look online there may even be a way to tether you phone to be a WiFi hot spot to complete your work. Just make sure you have enough data on your plan to avoid extra charges when your next bill comes.
    I use it also to capture thoughts in Google Keep (its similar to Evernote) and at times manage social media while working on a post. 

4. Note book and a 4 in 1 pen
        Personally there are times when the feel of a pen gliding across paper is just needed. I personally use mine to do extra mind mapping to complete tasks that are in progress (along side my Google Keep app on my phone).  Recently I found a 4 in one pen. It has a stylus, black pen, red pen and a 0.5 mechanical pencil. The last three are in the barrel while  the stylus is on the top of the pen. Its super nifty to have around and keeps me from having a pencil case of randomness.

5. Charger cords and/ or charger block
       Luckily for me my Nexus 5, Bluetooth keyboard and tablet all take the same micro USB cord. Keeping it super simple. For times where I can not get to a spot to charge them, I have my charger block. I ensure this is charged a all times and is a great back up option to keep things rolling.

6. Headphones

      To be completely focused on the tasks at hand these really help out. Sometimes I work at a cafe or the library, so now I can still watch videos or listen to a podcast if one comes up during my research.

7. Bag

       Alright mine is just a purse, but this shows how easy it is to tote everything around. With my set up I can even take it on a long road trip and get work done Offline (Montreal in little over a week, yes!). I picked this because its organized, I can see everything when I look in and its me.

These are what I have as part of my office, most things are stored on Google drive or on the 64 GB micro SD card on my tablet. These are just some suggestions to get you started, whether you need an office for promoting your art, blog, shop or even just to finish a paper for school. Its super useful and wont strain your back or shoulder like a huge laptop and accessories (and snacks!).

      What do you have together for your mobile office? 

Why marketing yourself matters: Individuals and small buisnesses

    

  Marketing should be taught in high school and higher levels of education. We market ourselves when we submit a resume, cover letter or network at a gallery opening. The new system is all about selling yourself. As an artist I was only just learning more about branding myself as the last days passed in University. Over time I have taught myself some skills and  continue to learn.  I wanted to share with you some great points that you should try out and see what fits for your own marketing efforts. These also apply to small businesses but I would suggest researching and creating a plan for all marketing/branding material before starting. This will save you a lot of time should there be a company that has a similar logo design from you. 

   

1- Be Social

      If you don't already have a few key social media accounts (Facebook, twitter, G+) then you need them. Being active on these accounts will boost the chance you have to show up in a google search. It also is great material for requiters to get to know you. The point is these are the places to be you, but be professional about it.  So before you post that picture of yourself last night at the bar wasted, think, Do I want potential employers to see this? I didn't think so. 

2- Start a blog

      This is very important for everyone. Blogging lets you express your ideas and if used right can help show your expertise in your field. The key thing here is to be humble and admit when you don't know the answer to something. Everyone honours honesty above everything else.  

3- Create Business cards

      I strongly believe that everyone should have this, no matter who you are! How great does it look when you are at a gallery opening or networking event and you exchange cards. Not only will the other party has your contact information, but you can have your blog address on there for them as well! These are important for anytime you meet someone.

4- Get away from your studio/computer

          Getting out and attending gallery openings is a great way to reset and inspire yourself. Although the key to attending gallery openings is to have your cards with you. Being social at these events helps you build your network. If you find someone who works in the same medium as you, having them in your network is invaluable. If you ever run into a problem you can ask them how they solved it. This also applies to small businesses as well. Create your own network to help eachother out. Finding out where to get the best deal on a POS system is hard

    

5- Be ambitious create a website

       Connect your website to your blog, this comes after starting a blog as it creates a following that would be interested in your page. Your website will be your online home for your portfolio, shop or library of literary works. What ever you decide it to be make sure you submit the url to top search engines to start getting traffic from these sources. 

  Make sure you have a simple design that lets viewers navigate easily, have a few friends check it out and give their honest feedback. 

Secret Teatime:Tea Bowl Making

       In October I went over to Secret Teatime's studio in Scarborough. I had signed up for their fall Chawan workshop and was eager to try my had my ceramics. We started with an overview of the history of tea ceremony up till present day and covered the shapes of a tea bowl. Helen treated us to seeing her perform
       It was another great Saturday with Secret Teatime. Our group each made a chawan (tea bowl) the first day. Before we met the next Saturday, Helen and Sorlie glazed and fired the works. They were then presented to us during tea ceremony.
      For the first section we had usucha (thin tea). It was very interesting to see the difference between Urasenke and Omotesenke, the latter being what Helen was using. The biggest for me is the "snapping" of the fukusa before folding. The whole style was beautiful and had little intentional sounds that were absent from Urasenke.
        Back to our bowls, I was very pleased with how my chawan turned out with the glaze I choose. I depicted a buddhist flame on the shoumen (front of the bowl) and a fox inside it. I choose these two symbols as I find them together in images from shrines in Japan. Also, Inari's symbol is a fox. To me these fit together and worked very well as a piece.
       As Sado is a life long learning process and I have been enjoying practice with the new piece. I enjoyed my time at the studio and the company of Helen, and Sorlie.


       If you were to make a chawan what would it look like? Would you use any imagery? There are so many possibilities out there, What would you do? -KAT

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Goal for 2013 and turning a whole year older

    Life has thrown a lot of great things my way since the end of January. Promotion, the chance to show my work at a huge event (Toronto Tea Festival) and now, what I'm going to call, a "Working-Vacation".
     Life is all thrown up in the air currently.  I will be going for some management training (yup, I'm a manager, great learning experience right?).
  This is fantastic opportunity for me and my store as a whole (with my fab team of course), although I need to implement some organizational strategies to make things...organized.
     Up till about 2 weeks ago I was using a "At-A-Glance" day planner, then after too many hours on Pintrest I discovered "Home Binders". These great little organizers to make things... work.
    I took the first step and made my "Personal Planner" which I adore. Come on just look at that great detail of washi tape around it!
    This includes things like Blog organization (ideas, when to post, what point am I in the plan, research needed etc), home binder section (more on that in a moment), Art section (submissions to track, projects, story info, ANYTHING related to the creative process), regular weekly day planner pages with a large month page and addresses.
     Now my home binder is still new, I got this started Friday night. I looked all over the net for free printables and even created my own. After watching athomewithnikki over on YouTube, I was hooked with the idea of having somewhere to plan out my projects (no matter the size). I hate wasting money and I love my projects (home binder being one of them sadly...oops).
    Anyhow. This little guy is tough. Its packed with financial info (cheque tracking, budgeting, expenses etc), cleaning chores, organization & other projects, meal plans and shopping lists. THEN there is the smaller section with everything else, this includes passwords, gift planning, online order tracking, electronics info (I can never remember what ink to buy for my printer), goals, want lists, make-up refill master list (where I got it and how much), coupons and gift cards (I loose these easily so why not keep them all together!)
 
     My task now is to take on a routine challenge. I have signed up for Flylady.net and I hope to get my "sink shined". Or at least that's all I have understood from her so far. She was recommended to my by my mother last year and I passed off the website as BS. I found it again and she encourages a "Control Binder" or "Home Binder", thus this is why I signed up. She will send tasks for each day of little reminders. This is to reinforce routines, make new ones and just keep things as they should be. If I can get this all together sooner than latter the better.

     Okay, back to something art related......
Before I created both of these binders I made this bad boy. It's my art journal. I was getting frustrated that I could never find the note I needed or a past artist statement I wanted to refer to. Now everything has a home. I even have space to house suppliers info, galleries, inspiration etc. Its really handy. I used the same Martha Stuart inserts I have used for my other binders (I have one for Tea Guild of Canada as well...I'm OCD it seems...). They are very easy to change to something else, I have pockets for everything that I need as well. Check it out. Staples sells her line, right now a few of her things are on sale. Quite a steal right now.
     I'm hoping to get more work done before, during and after going for my "Working-Vacation", but please give me time.  I am also working to move my website to a possible WordPress platform. I just need to figure out how to use it prior to switching.

"Shen Nong"- In process

      After applying a few layers of rice paper I decided to sand part of it away and even get it wet to help with the process. I wore a mask as I had an asthma attack a few days earlier, it helped to an extent. Once I got really into sanding parts of it away I got a little winded.


I left it propped up against the wall over night, and came back after work... the cats had used it as a scratching post!!! I have been cleaning up the studio today and will take some pictures of the result they created.

       Pride is just around the corner I can't wait to see some old friends who have been away for a while. I will be posting about different aspects which relate to my practice and have them linked to the "Studio Research" page which is on the right. I hope to have a collection so I have a better understanding of what I do and like. I have posted a list of ones I want to do at this point in time, but I hope this list will grow. Many of them may help others and I hope they do. This is the second part of my reason for doing this.  Please look forward to these posts~

Working with water

 This year has been great. I have joined the AGO and the South Asian Visual Art Centre. In addition to attending great workshops, documenting and  self-mentoring.
    To begin the year I showed Hysteria that was a return to an old process that I used. One of which I am working on still on the side.
    My other work is branching out slowly. Watercolour has come back into my work, and I need to understand it more. Just as I need to learn more about sumi-e ink, I hope to play, make mistakes and possibly take more classes on them. This coming year is very important to me as I am turning 25. No longer am I a young adult but a full adult. Its time to make everything fall into place, a lot is planned for 2012. I have a whole to-do list dedicated just to my art practice which is displayed in large print on my wall next to my desk. Seeing it since I printed it just reminds me of how much needs to get done for the more technical side of art. Website, professional business cards and networking sites. Everything links together.  Exciting! Exciting things are going to happen.
                    Over the next day or so I will be finishing a work for a e-card for my mailing list. I have added a few people whom I hope want to be included but this initial Holiday "card" will allow them to opt out if they so please.  If you would like to be added to my list I have a link to the right of my blog for you.
    It has been a long few weeks leading up to the holidays. I am off to be for the night to be prepared for another day of work Studio and Work-Work. Happy Holidays everyone~

At it~

Just a quick update. Finished study above and my mini studio below. Picked up my piece from the gallery today, I coming back to me has given me the push I need to figure out how I want this new style to go. Colour is working, but I just need to find the balance of it and how much (or how little) detail to put into the works. I hope to finish the second study tommorow (today rather) before heading out to a tea tasting downtown. Really looking forward to the next pay day at the end of this month. A new easel could be in my future, or re-arrange things and bring my big one here. Choices, till next time~

Finished work~

Took a bit to finish but it's a good start to find out how I can incorporate tea properly. Heading to my parents' this weekend so I can grab better paper amongst other things I need to grab (watercolours included). The room/studio thing is slowly compromising itself to a comfortable level. Poor Shuuhei (Kitty~) might have his cat litter moved so I can have a little cart with my supplies available. We will see how things go after my trip home~

Working away and decideing ..

My studio is small but there is no problem with that. I just need to figure out how to get the water and wash plates right next to me and have all my other equipment organized with it.
The list only starts there. How am I going to store the "Tea paint"? How often do I have to change it before it starts to ( uhhh) mold? Do I want to use watercolours in my work? Do I need thicker paper? (already know the answer: YES!) Do I want to start sizeing my paper before starting? (still a maybe) Is this all cat safe? ( My cat LOVES to get his nose into my things) Am I being catious for my own health?
So many things to go over~ I can't wait to get things together instead of in a tiny basket under my easel.

Moveing and art?

So no real painting or anythidng has happened the last while. With exception of a fundraiser peice I will post once I locate my camera again in this mess.
I ended up moveing finnaly out of the student Co-Op I was in before to Cabbage Town. Very friendly area and quite relaxing. Only problem now is that I have to un pack and re arage things in between working. Thankfully I have two helpers who have been working on painting while I am working full time at Teaopia. Hopefully I will beable to get something going once I have the room and the level of cleanliness I want in here.
Still waiting on my dad to make up a bracket for my futon which won't sit up right without it. I could suffer but It would be nice to have a couch and to get the coffee table I have been eyeing in chinatown which folds up flat.
Anyhow enough moving talk. I will have work going soon. I am hopeing to take some knitting to work for my break, that way I will not loose it from not working on some kind of art object.
That is all for the time being.
Best to all <3

Thesis exerp - Past Work

Past work
I received a quote from Cathy Daley attached to an assignment on child hood memories, “We are all rooted in our childhood” from Ida Appleboorg, perhaps this is what fueled my work. My ink work began in her class Representation from Memory and Desire (third year), each assignment consisted of a series which tended to be more than 5. All my work from that class related to a childhood memory, but my final series on fear relates to it most. My fear of carrying a child to term and delivering, something my mother will not be told till after I have my first child. Twenty ink drawings 9.5 by 10.5 rice paper I had purchased at The Paper Place to experiment with the summer before.
The year (second year) before that I had taken Chinkok Tan’s watercolour class, where he taught us to work without prior drawing before putting paint on the surface. I tend to switch between drawing before and direct painting since this class. It also fueled my admiration for Chinese brushes. Not only were they more than affordable but their ability to hold the ink was much better than the acrylic brushes I had before then. I have acquired squirrel hair brushes since then but I still find myself going back to these goat hair brushes you can get as cheap as a dollar.

Large works?

Been so busy with papers and such I took a moment to start some larger pieces. I have always been fascinated by the old art of the east. Gods and Goddesses, Buddha, immortals and demons. Especially the Bodhisattva with a thousand arms.



After thinking it over I have decided it was time to reincorporate my old themes into my new work. I am hoping this piece turns out as well as I wish it will. In addition I have plans to create an even larger piece which will play out the HIV advertisements I saw last year. Bodies covered in many arms, clining and possesing the body. I am beginning to wonder if these new pieces are still part of this collection or not. They do not invoke innocence but desire and the want to be loved or held by someone. It has been perhaps too long since I have seen my girlfriend that it's unconsciously being put to paper with my ink brush. Oh well time to get back to work <3 ----------------

Now playing: ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION - Rewrite

via FoxyTunes

Holiday clean-up tommorow

I went home for a while but I'm back to tidy up my apartment and thesis studio. Going to work hard tonight to finish a portrait of my late Grandma for her husband. So far it looks Impressionist so It should turn out well as I know I can do that well. I will post pictures either tomorrow or later to night of it's progress.
On a side note I am going to work on studies for final works for thesis and do some drawings etc. I might even start the files for my photo series I want to do. Although I am wondering how much it will cost to print when I do it. Size is always an issue for me it seems when talking to peers about my work. I'll do some research on it and decide it all out before I compile everything together. I'm going to go make some tea and tidy up for dinner/lunch and my painting session <3>

Midyear citique over

I was told to work on the figure more and to try to put the same "power" from my black-n-white work into my new direction (I worded it nicely though). Too decorative but I need to work with colour harmony and meaning, I doubt I will work with meaning of colours but harmony/theory of colour is a definite.


I quite enjoy this new direction I am persueing, though I need to find new ways of applying the duck-tape or if I should stop useing it or paint on it. Catherine and Danniel said to leave as is, I like it but I guess (from Paul and Michele's recomendation I should look into meaning of it or find other ways for it to be used). The work below is the direction I am going to work with for the time being, though I plan to try out other possibilities in the mean time. Things I have in mind range from knitted series of "sculptures" and some photography collection series. I might start this Monday December 7th, I should work really on the projects I have to finish for Advanced Painting. More to come soon.

Studio- mess and progress

Studio progress/mess images. Working away at various things at the same time, thinking of heading out early to work on a writing assignment due this week and maybe write out more notes for Thesis Report. We will see how this goes.
The piece on the far left is for Advanced Painting, which I'm trying to work with the idea of the Cyborg in Donna Harraway's Cyborg Manifesto. Still have to come up with a composition for the figure. The piece beside it is putting two different images together, in this pieces's case it's a cover of a (I hate the term but,) Shemale pron magazine and a shot from some straight Porn review magazine. Inset duck tape and Voila.
I really adore the duck tape and what it refers to. Still playing with how I can add it to works or how I can subtract from it to add imagery. Really is open to alot of possibilities for me to work with.
Really anxious to go home, I think I have a cold or something from my unit mates on the north side of the apartment. Going to pack up now I guess and work the whole time tomorrow. Elizabeth get's back from Montreal tonight at 3am, so we will see how awake I can be for class. Have a good night everyone, wish me well.

Current progress

I've been quite busy working away at various works the past while. Playing with Duck tape and juxtaposing different images/bodies into the same work.
They remind me of Mondrian, the sectioned portions is something I remember doing back in high school. It was bound for a comeback sometime.
As for the duck tape I think I need to look for other colours, perhaps stick to Mondrians pallet.
I will bring my camera to take proper pictures, as my web cam does not stand up to it. And I am going to force myself to carry my case of mediums to work with.
On another note I think I need to look at Jean Gagnon's Censorship, since I seem to be playing with that notion. Women are not sensored, but men are. Let's see how this goes shall we?

working more on the body

After Wednesday and Thursdays critiques I've been working aggressively on various works. I hope to get about 10 works done by Halloween, various sizes. It's a goal, a good one at that.
I'm trying to get good-old-rough-copies of assignments that need to be done. If all works out, Monday will be a studio day. Tuesday, I am hopeing to head to the ROM for a few hours (2-3?) to see the Vanity Fair show. It's free for students to get in so I save 10$ ( I usually go on half price nights, aka friday).

This work I have though is done on Velum with charcoal. I really think I need to make a large version of one like it on the same paper. I am working with the ideas of Donna Haraway and her Cyborg. I quite like the construction of the body. The biology, the mechanics etc.

This other piece is in process, same idea but trying to use the same candy like colours in it. I started to use gel transfers as well, their prity interesting. Going to see how this piece goes.

This watercolor is done actually, but here is it before it was. It's at the studio, I will get around to documenting it soon. Really nice, I wonder what Catherine Will say about it. I'm off to bed, going to open tomorrow. Good Night world.

Candy ~ <3

I've been working on some new stuff as midterms are this week. My experimentation with ducktape has lead to the following works. The blue/teal/orange one is still being worked on. These paints, candy like, are so, well edible. I have been reading alot about pornography and how the female body functions. My reference recently has been playboy, which I really adore right now. The pink/neon green work is actually on packaging tape adhered to canvas. Because it was finicky , there are a lot of folds and crinkles in it, making the texture wonderful to work on. I am debating looking into finding ways to adhere saran wrap to the canvas, or just use it for texture, we'll see how that goes. The smaller work, which is WAY too shiny, might possibly get donated to WhoDun it?, I am not sure.

We'll I am off again to go do readings, either for thesis or my postmodern class. Latter.

Thesis process-update

I took some images of my studio again. These were taken on Wednesday night. I really just wannted to put some images up to show my progress as well as process in a way.
The peice on wood is for my class with Dan Solomon, I might reproduce it for thesis in color and on canvas, maybe. Tommorow I am going to go to the studio for about an hour after classes. Just work more on the series I started, I might cut some paper and bring it back here to work on it. I really don't know. Nina is coming along slowly, which is the general idea since I'm trying to expand my vocabulary in techniques.
The series I started seems a bit vulgar and rude, but I guess that's the point. I'm thinking of doing 20 of them so working on them back home would be good as well. I bounced some ideas off of Amanda today and I think I will let this peice go and do what ever needs to be done with it (the one on wood). I think it has potential for a series of large works, meaning I might have to get that 3 feet by 6 feet piece of stone henge paper out. It migth just mysteriously disapear to the studio this weekend.
Although that would happen AFTER seeing some galleries.
I should sleep now, I'm beginning to ramble. Goodnight all <3

Studio Space for Thesis

I'm currently working away at a new series of 5x6 inch sumi-e paintings. My current refrence is here, (warning, get your kids away from the computer). Anyhow. I picked up bordercrossings to read the interview with Ghada Amer, who "paints" with emboidery on canvas. Wonderful work. Anyhow I looked up all of the artists mentioned in the interview and then came up with this series. Now lets just see where this goes. I'm slightly worried about reception of my peers and the faculty, but then again I always am. Now I'm going to eat a bit then work some more. <3