Salon de Maria Blog

Everyday this week I've set aside some time to make jewelry.  Instead of thinking about the marketing, taking pictures, and creating listings at my Etsy shop, I've just focused on being creative. 

I was thinking back to the days when I first started making jewelry.  My nightly ritual was to stay up and watch the TV show, The Wayans Brothers, and make jewelry.  It was just my way of relaxing and having fun and a day of work and classes.  I bought seed beads and elastic from Joann's craft store because on my student budget that's all I could afford at the time.  I would make bracelets for myself and my boyfriend.  Good times. 

I definitely have Stephanie Tran to thank for helping me get my creative mojo back. Stephanie is an EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) practitioner who is helping me get rid of the psychological blocks that are stopping me from taking my jewelry business to the next level. I talk more in detail about this in a post at my other blog titled "Goals and Releasing Resistance".

Another way that I'm getting the creative mojo back is to do more things for myself like go for walks, exercising, and spending more time on this blog. Instead of waking up and immediately getting to work on client projects, I'm working on myself - like meditating...cooking a nice breakfast and enjoying it...even going to the early matinee!

Posted by Maria Palma at 10:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Here's the Utah landscape taken during a recent road trip:
This is what my workspace looks like...


This was taken at the Lauritzen Botanical Gardens in Omaha, Nebraska...

I also came across some interesting photography quotes. Maybe they'll inspire you to take out the camera as well:

“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever... it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.” --Aaron Siskind

Posted by Maria Palma at 10:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This past year I’ve been so focused on my writing business that all of my other artistic endeavors have been put on the back burner. I’ve made the intention to refocus my energy on my art, photography, jewelry making, and posting to this blog more often. I was browsing through the latest Artful Blogging and was really inspired by other artists. The creative energy was oozing from that magazine.

I went to a bead show a couple weekends ago, which really got my creative juices flowing. I would love to go back to jewelry making. I think I’m more relaxed when I’m making jewelry versus writing. But then, perhaps I’ve put too much pressure on myself when writing. After all, most of the writing I do is for clients, so the perfectionist in me comes out.

Another creative endeavor I want to get back into is graphic design. I’ve abandoned my CafePress shop, so I want to re-open it and create custom t-shirts that have positive affirmations or sayings. Even funny posters would be nice to create - because the world needs laughter right now :)

One idea that came to me was to create a website devoted to humor, which would be similar to the site, Funny or Die. I won’t go into details now, but the more I think about it, the more I feel inspired to follow through with it.

If you know me, you know that my creative mind is always coming up with ideas. So many things I want to do! My Aries personality often takes over, so I’m very good at starting projects, but fall a little flat when it comes to finishing them. Oh, well. If it happens, it happens. If not, at least I had fun in the process, right?

Posted by Maria Palma at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)