Salon de Maria Blog

How to Make Money With Photography

2008-10-05T19:14:52Z

I was at a fashion event the other night and there was a great deal of press there with their fancy cameras and I really, really want one of those cameras! As much as I love painting, I think I love taking photos more. I have tons of folders full of photos on my computer and I've been thinking of different ways that I may be able to make money with them.

I've been hearing about photographers making money through stock photography companies that sell photos. If you're a blogger or online business owner, these are great places to find royalty-free stock photos for your blog or website. One company that I know of where you can sell and/or buy images is 123rf. They also have a collection of free images as well. Right now the company is having the 123RF Search and Win contest where you can win a Wacom Bamboo tablet and credits for photos. You may recall that I bought this tablet awhile back and I'm having so much fun with it!

I'm still amazed at all the things you can do with Wacom tablet. Wacom Bamboo recently had a contest on Facebook where artists were able to showcase their talent. Check out these works of art that were created with the tablet...

Click here to see the creative process of this ocean picture...

Click here to see the creative process of this art piece...

Spreading Beauty Through Art

2008-09-17T21:18:29Z

If you’ve ever visited my main website, you’ll see my life mantra:

“Creating a beautiful world, one person at a time”

Whenever I start to feel unfocused, I like to go back to that mantra to remind myself of why I started my businesses. I spent some time reflecting on that mantra and wondering what I could do today to get closer to that goal of creating a beautiful world.

One of my projects to create this beautiful world that I envision is through making art. I’ve spent so much time on my writing lately that painting has been put on the backburner.

I wanted to revisit my love for art and to spread some of the good energy into the world, so I’ve decided to put on an art sale.

For just one week, you have the chance to own some of my paintings at a very deep discount! And as one of my other missions to support cancer awareness and research, I’ve decided to donate 20% of the sales to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Here are the paintings that are on sale...

Click here to buy "Happy Bubbles"

Click here to buy "Cherry Friends"

I also accept commissions! If you see a painting that has already been sold, I can create something similar for you. Contact me: maria [at] salondemaria [dot] info

Remember that this art sale ends on Wed. September 24!

I'm Going Back to School...

2008-09-04T02:08:44Z

...But it's not the type of school that you may be familiar with. Nope, I am homeschooling myself starting this month. In addition to all the writing and blogging that I've been doing, I'm going to increase my wealth IQ as well as get back into shape. I even wrote down a "School Schedule" to remind me of my classes. Tonight's classes are "Wealth Management" and "Real Estate Investing" so I'll be reviewing the Transforming Debt-To-Wealth program by John Cummuta as well as reading up on how to invest in apartment buildings.

Who says that artists have to starve?

As part of my "Wealth Management" class, I browsed through a few debt-related websites to learn more about the different ways people seek debt reduction and the options that are available to them...and came across this website about Debt Relief. Since everyone has been talking about the economy lately and how much debt people owe, I figured as a public service I would share a couple things that I've learned through this website:

There are some consumer credit counseling agencies that are secretly working with your creditors
There's a chance that bankruptcy can stay on your record for 20 years!
FreedomDebtRelief.com helps alleviate your debt by negotiating with creditors, but the only fees they collect comes from you versus being "bribed" by counseling agencies

And now you know...

Don't you think there should actually be a "Wealth Management" class in college? Maybe the economy wouldn't be this way if it were mandatory to take a class like this.

I'm The "Get Real Girl" of the Week!

2008-08-26T01:47:41Z

This past weekend I had my first radio interview ever...which was pretty exciting as I begin to realize the power of Google and see how my messages are being spread out into The Universe. I already knew that anything was possible with the Internet - one of the reasons why I have so many blogs and websites. However, it wasn't until I got off the phone with The Get Real Girls of FM107.1 in St.Paul/Minneapolis, Minnesota did I start to think...Hey, I can be famous!

I received an email from Liv Lane who asked me if I would like to be a guest on their Saturday morning talk show. Of course I said, "Yes!" She had discovered me through an internet search "discovering your inner artist" and the first thing that popped up was an article I wrote over at The Good Life titled, "Discovering Your Inner Artist and Passion In Life".

So, who are The Get Real Girls? They're committed to helping people make real life feel real good and to live with intention...Liv Lane has a great blog called One Year of Beauty and the basic premise is to make the choice to find beauty around you every day. I like that philosophy and it's something that I've been doing...what about you? Then there's Joan Steffend whose show on HGTV, Decorating Cents, is one of my favorite decorating shows. Colleen Lindstrom is the third part of The Get Real Girls team who is a Life Coach in training and a yoga practitioner.

One of the main messages I wanted to get across in my interview was that life is too short (at least, life on Earth is!) to be doing something you don't want to do. 9/11 was a reminder of this and it was the years following that tragedy that I did a great deal of soul searching. My mother also passed away when I was 14, so even at a young age I understood that it was important to enjoy every moment of every day. Too many people get caught up in what other people want them to do that they forget what they like to do and what makes them happy. If I had listened to those people who said that I couldn't make money as an artist or writer, I would probably still be working in the corporate world!

Staying Focused

2008-08-17T05:55:44Z

If you're a sports fanatic like me or you just like watching athletes compete, you've probably been tuned into the Olympics. I played Varsity basketball and volleyball, plus ran cross country during high school, so I understand what it's like to be focused on winning or doing your best.

I am in complete awe of Michael Phelps, the swimmer who has, at the time of this writing, won 7 gold medals. He had a vision and he dedicated himself to do what he needed to do to live out that vision for himself. Seeing him win the 100 meter butterfly by 1/100th of a second was a solid reminder that anything is truly possible if you just believe...and stay focused on your goal.

As I think about my own vision for my life and the things that I want to accomplish, one of the things I'm working on is staying more focused. The past month or so I've been presented with opportunities to "make big money" and I've been so close to saying "Yes, sign me up!" You're probably thinking that I'm crazy for turning down the chance to make big money, but let me explain...

]]> Anything Is Possible

I believe that there is the possibility to make lots of money doing whatever it is that you're doing. Whether you're an artist, online business owner, car salesman...whatever. All you have to do is set your mind to do it and it will be done. Donald Trump specializes in real estate and he's made loads of cash, Oprah Winfrey has made her billion talking to people and helping others, The Jonas Brothers has made millions entertaining people, and the list goes on and on. All these successful people made money doing what they love to do. They had a vision and they were focused on that vision. And it's not like any of these people are any different from you or me.

I Love What I Do

Sure, I could have stayed with being a real estate agent or joined any successful company that promised me big bucks, but I have stuck to being an artist, writer, and online business person because I absolutely have a passion for what I do. Nothing else excites me more than being creative and making a passive income through my writing. It never feels like "work" for me. I don't have to go to meetings, I don't have to answer to anybody except myself, and most of all I wake up and look forward to doing what I need to do to get myself to the next level.

Yes, I'd love to make big bucks and that is one of my goals in life, but right now I'm more motivated by being able to inspire people and helping them realize (via my blog, The Good Life) that life doesn't have to be a struggle.

Staying Focused

Just like Michael Phelps, I'm going to stay focused on my vision and create my own awe-inspiring moments. If an opportunity to make "big money" doesn't resonate with me, I'm not going to do it. If I can't get excited about something, I'm not going to do it.

I'm staying focused.

Coloring Outside the Lines and Living in the Moment

2008-08-08T20:18:18Z

When I was little I loved to color in coloring books. I had one of those big sets of Crayola crayons and everyday I would sit down and color. I definitely made sure that I didn't color outside of the lines and I always colored the sky blue and the grass green! Those were my rules for art back then.

Fast forward 34 years later and I'm coloring outside the lines in every way possible! I'm pushing the limits and discovering the endless possibilities of my creative talents. I currently have several projects going right now which is taking enormous amounts of time, but I'm definitely having the time of my life!

However, no matter how busy I get, I'm learning to make time to do some coloring...

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A time to just let my mind become free...

A time to just be in the moment.

Not that I'm not in the moment when I'm doing other things, however. Being "in the now" is something that I've been practicing for the past several years. I've written about it several times over at one of my other blogs, The Good Life (Refer to this post: "Living the Power of Now"). I have noticed, though, that when I'm creating art, I'm more in the moment. I highly recommend reading Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now if you want to experience this state of mind.

Something profound and magical happens when you can stay in the present moment. All of a sudden you feel more vibrant and energized. The "To Do" list becomes exciting instead of *just* tasks that need to be done - as is my case. As I type this I'm beginning to feel this shift...a mind shift into "the zone"...the writing zone if you will. The words just start flowing out and your fingers all of a sudden just take off as if they already know what to type even before they hit the keyboard!

My Cure For Writer's Burnout

2008-07-06T20:33:23Z

It's been awhile since I've connected with this blog. I've been engulfed with client work which hasn't left very much room for anything else. No drawing. No painting. No making jewelry.

Just writing.

I seem to have reached writer's burnout - or information overload.

They say that you should be careful about what you wish for - because it may just come true. Just a little over two years ago I was thinking, "Hmmm...wouldn't it be great to make money from writing?"

Now I have enough work to keep me writing from now until eternity! I don't want to come off sounding like I'm complaining about all the work I have to do. I am truly grateful to be able to do something I love and get paid to do it. I just miss the paint brushes and the jewelry making.

I was in the bookstore the other day and came across a magazine called Artful Blogging. As I browsed through the magazine, I kept saying to myself, "I wish I could be art-fully creative right now."

A little voice inside me says, "Why don't you do it right now? You always have time to create art..."

I started making excuses for not being creative. I have too much writing to do. I have blogs that have been neglected. There's a project that needs to be done tomorrow...

I finally told myself to shut up and started doodling....

Aww...Now I feel better!

How I Stay Grounded and Relaxed

2008-06-18T23:59:17Z

"The personal life deeply lived always expands into truths beyond itself."--Anais Nin

It's been a very busy few weeks for me. Between working on my book, catching up with friends and family, doing work for clients, blogging here and there, watching the NBA Finals, and the U.S. Open - I'm just now catching a breath!

Between it all, though, I still make time for myself. Whether it's in the bookstore browsing through magazines or a little retail therapy (Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills is the best place for that - even if it's just window shopping), I manage to keep myself sane...

I still meditate and say happy affirmations to stay grounded. Even a little doodling in my new sketchbook allows my mind to stay calm and relaxed. I even went to a party at an ocean front home in La Jolla where I met people who told me some phenomenal stories of traveling abroad. Of course, I had to take this photo of the beautiful California sunset...

After all is said and done, life is best lived when you enjoy it - and that's what I do each and every moment of the day no matter what I'm doing.

A Fascination With Flowers

2008-05-16T09:17:49Z

The flower is the poetry of reproduction. It is an example of the eternal seductiveness of life. ~Jean Giraudoux

I find much inspiration in taking closeup photos of flowers. Sometimes I feel like I'm channeling Georgia O'Keefe, the famous artist who was known for her paintings of flowers. I think it started when I did an interpretation of one of O'Keefe's paintings for a drawing class in college.

Another reason why I'm so fascinated with flowers is because they have so many things to teach us about life. For instance, every flower is unique in its own way - as we are - and yet they are all beautiful...every single one of them. There is no such thing as the "perfect" flower because in essence, they are all perfect.

Pictured here are just a few of my latest additions to my flower photo collection...

Buy flower photo prints at my online shop!

A Day In the Life of a Blogger

2008-05-05T19:20:20Z

People are very surprised when I tell them that I have all these blogs and the first question out of their mouth is, "How do you manage it all?" One of the reasons I get so much done compared to many people is that I don't have any kids, so that leaves a great deal of open time for me!

Well, I decided to take one day out of my life and keep track of everything I do just to see how I spend most of my time. This is just one day out of my life...

8:00 am - Wakeup, meditate, have breakfast, and watch about 10 minutes of the Today show. I normally don't watch the show, but I heard that James Ray was going to be on.

8:57 am - Work on my book

9:35 am - Check email, moderate comments, and read article, "A Miracle Set in Stone". It inspired me to write about overcoming beliefs, so I started writing down notes for a future post at The Good Life

10:38 am - Checked "Customer Service" folder in my Google feedreader to see what everyone is talking about and to find any inspiration for articles on my customer service blog. Start writing...

11:42 am - Took a break from writing customer service article to Twitter. Find out about Singapore Airlines' A380 cabins

12:00 pm - Go back to writing customer service article. Revised it and looked for picture to include in post...Published!]]>
1:08 - Work on book review for Sound Wealth, Sound Health

2:15 - Check mail, take dogs for a walk, and chat again with the neighbor

3:03 - Check Twitter for any replies to my "tweets"

3:12 - Continue writing the book review

4:00 - Eat a snack, watch Oprah while finalizing the book review and adding images

4:34 - Check email, respond to blog comments, and visit other blogs

5:15 - Work out, do laundry, eat dinner, and run errands

8:00 - Watch Deal or No Deal while reading tweets at Twitter and sorting through email

9:00 - Watch American Idol while browsing organic beauty websites, taking notes, and developing them into a post for Beauty Is Within.

10:50 - Work on post for The Runway Scoop. Check Twitter again...

11:53 - Write goals for next day and check out what's going on at Facebook

12:34 - Meditate and go to bed...

Overall I was pretty happy with what I accomplished this day. I realized that perhaps I spend too much time on Twitter and that I should spend no more than half an hour a day "hanging out" there. I do love the connections that I'm making though. I'm pretty new to Twitter so I'm still in that "honeymoon" phase.

Making Jewelry: My Creative Process

2008-04-29T07:16:39Z

After a little break from jewelry making, I decided to explore the bead inventory and see what I could put together. After seeing the same beads over and over, it's a challenge to feel "fresh" about creating something...

Usually when I start to make a jewelry piece, I don't really have any particular plan or design in mind. In this case, I took out this little pendant I bought from a local San Diego artist. She calls her business "While My Babies Were Sleeping" because she did all her work well, while her babies were sleeping! I bought it a few years ago, but have yet to find the right beads for it. So, I started pulling out beads to see if I could find a combination of beads that would "fit just right".

Well, after stringing a few beads on, I realized that it just wasn't working. Usually I start to feel an adrenaline rush as I'm stringing beads together and creating the design, but this time I wasn't feeling it. After a little while I decided to ditch the pendant and instead ended up with this piece pictured here. I call this necklace "Spring Fling" and it's now available at my Etsy shop!

A Twitter Haiku

2008-04-21T22:47:54Z

It’s been awhile since I’ve written any kind of poetry. When I was in grade school and college, I would write poems and song lyrics. I’ll definitely have to dig through my storage and find those old notebooks to share some poetry with you.

Well, I wrote a haiku about my latest online love: Twitter. This inspiration was spurred on by a challenge given to me by blogger buddy, Easton, of Visionary Blogging:

So, here it is...

The bird and the blue
Keeps me in touch with friends
I dream of Twitter

The next step will be to turn the haiku into a song…In the meantime, visit me over at Twitter and let’s “follow” each other ;)

Have I Told You "Thank You" Lately?

2008-04-15T22:33:09Z

When I worked at Nordstrom we were required to write two Thank you Cards a day to our customers. Back then it seemed like such a hassle - after all, any time away from the floor meant that I was losing sales. However, it wasn't until I left Nordstrom and began working on my own business did I realize the power of Thank You.

I haven't been consistent in saying Thank You to my customers lately, but today I'm committing to reviving the art of the handwritten thank you note. Here's an example of what I would write in a thank you card to a jewelry client:

Dear Miss Customer,

I just wanted to drop a note to thank you for your jewelry purchase. I hope that you are enjoying the necklace! If you have any feedback, please don't hesitate to call or write to me.

All the Best,
Maria
"Salon de Maria"

Very short and sweet, but hopefully it puts warm fuzzies in people's hearts. It's rare to get a thank you note these days - and handwritten to boot!

If you just don't have the time to create your own cards like I do, CardsDirect has Thank you cards that you can purchase online.

However, you don't have to have a business just to send a card - why not send a Thank You to a friend just for being a great friend?

By the way, have I told you "Thank You!" lately for reading this blog? I appreciate you!

Digital Art is Exciting Again

2008-04-13T06:38:43Z

When I first embarked into the digital art world about seven years ago, I had no idea how amazing it was going to be. I got my first digital camera and I was ecstatic that I didn't have to buy film and take it to the photo lab anymore. And now all the excitement is back again with the arrival of my new Bamboo pen tablet. I felt like a five-year-old on Christmas Day as I opened the box and unwrapped this little tool. It's the little things that make me happy :)

With this pen tablet I can create freehand digital drawings and hand-write notes which can be turned into text documents in Word (although I still prefer to type...much faster). There's a great deal of other stuff I can do with this pen tablet that I haven't explored yet. However, the main reason I bought it was to draw freehand in Photoshop. I bought the small version, but I know pretty soon I'll want to go "pro" and get a bigger one.

So I unleashed the creative juices today and created a couple pieces which I turned into Mother's Day greeting cards. They're available at my CafePress shop. Stay tuned for more!

Well, now it's back to the "drawing board" for more practice so I can start creating art like this "Cherry Blossoms" piece by Esther Kirby...

Buy your own Bamboo pen tablet at Amazon.com

Maria Palma: Designer, Writer, and SEO Geek

2008-04-10T22:38:07Z

As an entrepreneur and artist, I have many jobs and wear many hats. What you may not know about me is that besides being a jewelry designer and writer, I've also designed all my blogs and do the marketing for every one of them. This means one of the many hats that I wear is SEO Geek.

I'm proud to say that I'm a SEO geek. For those of you who don't know, SEO stands for "Search Engine Optimization" which basically means that I work on designing and marketing my websites so that the search engines can easily find them. Any and every person who owns a website or blog should be familiar with some SEO techniques and tactics - especially those who create their own content.

I've spent countless hours researching all the different ways to rank high in the search engines. It's great to come across other artists and designers like the ones over at this seo blog who have a passion for what they do. All the reading and research has been worthwhile as I am now able to help the clients I write articles for become more knowledgeable about search engine optimization.

If you need help getting your website indexed and ranked in the search engines, feel free to contact me: maria [at] salondemaria [dot] info