Thematic Thursdays: Photo Winter Update
Where the hell have I been? Here it is all categorized and photographed for you. 
Marriage
We’ve been dating, cuddling, loving, working, and hanging out with people like this awesome guy with whom Hannibal used to play MUD (similar to Dungeons and Dragons). I took this picture with my arm extended, because there’s no one to take a picture of us when we’re out on the town.
Friends
Brunches. Lots of brunches. Also, a few trips to the mall, in-home hangouts, Skype sessions, phone calls, and general awesomeness.
Home
Rearranging crap. I got rid of an old TV — actually, it’s still sitting on the living room floor if you want to come and pick it up, you can have it for free.
Reorganizing things for Fuss’ new school year. I still haven’t made the calendar area for circle time. I seriously have to do that before January 3rd. Seriously.
Making the girls Kwanzaa gifts — Waldorf dolls, portable dollhouses, clothespin dolls, and quiet books:
Work
The logo for Renaissance Mujer:
The Booking Packet for Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Company (email me to request the full packet):
Schooling Fuss
I put out some pretty cool activities in the last couple of weeks. Among Fuss’ favorite is the washing the baby activity.
She also loves the winter sensory tub (Snow!!!).
Crafting with Mooch
She sewed a doll out of her socks for a handmade gift exchange at school. In return she received a cool handmade pillow. I sewed on one of the eyes to teach her to sew a button. Other than that, she made this sucker on her own after watching me make my first Waldorf doll (the test doll).
Workin’ Wednesdays: Comikaze
This weekend, I’ll be floating amongst gamers and sci-fi fans at Comikaze! I’m very excited to be representing Komplicated.com at this two-day comics convention. I’ll be in booth #3303, and I might even cosplay. Come check me out and buy a shirt to support Komplicated.
Workin’ Wednesdays: Feast or Famine
The feast or famine cycle is real! Brainstorming side hustles is what I’ve been up to. During my business’ down time, I try to increase my networks by building relationships with people in my niche. I also use the time when I’m not designing as an opportunity to market heavily. The only problem with this is that the bills keep rolling in. :-O
I’m now looking at ways to create mailbox money for myself (i.e cash that rolls in when I’m not doing anything). Some of the stuff I’ve come up with include downloadable template designs, developing a few WordPress themes, and joining Sugardaddies.com. The last one is a joke, but seriously, times are hard.
Workin’ Wednesdays: WordPress 3.2.1 Almost Killed This Blog
I spent the better part of the weekend trying to recover from a blog crash due to a WordPress 3.2.1 upgrade. I wanted to share this info for anyone else who may be experiencing the same issues.
Here’s what was happening on the backend in the dashboard:
-Unable to tag blogs. The tagging feature would cause my browser to refresh or it would just bump me right out of the post.
-The insert photo button wasn’t working. I had to use “<img src=”">”, and do it the old fashioned html way FOR EVERY FREAKING PHOTO!!!
-The categories weren’t always working properly
-I couldn’t insert url’s either.
Now here’s what was happening on the front end for the viewers:
-Every single post link was broken and viewers were receiving a 404 error for “file not found.”
So much for a blog.
Here’s what I ultimately did to fix it.
Try changing themes
The broken link issue seemed to be theme related after some trouble shooting. I was using a very old version of ADSimple, which I had pimped out with CSS and plugins. I changed my theme and modified this one. I plan to redo the header once my body has recovered from the lack of sleep this crash caused.
Upgrade Disqus and All Other Active Plugins
The dashboard issues ultimately came down to a stupid Disqus upgrade after all that. So before you learn three different coding languages like I did, be sure to update/upgrade your Disqus plugin. That may be all that is necessary.
Install the Health Check Plugin
I did research and find that it is imperative that you are running a compatible version of PHP and MySQL. Install the Health Check plugin to make sure you are compatible. There was a JSON issue floating around. Also, see WordPress 3.2 minimum requirements.
That is all. I hope this helps you. If not, happy searching.
Workin’ Wednesdays: Work Harder
“I’ve never really viewed myself as particularly talented, where I excel is ridiculous, sickening work ethic. While the other guy is sleeping, I’m working. While the other guy is eating, I’m working.” Will Smith
I can so relate to Will Smith with this quote. Freelancing is hard work. Add to that a seven-year-old with her own career and a demanding toddler, and I have pretty much kissed sleeping goodbye. I may regret it when my face starts to show it, but I’m enjoying the success so I’m going to keep at it.
My customers are happy, and so is my family. About 1/3 of my clients are referrals, 1/3 are repeats, and the other third is a mix of Googlers, job boards, and other freelancers. Pleasing the customer is important, because they often come back for repeat business right when a bill is due or business is slow. I’m always grateful for that.
Even when there is no work, I work. When work is thin, I use it as an opportunity to redesign my own portfolio, e-blast former clients, or create family stuff for fun. Another thing, which I learned from a photographer friend of mine, is that during down time is a great time to offer pro-bono work. It sounds crazy, right? When you give people things for free, however, they’re more likely to support your business in the future. Also, you have another project to add to your portfolio and publicize on Facebook. This reminds people what you do and keeps them associating your name with your field.
-
Flickr Photos
More Photos Very Pinteresting
This text is not inteneded to be seen. Rather, it is junk text to force themes with auto widths to extend to there full measures. This text is not inteneded to be seen. Rather, it is junk text to force themes with auto widths to extend to there full measures. This text is not inteneded to be seen. Rather, it is junk text to force themes with auto widths to extend to there full measures.
Connect
My Sites
Who am I?
Author: Myshell Tabu
-
