The future has arrived... today

July 6th will mark the official 7 year anniversary of when I started this blog. This week marks the 7 year anniversary of when Hubby and I formally filed and formed our corporation, Rosehaven Cottage Inc. with me as the CEO and him as the VP-of-everything-else. We had the foresight to know that we needed to incorporate and created a corporate "umbrella" for my creative pursuits that would follow... but that's about all we could foresee.  

Seven whole years is the longest I've ever "worked" at one job. I started this creative journey fueled by the creative spark digital photography had re-lit within me after I'd been on a creative hiatus for a while. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do along the way or what I wanted to grow into becoming. I simply knew that I wanted to create beautiful things to be appreciated and consumed visually by others.

I am a classic introvert by nature (as many bloggers are) so I spent years trying to hide behind the moniker "Cindy at Rosehaven Cottage". It was easy to write blog posts about my garden so a large portion of my posts were focused on the outdoor life. Writing about our house, Rosehaven Cottage, was easy too, so I shared some of our DIY adventures here too. The title "Rosehaven Cottage" became synonymous with gardening and home improvement and "Cindy at Rosehaven Cottage" was seen as a "garden blogger". The audience that this blog attracted ended up being more interested in my green thumb and sledgehammer-wielding skills and less about the creative career I was building and very passionate about. 

Like many things in the digital realm, blogging has gone through evolutions and I've seen it go through a few in the seven years I've had this blog. The current trend in blogging is leaning toward catching and retaining readers with slick Pinterest-ready posts full of helpful tips or with attention-getting titles that lure a reader to read the blogger's personal insights, philosophies and musings. Several big-time blogs have had to revamp their way of doing business in order to remain financially viable now that content is often generated on mobile devices that don't accommodate sidebar advertising. They've had to resort to embedded advertising within blog posts to keep generating revenue. And none of that is what I'm really focused on in my "real life".

What is my "real life"? Some of you may already know the answer to that question but some of you may not. Here's the answer...

I am a professional photographer, artist and graphic designer. I am a business owner (technically a "CEO"). My business is about creating visual images that:

• have been licensed to appear on stationery you might have seen when you were shopping for just the right card for a special occasion. 
• are sold as canvases, fine art prints, cards and cell phone cases
• are sold as digital files to other creative professionals that incorporate my work into their own work like websites/blogs, advertising, publications, crafts and derivative art 

For the past several months, I've been at a professional crossroads regarding this blog. I am at an exciting point in my creative career where I am seeing my dreams becoming realities. This is wonderful but it has created a conundrum I've had to face. As a creative professional whose work is of a visual medium, my online presence (some call it "brand") needs to remain professional. My online posts can't just be an open garden journal. They can't be filled with personal musings that I then wish I hadn't published a week after I have. And I also cannot hide behind the moniker "Cindy at Rosehaven Cottage" and be taken seriously by my creative peers and mentors.

This is why I've spent the past couple of months creating and fine-tuning a new online presence at www.CindyGarberIverson.com. It is a cohesive and responsive format so anyone can enjoy it on a smartphone, a tablet or a desktop computer. And I have integrated a blog into the design that I will be posting to regularly as I release new work. Coupled with social media like Instagram (where I'll still share some photographic snippets of what's happening in the garden), I am embarking on a new blogging journey that will be all about my creative pursuits and passions. If you follow me on Pinterest, you can be a fly on the wall as I gather inspiration for new projects and you can watch the early stages of my creative process "real-time" (so if you start to see me pinning lots of photos of vintage sinks you can bet that it has something to do with what I'm working on at the moment).

I'm finally doing it. I'm finally being what I always wanted to be when I grew up. As one of my favorite songs by The All-American Rejects (on the Meet The Robinsons soundtrack) says... the future has arrived!

The future's arrived

Nobody can doubt

The future is what everything's about

It's better for you

It's better for me

It's better than what everybody thought it would be

It's time to create

Time to grow

If you're feeling right

The world

Yeah she's changing

And life's rearranging

Don't it make you feel alive?

The future has arrived

See you over at CindyGarberIverson.com

Small but sweet celebrations and milestones... ripe plums and a blogiversary

Among other bigger celebrations like the U.S.'s Independence Day, this week brought with it some smaller celebrations. Every year I look forward to the day that I can pick the first ripe plum off our Santa Rosa plum tree. This year it happened this week. The sun-warmed sweet-tart juiciness of the first freshly picked plum exploding in my mouth (and running down my chin a bit) was even better than the big showy fireworks on July 4th.

Another smaller celebration happened today when I marked the 5 year anniversary of this blog. I can't believe it's been 5 years. 

In many ways, it seems like that much time cannot have passed since I first ventured into the blogosphere, timidly sharing the first photos I took as I was trying to reclaim my inner creative core after years of dormancy. 

In other ways, it seems like there's been so much that I've packed into 5 years... so much growth, discovery and learning that couldn't have happened without the benefit of so many amazing creatives that share their work and passions online and the technology that makes it all possible. I feel richly blessed to be a creative soul on the earth at this time in history... so blessed.

Much like the sweet juice of the plums bursting as I take a bite, I feel like once I decided to take a bite out of life the, sweetness came pouring out in abundance. And like the time it takes for the plums to ripen as it hangs on a branch soaking up the heat of the sun, I needed time to reach the point when I was really ready to embrace being a creative professional. I needed the heat of my trials too. It's all part of making life sweeter.

 The first plum always seems the sweetest. But then when Hubby and I have the opportunity to sit and enjoy the plums together, sharing the moment, then the fruit seems sweeter still.

Blogging is the same way. It's so much sweeter because I share the experience with others. Thank you to all of you for sharing your words, lives and friendship with me for the past 5 years. I'm looking forward to another wonderful 5 years spending them with all of you.

Artful Blogging

I was experiencing a particularly rough spell back in January, when out of the blue I received an email from the editor of Stampington/Somerset Studio's Artful Blogging magazine telling me they would like to feature my blog in an upcoming issue.

I felt it was a wonderful miracle sent to lift my spirits.

There have been many times that I've stood in the bookstore gently flipping through the pages of the latest issue of Artful Blogging soaking in the wonderful images. Having my blog featured there seemed like something totally unattainable--too lofty a dream to even hope for.

I don't know how the magazine's editor found my blog. I don't know what prompted her to want to feature my blog and reach out to me. But I do know that the timing was impeccable and perfect.

I went through the process of writing the article needed for the feature. Then I had to choose a selection of images that were my favorites as well as provide hi-res copies of images the editor had requested after seeing them on my blog. I had a deadline... it was in February. The Summer issue wouldn't be out until May.  That translates to two things I'm not good at: waiting and patience.

Earlier this week, I was having a particularly rough day after coming out of a fatigue episode that has lasted over a month. It has left me emotionally raw.  Lately, tears have come easily for seemingly minor reasons.

And then a little miracle arrived in the mail--my advance copy of the Summer issue of Artful Blogging. On top was a piece of paper that read:

Congratulations!

 You've been published in Artful Blogging

We would like to congratulate you on being published and hope you enjoy this complimentary copy that you can share with family and friends before it hits the newsstands! We wish you the best of luck with your artistic endeavors and hope you will continue to share your creations with us.

Despite feeling self-conscious, a bit numb and still in a state of disbelief, I'm doing what they suggest. I'm sharing with all of you--my family and friends.

P.S. The Summer issue will be available at bookstores and retailers May 1st.

Profusion of pink jasmine and not-so-profound ponderings

Like the hedge of pink jasmine that almost knocks me over with its heady scent when I get into its proximity, my thoughts lately are overpowering, full and somewhat tangled. I hope I'm not the only one that gets this way sometimes.

I would have thought by this time in my life I would not succumb to insecurity. But I do.

Is it just a "chick thing" to constantly battle with ridiculously superficial insecurities like...

"Do I photograph flowers too much? It seems that 'serious photographers' I run into in the world of social networking always apologize when they feature a flower shot. Am I showing my amateur underbelly by constantly taking and posting photos of flowers?"

And thoughts like...

"Am I following proper blog etiquette? Should I respond to every comment in the line of comments? Should I respond privately via email? Does it suffice to simply visit a commenter's blog and enjoy their space? Where is Emily Post when you need her?" [Yes, I realize there's a pun there... and I find it rather amusing that in this day and age we don't have an Emily Post for posting.]

Then...

"Maybe I should turn off commenting all together and save myself these mental gymnastics."

Or this is a "favorite"...

"If my blogging friends ever met me in person they would run the other way wishing they never had. I would be a huge disappointment to them if they ever met me and I'd be exposed as a big fat charlatan. And, heaven forbid, if they saw my house or my garden! Their ideal vision would be shattered because it's just a house in need of more repairs and a garden in need of constant weeding."

My poor Hubby (and sometimes family members) get to actually hear me as I try to work through these thoughts out loud. I feel so sorry for them. Like the profusion of pungent jasmine along the garden fence, I must be a tangle of overwhelming nonsense far too often.

I wish I could say that I was also like the annual-blooming jasmine and my own "insecurity bloom" happened only once a year.

Alas, I haven't figured out how to do that yet. Great! Another thing I can feel insecure about.

Paths

When we visited the Japanese tea gardens last month, I was intrigued by a couple of the paths that led over bodies of water. From a distance, the paths seemed like any other stone path, but when I got closer and began to traverse the path to get across the water I realized how treacherous the cracks between the stones were. I realized one false move could easily result in my foot going in between the stones and a nasty fall would follow. I had to carefully navigate from one stone to another to get to my destination. If I wanted to take a look around me to enjoy the beauty while I was on the path (like the purple Japanese water iris growing out in the water), I had to stop in order to take my eyes off the stones. It was only when I could give my undivided attention to the path again that I continued moving forward.

This path is a perfect metaphor for so many things in my life--actually a perfect metaphor for my life's journey in general.

Increasingly since this last spring, I've faced some health challenges that I haven't wanted to admit I was facing. Right now, I feel like I'm in the middle of a giant broken stone path that crosses water I don't want to fall into. Every step has to be made carefully and thoughtfully. One of my ways to deal with it is to write about it. But since I didn't want to fill my creative blog with the sarcastic humor that I tend to rely on to keep from whining, I decided to resurrect my health blog, rename it, and use it as an outlet.

So for those of you that want to follow my creative pursuits unencumbered with detours, just continue to read my posts here.

Anyone else interested in the "saga" of my health issues can go over to the newly dubbed "Could be worse... could be raining" blog I've dedicated to documenting my attempts at finding wellness and humor while living with the disease endometriosis [reading the health blog's revamped right sidebar and then clicking on the button that says "The Halloween that changed my life" is the best way to get up to speed].

Creativity's journey

The background photo in the above piece came out of an old family photo album and really was taken in the 1950's in San Francisco.
The illustration is a watercolor of my own creation.
I'm hoping to do a full series called 'Frisco in the Fifties because San Francisco and its history are so dear to my heart.

I am coming up on the three year anniversary of this blog and also the anniversary of me embarking on the journey of self-discovery and re-awakening the artist within that had stayed dormant for a decade.

The journey has been interesting thus far. It's far from over. I don't think it ever will be... thankfully.

I'd never been very open about my creative process (I'm really a cynical introvert by nature). The blog changed that... a lot. I think it has forced me to create differently and explore niches and avenues that I otherwise wouldn't have.

Hubby is convinced that all artists are "tortured souls" to some degree or another. I admit that I have my fair share of artistic torture and angst. Here are some questions I ask myself that probably other creatives do too...

When I'm tortured about submission rejections of my work I ask,

"Do I want to be a trend-chaser or a trendsetter?"

When I'm tortured about my agent not calling or emailing I ask,
"Does it matter if my art sells?"

Or I ask,
"If I license my artwork, have I sold out?"

Or this is a favorite,
"Does anyone like my work besides me?"

When I sit in front of a completed painting I really like, I ask,
"Where did this come from?"

The funny thing about blogging my creative journey and deepest creative musings is that its out there... in perpetuity... for all to see. That's pretty scary, because if my creative journey suddenly takes a detour or a complete U-turn, readers that are "along for the ride" may feel like they're getting whiplash. Of course, those that are creatives themselves know exactly what's going on because they do it themselves. At least I hope they do.

"'Frisco in the Fifties: Shopping at I. Magnin" is available in fine art prints and canvases by clicking here

Learning, creating, growing

Click here to visit http://HappySole.blogspot.com

I love the spring because my whole inner self seems to come alive with the desire to learn, create and grow. I have a similar phenomenon happen in the fall when I want to learn (a throwback to a "back to school" mentality).

Fortunately for me, during this time when I want to create and learn Heavenly Father often hands me just the right project from just the right person. This time it came by way of a referral from my sister. Her friend is finishing up her certification as a footzonologist and needed a logo as well as a website of some sort for an online presence.

I love projects like this... the ones that start out with a completely blank slate. Karen hadn't even settled on a business name yet so I was fortunate to be a part of all of that brainstorming--probing with key questions to stir her own creative juices to bubble up and come to the surface with exactly what she was envisioning down inside. It's exciting to be a part of that.

In the end, I was able to give Karen a logo she loves and a blog to match. What Karen gave me was an opportunity to use my Photoshop skills, my illustration talents (for the footprint in the sand) and stretch my skills as a Blogger developer, learning some new tricks along the way.

I am grateful for projects like these. Somehow the successful completion has given me more courage to explore other creative ideas that have been simmering in the background because I've been too fearful to jump in and try (I call it "perfectionist paralysis"). Little by little... line upon line... precept upon precept the Lord is getting me back in touch with my inner artist and helping me be courageous in my creativity again.

Thank you, Stephanie (Nie Nie)

I have followed Stephanie Nielsen's journey almost as long as I've had this blog. On the days I need strength, I go to her blog and read. She always writes exactly what I need to read. Since she doesn't take comments on her blog, I can't think of a better way to thank Stephanie than to share this short film about her here on my own blog.

Editing

A month into the new year and I'm feeling the effects of positive changes--acts of self editing. Most are fairly small and subtle changes.

I've gone to IKEA a total of 4 times in my whole life and 3 of those visits have been in the past 2 weeks hunting for the perfect studio furniture/cabinets that would make my space more functional (translation... less like a large storage closet). I found the right pieces, got them home, fairly successfully assembled them using the wordless all-pictorial IKEA instructions, and started the process of pushing things from one side of my studio to the other to paint and install cabinets. It's much like one of those tile-sliding games I used to get as a party favor when I was a kid with every move being strategically precise. As I was doing some cleaning before arranging some furniture, Hubby mentioned that spring cleaning comes early around here because our winter is so short--December through January usually. Yes, he's right. Now the studio has a fresh coat of lovely pink paint, new cabinets, and a feeling of lightness as I've engaged in "spring cleaning".

Throughout this week, I've had the niggling feeling that the same process of editing needed to happen in my blogging life. After a conversation with Hubby over dinner this evening and an inspiring perusal of a copy of Artful Blogging at the bookstore, I determined that I needed to consolidate my blogging activities to one blog.

For a long time, I've compartmentalized my various interests into separate blogs. I thought that my gardening buddies would prefer to only read about my garden here while my creative buddies would prefer to only see my artistic musings at Dusting in Pearls. However, that's not me. I'm not divided into segments. I am a conglomeration of all the things that I've found joy in since we moved here almost 10 years ago. I want my blog to be an authentic and true reflection of myself. To do that, I need to let one blog be a reflection of it all.

This seems to be the logical hub for it all. It was the first blog and should be the only blog. I hope that my gardening buddies will bear with me when I post about artsy stuff. And I hope my creative buddies will tune in when I wax rhapsodic about the latest bloom in the garden. Because that's me!

Featured photo: "February means camellias" (above) [digitally enhanced art photo]
In a sheltered space in the garden grow my camellia bushes.
And every February they are blooming... perfect timing for a valentine.

The Gift

The Gift (still life) by Cindy Iverson (me)
Texture from playingwithbrushes.

Each day I have such a multi-faceted, odd, and eclectic daily "to do" list. Yesterday, I was post-processing photographs and making rose photographs into "vintage" illustrations. Today, I was out in the back garden with a circular saw cutting up the remains of the lumber that used to be the shed.

I used to think that I was the weirdest woman in the world and that no one could possibly "get me" except my nutty family and my adorable Hubby. That was before I discovered the world of blogging. The "blogosphere" has provided me with an invaluable gift--the gift of feeling a sense of belonging. I've found woman after woman that "get me". Women that love their gardens and kitties as much as I do. Women that like to be girlie sometimes, but can also swing a sledgehammer or axe with the best of them.

Following the example of Jen at Muddy Boot Dreams (a photographer whose work I really admire), I ventured into a new uncharted territory last month--the land of Flickr. I'm so glad I did! I have found so much creative inspiration that ideas are flowing out of me often faster than I can execute them. And I not only have gained inspiration from countless creative individuals on Flickr, the forum also provides me a place where I can share my work with peers that can give me some really important creative feedback. It kinda feels like I'm in art school again. All those feelings of endless creative horizons that I used to have so long ago have come back. It's truly wonderful.

I know that there are many evils being perpetuated with the modern technology of the internet and its related technologies, but I can't help but see this technology as an amazing gift and choice blessing. It adds a richness and dimension to my life that otherwise wouldn't be there. And most of all, I have a feeling that I belong to wide and wonderful communities that understand my passions and accept my eclectic "weirdness". That feeling of belonging is the greatest gift. It's something I've searched for my whole life. And, thankfully, I've been blessed to find it.

A New Look for the Blog's 1 Year Birthday

The Rosehaven Cottage blog (and website) turned a year old this week! I can't believe how fast a whole year has flown by. I decided that the blog (and website) needed a facelift with a design that was a better reflection of who I am.

I stayed up way too late last night coming up with designs based on my photographs and my art. I did mock-up homepages using Photoshop CS3 and Photoshop Elements in tandem until I found something that felt right.

Today, I ventured out into the cloud called the internet to find out how I could create my own Blogger template or at least customize an existing one so that it felt like it was my own.

Through the use of Google, I found the site Blogger Buster and the wonderful free eBook that she has available for downloading called "The Cheats' Guide to Customizing Blogger Templates".

With my mock-ups in one window and the eBook in another, I set up a test blog on Blogger so I could tweak the html code to my heart's content without messing up the real blog. Once I got it the way I like it, I went back to the real blog and made the necessary template change to Blogger's Minima and then did the very minor html code changes by hand instead of copying and pasting the code from the test blog. That way I didn't lose all my widgets and sidebar elements.

So this is the result! If I was a white goose, I'd dance with my head in the air.

The website is going to take longer to overhaul particularly since I need to get Mac-based software for the development. I'm leaning toward Adobe Dreamweaver and would appreciate feedback any of you may have on what has worked for you, what hasn't, and whether you've used Adobe Dreamweaver before.

As a little treat to commemorate the blog's birthday, I decided to go back through the last year's posts and feature some of my favorite photos with today's post. Enjoy!

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Where's Emily Post When You Need Her?

So I'm fairly new to the blogosphere, and I've had a nagging question on my mind the past couple of weeks. I can't seem to get an answer so what better way than to ask an open question here?

What is proper blogging etiquette when it comes to receiving comments on one's blog? Do you:


a) Enjoy the comments quietly and privately, letting them accumulate without response
b) Make a point of responding to and acknowledging every comment by leaving a comment
c) Leave a comment in response to one only when a question has been asked
d) Reply to comments privately via email when a blogger has provided one, otherwise don't respond
e) Obsessively stew over proper blogging etiquette and worry that if you don't followed "accepted practice" that you'll offend people

I've done all of the above at any given time and don't know which is correct.

Any pointers?

Mind you, I won't know how to respond to your comments, so I've created quite a paradox for myself now haven't I?

And I sincerely apologize if I haven't been following proper blogging etiquette and have somehow inadvertently breached blogging protocol by not responding to comments and thereby hurting someone's feelings along the way.

Being proper is so darned difficult!