Melody Watson's Blog

Latest Squarespace site launch: Artist Tracey J. Marshall's artbytjm.com redesign

2012-01-09T16:24:41Z

There is no question that Tracey Marshall knows art. When she decided she wanted to have her website hosted through Squarespace so she could eventually learn to make her own regular updates, she started talking to me. Wanting a complete site facelift for the new year, in addition to more flexibility to update, she'd gotten excited about the possibilities this platform offers - particularly to artists and other creative types who need to manage multiple online portfolios of their work.

If anybody has multiple online galleries, it would be Tracey J. Marshall. This woman has painted more canvases than I can even comprehend. I know this now, because as we worked together over the past few months to pull her body of work together for the web, I had the pleasure of sorting through a staggering collection of images and trying to keep them organized while we made them ready for your viewing pleasure. We still have a lot of work ahead of us - a site this size will always be a work in progress - but we made a tremendous start. If you're into fun, colorful paintings, you should check it out, too. Then bookmark it because you won't want to miss the coming updates, either.

It's been fun to turn the tables a little with this client who has also become a closer friend throughout our collaboration. Years ago when I was creating clay tile and copper wall art, I took my "babies" to The Marshall Gallery - then located in downtown Greensboro. Tracey greeted and welcomed me graciously, spoke candidly about how the process would work, took all three, soon sold them, then asked for more. Only I had, by then, moved on to something different. Our paths crossed off and on over the years, and nearly a year ago, we reconnected once more when we both set up studios at The Greensboro School of Creativity. Just one more example of how life brings us full circle. And FYI: Hers is a real art studio. Big and open and filled with color and canvas and little busy messes and people and laughter. Mine is tiny and quiet and underused, and still not really even really set up completely. That's got to change soon, though. I'm too inspired to keep wasting that lovely little space.

But this is about Tracey's studio. And her fun, accessible art. If you're looking for something special for your home or business, she offers paintings suitable for residential and commercial spaces. She does private consultations and commissions, and for those who are interested in trying their hand at art, not only does she teach painting classes for children and adults, but she also hosts "Ladies' Night Out" sessions where you and your girlfriends (or some neat women you just met!) can come together and follow her guidance as you paint a canvas with a specific theme. With affordable prints and note cards to round off her offerings, there's a lot to discover at artbytjm.com. I hope you'll check it out! And if you like what you see, bookmark her site! Because we have some fun things in store for you, as the new year unfolds.

Seth Godin on Productivity Plans

2011-12-30T14:34:19Z

Seth Godin's blog post today was written for me. Clearly.

The reason productivity improvements don't work (as well as they could) hit home a little too well. Now... What am I gonna' do about it?

Leftover Cuties - Favorite new musical discovery for my design groove

2011-12-29T23:51:15Z

It always seems to be music that helps me reconnect with a lost creative groove. Today was no different.

Quite by accident, I've discovered a band I'd never heard of before, called Leftover Cuties. Nice sound. Between the sultry voice of Shirli McAllen and instruments that include an upright bass, ukelele, accordion and brushed drums, the sound is at once modern and retro. And exactly the sound I needed today.

Maybe you'll enjoy them, too!

Enjoy a wee snippet of my Granddaddy's charming southern voice with me?

2011-12-22T02:05:07Z

Because the last post I wrote in my blog served not only to update my friends and business associates of where I'd disappeared to for such a long stretch of time, but also as a sort of gate-keeper, I haven't been able to move forward. Every time I come here, thinking perhaps it's time to start blogging again, I see the post and the precious photo of my Granddaddy and I can't help myself. I always pause to read it. I've been going about my business, trying to regain my focus and move forward with all this stunted work, and admittedly stumbling over distractions I allow to get in my way, and blogging hasn't been as high a priority as it has in years past. Tonight it happened again. And just like before, I paused and looked at his photo I love, then read on. Tears in my eyes, I consider moving on to something else, but I think perhaps no. Granddady was never a quitter and he'd say, "Now baby, just go ahead and do it! Ain't nothing else for you to do? Am I right?" Yes, Granddaddy. You're right.

But, I tell him in this conversation I've fabricated for myself tonight, there's not a lot that's interesting enough to write about in a blog just now. Nothing interesting that isn't too personal for a public blog, anyway. And in my mind he argues with me in his smiling, subtle way. Because his children - his "babies" as he often referred to the children we once were and later the adults we became, were always interesting and fine and enthralling and just the way they were supposed to be. Even when everybody knows we weren't. Unless maybe we were talking too much. Then that could also spark a different kind of tone!

There's a sort of sparkle that would play in his eyes as he sat and listened to me go on and on, and if he was really interested in what I had to say, he would ask questions. A lot of them! And if I'd lost him? Well then, he'd look around until he caught somebody else's eye and say, "Do you know what she's talking about?!?" And when the answer was no - the answer had to be no in these particular chats - he would say, "Good. 'Cause I was gettin worried!" If nobody else was around, once you'd gone past the point of no return he'd reach over, pick up his half empty coffee cup (but it's half empty because my Granddaddy was not about to drink a sip of coffee if it wasn't piping hot, not because he has plenty left to drink,) hold it up and say, "Did you say you were makin more coffee???"

While I was in Alabama for our final visit, while he slept, I finally took the time to pull out the audio recordings of some of the conversations we had when we drove to Greenville SC together in May. I edited most of them enough that you could actually hear the words spoken, and a few times I clipped out a little segment that could stand alone. This one makes me smile no matter how many times I hear it. For the record, "Miss Gladys" was my Bigmama, and the love of his life. He'd been missing her for a lot of years. Not anymore, though...

Things got a little too busy to be worried about audio editing and so I didn't finish the work. Aside from that, I think my family would probably appreciate hearing some of these chats before I go putting them up on the internet. But maybe just one little one. Because another thing about my family, which we all learned from my Granddaddy, is that if you want to do something and it's not going to hurt anybody else, and it's not morally or ethically wrong, and it's not going to hurt you either... well, maybe you should just go ahead and do it if you want to!

Tonight I really want to hear my Granddaddy's voice. And I want you to hear it too. Because if you didn't get to meet him, I kinda' think you would have liked him. And if you did meet him, I know you liked him! You probably even fell in love with him. Because that's what people did with my Granddaddy.

One more thing. The little southern accent you hear sneaking through in my voice on the recording? Can't help it. Any time I spent more than 2 days in Alabama, or even in the company of this Very Fine Man, this thing happened to me. My voice slowed down, my syllables tended to breed, and there was always an added layer of happy. You can hear it here, too, can't you? That layer of happy?

There was a lot of happy on this particular day. Enjoy a wee snippet with me?

Granddaddy and I taking an exit off the highway in Auburn, AL, May, 2011.

On just "being" with my Granddaddy

2011-11-16T17:22:49Z

Alabama - where I am now - is often filled with laughter and fun. Even now, it's comforting that family finds room for smiles and laughs. But it's not really a laughing time. My Granddaddy, about whom I've written many times, is showing signs that maybe 92 years has been just about enough. The photo here was taken at my parents' home in May. While he was already giving us hints that things were changing faster than any of us wanted to think about, the relaxed smile on his face that day isn't the norm today.

Granddaddy now sleeps in a hospital bed in the house he's loved so much. A house you could once barely find, through all the kudzu that buried it, climbing in the broken-out windows, until he bought it for a steal and, with my Bigmama, worked tirelessly to turn into a truly impressive success story. It's the house he told us this summer he wants to die in. Oh those words. But people have to be able to say what they want - it's a respected understanding within my family - and so he did.

He woke up from one of his string of naps a couple of days ago and grinned to see me. He grabbed my hand and pulled it to his lips and said, "You're my baby." And I grinned back and said, "You're MY baby!" To which he huffed and said, "Aw, foot!" And we held hands and talked a while until he fell back asleep, still holding on to me. Last night wasn't so smooth, as he was convinced he needed to "go to the house," though he couldn't tell us where he thought he actually was.

And now that I've gotten to this part, I don't really know how to end this post. Beyond acknowledging that it's hard. It's love. It's life. I guess that's enough for now.

Travel documentaries? Where do YOUR reminders of gratitude for your life originate?

2011-11-03T18:26:25Z

What ordinary details of your unique life are most challenging to you these days? Are you able to find perspective, even a positive spin? The question is on my mind because of two recent reminders about the importance of gratitude. They have come, of all places, from travel-related pieces. During a time when travel couldn't be further from my reality, I no less enjoy the stories of others' journeys. Good stories inspire me in many ways, and these two examples not only sucked me in but left me with plenty of food for thought. Worth sharing.

BBC series, Long Way Round, documents actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman taking a 3 1/2 month motorcycle trip from the UK to New York City... via Kazakhstan, Russia, Mongolia... you know, ordinary places like that. I rewatched a segment of the series as I fell asleep last night. During the planning phase, they each expressed preference toward riding a specific bike. Charley's fave was the KTM; Ewan's was BMW. Ewan deferred. While working to secure the KTM sponsorship, they hosted a company rep who came to take a look at their route and overall plans. After the visit, KTM pulled their offer of sponsorship, acknowledging concerns that the trip might turn out to be a failure. Much shock and expressions of frustration ensued. Soon after, they cut to Ewan's reflections:

"My first reaction was one of kind of... that I, we, blew it. Y'know, that we're just a bunch of spoiled, greedy people. And, um, I just thought about all the things we expect. You know they were offering to give us free motorbikes. Who else gets free motorbikes, d'ya know what I mean? You can't just walk into a shop and demand a free motorbike! Yet WE were..."

Of course they successfully made the trip, even followed that by another one several years later. No doubt BMW was thrilled to sponsor each one.

It's easy to think of the "elite" in the light Ewan McGregor expressed... that they're spoiled or entitled. But I found the actor's reflection thoughtful and worth consideration. Seems to me that no matter what role you play in the world, or what social sphere you inhabit, the reality of your circumstances will provide you continual opportunities to develop feelings of entitlement... OR to reflect upon and learn from your challenges. It seems a simple fact of the human condition to react negatively to disappointment, no matter what your station in life. Left me thinking, until I fell asleep; but those thoughts didn't die, as they were soon followed by a similar reminder.

Today, during a lunch read of "Strange Places" from Chris Guillebeau's The Art of Non-Conformity blog, of some extraordinary challenges during a recent trip of his own, his writing style left me more entertained than anything. It's easy to see the humor from the safety of home, even while recognizing how stressful such scenarios would be for me, were I the one living through an extreme series of travel roadblocks like those he described. They're adventures, right? However because Chris is a truly great storyteller, he candidly revealed some struggles of his own to round out the fascinating details. Struggles it's easy to forget he must have from time to time, since his life does often seem so exciting, even charmed. Then came his own reflections:

"One of the things I frequently remind myself is that I get the chance to do things that almost no one else does. For years before I started actively traveling, I dreamed of it. I read everything I could and envied people I knew who traveled for work or simply in pursuit of adventure. I don’t read much about travel anymore; I live it instead. As I’m on the road to Djibouti and beyond, I call places like these “strange,” implicitly understanding that they are mostly strange to me and not necessarily to people who actually live there.

I also think you can find the magic wherever you are...

But every day, you might find yourself in strange and random places of your own. When it happens, I hope you’ll pause for a moment and think about how unusual it all is, and how beautiful it can be if you remember to appreciate it." Read full post here.

Again, reminders of reality: no matter who or where we are, or what details comprise our life's story, we thrive and we also struggle. Every last one of us moving around on this honkin sphere we call home. It's what we do with those successes AND challenges that makes our lives richer from the complexity of it all.

Today, more separated than ever from feelings of adventure, my own challenges feel so mundane in contrast. Yet they're slices of life. My life. And so I get to make a choice to reflect on the gifts of my own experiences. Recent expressions of frustration at having felt unable to get caught up on work for months have been met with declarations of "That's so great! It means business is good!" Of course my friends are right. When so many are struggling to find work while I struggle to meet my deadlines, it's easy to forget what that alternative reality must feel like. And so I welcome these unexpected reminders of gratitude, reflect, acknowledge the amazing things in my life, and move forward in my attempts to meet the challenges in the best way I know how.

What about you? Any recent reminders from your own story? Share them here; maybe they'll inspire someone else!

Taking on the challenge to help tell the story of the Greensboro School of Creativity

2011-11-02T05:29:02Z

If a picture is worth a thousand words, but that thousand words is meant to factor into the story of a complex tapestry woven of vibrant personalities and passions and inspirations, what then? Well, first of all, one picture just won't do. If your goal is to tell that story online, then you've got an even bigger challenge. Capture the audience quickly, make it dynamic and cover as many bases as you possibly can. No pressure there!

Since collaborating on the website for the Greensboro School of Creativity then making myself at home in my beloved (**though terribly underused,) studio there, I've gotten to know some enthusiastic, warm, enormously talented people. Whenever I'm in "our" building at 900 Sixteenth Street, I run into a steady stream of fascinating artists and wellness professionals. Invariably I come away teeming with new ideas and smiling over something new I've learned. Even when I wasn't really there looking for inspiration... or new lessons, either! (Though let's be clear: fresh inspiration and increased knowledge do help make the world go round.)

For months, there's been this ongoing quandary over how exactly to capture the attention of new website visitors and give them an accurate glimpse into what this remarkable community is all about. The diversity and richness can just be so much to take in...

Maybe we've finally found the answer. Over the last few weeks, a spark grew into a glimmer that turned into this little obsession of mine. Many later nights even than usual, and last Wednesday evening I revealed one version of this video montage to a small group of people. The response was finer than I'd imagined. And so I was asked to unveil it the next night, (or a derivative version, several editing rounds later,) to a larger room filled with many of those very passionate, inspirational people whose stories we'd been trying to tell. I've been making these for personal use for a while - don't even think that your mom or dad won't always, always welcome something like this as their Mother's Day and Father's Day gift, particularly when it features the cherubs they so love - but I'd never attempted to do this for a public audience. Creating something of this magnitude meant to represent an entire community had transported me to a different playing-field altogether. And although I still have a lot to learn, and a long way to go - OH the people I missed and the segments I want to revise: my inner critic stands up and waves her hand frantically, trying to get my inner writer's attention but look how we're just going to ignore her here! Because you know what? If you can have this much fun and learn new lessons and even scratch the surface in the story of a place as complex as this, and still feel inspired for the next round when you put this version to bed? Then I think you've got something to be proud of. And I am! I'm so fortunate to be able to do the kind of work I do, and this was the perfect reminder.

So yea - this is one of the many things I've been up to these days. I look forward to refining my skills and making even more in future! (Actually, there are two others in the works for other projects on which I'm collaborating!) Now. Go check out the Greensboro School of Creativity! There's:

Another session of Creativity Circle on Friday,
A reception for a new gallery exhibit, "Change of Season," opening later that evening,
An upcoming Art of WellBeing Expo on November 12,
And a delightful array of classes, workshops, presentations and screenings in the areas of general creativity, film & video arts, literary arts, performing arts, spirituality & wellness, and visual arts. Truly something for everyone...

**And the reason it's terribly underused is the flip side of that complex coin of all that inspiration and learning. I have an awful lot of work on my plate these days. Going to "my studio" to work is often a little bit of a joke. Because putting me in a space filled with all that creative energy is pretty much a sure fire guarantee that I might just end up playing instead of working. And these days, the pendelum has to swing pretty far in the other direction. But no worries... I'll find my balance again one day! And then more play dates for me. You know where I'll be...

Pausing my blog hiatus with a hat tip for the first wave of public beta invites to Squarespace 6

2011-10-21T23:01:51Z

Screenshot from the Squarespace V6 blog post video trailerIf tomorrow had arrived before I posted this, it would have been one full month since I'd written a blog post. Unheard of. Except we all know it's about priorities and choices and juggling... and stuff. Blogging took a rare back seat for a while. Until...

What a thrilling reason to come out of blog hiding: learning that the newest upgrade to Squarespace is closer-than-ever to landing in my anxious little fingertips.

Squarespace, for those new to this space, is the platform on which I help people create websites more complicated than they can manage on their own. My designs are neither bleeding edge nor even cutting edge. Long ago I discovered that this is more than okay. Turns out a lot of people requier less "edge" of their sites. What I do do is take a very hands-on, collaborative, "you can do it" coach-like approach to helping people who want simple, cost-effective, customized sites they can learn to manage on their own... but which they either have little time or inclination or confidence to set up without someone to guide them through the process. The platform is very DIY-oriented, and you can do it on your own. When you have reasons not to, lots of people like me are here to help you. Discovering Squarespace was the reason I didn't change direction and go into another line of work altogether. Seriously. And? Today Squarespace posted the first wave of public invites to version 6 of their product. Friends of Squarespace have been holding our collective breath for this update for a long, looong time.

Of course, as a self-taught designer who also frequently spends time studying the coding end of things when I need to accomplish something less standard, my mind is also reeling with questions. After six and a half years working on this platform, I still learn something new daily. What will it take, then, to learn enough to become proficient on Squarespace V6? What exactly will the transition look like on a practical level, in the context of my day-to-day workflow? I recall details from 3+ years ago when V5 was released: specifically taking the time, off the clock, to learn what was needed to recreate an identical version of the site I'd been days from launching on the newer version.

Everything I've seen about version 6 tells me that this is going to be far, far different than the transition from V4 to V5. These are different times. The web has evolved. Standards have changed. Web users have become more sophisticated and demanding. From what I can see, Squarespace is on the cusp of being able to deliver some stunning, impressive online solutions. Now my task, should I choose to accept it1, is to do everything I can to get myself up to speed so I can continue to deliver what my clients are looking for. Then make the time to finish separating this personal site from the long-in-process new one that focuses on Squarespace work and other little tidbits of geekery written with the non-techie audience in mind.

This announcement comes on the heels of my having needed to seek the help of the Squarespace Support Team not once but twice lately. While I've certainly opened my share of support tickets over the years, when warranted, truly it isn't a service I've had to utilize very often in recent years. These fresh experiences have continued to be professionally and promptly handled by gracious, knowledgable, articulate folks. And I've appreciated their candor and willingness, when the situation warranted it, to just say, "You know what? I don't know how to answer that. But I'll escalate it to someone who can help uncover the answer, and I'll get back to you soon." And they did. This last part wasn't really necessary to the "yay to the new V6 announcement!" blog post, but today, I guess it kinda' was, too. Because it illustrates one of the many reasons for my loyalty to this company, and my happiness for what must be a very exciting time for them as well.

Congratulations to the Squarespace team. I hope you're as elated as many of your users are. Now. Let's talk about letting me get my hands on this shiny new toy of yours. I've decided I'm okay to trade in some more hours of sleep to see what I can do with it...

1. As if.

Relieving ourselves of what Danielle LaPorte refers to as "Energy Leaks"

2011-09-23T03:10:34Z

It seems like a no-brainer, but sometimes you have to hear or read something in a certain way to finally get the message. Danielle LaPorte got my attention today with her White Hot Truth blog post: "get immediate relief: energy leaks + enlightenment." She does that sometimes. Gets my attention with the way she phrases things, or, y'know, points out something that makes so much sense you wonder why she had to tell you at all.

The energy leaks of which she writes are those things we face over and over, continuing to just deal with them, rather than take what would sometimes be mere minutes - though not always - to just handle them once and for all. A couple of her examples are "the lock that always sticks," and "that kink in your neck."

She asserts:

Every time you make REPEATED contact with aggravating tasks and situations, you make a conscious or unconscious choice to endure (the root of the word endure is 'to suffer',) and to settle with less-than-ideal.

That's where she really grabbed my attention. The part about how it's a choice, and in making what masks itself as a paltry, insignificant choice, we often accept quite unnecessary weight into our already-over-complicated lives.

From my own Web Of Neurosis I keep thinking of this one task that keeps appearing on my To Do List, every day getting scanned past, or the date changed to tomorrow - because of course I'm going to finally do it tomorrow! Right? Only... that thing? It's been on the list for so long I almost forget to notice it's there. And when I actually sit down to handle it? It'll probably take me 37 minutes to complete, from start to finish. How long have I spent, I wonder, considering that task, the pressure of seeing it still there, the reordering it day after day, feeling the twinges of guilt that I haven't yet handled it, making excuses for why I haven't... (Hint: all said and done, it will almost definitely add up to more than 37 minutes.)

What about you? Do you recognize these patterns in your rhythms? Is there one thing you could do, once and for all, that would eliminate an ongoing annoyance and free up time and energy for more fulfilling pursuits? Care to share?

Meanwhile - speaking of neuroses - the little insert that reads "pretend that your neuroses are charming" is also from Danielle LaPorte. She has this ongoing thread in her blog simply called "truisms from Danielle." Perhaps you'll enjoy some of these too... This one just gave me a giggle tonight. What with all the ways I'm looking to find the best angle for my personal set of neuroses. I love thinking of them as charming. Often do. (It's so much better than stressing over them, isn't it?) It's a great kindred spirit, I like to think, who came up with the idea of writing that one down for all to enjoy. Maybe you'll enjoy some, too...

Every time you make REPEATED contact with aggravating tasks and situations, you make a conscious or unconscious choice to endure (the root of the word endure is 'to suffer',) and to settle with less-than-ideal.

Then sleep & creativity had a lil standoff.

2011-09-14T05:33:16Z