Scoutie Girl

wow! this has been a week of inspiration, motivation, and a lot of introspection. below, you can find a recap of all the success! posts.

because there was such a positive response to this week’s posts, i really want to move forward with creating a space where we can all share our thoughts on life, work, and play. but scoutie girl isn’t the place. so i’m working on a new project called indieThink – because groupthink is so last decade. whether your a crafter, a lawyer, an accountant, a chef, an artist, or a laborer, you have thoughts, opinions, and a unique philosophy. i want to provide a place for you to share in a constructive, community-focused way.

if you’re interested in learning more about or contributing to indieThink, you can sign-up to receive updates on its launch or become a fan on facebook.

by the way, next week’s issue is a “spring fashion preview!” i’m looking for your wearables that remind you of warm weather, sun, flowers, and yes, a bit of rain, too! also trends you see coming and popular motifs. email me with your submissions.

and now for the posts!

have a successful weekend, everyone!!

two cents is a weekly post featuring your comments! i’ve always loved the “letters” section in the front of magazines. corrections, kudos, more discussion – love reading what others have to say about the content of my fave mags. in two cents, i’ll feature some of my favorite comments from the week, those that continue the discussion, and those who share new & exciting ideas. this is a great chance for me to give back to you a bit and for others to see what you’re saying!

blog rec :: handmade evolution

Love that print–it’s such a clever juxtaposition. I started buying handmade because I was just so frustrated by the way the things I was buying seemed to wear out so quickly and wanted to have to shop less, but like Amy says, it’s the community that keeps me buying handmade–whether it’s a lovely note from one of my favorite Etsy sellers or actually meeting in person, the *community* has definitely made my life better.
– Jessica Zee, Girly PC

am i successful? by lori

Great post Lori!
When I was in my 20’s I knew a few women in their 40s that I was in awe of – they seemed smart and successful and happy. I remember thinking that I wanted to be just like them. These days I go about my daily world still thinking like the 20 year old I was then but occasionally I ‘zoom out’ and observe my life with a wider angle lens and realize that, lo and behold, I have become one of those women that I admired 20 years ago. It’s not something that I think about too much though – I’m so superstitious, I might jinx something!
– Fiona, Cartolina

This is a WONDERFUL post! I’m in my last couple of days working full time, because as of Monday I will be working for myself. It’s scary – but I can’t imagine not giving it a try. Thanks for the great definition. I’ve asked myself a million times what defines success and this is the best I’ve ever seen!
– Gina, The Shabby Chic Cottage

success is… being free!

Nice job! It can be so rewarding to face your fears. And terrifying of course. I was never afraid of heights or flying as a kid, but after college they really started to freak me out (I think I really realized how mortal I am). So, I signed up for skydiving. It was very freeing and the memory helps me keep things in perspective!
– Lisa, Handmade Evolution

- by Judit Wild -

You may know her lovely and exciting blog, Papernstitch, but I guess much less people know, that Brittni Wood is a painter. Even though she was born – well, almost – with pencil in her mouth, she would advise her younger self to slow down, to explore, to give time for things to happen.

You have a BFA in painting. You always wanted to learn drawing or painting, or as a kid you had other plans as well?
Even from an early age, I had an interest in sketching and making little drawings. I would see my mom doodling all the time when she talked on the phone, and I think that’s what initially started things for me. But I didn’t necessarily think I would peruse it later in life when I was a child. I was actually more passionate about singing and acting than working as an artist up until about sixteen or seventeen years old. I had an art teacher in high school that really motivated me to go in the direction I did. And I am thankful I had that.

How do you evaluate the change between your “then” piece – from your graduation year – and the works you do now? In what way did your style and/or technique change, and why?
I think its been a fairly natural progression. After graduating, a lot of opportunities came my way that I didn’t expect to happen so quickly. So I was kind of forced to “figure things out” faster than perhaps I expected. The piece from 2006 versus the one from 2009 may seem drastically different, but I am still working with the same themes and concepts as I was before. My approach is just different. Right now, I am exploring implied textures and layering as opposed to the more physical textures of my past works. But I think there are ebbs and flows with any artist. I could very easily go back to working in a more physical way, and I suspect that I will be soon.

Which area do you think you evolved a lot? What would be your advice to yourself in 2006?
I am not sure I can pinpoint an area that there has been a lot of evolution. I think that generally speaking my work has eveolved. But I just work on things and if this is better than that, great. That is the goal…to become more comfortable and confident over time. But if I could go back in time and give my 2006 self advice it would be to take your time. Slow down. That probably doesn’t seem like the most logical advice to give, but I think it would have helped me. I think, like many young artists, when I graduated I felt like everything needed to happen right away. Quickly or never. But now I know, at least for me, that is the time where you really get to experiment. Explore. Have fun and figure out your true direction, without your professors in your ear guiding you. The opportunities will eventually come.

You also have a popular blog: Papernstitch. How does it fit into your artistic career?
It’s been interesting to say the least. The blog and site have definitely pulled me away from making my own work, in some ways. But I have really enjoyed the connections I have made and being able to help other people promote their work has been rewarding. Unfortunately, as of late, my career as an artist has not fit in to the work I do for papernstitch. But now that both the site and blog are where I feel they need to be, I will be able to concentrate more on building up a body of work again.

What kind of evolution do you see for yourself necessary in the future? How do you envision yourself in 10 years?
Ten years from now, I hope to be happy, healthy, and doing what I love. Just as I am now.

Brittni Wood – brittniwood.etsy.com
More evolutions: craftsthenandow.blogspot.com
Judit Wild: vadjutka.etsy.com

stop by saintes maries jewelry for beaded jewelry meant to stimulate your spirituality and empower your success!

thanks so much for sponsoring scoutie girl!

not too late to get a february ad spot! stop by the advertising page for details.

when it comes to my own thinking on success, i fall somewhere between lori’s “i’ve always thought of myself as a success” and megan’s “how am i successful right now?”

i’ve got lots of confidence – can you tell? – and a propensity for living in the moment. in fact, failure often feels like success to me. case in point, the only reason i’m doing this job is because of abject failure.

my failures:

• i failed to attend graduate school, despite a full ride to a fantastic school, because i was scared and didn’t know what i would do with an m.a. in religion.
• then i failed to find a job that wasn’t in retail.
• then i failed to get the promotion that i was trained & designated for – although, that might have had something to do with me being 9 months pregnant at the interview.

but even before that final failure came to pass, i was calculating ways to work from home, to land a non-profit job, to earn money from writing. and when that phone call came that i was denied the promotion, as quickly as my heart sank, i was right back to scheming and dreaming.

see, i almost never let even the possibility of failure get me down. there’s always something else.

out of that failure, i created this life for myself. a life where i get to spend the days with my daughter and the nights typing away at the keyboard. a life that allows me to explore my true passions: writing, beautiful things, advocacy. a life that allows me to succeed at my own pace: fast and faster.

but truly, the best part of my job is that my success is your success. i see my ultimate mission – my ultimate success – as promoting your work and expanding this movement towards indie {mindful} thinking & buying. that mission pretty much encompasses everything i’ve ever been good at. and i’m so thankful that you’ve helped me succeed thus far.

so – what “failures” in your life have lead ultimately to success?

{prints by linocutboy via etsy}