goodbye... for now

I'll be honest... I had higher hopes of what post graduation would feel like. I guess I thought I would be able to focus more on my blog and handmade dream but lately I've been feeling rather stretched thin. I am working 36-40 hours a week at a job where I'm always on my feet. Sometimes standing in one position for hours. It's actually less tiring to be moving all day long, have you noticed that? In fact, the past two weeks I have been scheduled 6 out of the 7 days of the week and worked those six days in a row with no days off. I need the money, so I try not to complain but by the time I get home every day, my back, feet, and neck are killing me. The last thing I want to do is sit at my sewing machine for hours or come up with interesting blog posts.

Last week while working I realized I haven't had a break since starting my senior year of college. During every holiday break... Fall Break, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break, I have come home to work at DLM. In fact, the very next day after my last day of classes I was working. I worked all through exam week had have yet to stop and take a break, let alone let the fact that I'm a graduate sink in.

So, I'm taking a much needed break. From everything. From work, from blogging, from handmade craziness, from technology... from everything. Mike and I are packing up our things and going on vacation for Memorial Day weekend. This will be the first Memorial Day weekend I've had off in over 6 years. It's really depressing when you think about it. But that's life when you work in retail.

Where are we going? What are we doing? Well we're headed up to Yellow Springs to John Bryan State Park to camp for three nights. I'm very excited. Mostly to just unplug from technology completely [well expect for a camera] and just relax for once. I'm not going to stress about blogging, I'm not going to stress about getting orders done or new products made, I'm not going to stress about work, I'm just not going to stress. 

So as of today, I'm unplugging from the technology world. We don't leave until Friday after work so I'll be around the Twitterverse until then but consider this goodbye... at least for the next 5 days :]

[Featured Sponsor] Natto Soup

1. Tell us a little about yourself and your art. 

Hi guys! I'm a New Orleanian transplant living in the fair southern city of Savannah, getting my Masters Degree in Sequential Art. At SCAD, Sequential Art means comics, children's books, and storyboards, and I do the first two with a smattering of illustration. I specialize in traditional techniques, including marker and watercolor rendering. I love taking commissions as it gives me an opportunity to practice my skill, expand my audience, and delight others with custom art. I go to great lengths to capture likeness in a fun and appealing way, and work hard to please my customers. General link to portfolio section on my blog: http://nattosoup.blogspot.com/p/portfolio.html

2. What are 5 words to describe yourself? 

Hardworking, Dedicated, Shy, Humble, Driven 

3. What made you decide to start drawing comics? 

I've always been a storyteller, and for awhile, I expressed myself through poetry. Like most kids, I drew, but it wasn't anything serious, and I certainly wasn't interested in comics as a kid. Back then, comics meant men in tights to me, and I wasn't into those sorts of stories. I wanted to tell every day stories about every day people, and it wasn't until I discovered manga that I realized that comics can be used to tell ANY kind of story. I did comics all through high school for fun, and decided that I wanted to pursue it as a career after watching Howl's Moving Castle. Studio Ghibli has a way of evoking emotions in the viewer that few movies can, and does so utilizing beautiful 2D art, and I wanted to do that myself. I feel like stories are a gift from the creator to the audience, and that the real goal of storytelling is to tell the truth. Even if the work is nonfiction, it should have accurate reflections of the human condition, otherwise the audience will be alienated. 

4. What are your favorite things to draw? 

Oh gee. I love drawing pretty girls. I also like drawing kids. And drawing from life. And figure drawing. 

5. When you're not blogging or sketching, what are you doing? 

When am I not sketching? Kidding. I like video games, although I can't play them myself anymore because my eyesight's gotten so bad. So I like watching OTHER people play videogames. I also watch a lot of Netflix, although that's mostly while I'm working. I enjoy cooking and walking my cat, Bow, as well. 

6. What inspires you?

Everything. Street fashion, ridiculous drama, kids' problems, the internet at large, my recent trip to Japan

7. If there was one piece of advice you could offer other indie biz owners out there, what would it be? 

Don't let others walk all over you. Don't let them decide for you whether or not your business is a hobby or serious. That is up to you, and you alone. Take your business seriously, and don't let others take advantage of you. 

8. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 

Hopefully published (either self, web, or through Oni or :01), married, drawing comics full time, possibly teaching elementary school art. 

9. Favorite blog reads or websites?

Art: My buddy Heidi has recently started a new long term project, a watercolor comic called "Dealing with Trolls", that I think y'all should check out. I'm still gunning to join this group, but they are pretty selective and fill up fast. I can't spend all my time and money testing and reviewing comic tools, so I enjoy reading Comic Tools.

Fashion/Lifestyle: I'm still a pretty big fan of Delightfully Tacky. She's super adorable. I actually draw a lot of inspiration from the manga of yesterday, so http://classicshoujo.tumblr.com is a fantastic resource for me. 

10. If you could be one superhero for a day, who would it be? 

The super comic book artist who finishes all her work lightening fast. Wait..that..doesn't...exist yet. Uh. Catwoman. I was her in kindergarten for Halloween, and she's still been a favorite. 

To learn more about Becca + Natto Soup follow her on Twitter or check out her website!

Day in the Life with Dianapantz

Diana is a vegan lifestyle blogger who runs her own sustainable accessories shop, both under the name dianapantz. Last month, she released her first vegan e-cookbook called "The 3-Day a Week Vegan". Diana is a one-a-week nanny, but for the most part, dianapantz is her full time job. When she isn't running her indie business you can find her blogging, sewing, knitting, creating new ideas, and guestposting for a few online publications. Being self-employed, no day is the same. This day in particular was spent running errands, baking for blog recipes, and getting a good workout. Let's check out a day in the life of Diana!

7:00am - Rise and shine! 

I wake up, make the bed, check the weather, then hop into the shower.

9:00am - To-Do List

I write out my "top 10+" things I have to get done and double check my previous to-do lists.

10:00am - Email

While answering emails, cleaning out my inbox, and sending snail mail, we get a big morning thunderstorm with high winds and tons of rain. 

2:00pm - Blogging

After the rain passes, I head out on a 25 mile bike ride to clear my head and train for our 500 mile bike ride this summer. Once I return I snack on cereal with almond milk and schedule blog posts for a few hours.

4:00pm - Snacktime!

I make a smoothie while taking a ten minute blogging break. One of my goals is to make a smoothie every day for the entire month.

8:00pm - Spa Time

I touch up my nails with my new favorite [vegan] nail polish.

10:00pm - Wind Down

After a long day I brush, floss, wash my face, and read in bed for 20-40 minutes. Blake and I talk about things we are grateful for and I fall asleep around 11:15ish.

Thanks for letting us take a peek into your day to day, Diana! If you'd like to learn more about Diana and her daily life, you can go say Hi on her blog!

Would you like to show off a day in your life? Email me at info[at]craftedlove.com to join in on the fun!