I had this idea that Microsoft Paint would be a capable background image creator. I am sure it is, but I didn’t have much success with it today. During my semi-failed attempt, which I will still share, I found a new site and rediscovered an old favorite.
Our Hobby Business
Get a sneak peak at the behind the scenes of our educational store (www.sheekgeek.com). Although we still have a lot to learn, we also have a lot to share.
Modifying WordPress Theme Backgrounds
I dabble in website creation, so keep that in mind when you read this post. I am only a dabbler. I am not an expert. I also like shortcuts because once upon a time I spent way too much time on website design. Here is my advice. If you are creating a blog you want to customize, find a WordPress theme that has customizable options built in. In this case, I am talking about themes where you can upload an image and the theme will automatically tile (repeat) that image to create a background. Need a background image? I have some trellis pattern options for you!
Blogging Fail # 1 – Not Posting Blog Posts
Adam and I were recently discussing our lack of posts on our blog. Between working full-time as a teacher and part time as a master’s degree student, I try not to beat my self up too much over lack of posts. Adam has a similar time commitment, just in reverse (full time PhD student, part time teacher). However, even with these time consuming responsibilities, we still feel guilty. Blog posts from the pros like this and this and this (and more) say blog often. In fact they all advise blogging a minimum of once a week. We average a post a month. If we’re lucky. Can you say blogging fail? Now with summer approaching, time is being put into both of our laps. Time helps. Of course, thinking that since you have “time” you are going to post more is a fallacy. I’ve been there. And so has Adam. So what is going to push us over the edge to start posting more? What do you think would help?
I am obviously not an expert, but I analyzed the areas of life where I am most productive and I have come to this conclusion. It is all about feeling obligated. Responsible. Accountable. (I’m trying to find the perfect word to describe the feeling I think I should have, but I’m at a loss.) Currently, I do not feel compelled to post to my blog regularly. It is a side thing, a hobby. Obligation, responsibility, and accountability seem incongruous with hobby. But passion can drive a hobby and lead you to accomplish great things. It is happened to me before (even if right now it feels fizzled). How do I begin to feel intrinsic motivation to blog? I decided I need to figure out why I wanted to blog in the first place.
My reasons to blog (a.k.a “Why I wanted to blog in the first place…”)
- Build Awareness for my Business, SheekGeek (which is also a side hobby!)
- Share DIY Projects I’ve Completed (like this one – which is my current favorite post thus far)
- Teach Others (Adam and I are both teachers after all!)
- Become a Better Writer
- Make Money (I didn’t want to put this, but I am just being honest with myself.)
- Document My Life
Looking at this list, I’m trying to find my spark of motivation. Surprisingly, Number 3 is really what is getting me going right now. Good writing evolves. The best writers write all the time. Every day. I don’t write every day! I can’t reach my goals if I am not working towards them. Adam and I both have writing a book on our bucket list (hehe, who doesn’t have writing a book on their bucket list these days!). I get a slight adrenaline high when I write. Ideas start flowing and it is a good feeling. That means there is positive reinforcement for writing. I definitely need to get into the habit of writing/posting. I think goals need to be said aloud (or in this case typed). I want to become a better writer. Ah, who am I kidding. I said it aloud too. I WANT TO BECOME A BETTER WRITER! Man, that feeling of accountability is growing.
I think if lesson number one of blogging 101 is “blog often” then potential bloggers need to analyze why they would want to blog often. Especially if they need a kick in the backside like me!
Color Inspiration
When creating a color scheme for a blog (or any artistic endeavor), a great place to see your colors side by side is COLOURLovers. Even better, if you are at a complete loss, you can view other people’s color suggestions. In a moment of serendipity, the colors I had in mind for the SheekGeek.org redesign of *blue* and *green* were in a palette on Color Lovers. Not only that, the palette had been created just 7 minutes before I visited the site. (Not surprisingly, these are also common colors used in our home. I am definitely influenced by my surroundings.)
The colors also come with HEX codes, which make it easier for web coding (or should I say tweaking, since I do not code!) and photoshop.
These colors really got me going, because I completed almost the entire overhaul of SheekGeek.org in one night. In that night, we went from this (keep scrolling!):
To this:
I am in love with dreamy goodness of this new site design! It has my creative juices on overdrive – oh the post ideas that are brewing…
By the way, if you are wondering how I got those super long screen-shots, it was a snap with a firefox plugin called Screengrab!.
Overhanging Desk Work Light
The SheekGeek office doesn’t have very good lighting and because of this, working on things at my work desk is always tough. I’ve tried a lot of different solutions to this problem such as the lighted helping hands set-up, sitting a small fluorescent light on top of my parts organizer, and even hanging the lamp from a couple of the bins on the top row of the parts organizer. None of these provided a good solution. The fluorescent lamp was rather blinding, and with every solution, my hands cast shadows on what I’m working on. This lead me to finally come up with a great working solution to my problem that casts no shadows.
A couple of years ago when I wrote for Hackaday I did an article about the Hacker’s Soldering Station. Since then, that station became too bulky and impractical for my office. I needed something that was easier to move, or possibly break down to take up less space. I looked around at what I had on hand and slapped together this quick fix that is the perfect solution for my needs.