Kismet Creative

07/22/2019

Celebrating an anniversary over at Kismet Workshop ✨

I mentioned in my last blog post that July 10th of this year held greater significance beyond being the end of a successful 100 Day project run. Why? It was also my 1-year anniversary of the 1st time I fused glass. My “Glassiversary”, if you will! (ANDYOUWILL) 🍾🎉 ⁣
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I wrote a bit about my glass origin story on the About page of my website, so you may remember it all started in Rome. 🇮🇹 I signed up for a fusing workshop through Airbnb’s “Experiences”, so the afternoon of July 10, 2018, I made my sweaty way to Giorgia’s studio & workshop near Stadio Olympico. (Rome, you were mercilessly hot that trip. I forgive you.)⁣
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Read more about it & see what I made on the blog; 🔗 in bio 👆🏻!⁣
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07/12/2019

You guyzzzzz, I made it! 💯 Yesterday, July 10th, marked the end of 2019’s ! 💯 (July 10th was significant to me for another big reason, but more on that in the next post.)⁣
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Back on April 2nd (fine, 3rd for me) I kicked off my 100 Days talking about my (at the time) *three* businesses and that, while I’m stoked 🤙🏻 about them, I’m in a chapter of life where I have little time, energy or financial resources to give to them. I spent a couple months feeling frustrated, yet not even doing little things to make progress despite circumstances. The switch was turned to ‘off’ while I was pity partying. ⁣
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Around the end of March I started thinking about . While it’s a social media group challenge most people utilize to get them creating more consistently, I decided to use the concept to generate momentum for my businesses. AND 👏🏻 I 👏🏻 DID 👏🏻⁣
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Check out the blog (link in bio) for the rest of the story, including my “Top 10 Highlights and Takeaways” from the journey!

05/18/2019

This makes me laugh for 2 reasons: 1) immediately following Johnny asked what a boomerang was (bless), & 2) I’m wearing what I will always know as my fabulous “H-E-B earrings”... partnered w/ selected s to give gifts to their customers for Mother’s Day. (We are *frequent* & *loyal* curbsiders!) Taken at the super fun awards. ♥️🤠

05/09/2019

It’s another catch-up post! For a variety of reasons, this summer represents a great opportunity for me w/ my businesses. Days 32-35 were all actions that will help me capitalize on what’s ahead. ⁣
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Day 32… We have a closet under our stairs. Since we’ve given up on parking our car in our garage & we’ve lots of storage there, we can manage w/out it. SO. I’m going to turn it into my craft room / workshop / ‘room’ of my own! It’s big enough that I can install a custom desk & add’l storage. Big enough for a chair. Big enough to stand up. (Not really big enough to “walk around” per se. 🚷) I’m stoked. I will call it: Kismet’s Kloset. Katie’s Klosest Thing to a . Katie’s Kavern. Kreative Korner. I’m just riffing. 😋 Stay tuned!⁣
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Day 33… Summer goal setting 🎯 for .Creates, .Handmade & .Printworks⁣
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Day 34… First draft of Printworks launch plan 🚀 ⁣
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Day 35… Collected existing relevant content for future Printworks ‘grammin’⁣
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Illustration credit ‪(minus the ♠️) ‬goes to talented ‪ ‬

05/08/2019

I’ve mostly used this platform for sharing side projects, design & art that catches my eye, but I *do* also have some super graphic design clients that engage me in a wide variety of interesting projects! Today I’ll highlight Lee Walker and his soon-to-be-released memoir, “Imagination House: An Entrepreneurial Life”. ⁣
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Initially I lent an “assist” on the book cover design but that lead to being asked to create his website ( eleewalker.com ). Lee has been a joy to work with & I highly recommend his book. In fact, come out to this Saturday 5/11 at 6p for his ‘speak & sign’! ⁣
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About the book…⁣
“When twenty-one-year-old Michael Dell asked E. Lee Walker to be the president of his fledgling computer company, PC’s Limited, Walker, in his mid-forties, immediately thought about all the people who had helped him through life—as an undergraduate at Texas A&M (class of ’63), a graduate student at Harvard, and a once-young entrepreneur himself. ⁣
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As he and Dell created the foundation of what would become one of the most successful companies in the world, Walker was guided by the lessons of his past business ventures, by his belief in the power of imagination, and by his relationships with people who had provided encouragement when he most needed it. When he left Dell Computer Corporation to teach, Walker discovered that the stories he took with him—of his aspirations, of his failures and triumphs, and of his friends and mentors—were the key to engaging and inspiring his students.⁣
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Here, Walker records those stories in a memoir that spans five decades and reveals a man whose curiosity, resourcefulness, and luck led him out of South Texas and into corporate boardrooms, university lecture halls, and community activism.”

05/07/2019

Playing a little catch-up! Let’s start w/ day 27, which was finally cracking open a book I bought for pattern inspiration, “Katsuji Wakisawa, Japanese Textile Designer”. He was the first Japanese designer for back in the ‘60s. He returned to Japan in the ‘80s to start SOU•SOU & he’s still designing today. ⁣
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From the bio: “These days Wakisaka begins his day w/ a walk & takes inspiration from the landscape of his hometown, Kyoto. After returning to his studio, he paints everything from seasonal changes in nature to traditional Japanese patterns. Many of his textile designs for SOU•SOU begin as postcards, which serve as initial drafts for his designs, & he mails each one to his wife.” He has made more than 10,000 postcards. ⁣
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I bought the book b/c I like his aesthetic, but I find deeper inspiration in his process. Routine. Diligence. Nature. Balance. How can I emulate this in my life? What boundaries do I need to create the ___space___ to **work** the process? ⁣
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Day 28: Read WGSN trend reports 📜⁣
Day 29: Choose phone models for printed cases📱⁣
Day 30: Get iPad + Paper app + stylus + syncing working again to facilitate digital sketching 🖊

04/24/2019

A pattern for day 20! For day 21, I finished & shared my content strategy with a knowledgeable friend for feedback, & for day 22 I discovered TWO ✌🏻viable coworking space options. 🎉 Austin is littered with coworking spaces, but I’m priced out of 99% of them. These two options are in my budget AND 👏🏻 AND 👏🏻 AND 👏🏻 in my neighborhood. I’m so silly excited… but I can’t join just yet. I’ll shout about it when I do!⁣
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04/23/2019

A belated pattern! 🌍 The tan shapes sort of look like dinosaurs to me, but they’re actually *really* loosely drawn continents. 🌍 🌎 🌏 With extra Australias for filler because 🐨 🤠⁣
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04/23/2019

Inspiration from glass shapes in my latest .handmade pendants (not on the site yet; 🔜) got me going on this little organic pattern. ⁣
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I’m trying to work with more unexpected colors in my palettes, but Isabel suggested a pink background & I think it was a solid move. 🎨⁣
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Image 1: repeat⁣
Image 2: mom’s brown 🙃⁣
Image 3: core block ⁣
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04/21/2019

A repost from .Handmade ...so nice I’m posting twice 😉⁣
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For any maker or artist who has contemplated (or is) ‘monetizing’ their work, I highly recommend this article (🔗 in bio), “The Modern Trap of Turning Hobbies Into Hustles”, from . It resonated in SO many ways & had me introspective about why I want to turn this joy of creating w/ glass into something being sold. ⁣
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I’ve discovered in this process that the *most* joy I’ve experienced has been 1) the making of the jewelry, & 2) the branding & ex*****on of the brand (the graphic designer in me). ⁣
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So, I built it. And that was FUN! But no one—ok very few—are coming. Because, duh: Marketing! Promotion! **Actually telling people about it!** These things feel less comfortable.⁣
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Concurrently, I haven’t had the same time/ energy/ space the past few months to put toward this little baby business, leaving me scanning through a long list of “shoulds” on any given day/ evening/ weekend. Then I hear “but it’s not scalable” from my husband, who I know is my biggest cheerleader in life, but he’s also in the business of building businesses. (And he’s probably correct.)⁣
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The conclusion I’ve come to is this: I will do this how I do this. 💁🏻‍♀️ If it means a loooong run-up to any sort of awareness or sales momentum, that’s fine. If it means months between completing new items & getting them photographed & up on the website, that’s also fine. If it means 1000% not caring if it’s ‘scalable’ or not, then great! We’re on our way, baby! 💃⁣
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Of course my glass work could solely about creating for fun-not-profit. But I *also* get joy from the prospect of my work being a gift for someone’s sister/ mother/ friend/ bridesmaids. Or a piece that makes someone feel unique & adorned. And I believe what I have to offer is good & people will want it. ⁣
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My work is art. My art is wearable. My art is *useful* in its facilitation of self-expression. And -this is 🔑- its role is not to pay the bills. I’m chasing that “chill hustle”, that well-adjusted ambition, that joyful journey of putting something I believe in out into the world in exchange for a little 💵 appreciation.

04/21/2019

A repost from .Handmade ...so nice I’m posting twice 😉⁣
—::—::—::—::—::—::—⁣
For any maker or artist who has contemplated (or is) ‘monetizing’ their work, I highly recommend this article (🔗 in bio), “The Modern Trap of Turning Hobbies Into Hustles”, from . It resonated in SO many ways & had me introspective about why I want to turn this joy of creating w/ glass into something being sold. ⁣
⁣
I’ve discovered in this process that the *most* joy I’ve experienced has been 1) the making of the jewelry, & 2) the branding & ex*****on of the brand (the graphic designer in me). ⁣
⁣
So, I built it. And that was FUN! But no one—ok very few—are coming. Because, duh: Marketing! Promotion! **Actually telling people about it!** These things feel less comfortable.⁣
⁣
Concurrently, I haven’t had the same time/ energy/ space the past few months to put toward this little baby business, leaving me scanning through a long list of “shoulds” on any given day/ evening/ weekend. And then I hear “but it’s not scalable” from my husband, who I know is my biggest cheerleader in life, but he’s also in the business of building businesses. (And he’s probably correct.)⁣
⁣
The conclusion I’ve come to is this: I will do this how I do this. 💁🏻‍♀️ If it means a loooong run-up to any sort of awareness or sales momentum, that’s fine. If it means months between completing new items & getting them photographed & up on the website, that’s also fine. If it means 1000% not caring if it’s ‘scalable’ or not, then great! We’re on our way, baby! 💃⁣
⁣
Because at the end of the day, my glass work could absolutely be solely about creating for fun-not-profit. But I *also* get joy from the prospect of my work being a gift for someone’s sister/ mother/ friend/ bridesmaids. Or a piece that makes someone feel unique and adorned. Or gives folks a new sophisticated way to show school spirit. And I believe what I have to offer is good & people will want it. ⁣
⁣
My work is art. My art is wearable. My art is *useful* in its facilitation of self-expression. And -this is 🔑- its role is not to pay the bills. I’m chasing that “chill hustle”, that well-adjusted ambition, that joyful journey of putting s

04/13/2019

Zero! Zero completes my “full-alphabet-in-two-years” expression of the challenge, out with a bang with ten new patterns in ten days.