Angela Hamilton

Angela

Etsy wishlist spring pastels

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Lavender, gold, pink, and hints of yellow are dominating my Etsy wishlist this month. It’s almost 100 degrees this week in Los Angeles, so a new pair of sunglasses is a must. I never knew how much I wanted new ones until I saw this Etsy shop (above). All those retro shapes… Amazing. And my phone could use a little protection, too, last time it was this hot I accidentally left my phone out too long at the beach and the battery almost exploded. No joke! I had to buy a new one. What’s on your wishlist this month? Follow me on Etsy for more finds!

Setting deadlines for yourself

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As I work from home on writing projects (more on that later), blog, crochet, and run Etsy shops, I realize it’s important to find a daily rhythm and focus on larger goals for myself creatively + professionally. I want my blog to be a space where I write about that. I read wonderful tips from people in all careers. But those of us in some state of “in progress” could benefit from talking to each other and learning more about what works and doesn’t in regards to living creatively, doing what you dream of, and just makin’ it work. This post is the first in what isn’t as much a series as thoughts from my experience, but hopefully people can connect with it and share too 🙂

Do you consider yourself more deadline driven or self-motivated? When you work from home, it gets complicated.
While I’m pretty ambitious, I still consider myself very deadline driven. I didn’t know just how much so until earlier this year when I began these to-do lists each morning. Because I’m a writer and shop owner, to name a couple of my more concrete projects, these to-do lists were long and winding.
Each day there was something that didn’t get done.
There was a pattern: it was always the one without the hard deadline. That meant the essay I planned to write, the idea I wanted to pitch, my own blog’s redesign, etc.—always the things that no one counted on me for.
It seems like I know my priorities. But when I don’t have a deadline, I lose focus on a project, even when it’s as simple as flushing out a really cool idea I have.
I recently read The Difference Between Dreaming and Doing on The Everygirl, which I needed to hear but really didn’t want to. It’s uncanny how accurate this post was for me. So I created deadlines even for obscure plans I have, like “write a book,” “pitch x idea,” and “prepare Etsy for fall”. It’s helped put things in perspective a bit.
Everyone’s different, but if those big-picture ideas and plans are disproportionate to actual accomplishment (ah, I hate to admit it), these tips are for you:
Tips for Setting Your Own Deadlines
 1. Be ambitious, but not too ambitious.

Set aspirational but attainable dates ranging from weeks to months in the future.

2.  Create checkpoints for yourself.

One goal is to have everything ready to dive into the fall season for my shop by September. It’s so far away, so I created smaller checkpoints to lead up to that point.

3. Set aside actual time to complete them.
When you’re accountable for other things, the personal is pushed down the list. Carve out time to work on these. For me, it means either starting off with them in the morning or taking a break from my other work mid-day to focus on it. If I don’t do it early on, I’ll push it until there’s no time in the day left (I’m really sneaky like that!).
Or why not try…
4. Set up a reward system.
It’s a little embarrassing but rewarding myself motivates me further. When you work mostly by yourself, it takes more to keep going—you don’t have someone checking in and reassuring you you’re on the right track. One thing I’ve experimented with is creating a motivator that relates to my business. For example, if I pump out x inventory in x amount of time, I can begin designing my new craft space. It’s kind of silly, but it keeps me going because I know it’s not reasonable to pay for a new workspace when I don’t even have a plan in place to make the money (aka inventory).

If you work on your business fulltime, how do you keep yourself in check? For those of you with a day job, how do you manage to move forward with your business on the side?

5 creative ways to celebrate nature

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Happy Earth Day! Can’t believe April is almost over: National Poetry Month and Earth month, not to mention all our birthdays. Earth Day is one of the most underrated holidays. Hardly anyone I know celebrates it, except kids in school. Let’s be real: are you celebrating Earth Day? Besides just the general acknowledgement that we should all recycle more? I’m not better. I always want to celebrate it.
Earth Day falls in a category for some people similar to Friendship Day and Grandparents’ Day. They’re worthy of a day of recognition, but we take them for granted. Earth is amazing and we should be nice to it and be aware of the implications of our actions (I’m looking at you all, men that I see on the streets of LA daily, tossing trash onto the ground, as if it innocently slipped from your hands). And we need to take a step back and realize all that earth is offering us each and every day that we’re not seeing because we’re in homes and offices and in cars in traffic. Go on a walk. Head to the beach, even if it’s not hot out. Stop to listen to all the sounds you hear. Think about how many species of birds live in your neighborhood.
In the spirit of being creative on this wonderful day, here are crafty ways to celebrate nature:

5 Challenges to Celebrate Nature AND Creativity 
1. Take a photo (outside) a day. Daily photo challenges instantly spark creativity. Head outside each morning or evening, and challenge yourself to see your neighborhood in a way you haven’t before. 

2.  Upcycle something you’d normally throw away. Before you throw that bottle into the recycling bin, think of how to give it a second life. 

3. Package your gifts/orders without plastic. Once upon a time I bought from an amazing Etsy shop that boasted all their eco-friendly practices. I was very excited until it arrived in an excessive amount of plastic and packing materials. If you normally don’t use environmentally friendly materials, it can challenge you to think creatively in terms of packaging, using recycled or less wasteful materials, while maintaining the polished look you’re going for.

4. Do one thing/errand a week without a car. If you’re used to driving everywhere, it might seem like a challenge. But really, the most challenging part is changing your mind. Look up some of the regular errands you go on, you’d probably be surprised at how close they really are to you. You can take this time to enjoy the walk, think about projects, make plans, and think about how else to incorporate sustainable practices into your life. 🙂

5. Turn a Pinterest DIY eco-friendly. Take a DIY you’ve been really wanting to do, and challenge yourself to turn it into a totally waste-free project.
Happy Earth Day! Let me know if you take on any of these challenges! 🙂

Crochet spring shawl

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Things are getting back to normal after a bad migraine spell that made me useless all last week. I’m looking a little sickly in these photos because of it but I was really excited about a new crochet design I finished this month. This actually isn’t my favorite yarn to work with (though taupe is definitely my favorite neutral) but I have a soft wool in mind that will work well too.
I had been wanting to make either a shawl or poncho forever but wasn’t sure how to create the drape and texture I wanted. Then when I finally gave up and was going to just crochet whatever, I accidentally formed what I was looking for… Don’t you just love when things go your way?

This shawl works surprisingly well for warmer weather, despite the thick yarn. It’s the perfect solution for chilly arms and unattractive spaghetti straps. It would probably work well draped over a skirt, too, as a little cover up.

Whenever I recover from a bad headache or cold, I feel 1000x more appreciative of my good health than I did before. Even the days that aren’t so great mentally… I’m just happy to feel well and be able to be active and just go about my day… so here’s to that!
What have you created lately?

Filed Under: DIY

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