The Small is Beautiful button is finally here!

Click here to see our manifesto and join the revolution!

(read all of our small is beautiful posts by going to the archives and choosing “small…beautiful” in the categories list. A better link coming soon!)

The Crafty Chica Collection: Beautiful Ideas for Crafts, Home Decorations and Shrines from the Queen of Latina Style
Kathy Cano Murilla

This week’s suggestion is the ever-useable The Crafty Chica Collection. This is a fun and fabulous ode to all things red, yellow, and glittery. I met Kathy at BlogHer 07, where she was on the arts and crafts panel. Her effervesant personality lit up the room as she encouraged us to go beyond the pink-and-chocolate-brown color combo trend and play with the colors of Latin heat. The general feel behind everything that Kathy creates is “have fun” and “use what you love.”

In the The Crafty Chica Collection, I especially like her idea for outdoor candle lanterns using tins from imported stewed tomatoes and Guatamala wedding beads. (I wear the set I found at a garage sale with some outfit almost every week – I’d have to hunt up more to make patio lights!) The crafty Chica Collection, or Kathy’s new book Crafty Chica’s Art de la Soul will give you lots of visual ideas for our next Creativity Challenge – matchbox shrines! You can find lots of free project ideas at Kathy’s super helpful website.

Hmm….I think I need to go buy the Mexican Folk Art Coloring Book and some glitter….

Jen and I are this close to having the small is beautiful button done. I know, it’s been over a month since BlogHer ‘07, but we are mom/artists/community builders types. That is to say, we wear a lot of hats –this makes our work time, well, small. Plus, we haven’t have time to write in an uninterrupted manner since…um… what day did school get out in June?But be not afraid, our children are in school soon and things should progress a bit more quickly.

In the meantime, why don’t we all get in a circle and sing the small is beautiful theme song. What’s that? You weren’t at BlogHer and didn’t get initiated with that one? We’ll here are the lyrics, which capture ever so nicely the “why” behind Jen and I and our silly, blogging ways.

If you’re wondering why you keep doing this crazy thing you are doing (blogging, writing, painting, taking care of one wounded soul..), maybe Ani can help you remember why you started doing it in the first place.

Blessings!

“i do it for the joy it brings
because i’m a joyful girl
because the world owes me nothing
and we owe weach other the world
i do it because it’s the least i can do
i do it because i learned it from you
i do it just because i want to,
just because i want to…”

Ani di Franco, Joyful Girl

Listen to my favorite version with the dreamy-voiced Dave Matthews here (scroll down to find audio file), although this one (track four) with the orchestra is nice too.

It’s official, Saturdays are now for Small is Beautiful bloggers. Eventually, we’ll have a lovely little tag set up for you wear loud and proud, along with a collection of articles and dowloadable inspirations for small bloggers. But until we get it all set up let’s start, well, small, shall we?

Today I’d like to introduce a Small is Beautiful featured blogger, Jen M. Jen blogs about faith, life, and acting — including stories from her sometimes-stint on reality tv show Little People Big World. Jen is also launching a small scale design business and did my BlogHer 07 business card, which distributed with ridiculous profeciency.

It’s
Need wedding invitations? Baby announcements? Some nice personalized postcards? You can find Jen M here.

Want to be featured as a Small is Beautiful blogger? Email me and I’ll put your name in the hat: moi at magpie dash girl dot com.

It’s Thursday and one of the last lovely days of camp, wherein my children are gone from my care for a whopping six hours a day. This means that I can skitter off to my studio and try to make heads or tails out of all the ideas, business cards, and dreams that have infiltrated my being since BlogHer ‘07. Sadly, today I am waylaid by yet another day of killer untreatable migraines. (Day 3 of level 7 pain.) I worked through the pain the last two days, but I don’t think I’m going to make it today. I’m typing in bed right now with one of those old fashioned ice bags balanced on my head. Ice on your head by 9am is not a good sign. I really hope I’m not complete laid out flat by the time Paul gets home from work. It’s so sucky for him to have to be single parent man night after night.

What makes this round of migraines particularly disheartening is that it is drop dead gorgeous outside – high 70’s/low 80’s with a lovely little breeze and sun as far as the eye can see. We’ve been waiting all Summer for this kind of weather, and where am I when it hits? Behind the shades in my attic bedroom wrapped in ice and darkness. Ugh.

Well, the least I can do is jot down the absolutes that have come do me as I’ve let the post-BlogHer idea-fest percolate in my brain:

- I want to be the priestess of special events: weddings, births, coming-of-age, deaths, high holy days, etc. I’d like to make a business of this, and although I already have a master’s degree from a good seminary, I think I may do something like this as well. (Although Jen says I need to do doula and hospice training to heal my inner self from all the trauma of Simeon’s stillbirth and my other two shitty birth experiences. Jen’s attitude is “something healing this way comes.” And mine is, “Yeah….whatever.”)

-I want to get paid to write about these things – though books, articles, and as a paid blogger. (Anyone ready to hire?  )

-I want my writing-and-art-making life to be connected to my spirituality.

In order to make these things a bigger priority, I’ve learned that there are a few things I need to change or do:

-I can’t lead a weekly spirituality group any longer because my energy for spiritual practices is focused on special events, not weekly gatherings…. and because it demands too much of my writing time.

- I do not want to take any ol’ paid blogging gig – only something that has to do with spirituality/soulcare.

Okay, I think those are the big epiphanies. I’ve been all over the map lately, goal-wise, and I feel like I’m starting to regain some focus again. ‘Though I’m sure I’ll remain distracted by sparkly things for some time to come. Oh, and one more idea:

-I want to produce a “small is beautiful” art-zine/guide for small bloggers. (Oooooh! Pretty! And also very soulcare-ish!)

Oh goodie, now the Blue Angels are practicing for their weekend extravaganza by doing fly-bys over my rooftop. How can something be simultaneously so amazing (precision formations! technical skill!) and so depressing (fuel consumption! military recruitment!)?

Well dear ones, do pray for me. Let’s all hope that Jen is right, “something healing this way comes.”

I am absolutely spinning from the brain dump of ideas that came from attending BlogHer 07. Paul and I have both had major epiphanies about our career paths because of the conferences. I can’t quite write about them yet, but I’d like as soon as they percolate a little bit.

One of the things I heard a lot about at the conference was in regards to “Art” and “Crafts” and how we use that terminology. What (or who) determines what (or who) gets the “art” designation and what (or who) gets the “crafts” tag? When I asked the Arts and Crafts panel that question Amy Sedaris was pretty sure that if you wanted to be an artist you probably need to be an alcoholic. If you’re sober most of the time you should probably just stick to googly eyes and be done with it. This confirms the suspicion her brother David had already planted in my soul — that if I want to be an artist I really should acquire some sort of life-threatening addiction. (Got any suggestions?)

I’m hoping to interview some art and craft bloggers about the art/craft dichotomy in the upcoming weeks. In fact, I met so many great women writer/artists that I know I’ll be highlighting them for days to come. Watch for interviews, tiny give-aways, and lots of referrals to worth-your-time blogs and worth-your-dollar products. In the meantime, here’s a vintage post from my old site that touches on the art-or-craft topic. May it bring you the kind of inspiration that spawns bravery, action, and artful living.

yours,

rachelle

Broken For You
Posted in Rites & Rituals, Priestess-y things, SFD & Arty Stuff | May 31st, 2005 at 9:25 pm

In the The Secret Life of Bees there is a character who has a unique affliction. She cannot decipher which sorrows are hers to carry and which are for others to bear. So whatever she hears, whatever sad tale she is told, it strikes her with its full grief and terror. Her sisters, good shepherds all, give her a way to express and reign in her sorrow. They help her build her very own wailing wall. With each fresh pain they add a stone, and the afflicted one is allowed to sit and sob, to write her sad tales on small scraps of paper and slip them in the hallows between the rocks. Soon the wall encircles their yard, and while it is not a foolproof system, while it does not protect her from grief, it gives her a way to live.

Being both Jew-ish and pagan-y, I have been captured by this ritual, this concretizing of sad things. Read the rest of this entry »

For those of you who attended the BlogHer session “Its not your size, it’s your passion that matters” I did today with Jen Lemen and Krystyn Heide, here’s some ideas for dealing with the Small Bloggers Blues

1. Take a break from your site meter
2. Redefine success for yourself. List all things your blog does for you (fosters gratitude in your life, helps you hone your craft, organizes your thoughts…)
3. Write yourself an affirmation. I like this one: “My story matters.”
4. Reach out to another small blogger. Take this feeling that you have about being discouraged or not “not mattering” and take it as a cue that you need to reach out to others who are feeling the same
5. Join the SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL google group. (I’ll link to it when it is available.)
6. Follow an comment you like back to the commenter’s blog you’ll probably find an inspirational read from someone who shares your values.
7. Tag your posts with your name (or nom de plume) and your blog name so like minded souls can find you.
8. Remind yourself that you are writing for an audience of one. Make yourself a sticker that says “I heart authenticity.”

Here’s some more tips on branding from literary agent Chip MacGregor. Thanks Chip, for giving me the okay to pass this along!

Seven Thoughts On Branding
Chip MacGregor, MacGregor Literary

I’ve had several authors ask me about the notion of “branding” (currently the hot-button topic among authors and publishers), and I wanted to share a couple thoughts with you, just to help you think through your own brand. I spent a half-day with a branding consultant two weeks ago — a guy who makes his living talking to businesses about establishing and strengthening their brands. (He wanted to talk about doing a book, so we agreed to swap information.) It seems like most of the information we get about branding in publishing circles is rather vague, so I asked him some specific questions about how the concept relates to authors. Some of his thoughts…

1. Make sure you understand what a “brand” is. A brand, in simplest terms, is “what you are known for” or “what a reader has in his/her mind when they walk into a bookstore and see your book.” The consultant I met with (Kevin), said to me, “In many ways a brand is simply a collection of perceptions people have about you.”
What does that mean to you? Consider the question…What perceptions to readers have about you from your books? If they were to read three or four of your books, what images would they come away with? Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s a special shout out to all you readers who are at BlogHer 07 today….If any of y’all are planning on attending our 2:45 session, “It’s Your Passion Not Your Size that Matters,” here’s your chance to get a word in early. What are you hoping to get out of that session? Any questions you’d like to ask in advance? My comments are open to you….

The session on blogging is very cut-throat and business oriented. Not a lot of touchy feeling stuff in this lot. The main message is that in order to brand yourself you have to specialize. Not exactly the message a magpie like me wants to here! I like be distracted by sparkly things. I get too bored with just one topic or item. So what’s a girl to do?
Hmmm…the answer might be “just screw branding.”

In an effort not to toss the idea of branding and self promotion completely out with the bathwater, I thought I’d make some notes for a more rational, less discouraging moment. (If it ever appears.) Here are some of the questions that the panelists are asking us to ask ourselves:

What do you want to be known for?
What is your unique promise of value?
What uniquely do you stand for?
What is your 2-3 word tagline?

And here’s an assignment to help you write a blog post that both works your brand and captures attention:

Try writing a post that combines two non-related topics that you just happen to like and hook it back to your specialty?

Oh…the longer they talk the worse I feel. Maybe generalists are doomed to the bread line? I’m pretty sure this is another one of the big problems with trying to making a living via your art. The art/business marriage is certainly a rocky one.

The panelists would really hate “distracted by sparkly things” as tag line. Too vague. How about this one? “Artful things for soulful living”. What do you think?