Decided to keep the color in my logo, just deepened the colors. updating on the site(s) soonish.
mspmedia.net

Today I made a new bottom for my denim kitchen sink skirt.

Thing-a-day is a yearly creative sprint that is held every February and brings together hundreds of creative minds. The idea is simple: sign up is open to anyone and participants commit to create one new thing a day every day for the entire month of February and post it on the collective blog.

Participants can work in any medium and are free to follow-up on their commitment or not.
http://thing-a-day.com/

Sign up before February 1st! because after that sign-up is locked.

Some things I want to do:
make some throw pillows for my couch
make some reconstructed skirts
make some armwarmers
make some earrings
make a new logo for my biz
make some handmade business cards
make a new sink skirt ruffle for my kitchen
make some soap
make some lotion
make some dreadlock hair spray
make a binder cover for my journal
make a flyer for my zine
make a new scarf
make a dread tam
make a reconstructed bag/purse
make a pair of soft fluffy socks
make and record a song
make an instructional dreadlock video
make some seed packets

28 days in February, so I need to come up with 28 things I know I can make in a day. some of these I can repeat if I can’t think of anything else, like making a throw pillow or a skirt, stuff like that. What are your ideas, what do you plan to make?

So I started the Artist’s Way again, as I’ve mentioned. Currently on my week 4…

I can barely stand for people to look at me now. I think if I were famous, even a little bit, it would drive me crazy. There comes a point with fame where you almost have to be rich just to live a normal life…for example today during one of my sons’ birthday party we sat outside in the backyard enjoying a nice fire. The kids enjoyed themselves; a good time was had by all. Nobody bothered us, nobody hassled us, there were no creeper photographers sneaking around the house trying to take pics of my kids, no obsessed fans trying to get into the yard to get at us. If I were famous, I could not live this way. I would have to spend lots of money just to be able to live semblance of a normal life, what with security and body guards and all. And folks following my kids around, taking pics of my babies, ugh. Just thinking about having to live that way makes me feel incredibly tired. Who needs it?

I just got into Sudoku this year, thanks to my husband. He was always doing the ones in the newspaper, after awhile it piqued my curiosity. I tend not to like puzzles of this sort because I am a very slow thinker, but I do like numbers and sudoku is actually quite fun. It took me a while to get the hang of it. I went from easy to moderate to difficult in a few months. I am excited about the multi-layered sudoku puzzles and the ones using other symbols other than numbers. ^_^

The book I’m currently on is The Big Book of Su Doku #2 (Sudoku) by Mark Huckvale. It’s great because he starts it with very simple puzzles and then gently eases into progressively harder ones. The book also includes ways to figure out solutions to puzzles.

If you devote 8 of those hours to sleep and 8 of those hours to work/money generating, that leaves 8 hours to be creative, right? Wrong. There’s also driving here and there, housework, cooking, washing this and that, spending time with husband and kids, catching up with friends, reading- writing-answering mail, school stuff, exercise, etc. I’m lucky lately to get in 1-2 hours of writing or other creative work a day, and that’s shaving hours off my sleep time since I’m only managing 6 hours a night.

I’m so envious of people who seem to have ‘time to kill’. How is that possible?? I never seem to have enough time. But – I have no choice but to live a creative life; this is me, this is who I am. I have got to figure out a way to devote more time to my creative work time.

I tend to dress modest because it cuts down on the amount of unwanted male attention I receive. I’m very curvy in that area so even wearing a loose t-shirt and jeans triggers a lot of hooting and hollering. I have found that loose, long, ankle-length skirts or dresses are very effective in minimizing male attention, as well as tops which are loose and which show a minimum of skin. In short, when I go out in public usually only my hands, neck and face are visible.

It’s getting hot. Summer is coming, and actually spring here in northeast Ohio is unusually warm. I’ve been tempted to lighten up how I dress…but I did that the other day and some creeper did the ‘hey baby’ at me and asked for my phone number. What did I have on? a very loose, ankle-length skirt and a very loose cotton top with a scoop neck, well above the cleavage line. It was short-sleeved so thus exposed most of my arms. egads!!! and yes, I do wear a ring but as I’m sure you know many folks just don’t care about or respect marriage anymore and will hit on married women just like they are single. yuck.

So I’ve been looking online for some decent, modest clothes…what comes up when you google ‘modest dressing’ or ‘modest clothes’ are a bunch of religious sites. I wonder why that is? Are devoutly religious women the only ones who care about modest dressing/and or who want top deflect unwanted male attention? hmmmmmm. Anyway, I did get several good ideas and I’m going to make some light weight summer clothing so I can go outside without getting hassled.

It’s earth day so I wore blue & green. Put my dreadlocks in a sorta bun

Thanks for visiting
Seed & Flame!

Spring is here!!!!

I made it *relief* god this past winter was so hard on me. Next year I am going to Florida for the worst of it. Thank you for visiting Seed & Flame at
trula.org!

Today was glorious. Spring is coming!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for visiting Seed & Flame attrula.org

Chances are you know what you would really like to do, because chances are you are already doing it right now, for free. For fun, for a hobby, for relaxation, what do you do? What do you make sure you find time to do? For example no matter how pressed for time I was, I always found time to read something every single day and write something at least once a week. Some days all I had was a few minutes when using the bathroom! and most of the time I had no money to buy books, but I’d go to the library. You see? But back then, I did not know how to translate my love of books into writing and/or owning a bookstore, or even acknowledge to myself thats what I wanted to do. At one point in time I kind of thought I’d want to be a librarian but once I started writing it was on. At any rate there are many many book-related jobs and careers I could choose and be happy with. Writing, reading & hanging out in bookstores is stuff I used to do for free anyway.

Other things I am passionate about, I love gardening. I could work in a nursery, own a greenhouse, become a seed reseller, become a farmer, all sorts of things.

I like fitness, so I could become a personal trainer, work at a gym, be a coach, be a PE teacher, all sorts of things. you see?

What fills your free time? Maybe for example you like to watch tv…a strong interest in tv shows/movies indicates a passion towards media arts. You could become a screenwriter, camera operator, sound tech, make movies, all sorts of things.

So as a start perhaps think about all the things you like to do and that you find time/energy to do right now. Challenge yourself to acknowledge 2 things you consistently do in your free time, and think of at least 5 related jobs/careers. What you do for free is a strong indicator of your innate talent and creative drive. I once had a workshop where a woman told me all she liked to do was eat so how could that be a job? I said well if you like food like that, have you ever thought of becoming a chef? she burst into tears and said that was her secret dream as a child, how on earth could I know that? I assured her I’m no pyschic, it’s just that what you do is…what you do. It’s a big part of who you are. and you can find jobs/careers related to what you like to do.

Hey ya’ll, it’s getting about that time to prepare for the Allied Media Conference again! Time is really flying by, I missed the last couple years but I am going for sure this year and would like to do a workshop. Currently they are accepting proposals:
http://www.alliedmediaconference.org/propose

I was thinking of doing one along the lines of: turning your life experience into art, what do you think? and if you produce art in this way, I also thought maybe some of you would like to conduct the workshop with me? I’ve done a workshop at the AMC before (in 2005 I did How to Market Your Indie Project) as well as attended several done by others and they are really, really fun to be a part of. People come psyched and willing to learn as well as share what they know. Plus you get to meet with and interact with other people who live creative lives. What do you think, any takers? and if not, any ideas or thoughts on what kind of session I should propose?

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Trula Breckenridge
MSPmedia
P.O Box 218
Elyria, Ohio
44036-0218

Volunteer
Well what if you’re thinking: Trula/Mercury, are you kidding me? I’m broke as hell. Hey I understand! But you still want to help, coolness. Then check out how to join my Street Team and help me take my biz to the next level! Street Team info coming soon, watch for it!

However you help me, I love you for your support and thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your kindness is much appreciated!

Trula AKA Mercury Lynch

So I’ve been thinking about writing for mainstream magazines. By mainstream I don’t just mean the ones sold in the supermarket checkout line, but those with even a modest press run and/or those you rarely see in newsstands. For example utne reader is an indie-type mainstream mag I like. off the top of my head there are a bunch of magazines I’d love to write for, here are a few:

mother earth news
the writer
vegetarian times
essence
analog science fiction and fact
women’s fitness
oprah
yoga journal
entrepreneur
cat fancy

Basically I’m going to start with the subjects I am interested in and find mainstream mags about those subjects, find out their submissions process, and go for it. I will have to get back into the writing style (a big thing I love about writing for and publishing zines is you can get fast and loose with grammar and slang) but I am a good writer; I have a way with words if I do say so myself and I’m persistent so I’m confident I can make good money doing this.

What follows is a self-involved rant/pity fest about my time and work issues. It culminates in a triumphant vow to stand atop my creative and business life that will become fiscally successful.

In the meantime, I do what I gotta do. So I have this job at teenybox, a small software/web-type company. It’s ok, the people are mostly nice, and the pay is decent. It’s just that it is full-time and sometimes I have to work over-time so I’m working around 55 hours a week. I don’t have time for this!

As you know I’m a writer, MSPmedia is my indie press and I have a used bookstore. I went into both knowing I’d not make any great gobs of money, but I do know that I can make a living wage. as of right now I don’t have time to do what I need to do to get that cracking. For one, I’m old as hell! 37, WTF!! do you know, if I miss a night of sleep it can throw my whole week off?? I’m still dragging today because I stayed up all night Tuesday night writing. Huh? maaaaan, in my 20s I could go days without sleeping and keep it moving, I’m so serious. Even in my early 30s I could miss a night or two during the week and be ok. Now, I miss one night of sleep and my body feels like it got hit with a ton of bricks.

Long story short, ’cause I suddenly got bored as heck with my pity fest (who cares, really) I am going to DO what I have to DO. I have a car payment, I have student loan payments, I have all kinds of bills I can’t just throw on Mercury Man so I need to make a certain amount of money each month. I can do this with my biz, but there will be a period of time between getting the ball rolling on making more money with biz stuff and actually making enough money to pay my bills. I’m thinking…at least 6 months, and that’s being incredibly optimistic. So for right now I have to hold onto this job and keep it moving.

This will mean less sleep!
This will mean draggy days!
This will mean tension!
This will mean headaches!

BUT

This will mean more money
This will mean freedom to do what I love
This will mean zest
This will mean blissful days

I got the match lit under me, it’s on! More in a bit, got to go to a teeny meeting.

I just started a group for Mamaphonic:

Pics from members and friends of Mamaphonic.com, a web zine offering monthly content from emerging writers and poets. Designed for and by artists who are also mothers, Mamaphonic provides an active discussion board community with practical advice, resources, and opportunities to interact with writers, visual artists, zinesters, musicians, actors, and filmmakers.

Post photos of your project-in-progress, completed projects, zine fairs, book fests, movie screenings, crafting events, fashion show, anything and everything related to your project(s)!
www.flickr.com/groups/mamaphonic/

Thanks for looking, and if you don’t want to join that’s cool but please spread the word ^_^

thanx,
Trula AKA Mercury

Remember my post Jack Frost Is Trying to Kill Me? That was early January. Well I got out and started walking every day, but then lapsed, so much so that at the beginning of February I was in a serious, despondent, winter funk. Again. So much has changed in the span of a few days! Let me say upfront I am feeling much better. I hate being and feeling miserable, because more than anything else depression is rather boring. It makes everything flat and 2-dimensional, unlike the 3-d realism of pain that comes with regular living, or from pushing yourself to grow in some way, like running. Or the sizzling, exciting pain that sometimes comes with physical intimacy. Depression pain is just blah, it’s just nothing, it’s just an extremely all around bad-time and boring situation.

I decided to at least go through the motions of trying to lift myself out of it, not really believing my methods would work even though time and time again they have. I went for walk in the bright winter sun. 6 degrees out, but that sun melted the knot of ice in my chest. I went to the gym and worked out. It was like all of a sudden I had a circulatory system again! The exercise me feel, made me aware of the blood coursing through my body, of the heart that beats inside. I talked to some friends, after weeks of avoidance. I talked to my husband, and accepted his offers of help with gratitude rather than disdain and pushing away. And when my children talked to me, I actively listened and focused on them and their words, rather than going through the motions like I’d been doing for the prior couple weeks. I drank lots of water, and forced myself to eat regular meals; good food. All these things revived me in the space of a few days. The doom and gloom has been replaced by hope and renewed interest. I’ve got my zeal for living back, and feel I can sail through the rest of this winter. Jack Frost, I hate that guy! but maybe he’s not so bad after all.

Check out this cartoon my son T-bop drew for me, this was actually his Christmas present to me. I’m going to frame it and hang it in my bookstore:

Mom VS. Jack Frost

In the second panel I say, If you won’t leave me alone, then feel the wrath of my dreads! Then I throw my hair at him. 5 minutes later, Jack disappears! Then I say, I win! with a happy smile. I love it! Every time I look at this it makes me laugh.

You know the coach bags, right? Very fashionable, very high-priced, very cha-cha. Ok I am so slow I did not know coach bags were an actual brand of purses! I thought ‘coach’ was slang for travel bags, like something you would take on a train. Coach, train, get it? LOL! I would see these bags and think, Hmmm those are really small travel bags, maybe they are for carry-on? So when I was going through this phase years ago of trying to be current with fashion and dress like everyone else and all, I decided to get a ‘coach’ bag. At a thrift store I bought an old battered leather bag for $7 that looked like a mini travel bag and went around telling people it was a coach bag. Ha ha!! the fashionable people just looked at me like I was crazy, come to find out they thought I was making fun of them. I really thought I had a coach bag!!

It cracks me up every time I think of it

Pic: Cheesing in the mirror

Yes, I know I am beautiful. Why do so many people ask me that and/or act like it’s supposed to be news to me?!? I have a mirror and can recognize/appreciate beauty just like the next person. Newsflash America: every black woman who looks like me does not have low self-esteem. ok, thx bai

Remember my having to order Pearberry online due to Bath & Body Works refusal to stock this lotion in the stores? Well my lotion came!

To recap: I had to order it because Bath & Body Works refuses to stock it in stores anymore. Only available online! I did get the sale price (the 25th was the last day of their big semi-annual 1/2 price sale) but had to pay shipping boooooo hisssss!

I also found out there is a B&BW outlet near-ish me that usually has bottles priced $2.99-$6 instead of the regular price of $10 in the retail stores, so that’s cool. It will be hit or miss if they have Pearberry though. but at least now I have my favorite scent for at least until June!

I know! ICE
Jack Frost, you son of a gun