How a simple candle changed my productivity....

Mmmmmm, do you smell that? It's fresh baked cookies rising. The whole room is warm and safe.

Today is all about smells! I have always been very aware and effected by my senses and surely smell is not left out! This Gemini sun with a Taurus moon is all about aroma!

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I have always been aware how a favorite smell might put me in a good mood. I had just brought home two WONDERFUL smelling candles that I snagged from my local craft store. One of which was Peppermint and the other was Christmas Tree.

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I lit the Christmas Tree candle as I sat down to work on some recent commissions yesterday. As the room started to fill with the amazing aroma I melted into my work. It created such a perfect atmosphere to work in. I worked practically non-stop for HOURS on end. 

           This candle made me less restless and enhanced my focus and concentration by relaxing me. I realized that not only did the candle enhance my mood it enhanced my creativity and resources to express it in the way that I wanted. I never thought something so simple as a candle could help me be so productive!

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Here are some of my personal FAVORITE SMELLS!

1. Lavender - My mother always had lavender around when I was growing up. I love it.

2. Books - The smell of a new book or a dusty old one, I turn the pages and smile in the scents.

3. Rain - Fresh rain is my absolute favorite smell. 

4. Fresh Paint - As an artist whenever I smell any type of paint I am immediately happy.

5. My boyfriend natural smell - sounds a little creepy but it's true I am attracted to his scent.

If lovely smells can change me so greatly, how about bad odors? As easily as I am effected by my favorite aromas the same is true for ugly ones. I can easily become nauseous by just one smell of something foul. You can't always avoid bad smells though so how do you think it changes your day when you are forced to come in contact with one?

My nose is crinkling just thinking about my LEAST FAVORITE SMELLS!

1. Skunk - It doesn't make me gag but I quickly receive headaches after smelling a skunk.

2. Cigarettes - As an ex smoker I am shocked to see how harshly I am effected by this aroma. PEW!

3.Moldy Food - One sniffy of moldy food and you'll find me gagging.

4. Vomit - As I get older my sensitivity to this smell is getting better but it still isn't pleasant

5. Port-o-potties - I mean it's obvious why I wouldn't like this.

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Most of these are everyone's least favorite smells but it's interesting how I can tell I am effected so easily. Simply glancing at the list of my favorite smells and then at the least favorite smells my body language shifts. Even in my seat in front of my laptop. 

(One of my favorite author's Gretchen Rubin explaining aromas in her life)

Well what do I do now that I am more aware of how aromas effect me and my moods? I have started with permanently having a wonderful candle in my art studio at all times. I have also placed a few more in other rooms of the house. I was careful to make sure that the ones I placed in other rooms were liked by my loved ones. I wouldn't want one of my favorite smells to be one of their worst! 

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Lastly I have decided to carry a tiny bag of Lavender in my purse with me all the time. If I am ever in a situation where I am driving and pass a dead skunk, or walk down a street and get a face full of cigarette smoke, I will be able to wash it away with something I love!

(Here is a fun video from YouTube stars trying foods and smelling others at the same time!)

What are some of your favorite smells? Do you have any in common? Are you as effected by smells as myself? Let me know in the comments below and don't forget to subscribe with the blue button on the top right of the blogs! I hope the rest of your day is a perfect as the smell of roses!

Until Tomorrow - Dream Away

Samantha Menzo

Cloud Nine Studios

Etsy Featured Item of the Day:

Vintage 80s Scratch and Sniff Smelly Stickers Sticker by - ModerneMe

Song of the Day:

The Gallows Trailer Song - Smells Like Teen Spirit Cover

Color of the Day:

Sailor's Delight

How to turn your dream into a color scheme - Week 6

OH MY! It is time again for DREAM SCHEME FRIDAY! For those of you who are new, Friday's I take a dream that I have had either recently or from one of my past dream journals and turn it into a color scheme!

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         This week we will be diving into my dream journal and using a dream from my past! It's always fun to look at the dream again and this one I remember pretty vividly even to this day. Although I remember this dream clearly, the way I wrote it in my dream journal was confusing and unnecessarily long. So for the blogs I will be rewording and shortening it as best as I can.  This dream is from:

January 5th, 2006

The dream revolved around this mental challenged younger brother that I had. I started by letting him drive this red car/truck that was the family's and he was either speeding or hit something because he ended up with a ticket. When back at my dad's house trying to explain to him what had happened, my brother Zachary was next to me and a sister that seemed to be around the same age as me, appeared next to me in "support" of my story.

He didn't seem angry so we decided to leave again in the red car. I hear my challenged brother in the back apologizing and begging me to forgive him and let him drive again. He seemed so normal and I always tried to see him no different then anyone else so I allowed it. He jumped into another parked red car and my sister and I were left to watch him start up and immediately bashes into both cars on either side of him.

We could see him panic and then my brain seemed to be intertwined with his and I could feel his thoughts. I turned to my sister and told her he thinks that since he doesn't see any cops he is going to get on the freeway and flee the scene. She told me to follow him but we ended up stuck in traffic and lost him. Then we noticed cop lights going off! I was frustrated because I knew he wouldn't be in trouble but that I would for letting him drive. 

Feeling helpless we went back home to tell our dad. He punches a hole in the wall and screamed at us to go find him and bring him back. Once again my sister and I got back into the red car and started to merge onto the freeway. There were cars everywhere and most had been wrecked. We got out of the car and started walking. Car after car were flipped over and crushed. 

Then we saw the front part of a semi flipped over. We were speechless because there was no one around. Nobody inside or out of the cars. Then we noticed the red car underneath the semi. There was a policeman standing at the back opening of the semi. He explained that he didn't want to open the semi back door afraid what he might find inside. My sister and I climbed inside the semi and found our challenged brother sitting, watching TV and laughing at his favorite show with chocolate all over his hands and face. 

He explained to us that he was in a bad accident and decided to run from home and he was going to live here now. Behind my brother there was a tub of ice cream with some still left in it. I reached my hand in and grabbed a chunk of chocolate and walked out to tell the policeman that he wouldn't come out and that he would have to go in and make him. 

The policeman shook his head. So I entered the semi again and told my brother to stop acting like a child and that I demanded that we were going home right away. Then I awoke. I remember this dream sometimes randomly in my day since I had it. Not too much happens but it was one of the longest and most realistic dreams I have ever had.

              This dream had many different visuals but when remembering it to record for the blog I got the sense of a few colors!  Each color represents a certain part of the dream or feeling the dream gave me. The color scheme works backwards through the dream.

Color 1 - The first color red is pretty obvious that it represents the bright red cars!

Color 2 - The second darker brown color is for the chocolate that was all over my brother's face and hands.

Color 3 - The lighter tan color was a color I felt represented the first conversation I had with my father.

Color 4 - The navy blue is for the policeman uniform and cop cars.

Color 5 - The blue grey is to represents the weather and mood of the crashes.

Color 6 - The final darker grey color  is for the abrupt and unfinished ending of the dream.

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***SIDE NOTE: I had this dream back in 2006. In this dream I have a sister that seemed around my age. A few years later I find out that I did in fact have another sister. We are about 5 years apart and even though I remember this dream so much I had totally forgotten about her being apart of it until reading it again in the journal. Do you think it's a coincidence or did I know her before I knew about her?

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***ANOTHER SIDE NOTE: I often have dreams which include a young mentally challenged boy. I remember meditating once and asking to know the name of a spirit that watches over me or that guides me and one of the little boys from my dreams came into my mind. Then I connected them all together. Until then I had not realized that it was a pattern. Also I heard the name Ben. Something I think about quite often and thought I would share!

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This is something anyone can do! Write down your dream and create a color scheme from it. Use it to make a meaningful painting for your bedroom or to pick out your outfit for the day. I believe we have dreams to guide us and show us things that are hiding in our subconscious. This is just one way to use the wonderful information your mind has given to you while asleep. 

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That's all for today!   Has anyone had any dreams that they have written down lately? Have you tried this yourself? Let me know in the comments below and maybe I can make a color scheme of one of your dreams! Don't forget to subscribe and everyone have a wonderfully inspiring day!

Until Tomorrow - Dream Away

Samantha Menzo

Cloud Nine Studios

Etsy Featured Item of the Day:

Geometric Wooden Pot — Gold + White by - GwynethHulseDesign

Song of the Day:

Adele - Hello

Color of the Day:

Benjamin Moore HC-69 Whitall Brown

I am in the mood for some reading!

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Hello again everyone! Today is the first day of October and boy does it feel like fall has finally arrived! My favorite time of year and I couldn't be happier! Mercury is still retrograde until the 9th. (Click here is you want to know what this means) This Mercury Retrograde has been more difficult then I anticipated. I haven't been able to go inward or even wanted to like I normally feel pushed to do as soon as mercury retrograde appears. Today I felt it.

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All I have wanted to do all day was read. I want to dive into a book and get lost in the world it brings like I have so many times. I have a long commute to work and it has been a year this month since I discovered audio-books. It really has changed my drive and allowed me to always stay with books even when life gets busy.

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I remember as a child when I fell in love with a book for the first time. I had read many books before and enjoyed them greatly but nothing captured my attention and made me lose reality along with sleep than Harry Potter. I truly believe that Harry Potter and the entire series will always be the most amazing thing of my childhood. I think every time I start a new book or search for my next one I am hoping that it will even come close to grabbing my heart like those books did. 

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     Sometimes I feel guilty reading books. I have this undeniable need for constant production. Even to the moment before I go to sleep I have the need to check emails or update a listing on my Etsy Shop. During movies you can normally find me sketching or writing this very blog. Reading doesn't allow me to be "productive" and I have convinced myself that taking time for me to read is selfish and I feel I will fall behind. I have been thinking about how to change this. How to read more and change my feelings of guilt and anxiety about reading. It is something I love and I should take time to do it without a negative aftertaste.

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Reading before bed instead of working on my phone is a good start. Does anyone else feel the way I do? It's sad, books inspire me so much. Books help awaken parts of my imagination that are so crucial for making art. I would love to use reading as a tool for creativity.

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Right now I am reading a wonderful book that has me gripped by its world and characters. It's called "The Book of Lost Things" by John Connolly. I am not going to tell you anything about the book. Just trust me and go get it!

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What are some of your favorite books? Do you have any reading rituals? I love a good cup of tea and a blanket when I am reading. How do you think I could get rid of my negative feelings of guilt when trying to set time aside for reading? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Until Tomorrow - Dream Away
Samantha Menzo
Cloud Nine Studios

Etsy Featured Item of the Day:

Book Necklace by - OxfordBright

Song of the Day:

The Best Indian Chill Out

Color of the Day:
Benjamin Moore Evening Sky 833

Catching up! My first Art Fair and inside Cloud Nine Studios!

              Hello Everyone! What a busy little bee I have been lately. I am grateful to have a second to breathe now and catch you all up on how my first art fair went! The Fair was from Friday-Sunday. Friday morning was set up from 9am-11am but when I got there they were still mopping the event space! We ended up only having about an hour and a half for set up which made me STRESS big time. When the event started it was like a ghost town. Friday I went home with $6 in sales. 

I felt very defeated.

Saturday came and I showed up with a positive attitude ready to hustle my stuff! I rearranged my booth a little to help the flow of traffic enter easier and I lowered my prices to see if it made some difference. Thankfully, the amount of people walking around was amazing! I was starting to see which things people were consistently drawn to in my booth and what was selling and not. I left Saturday with breaking even for the fair. I was happy with my decisions and feeling more confident about my work and space. 

Sunday rolled around and going into the day I was already even for the weekend. So anything that I sold was profit. This made it a little easier for me to let go of pieces for an even lower price. At first I was stubborn in my pricing but then I realized I can just make more of them and the more I sold the better I would feel about my first show. The traffic was a little slower again on Sunday but I end up about $100 plus for the weekend. 

(Mikaela and her homemade dog treats)

For my first fair I am extremely proud. My goal was to at least break even and get some great experience and advertising and I ended up in sales. I now know what people are interested in and what works for displaying my pieces and what doesn't work. Selling online is very different then selling in person. I had used a lot of strategies that I would for selling online at first at the fair and quickly realized the differences!

I was able to meet some great artists and people walking through. I handed out a TON of businesses cards and have some possible commissions that I am hoping will follow up! I am so grateful for all the help that my boyfriend George was able to do for me. I am so lucky to have someone who fully supports me and is always there if I need him. Also a HUGE thank you to my room mate Jessica for taking time out of her day off the help me set up! She really kept me in check when I wanted to break down before it even all started. 

My goal this week is to update my Etsy shop and list everything that I photographed before the show so if people decide to find me from my business card that everything is looking up to date and professional! I have a lot of work ahead of me but I feel only good vibes from the whole experience.....except for the parking ticket I got trying to unload my car! Oops. Oh well! 

Click here for my ETSY SHOP!

I should be back on schedule for the blogs now! Be sure to check out my Etsy for all the new items and updates! Also be sure to click the subscribe button on the top right of this page if you liked this blog and want more!

Until Tomorrow - Dream Away

Samantha Menzo

Cloud Nine Studios

Etsy Featured Item of the Day:

Recycled Sweater Coat- 2XL by - LauraAnnLyon

Song of the Day:

U2 - Beautiful Day

Color of the Day:

Little Angel

The Importance of Selling Yourself as an Artist.

   

   

      Hello lovely artists. Today's blog is all about you. Who are you? No, not what is your art....WHO are You! Knowing who you are as an artist and human being is KEY for selling your art. Let's dive in today on The Importance of Selling Yourself as an Artist!

    

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     When people buy art, they want to feel a connection to the artwork they are purchasing. What do you mean connect with art?  They may feel a connection emotionally to the subject matter, it may be their favorite color, the piece could have been bought on a special trip or vacation, or maybe even as a gift for someone else they care about. There are so many reasons someone might form a connection with a piece of art. 

      Did you know you can help someone form a connection with your art? The easiest way is by selling YOU. There is a reason why there are so many articles on artists "behind the scenes". People want to know the soul behind the piece. If they feel like they know you, they feel like they know your art and quickly can become connected to it. 

Cloud Nine Studios

     What if you only sell your artwork online like an Etsy Shop? Just because people might not see you in person doesn't mean selling yourself isn't just as important! In fact, it might be even more important! Anytime you are contacting someone, whether it's another artist or potential client, you have the ability to sell yourself. Come up with a signature that fits you and your art when emailing back or communicating with others regarding your business. How are you promoting your online shop? I am sure that it didn't just happen overnight?

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         Promoting yourself and your art is one of the most important topics for having a successful career and I am sure I can write a novel about this subject. But connecting promoting your art with the help of promoting yourself is a tricky topic! There is no fine line with what works or not because everyone is different and will have to find their way that fits themselves. For me, writing is natural and I have an easy time expressing myself, so a BLOG has been a great avenue for promoting.  It is a great way for people to get to know me more personally and see behind the scenes to my art. 

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         A blog is a big investment of your time and energy and if you don't want to go down that road there are many different ways to promote yourself and art. Whichever you choose just make sure you are adding your own personality into everything you put out for people to see. If you are a shy minimalist, make sure you are promoting to fit YOU. Odds are your art reflects your personality and if you are promoting yourself in a big flashy way that doesn't feel right, people will be more likely to turn away.

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       If you are out in person meeting people for your art, dress the part. When I say dress the part, I don't mean you have to have on jean overalls with dried paint marks all over it. Who are you as an artist? Wear what makes you feel as much of that person as possible. When I say dress the part what I really mean is BE YOU. Trying to dress as someone else or what you think people will want to see isn't going to sell you or your art. Find your style and embrace it and people will be interested in what you have to offer.

      I am always working on promoting myself as the truest me I can. Recently I have stumbled upon an app called Periscope. It's a way to connect with live streaming all over the world. I am able to allow people inside my art studio and to get to know me as an artist. I have already had sales from it. When people listen to me and see a piece being worked on in my studio, they connect with it. Come follow and join me inside my world of art! Periscope: Cloudninestudios

        Who am I? I am an artist. business women, blogger, painter, dog mother, wood burner, jack-of-all trades, handy-woman, girlfriend, lover of all things pink, roommate, outgoing bubbly personality, dreamer, rustic junky, athlete, astrologer, nature goddess, crafter, YouTube addict, and much much more, Thank you for all who already know me and are a part of my life. Thank you for all who are new and I hope to get to know you more. Who are you? Let me know in the comment section below. I can't wait to hear about you and your art!

Until Tomorrow - Dream Away

Samantha Menzo

Cloud Nine Studios

Etsy Featured Item of the Day:

stay weird, home decor, rustic decor, office decor, quote block, black, quote, customize, personalize, distressed, rustic sign by - DaisyThirteen

Song of the Day:

Audioslave - Be Yourself

Color of the Day:

Benjamin Moore's 'Champion Cobalt' #2061-20