Tag: #smallbusiness

Flamingo WIP + Updates

by Free Spirit Meg, posted in Work In Progress

Happy Monday everyone! Was your Monday as blah as mine was? Sometimes, days are just like that. Rain doesn’t help those days either. You just want to curl up on the couch and watch a movie until you pass out. Any how, I survived the Monday blues long enough to write my post tonight. There are a couple updates I wanted to share.

First of all, I have added more color to my Flamingo Totem. It’s becoming very bright and I’m excited to finish it! I have always avoided pink in the past since it was far from my favorite color. Lately, I have had more of an open mind with my work and have used it for my Flying Squirrel Totem and now flamingo. It’s nice to change things up every once and a while. Plus, I have always put limits on myself and my work, unintentionally. I use to “make rules” or guidelines to my art that I wasn’t allowed to teeter from. Like I was forced to stay within a certain style of art or subject. I have no idea how I picked up this terrible habit but I am proud to say I have kicked it and now create whatever I want, whenever I want, however I want. My art has improved greatly because of it! I’m even going to pick up painting again, which I am excited for. I just need to get some more supplies, first.

Secondly, I wanted to share that I’m back to my full time job as a landscaper. I’m going to have to make some changes to my future content. As you can guess, Spring and Summer are the busiest months for a landscaper! Last year, I tried to keep up with my Totem Animal posts the best I could. I always shoot for one post a week but it can be difficult keeping up with everything. Not only do I need to create the drawing itself but I put a lot of time and energy into the research for each totem. Then when I have an understanding of it, I need to type it out for my blog. This is done in between my landscaping job, family responsibilities, social obligations, appointments and every once and a while….sleep. Not to mention any other efforts that need to be put into my business as an artist such as marketing and social media, editing my work for products and uploading it to my online shops (Redbubble and Society6) and how about just talking and connecting with people! I always tend to lose my mind a bit when Spring comes around! I have to lighten the load.

I do not want my artwork to suffer and obviously I can not take time away from my family or my job that is currently paying the bills. Therefore, I am going to halt new Totem Animal symbolism posts. I will continue to create the drawings like I have been but I won’t be able to go over each one in detail about their symbolism. The art is more important than the writing and I don’t want to become discouraged because I can’t keep up with both! Don’t worry, I will still continue to keep my blog. I just won’t be able to write such lengthy posts for a little while!

I hope you like the Flamingo Totem so far. Let me know what you think in the comments below! Thanks for stopping by this week.

Happy Spring, free spirits!

Advertisements

Totem Animal: Horse

by Free Spirit Meg, posted in Totem Animals, Traditional Art

I am happy with how his piece turned out. The mane was a lot of fun to draw. It resembles fire which is funny because I have always struggled with drawing fire, yet this came easily for me. Now that I have this concept in mind, I will have to experiment with fire again. I had to change my perspective a little to figure it out.

Like the orca, I did not add any tangles to this totem. I don’t know why. I easily could have but I just wanted to play around with the fading colors and the shape of the mane. I wanted the mane to be the focus of the entire piece. It’s wild and free just like the horse, which will lead us to our symbolism.

****************************

HORSE SYMBOLISM

The horse has been an amazing companion throughout the history of mankind. No other animal has made a bigger impact in the lives of humans than the horse. They’ve aided us with traveling long distances, they’ve carried men through wars, provided the power needed for agriculture and entertained us with racing and horse shows. Horses have been by our side since cavemen. If you have horse for a totem, consider yourself extremely lucky.

The horse is a symbol of travel. They have always carried us where we need to go, making travel between cities and families easier. They also were used to deliver goods and news from place to place. They were the first to show us what it is like to have wings. If the horse has crossed your path, it may be time for you to take a trip. Are you stressed? Do you need to get away for a while? Let the horse take you away and show you what it’s like to fly. They will show you what it’s like to feel free again.

I loved riding my horse, Skyler, through the open fields by my childhood house. Once they have the open space, they will run as fast as their thundering hooves can carry them! The tears streak from your eyes! It’s a rush. The horse is a strong symbol of freedom. Remember to keep this spirit with you always. Do not stay tied down, no matter how domesticated you feel. Even domestic horses let go and let the wind guide them, their manes flowing wildly. Use this energy in your own journey to freedom. Live a little.

Horses are the greatest symbol of power. Each color of the horse represents an individual strength. The black horse rules dreams and the dark. They will guide you and show you how to find the light. The chestnut shows us the power of remaining playful and remembering the joys of life. They show us how to have fun. The palomino shows us the power of teaching others and sharing our enlightenment. It is important to help others when we can and guide them to find their own strength. Finally we have the white, or gray, horse. They are the unity of all the powers and your mount to and from the spirit realm. The white horse teaches wisdom and that wisdom cannot be obtained if power is abused. Keep all this in mind as you trot down your path in life. It will take you far!

Last but not least, the horse represents sexuality. The stallion is a strong representation of this. The stud. Need I say more. Strut your stuff, honey! You look mighty fine. Just don’t get too cocky. Wouldn’t want to take a kick to the face.

****************************

I hope you enjoyed this week’s totem. It has been a long time coming. Horses are my favorite animal and have played a huge role in my life. They have truly changed my outlook on life. Do you have any great horse tales? Share your story in the comments below! Thanks for stopping by!

Stay wild, free spirits!

Find Horse Totem prints and other products @Redbubble

Click here to get $10 off your first Redbubble purchase! Prints, canvases, totes, tapestries, apparel and more!

Sources

Twitterpated

by Free Spirit Meg, posted in Totem Animals, Zentangle Inspired Art (ZIA)

Spring has finally arrived! The weather is trying to make the shift from cold and frigid to into warm and inviting. I can hear the birds throughout the day. It was silent during the winter then one day, it seemed all the birds came out at once to sing their songs! I love it! I always think of the scene from the movie Bambi when the owl explains that all the birds are twitterpated! Twitterpated? Yes.

“Nearly everybody gets twitterpated in the springtime. For example, you’re walking along minding your own business, you’re looking neither to the left, nor to the right, when all of the sudden, you run smack into a pretty face. WHOO-WHOO! You begin to get weak in the knees, your head’s in a whirl! And then you feel light as feather, and before you know it you’re walking on air! And then you know what? You’re knocked for a loop! And you completely lose your head!” -Friend Owl

It makes me laugh every time I think about it. So in honor of springtime and a great movie here are is a collection of all the avian totems I have drawn so far.

There are still quite a few I need to cover but it’s a pretty great collection to start. I have the flamingo in the works right now. It’s going to be fun playing around with the different shades of pink. For now though, we have these beauties! You can read about each birds symbolism by clicking the links below.

You can also find prints and other cool products with these images @Redbubble and @Society6!

Which drawing is your favorite? Is there a bird not pictured here that you would like to see? Drop a suggestion in the comments below! Thanks for stopping by today!

Fly high, free spirits!

Animal Patterns

by Free Spirit Meg, posted in Free Spirit Merch, Zentangle Inspired Art (ZIA)

I’ve been having some fun in photoshop lately. I like to make patterns and come up with cool designs using my traditional drawings. It opens a whole new world of creativity! Here are some of my patterns I’ve created so far.

It’s really cool watching them unfold and seeing what comes from the original drawing. They also look awesome on my products @Redbubble. I can’t wait to see what other designs I can come up with! I am currently working on horse for my next piece! I’m really excited to share it! Check back later this week to see my work in progress post.

Which pattern did you like best? Anything you hope to see in the future? Leave a comment below! I’d love to hear from you! Thanks for stopping by!

Stay edgy, free spirits!

Totem Animal: Blue footed Booby

by Free Spirit Meg, posted in Totem Animals, Zentangle Inspired Art (ZIA)

This post is all about boobies! I’m sorry, I had to! Ok, but seriously though it’s about boobies. The blue footed booby to be exact. It is the latest animal I chose for my totem series. I had a lot of fun with this piece. I really enjoy using zentangle when drawing birds. Their feathers always come out awesome! I was excited to use the blue colors to create the feet, as well. I didn’t use any ink around the feet like I did through out the rest of the piece. I wanted the color to be the only part of the feet you pay attention to. This is also why I didn’t add any tangles to the feet. I kept the colors for this drawing realistic. The blue footed booby is so beautiful on it’s own. I didn’t want to take away from their natural patterns and colors.

The blue footed booby’s symbolism is just as interesting as their appearance. It was difficult to dig up information on this one. It was a unique choice on my part. Not too many people stumble across these guys too often, being that that they are only found in Central and South America. However, I was seeing them repeatedly online and my son brought home some school papers about them so I decided I needed to check this one off the list.

******************************************************

Blue Footed Booby Symbolism

The word booby comes from the Spanish word “bobo”. Bobo means stupid. Some think this name was given to these birds because of how clumsy they are when on land. Although they bumble around on land to mate and care for their young, they are most graceful in the air and water. They soar through the air, above the ocean hunting for food. They will dive straight down into the water, with speed and elegance, to gobble up unsuspecting schools of fish. When searching for a mate, males use their vibrant feet in a courting dance to show off to females. The brighter the blue, the more attractive the mate. They also use their feet to protect their young and keep them warm. Because of their size, the only predator boobies have
(besides humans) are sharks.

The blue footed booby is a survivor. If one has crossed your path you can expect the same for yourself. No matter what life is throwing at you, you can come out of it stronger than ever! Dive deep within yourself. There are more layers than just the surface. You have strength deep within that will help you get ahead in life.

The booby is fearless. They may look silly as they stumble around, doing a little dance. They may be a bit goofy with big blue feet that don’t quite seem to fit the rest of their body. Though in the end, they are still confident and continue on. So what if your own dance is a little clumsy, it’s yours! Strut your stuff, don’t be afraid to be you! Single? This could be your time to shine and pick up that cutie you’ve been too shy to approach otherwise. In a relationship? Don’t forget to have some fun every once and a while. Remember to dance together, even if you look silly.

The blue footed booby is also a symbol of creativity and dreaming. It might be time to take that dream and make it a reality. The booby is telling you to keep in touch with your creative side. Anything is possible, as long as you can imagine it. Use your creativity to make it happen.

Blue footed boobies live on the coast. This symbolizes unity of all the elements. The sun shines on the coast (fire), the booby birds dance on the shore (earth), they soar through the sky (air) and they dive into the waters(you guessed it, water). They use all the elements to survive and have achieved a balance between them. If we can obtain this balance in our own lives, we too can dive deep into the open water and come out with an abundance of fish….or whatever you are aiming for!

With awkward feet and a name that makes you giggle, it’s surprising how powerful a totem the blue footed booby can be. Balance your life and remember to look within yourself for the strength to survive. Stay silly and spend time with the love of your life.

I hope you were able to gain some insight from the blue footed booby. I was happy to learn as much as I did about them. They are unique and interesting creatures. Have you ever seen one of these birds in person? Share your story in the comments below! Thanks for stopping by this week! Check back soon for my next totem piece, the orca.

Dive on in, free spirits!

******************************************************

~Totem Animal art by Free Spirit Meg~

Find your own totem animal in the shop!

Prints and Products Available @ Redbubble!

Manatee Totem in the Shop!

by Free Spirit Meg, posted in Free Spirit Merch, Zentangle Inspired Art (ZIA)

Good morning art lovers! I am super excited to announce that my Manatee Totem is now in the shop! I have so much fun designing these products and it adds a little twist to my drawings. I design the backgrounds on photoshop and they really add to the image! I get to play around with so many different colors and it gives me ideas on how I can make my drawings better as well. I use to be strictly a graphite pencil artist but I’ve realized that has changed, a lot! Now I use ink pens, colored pencils, art markers and now photoshop! I’d say I’m more of a mixed media artist now. But don’t worry, I still have a lot of pencil ideas a’brewin! I want to get back into my “Eye” series. I had a lot of fun doing them and people seem to love them! My totem animals just kind of took over! That’s ok, though. The totem animals will be an on-going thing. They will never end, not until I have drawn a totem for every animal in existence. I’m not sure if that is possible in a single lifetime but I will certainly try! Anyways, now I’m rambling.

Here are some of my favorite Manatee products but there are so many to choose from! You can see all the products available in my shops at

Redbubble & Society6

There are also prints (framed and canvas as well), yoga mats, coasters, notebooks and journals, tapestries, serving trays, keepsake boxes and so much more! Any and all sales are greatly appreciated and will help me grow into a full time artist…which means more and better art!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you find something you like!

Happy shopping, free spirits!

  • Stickers!
  • Tote bags!
  • Clocks!
  • Pouches!
  • Stools & Furniture!
  • All Over Graphic Tee!
  • Pillows!
  • Water Buddha Shirts!
  • Beach Towels!

Totem Animal: Flying Squirrel

by Free Spirit Meg, posted in Totem Animals, Zentangle Inspired Art (ZIA)

What a goofy, little critter. These strange creatures are unique from other squirrels as they have a flappy membrane from there front to their back feet called a patagium. This is what allows them to fly, or rather glide, through the air. They are clumsy creatures on the ground so the will try to hide until they can return to the tree tops for safety. Another trait that makes them unique is that most of them are nocturnal. The fact that they only come out at night led to the recent discovery that certain species glow under UV light. Their underbellies glow a vibrant pink. After learning about this, I had to draw one for my next totem piece, even though I’ve already completed a red squirrel.

The drawing came out so bright and crazy! It’s very different from my other totems. The pink is so vibrant, I wanted to make sure I captured that unique trait the best I could! The blue and pink work well together. It was a lot of fun creating this piece and I can’t wait to try even more wild colors in the future! Now on to the symbolism!

************************************

FLYING SQUIRREL SYMBOLISM

Flying squirrels over all have the same lessons to teach as all squirrels. You can read general squirrel symbolism in a post I wrote a while back first if you like. Then come back to this one for a cherry on top.

Because they are nocturnal, the flying squirrel is connected to the moon. The moon is a strong symbol for feminine energy and the flying squirrel is known for fertility in some Native American lore. These little critters also teach us about balance. Perhaps it is time to balance our energies in order to glide, effortlessly, though our day to day. Maintaining balance will help us remain fertile in life, not only meaning family but in joys and riches as well.

Flying squirrels have huge, buggy eyes in order to see better in the dark. Make sure that you are aware of your surroundings. Dangers could be right in front of you but if you refuse to see them, they will get you! Just like a hungry owl gets the flying squirrel. You may also want to check out Owl symbolism to see what could be lurking in the shadows.


************************************

I hope you enjoyed my latest totem and were able to gain some insight from the flying squirrel. Have you ever seen a flying squirrel? Share your story in the comments below! Thanks for stopping by this week!

Glide on, free spirits!

************************************

Sources:

Wacky Website

by Free Spirit Meg, posted in FSM Updates

Hey All! Just a little update post to let everyone know what’s going on with the blog. Last year, I upgraded my plan to the premium package through wordpress. It gave me access to more customization for my blog as well as some other perks. The plan is set up so you pay for the whole year outright which is nice because then you don’t have to worry about it for another year. Well, I made it to my one year marker for the plan so it is time to renew. Unfortunately, I won’t have the extra cash to re-up on my subscription for a couple weeks. Therefore, the customization I had set up on my site is no longer available to me until I do. So wordpress picked a random theme and stuffed my blog in it. Now things are all over the place and look wonky because it doesn’t match up to my premium theme. Understandable, yes, it just creates a lot more work for me. I got rid of some of the clutter already but I am not running through my entire website again and customizing it. I’m hoping when I re-subscribe it will go back to the way it was. So for the time being, please excuse the mess! I hope it’s not too wonky!

If you would like to support the blog and help it grow you can subscribe to my Patreon and receive totem animal cards and prints every month! You can choose any dollar amount you want to pledge starting with $1 and you’ll receive certain goodies based on the amount you choose! I appreciate every bit and all profits go into growing my art and blog. Thanks for your help!

I hope everyone is staying dry and warm in this weather which is just as wonky as my website! Thanks for stopping by this week! Check back next week to see my completed Flying Squirrel totem and learn their symbolism.

Carpe diem, free spirits!

Rhino What You’re Thinking!

by Free Spirit Meg, posted in FSM Updates, Zentangle Inspired Art (ZIA)

Hey Everyone! I uploaded the Rhino Totem to my Society6 and my Redbubble. The designs came out really cool! I am enjoying the Redbubble editor. It is so easy and user friendly. It doesn’t take forever to load like Society6 and I can change the color of the background on the editor which gives me a lot of options. I really like the red with the Rhino design.

Society6 has some awesome products though that Redbubble does not. I really like the yoga mats and the furniture is really neat too!

Make sure to give both shops a glance. They are each unique and different like these notebooks. The blue one is from Society6 and the red one is from Redbubble. Like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get! Plus the prices vary between the products. Sometimes one of my shops will be having a sale and the other won’t.

I hope you enjoy the Rhino Totem. There is so much available in the shops it’s crazy! Let me know what you think about each store and what you favorite products are. Do you prefer Society6 or Redbubble? Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Growth is key! Thanks for your support! All profits go right back into my art for supplies, equipment and helps keep the blog running! And remember….

Save the Chubby Unicorns, free spirits!

**********************************

Related Posts: Rhino Symbolism | For Sudan and Northern White Rhinos