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555 Then and Now
50 years ago, this area was pure satoyama – mixed use farm and forest land. I have been aware of the changes that happened well before we arrived. Tod & I were fascinated by some photos of the area in a book about the history of the old elementary school, and later combed through arial…
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Memorial
Yesterday I went to my first Japanese memorial. Funerals in Japan are very formal and I have yet to attend the official part of them. When I do, I will need to brush up on my etiquette. Yesterday’s event was more casual, an affair put on by the NPO where Asada Daisuke worked for 16…
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Origami Vision Boarding
I am participating in a two-week a Origami Vision Board class led by my friend, Liane Wakabayashi from Genesis Art, https://www.genesiscards.com/ I was already in the process of doing a vision board in my usual way using a feng shui grid when this class fell into my lap. Not wanting to start over from scratch,…
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Odd Things in the Barn
We have decided to delay the full renovation of the barn – saving up more money to do it right. But the 120 year old structure needs some loving attention in the interim so I have started on a new plan. I will remove everything from the inside – all the junk, the treasures, and…
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Reuse & Salvage
As creative as I am in other areas, upcycling materials into new things is a challenge for me. I have a hard time imagining novel ways to repurpose thing beyond the original use. With a hard limit on my budget for exterior work around 555, I have to think creatively about what I can find…
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Hey, Kristen
This morning at 3:04 I heard Tod ask for me, “Hey, Kristen…” and I woke up, braced for the rest of the sentence. Usually it’s a request for settling cats who are getting into trouble. But he was asleep, as I discovered when I rolled towards him and asked if he needed something. “Did you…
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Reworking my portfolio
Do you know when is the best time to rework your portfolio? When you are looking for new clients. And since I am, I’ve given my Work page a once-over. It had grown into a cluttered, overwhelming mess over time. Like all decluttering activities, it was challenging. Almost all of my jobs are interesting in…
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Audience over Product
Your audience is more important than your product or service – especially if you are an artist. As entrepreneurial creative person, it doesn’t matter what you are selling, making, or offering. If you are trying to make a business from creative endeavors, whether as a side hustle or a full time income, you absolutely have…
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Rearrangement
Tod was in Tokyo last week and just before he came home, I decided to rearrange the living room furniture. I am not sure why I got the fever to do this, but I did. And I am glad for it. I liked the old arrangement just fine. The sofa created an endpoint in the…
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Anchovy disambiguation
I don’t write a lot about my work here, which is mainly random design projects for small business clients. My most active client is Rainbow Tomatoes Garden, my family’s tinned fish business. I design fun things for them from package labels to infographics and beyond. My brother-in-law, Dan, has a million cool ideas and I…
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