The Shackled Muse

I met an extraordinary woman on Fiverr. (as you know, fiverr is the site where people do gigs or jobs for $5, and I’ve made a substantial amount so far writing articles, designing logo’s, etc.) I responded to an ad, to do research. Turned out the research I had to do was the effects of plastic water bottles on the environment and aspects related to it.

Now, I knew pollution is a real problem, we see it all around us. I knew plastic bags (like the types beer and soda cans comes in) takes up to 1000 years to decompose, I knew many sea animals mistake plastic bags for jelly fish and suffocate or starve when digesting it.

I never knew the situation was so bad!!

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My apologies for the long long absence! I’ve been hard at work expanding my arty endeavours. I’d love to say that I designed countless jewelry pieces during my offline hours, but sadly that would be a lie. (I made a few though…)

I’ve been reading. Yes, my new book on beading techniques. More than 300 techniques, thats a lot to learn. I’ve been reading Etsy help articles; everything from taking better pictures (they really cant stress that enough…) to top seller advices and tips, to seller blog and blog sites. You name it, I read it. (applying everything I read is a different matter.) I’ve been commenting in a lot of forums to get my name out there. To be seen.

(I’ve also been reading all the Final Notices creditors like to send out when people (me) don’t pay their accounts… So, yeah,  all my online endeavours better be a success!

Its growing, thankfully. I’m $60 richer since signing up at Fiverr. Even though the Fiverr gigs are for, well, a fiver (as in $5) I’ve made some headway off the site. I contacted a potential client on Fiverr with regards to a logo he needs. He was happy enough with my work and we’ve moved negotiations and business off Fiverr, which makes the payment process go so much quicker. Also, its a really good deal. So, THANK YOU FIVERR. On a side note, I signed up at Dealerr aswell, Fiverr’s European rival. All the best will hopefully come from it.

Blog-wise I’ve been expanding too. A new domain has been registered, sadly the site is still empty. Only has a link to my Etsy store. The entire purpose of the new site is to act as my online store. Jewelry, Digital Art, Traditional Art, Hand made stuffs. You name it. Doubt I’ll add my poetry but we’ll see how that goes.

The whole etsy thing made me realize I need a stand alone shop as well. Plus a blog. So this shall solely be the blog from now, but all handmade goodies will be displayed over at The Shackled Muse Studio.

Awesome, right!

I’ve stumbled upon a little gem of a blog. Its called the Joy of Butter. Oh, don’t let the title throw you, its not a blog about butter. To quote the tagline: “The Joy Of Butter: a collection of thoughts about a life complete with food, wine, dance and passion.”

Now if you ask me, those are all the good stuff that make life worthwhile! Just to give you an example, the latest blog entry is all about the tango.

This is not merely a form of dance, its a form of art…

As Brandi says: I am absolutely head over heels in love with this dance. I began taking lessons about three months ago and after the first class I knew I had found something that I could and wanted to devote my time and energy to. For the first time (in a long time) I have found something that takes me out of my head, something that requires precision, presence and concentration. The steps and dance are not only beautiful and powerful but almost become a meditation, you almost enter this trance-like state when you’re fully in the moment. My world has changed.

Also, MUSIC!! Followers of this blog will know how much music means to me. Not pop, not Britney Spears. Real Music. Performed by real artists.

Throughout the ages music has been used to express our feelings, our emotions, whether its sorrow or joy. English is not our universal language. Music is. If you agree with me, then take a look at this article!!

THE JOY OF BUTTER

Okay… So, it’s 5:07AM I’m listening to a variety of songs on Media Player while searching for stock images online. (stock images to use for Photo Manipulation.) And I think the laptop’s glare is messing with my love’s sleep, he tried to kick me off the bed, twice…

Earlier this lovely evening I had a plan. The plan involved watching the Ghana vs Uruguay match, putting my sick boyfriend to bed and then, right, then put on some Binaural beats to stimulate my creative side while I write countless articles. (Okay, not countless, but at least 6 MyDigitalLife articles for the coming week, 4 for this site, maybe 4 or 5 for Helium and 3 for my other blogger account.)

Don’t look at me in that tone of voice, I discovered that it is possible to write all that in one go. I know your dying to find out how, and I promise I’ll cover that in my next article. Or at the very least, when I attempt to write again…

Anyway, that was plan. So, where did it all go wrong, I hear you ask.

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It’s been a bit of a downhill week.

Just as I got all fired up with me exercise routine, I slipped on the stairs and sprained both of my ankles. Right ankle healed quite nicely but left ankle turned blue…. eeeek. Needless to say exercise schedule is on hold right now. Tried some walking today, to the post office which only happens to be 2 or 3 blocks away, and I nearly died…. I will, however, update the two exercise posts I’ve been working on. The entries can be found at the top of site, the page titled Watch Me Melt.

I signed up at a site called Fiverr, stuff people would do for $5. Posted two or three gigs and received 3 orders already. So wish me luck with that.

Anyways, apologies for the lack of profoundly interesting or life altering articles which I promised… I solemnly promise to write some good content tomorrow…

Ooooh and on that note. I’m adding a new category: Unshackle Your Budget. Its something that we’ll struggle with these days, and I do believe I’ve have some tips to share. (from experience, and been-there-done-that.) One of the sub categories will be Recipes, as I do believe I’ve concocted some recipes up to make your Rand/Dollar/Pound stretch.

Till we meet again.

This is me, taking back control of my life. What the fuck have you done lately?

That is my favourite quote in the movie Wanted.

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Its 1:11am at time of writing this article. I’ve just spent about half hour (probably not that long but it felt like 4 hours) pushing my body to unknown limits. Unfortunately, I didn’t keep track of how much I did of what, but activities included core workout, push ups, and some leg exercises. (I’m gonna start keeping track more accurately from tomorrow.) I cant feel my arms, but somehow that has to be a good thing….

This is not an entry about my workout or goal to lose weight (check the Watch Me Melt page, top right of the page, for updates.)

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I wrote this piece quite some time ago. A year? I’m not really sure. Just thought it might be interesting having it up here again. To keep track of the changes in my life, so to speak. (Go read my About page… Now.)

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