Behind the Scenes (Week 2)

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Week 2: Behind the Scenes

1. • Here's a behind-the-scenes look at your work process or workspace:

   I'm currently doing my website work part-time in addition to a training for Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist Certification, and volunteering my weekend nights (Midnight to 6am) to lacrt.org as a crisis responder.  

   
   
   

    I work with two cats and a live-in boyfriend, neither of whom do anything specifically for W is for Web except keep me company or pose for pictures occasionally.  I've been tinkering with iNaturalist, the app that helps you identify the species of plants, insects, and animals around you. I found out that my boyfriend is human, and my cats are in fact domestic house cats, although occasionally, I will get errors on that thing.

          What is my process? When all else fails, I'll search for the answer on YouTube or Google.  I like to start with what I already know about the issue, so if I happen to know a bit of code, I might tackle it that way first. But I'm a bit of a hack as my degree is not in programming, and although I did go to an engineering school, I didn't get much further than intro to Fortran which is such an old thing, I don't know that anyone these days even teaches that anymore.  I would say that I was weeded out by a University that was looking to support only its top ten percent by my Junior year, and just like that, I fell into my art degrees.

        I suspect that regardless of what degree I had left college with, rarely would I have had the most current skills needed for my ideal jobs ten years later, especially because I have not worked directly in my chosen industry.  And that's where I feel like I'm at today. I'm constantly learning new tools.  These days my tools include ChatGPT, Ai, Newsletters, and as many free softwares as I can plug into my websites.  I only recently chose carrd as my website platform, but I am regretting that choice already because I see how much further wordpress has advanced in the short year that I missed out using it.  I'll be trying it out again soon, with all the new file manager and SSL widgets and things that I haven't tried yet.

   
   
    

        Why did I choose Carrd to represent my latest website?  I felt like it was a poor man's SquareSpace, and that I had enough skills to make it work regardless.  One page sites are also much more efficient, and to some degree I think of websites as only effective if you are being conservative about what you put out there.  Content is king, but simplicity can help people feel more at home.

        I won't have a lot of time for my own experiments like the filmwork I was thinking of doing with the UV equipment I bought, and bullet journalling.  I'm hoping to get inspired to do more with less.  One of the things I have difficulty with is knowing how to best represent myself, because I'm exploring so many mediums.  Aside from writing, I'm also a visual artist playing with video and animation, including drawings and 3D or Ai generated imagery. 

             Recently, I made the choice to dissolve my LLC because it costs so much in Los Angeles that I haven't been profitable for at least three years in a row since the pandemic.  However, one of the things I learned about myself is that I have the tendency to forget to do my taxes regularly.  Last year was my "catch up" year where I made sure anything that was delinquent was fixed, and I paid all bills due, including any fines incurred.  This year one of the reasons I decided to close up shop was because of the new law about reporting your identity each year that could potentially cost me 500$ per day in late fees if there is ever a year that I forget to file.  That would probably not normally be an issue, but because I have so much pressure anyway for breaking even, I just didn't want that as an additional stressor.     

   
   
    

        The good news is that I actually enjoy learning new software, and when I also cut out Adobe Creative Cloud, I believe I opened an opportunity to learn things I normally wouldn't have invested the time to do.  I'm learning Canva, which turns out is currently better than Adobe Express with video editing.  There are other things I haven't tried out yet, but Canva is actually cheaper monthly.

2. 
   

3. Here's a couple of more goals/ ideas for the upcoming year:

• Make films and keep shooting the world around me with my curiosity
• Simplify my home environment so I have less junk and more beloved objects
• Get my cats to be able to tolerate each other rather than fighting for territory all the time.
• Continue and finish making websites with my boyfriend rather than treating it as a hobby
• Make more stuff, including good food, good writing, crafts, and drawings!
• Continue to look out for grants for artists and the mental health community.
• Finish my TOTK game and move in the real world with walks, stretches, and exercise
• Sleep in my bed at least five out of eight hours a night.
• Leave my phone next to me on volunteer nights (Fridays and Saturdays)
• Prepare my Go Bag for specific types of crises as needed
• Check on all my bills & business needs and make sure I can pay them.
• Check in on any friends that might be having a difficult time.
• Look out for my family who are usually stressed out.
• Take on more house work with my new routine.
• Stay mindful of physical and emotional pain so that I can prevent relapses.
  
  
  Ahead to Week 3