Monthly Archive for June, 2010

Hell, Yes!

Published by Tara Sroka on June 29, 2010 in This & That. 0 Comments

My awesome friend Downtown Mary Brown was in NYC last week visiting and we had a great time together! So I’m finally catching up with things this week! This picture is of the outside of the NY Contemporary Art Museum. I’m trying to have this “Hell, Yes!” attitude this week to get things done. So far it’s working.

Anyways, here’s a list of some things going on here and things I need to tackle on my “to do” list:

listened most of Monday to The Joysummit Small Business Marketing Webinar
write my guest blog post all about scrapbooking (coming up soon – more details to come)
design some items for Pink Ink Studios
work on designs for an awesome website design for a new client – WOO HOO!
set up a few meetings/get togethers with business contacts & friends
implement the “Like” button on my website – do we like them??
starting to work with Michelle Ward from When I Grow Up Coach
sort through my email inbox (goodness I’ve let it get out of control)
figuring out and setting up a small online store for customers to order a custom scrapbook easier via Tara Sroka Designs

I could go on and on with things to do but let’s just leave it at that, so hopefully I can get SOMETHING DONE from that list :D

Hope you are having a great week and staying cool (it’s been TOO HOT to handle here on the East Coast).

Share|

Become a fan on Facebook, follow me on Twitter or sign up for the newsletter to stay in the know and up to date with Tara Sroka Designs.

Trying to Simplifiy

Published by Tara Sroka on June 22, 2010 in Motivation, Studio Inside Look and This & That. 0 Comments

I have been cleaning the apartment/office the past few days since we have a friend in town and it feels good to declutter. I admit I am a pack rat and throwing out stuff is not something I am good at doing. Although I think I have gotten better in the past few years especially since it’s starting to overwhelm me. Seriously, looking around and seeing stuff sticking out of every nock and cranny is starting to drive me bonkers and stifle my creativity! I was at a book signing the other day and the author, Rice Freeman Zachary said that “when you clean your outside world you clean the inside world” and this really resinated with me. So I started purging some of my stuff and it felt good.

One of my first projects was my bookcase area. It doesn’t look like much but I went through every box and chucked lots of stuff and I even labelled everything so I know what’s where. Boy, I have a lot of paper products and art supplies! It took a few hours to sort and organize everything but afterwards I felt a huge relief. Little things like this can really change your mood, perspective and overall creative mojo.

If there are things you aren’t sure you can part with but need/want to make space just scan important documents and mementos. If you can’t scan them take a photo.

Here are some interesting articles that got me thinking about simplifying and organizing. Hopefully they will get you motivated and thinking too!

Is there something that is hindering your creativity and productivity? If so then make the decision and time to tackle it!

Share|

Become a fan on Facebook, follow me on Twitter or sign up for the newsletter to stay in the know and up to date with Tara Sroka Designs.

Reflecting & Revamping

Published by Tara Sroka on June 21, 2010 in Blogging and This & That. 1 Comment

Last week I had the great opportunity to attended the Blog Out Loud NY event. Blog Out Loud is a resource for creative people to gather inspiration and information to start and maintain social media communities with the goal of enhancing their business, creating a presence online and connecting to community. They host offline events every few months in different cities that feature a panel of digitally-savvy web influencers who share their stories and style with the audience. The panelist discussed the importance of blogging, the etiquette of blogging/social media and overall ideas to help inspire you to write and think about your blog. Some important things I jotted down were:

define your voice
engage with your audience
put yourself out there
be personal without compromising your privacy
the blog is not the business, just a part of it

Some of these ideas weren’t anything new to me but the last one – “the blog is not the business, just a part of it” really got me thinking. For the past few months I haven’t really focused on my blog like I used to. I have gotten in the routine of posting “drive by” postings with products and designs I create but no real useful content (in my opinion). I was using my blog solely to sell and promote my business which I have to say wasn’t that fun in hindsight. So I’m getting back to the main point of my blog – showcasing my personal journey as an artist, designer and scrapbooker. I’m going to tell MY STORY and yes along the way I’m going to show you my creations, products and designs but I’m not going to bonk you over the head with them. I hope to share with you an inside look of how I create, my process, what inspires me, my challenges/struggles and also useful tools to help you create and preserve your memories. I hope you will join me in my journey.

I’m so glad I attended this event since it totally inspired me to look at my blog in a new way and find my voice again. I also got to meet some great ladies as well: Patty who writes NYC Girl At Heart blog, Ashley who is the mastermind behind the Twitter jewelry at SurvivalofTheHippest.com (I can’t wait for my necklace to arrive any day now!!), Monica from Macaroni Kid and Michelle from When I Grow Up Coach. These ladies are truly fabulous and I’m glad I had the pleasure of meeting them. Check out their sites and blogs too while you are at it!

Be back soon,

Share|

Become a fan on Facebook, follow me on Twitter or sign up for the newsletter to stay in the know and up to date with Tara Sroka Designs.

Celebrating Dad

Published by Tara Sroka on June 20, 2010 in Family, Holiday and Scrapbooking. 1 Comment

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads, special fathers, step fathers, uncles, grandfathers, or father figures in your life. Thank you for always being there, for being a good father and a good friend. A special thanks to my Dad – thanks for being you and making me who I am! Here’s a layout of the two of us together from a long time ago. Awww =)

And we also remember the men in our lives as well who aren’t here anymore but forever in our heart.

In other news, I’m working revamping the blog an content soon – so stay tuned for more info. Hope you are having a wonderful day and weekend!

Share|

Become a fan on Facebook, follow me on Twitter or sign up for the newsletter to stay in the know and up to date with Tara Sroka Designs.

Pink Ink Studios Goodies

Published by Tara Sroka on June 2, 2010 in Pink Ink Studios, Promotion and Twitter. 0 Comments

I am excited to share with you 2 new products that are out at Pink Ink Studios. Stop by the store to check them out! And starting tomorrow, June 3rd Tara Sroka Designs will be starting “Twitter Thursdays with Tara” for Pink Ink customers. Make sure to follow me on twitter for your chance to win some goodies and coupons!