You may have heard of musician/singer/writer Amanda Palmer. She recently published a book called “The Art of Asking.” I haven’t read it yet, but I would like to. The subtitle on the book cover reads “Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help.” Besides her creations, she is famous for being a queen of crowdfunding. It was how she was able to release her own music after leaving her record company. She did a Ted Talk in which she described her time as a street performer and made her living off people’s willingness to give her money. She talked about being criticized and harassed for not having a “real job” and for begging on the street. But she wasn’t just sitting there with a cup. She would stand frozen as a beautiful statue that would come to life and interact with whomever gave a dollar or two. It was those brief moments of connection that she was providing in return for whatever people were willing to pay for them. No matter what the critics thought, to those customers, what she was providing was worth paying for. The image of her and her patron in this bubble of satisfaction surrounded by negativity and criticism really stuck with me. Especially as I started exploring the possibility of reaching out to find my own patrons.
Continue reading
Cutting Back to Move Forward or Why I Love Group Class
Can you believe it’s June already? The year is almost halfway over! A new month always means one thing: new bills to pay. After paying rent, a utility bill, and a credit card bill all at once, I thought I better take another look at my projected budget for the next few months. I have two budgets: a general one of income and expenses, so I know I’m living within my means, and a projected one, so I can see more precisely where I’ll be financially at certain times in the next few months, like when rent is due or when I need to write a check for comp entry fees. I can also better time bill paying with paychecks. It’s all very carefully planned so I can continue following these crazy ballroom dreams of mine.
Arm Styling Article Repost
As someone who needs every arm movement choreographed for her because going with what “feels right” or “natural” usually ends with me looking like my arms are trying to mutiny against my brain, I love articles like this one! Check it out:
The Common Cold: The Most Inconsiderate of Species
I’m sure you can guess by the title that I recently caught a cold. Because of this pesky virus, I missed a day of work and, more importantly, this week’s dance lesson. Curse you, microorganism! Don’t you know I have dancing to do?
Continue reading
Psst! I Launched My Patreon Page…
I considered staying quiet about this, but I knew that was silly and what was the point of launching a fundraising page if no one knew about it.
Check it out: Support the Girl
The idea of Patreon.com is old school – be a patron of the arts. Support your favorite artist and their creations. Instead of a one-time contribution to support a specific project, patrons make ongoing monetary pledges. The creators (that’s me in this case) do what they do best – create! They share their creations and special rewards with their patrons. I thought “I have something to share with the world, let’s give this a try!”
Nothing is changing with thegirlwiththetreetattoo.com. Everything stays the same, free for all. But if I’m going to continue on this journey in the directions I want to go (advance in smooth, start competing in rhythm, write a book!), I’m going to need some help. I’m working on expanding my services and am always reevaluating my budget to see where I can cut costs. Patreon.com is one more avenue I’m exploring to help fund this adventure.
So there you have it. I’m no good at asking for this kind of help, so I’ll let my Patreon page speak for itself. Please spread the word and keep working toward your own dreams!
P.S. – Stay tuned for a post about working up the nerve to dare to ask the world to part with their hard-earned money to support my journey. Oh boy, the demons are having a field day! But screw ’em, I managed to launch the site anyway!
I Don’t Run Unless Something is Chasing Me
People frequently ask me what I do to stay fit, what kind of workout regimen I follow. And I say I dance! And I take two 60-pound dogs with endless energy out for walks several times a day. And I walk up and down stairs to get to and from my second floor apartment and my second floor office. I carry all of my groceries up the stairs at once because I hate making two trips. Does that answer the question?
*Something About Silver*
Side note: I love coming up with just the right title for my articles. But sometimes I draw a blank. So I resort to the “insert clever title here” style. Hence, the title of this post. Can you guess what I’m writing about today?
Continue reading
Change in outer circumstances by Rebecca Wilson
Love this imagery. Reminds me of myself as I was getting into ballroom and this awesome part of me was waking up. Once you get going, the floodgates really do just open up!
A Little Cha Cha and Connections – This is Why I Do What I Do
Just a quick post because I need to go to bed, but I won’t be able to sleep if I don’t share these things now.
One: I was having a “meh” Monday. What Monday isn’t “meh”? In any case, I went to the studio to take a cha cha group class. I was on the fence about going because I was really tired and kept getting stuck in my head about a bunch of things, not all dance-related. But I hadn’t been to a group class in awhile and I haven’t done cha cha in an even longer while, so off I went. It was exactly what I needed. Lucky me, it was just me and one guy, so we ended up with a semi-private lesson. Forty-five minutes later and I didn’t feel so tired and my troubles didn’t seem so bad. And as I drove home, I thought this is it! This is why I spend all this money on this ballroom nonsense. It makes me feel good! It makes me happy! All of my anxieties and fears over performance and wanting to be accepted and feel like I belong, those are born out of the “extra” stuff that surrounds the dance. And I like that extra stuff too. I like pushing myself to improve and challenging myself at competition. I want those anxieties and fears brought to the surface so I can finally see what they’re really made of and work on exorcising them! But it’s nice to be able to take a break and just do a little cha cha.
Two: I was so very honored to read a quote from my last post as the starting line to the latest post on Facing Diagonal Wall. Because this is why I blog. To connect with people, to inspire people, to encourage people. I feel so blessed to have connected with so many bloggers through the Ballroom Village in such a short time. Big thank you to the Biggest Girl in the Ballroom for inviting me to be a part of this awesome group!
This evening has made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and even a little teary-eyed! I hope I can continue to connect with people, support them in their pursuit of their passion, guide them in battles against their demons, and inspire them to do whatever makes them want to dance!
I want you to know that you all rock. Every single one of you.
Sweet dreams!
Mental Smackdown – When Your Dealer Cancels Your Next Fix
On today’s episode of Mental Smackdown, I share what happens when an external trigger sets the demons loose in my head and how I attempt to bring order back to the chaos that’s created.
I was having a really good night, feeling genuinely optimistic about life in general. And then my lesson was cancelled. Cue descent into darkness.
I know, I know, so dramatic! It’s just one lesson. Disappointment, sure, but descent into darkness? Really? Financially, it helps me because it stretches my last lesson payment that much further. So what’s my problem? Well, like any good addict, sometimes the only thing that gets me through the day is my next fix. I think it’s been well established that I am addicted to ballroom and my heart and soul gets poured into it. Good or bad, I desperately rely on my two standing lessons to get me through some weeks. I may be hating life, but at least I have a lesson to look forward to. So when that oasis I’m crawling toward turns out to be a mirage? Let’s just say the struggle is real. Still too dramatic? Just wait, it gets better.
The Girl with the Tree Tattoo 