Marilou Strait

The Psychology of Colour

2011-10-13T15:00:00.000-07:00

My small tribute to Steve Jobs

2011-10-07T03:17:00.000-07:00

One of the art forms I create are of silhouette art, so naturally I was compelled to create this small tribute to Steve Jobs.

A new face in business

2011-10-05T22:12:00.000-07:00

That was a long hiatus from posting here but it was with good reason. I started a company called Third Leaf Designs Inc. where we offer services for graphic design, publications and ebooks. Between November of 2010 and now October 2011, life happened in between from a business and personal point of view. I've gone through highs and lows and maybe I just learned a real lesson in life to ride it out when the going gets tough. I am learning a lot and grown a lot as I continue this journey of entrepreneurship and parenthood. For all the women who want to go into business, do your homework and don't be afraid to ask help.

I can now be found on my facebook page (for Third Leaf Designs) and twitter account.

... and here I present my new logo!

My new company name, at last!

2010-11-19T01:33:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe that this is only my second post of the year for my blog. It was definitely not for the lack of something to say. Indeed it has been an extremely busy few months. After the Olympics, my business activities started picking up. I finished a peer mentoring program and it overlapped a little bit with a 2-week intensive business development program! In the process I met some wonderful people and got to know a few of them in the 10 days we were together. I really believe that things happen for a reason. This program really helped me think through my business. As a result, I applied for and got accepted at a self-employment program which started in September. It also helps that I have an entrepreneurial spirit and it showed. After a few weeks of workshop, I'm now in the process of writing my business plan and eventually will be presenting it t a panel of advisors later this month. One of the items I struggled with was coming up with my company name. As a designer, I knew I could get away with naming my company with my name and the word "design". I wanted something more. Something that can grow. Allow me to present my new company name .... Third Leaf Designs, visual designs that work for you!

More new things coming up in the next few weeks! This coming new year 2011 will be exciting!

The Reluctant Entrepreneur No More!

2010-02-24T15:36:00.000-08:00

It will be almost 2 years since I officially started as a freelance graphic designer. I have been doing it on a part-time basis and have mostly relied on word of mouth for getting projects. Now that my daughter is in full time preschool I have more time to build my business. I have been keeping myself busy with other creative pursuits like creating and selling my original art pendants, creating digital painting, and art shows. It is now time to jump in with both feet and full steam ahead! While my beloved city of Vancouver was ramping up for the 2010 Olympics opening ceremony, I have been part of mentoring group specifically for women who have been in business for less than 2 years. We have a dynamic group facilitated by a dedicated and well-connected facilitator. It is inspiring and encouraging to be part of this group knowing that you are not alone. I realize that I can't just work IN the business (as creative like me like to do) but more importantly work ON the business, and working on ME. I am also excited to be taking a course for marketing my creative services starting next week!

Being good at what you do and being good in business are mutually exclusive, talent is not enough! As in any creative pursuit, half of your time will be spend in marketing. Learn it, read about it, do it.

A few things you can to to jump start your business or business idea:

Get out there and meet people (networking)
Practice your 10 second introduction (what do you do?)
Ask for help (advisory board, mentor group, get a life/business coach)
Dream big (commit it in writing as it makes it more concrete)
Enjoy the process, you will get there. Don't lose sight of WHY you're doing it in the first place.

Market research for new ideas

2009-10-17T23:14:00.000-07:00

I recently started doing some marketing for this idea of creating Modern Silhouette Portraits. Simply put, it a traditional art with a modern twist. It can also be a wonderful addition to the annual family photos, adding a touch of nostalgia to memory keepsakes.

For any small business owner or freelancer or someone just starting out an new idea, it makes good business practice to research your market very well. I created a postcard for this new product/service on a trial basis as part of my market research. I distributed it to trade shows in the area over the last month. Sometimes, one just has to show it to the public to see if it a "nay" or a "yay". One thing I learned from recent experience is to do just enough to get started and find out more rather than to do the research so deep and then have to start all over again. No one really knows when an idea will take off and how well it will be well-received but at least doing due diligence on the market research can save time and money.

This kind of smaller scale promotional material is also good to target very specific markets. The more specific your target is, the more it is important to take the time to tailor your materials for them. This can be in many forms like printed promotional material to your newsletter subscription content, or your email marketing. Check out my website for some samples of specific marketing promotional materials.

Niche Marketing for Your Small Business

2009-06-23T02:30:00.000-07:00

As I focus my energies in marketing my creative services, I have been reading books, attending seminars, and networking. One of the things I got out from a recent seminar was finding my niche market. As a small business I need to identify my niche markets, pick three from that list and develop the different marketing for each.

It is sometimes tempting for a small business owner to reduce expenses by creating a generic printed promotion material. I believe this can be a costly mistake. It is far more cost effective to develop different messages for each niche market, identify your unique selling point, and print in smaller quantities initially. This is one area I can truly be of help to a small business or a business starting out. My design and print bundles are reasonably priced and won't break the bank!

As for my own niche markets/specialty, I have identified the following:

1. Home-based, freelance or small businesses

2. Specializing in books for publication (print, web, and e-books)

3. Artists requiring promotional materials

Check out my current design and print bundle here.

Presenting 10+1 Art Collective

2009-05-03T21:30:00.000-07:00

April was a productive time for doing my art and now my focus goes on marketing. I am excited to show you the postcard (and poster) I designed, with input from most of my art marketing group members. Our group exhibit is on for month of June at Raw Canvas in the Yaletown area of Vancouver, BC. Come and join us for the opening reception where all eleven artists will be in attendance on June 11, Thursday from 6:00PM to 8:00 PM. This is a great opportunity for new and seasoned art collectors to purchase original art from emerging local artists. Check out our collective art blog to keep you updated on individual artists and other information in preparation for our June 1 art installation.

Now for my graphic design services. I have been working on some amazing summer promotions for print material which I will be posting on the my recently relaunched website. I decided to add more colour on my banner and now have included a home page. I can now accept payments using Paypal and I am working towards adding that functionality to my website very soon.

I would like to share a book I have been reading called Eat That Frog, 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time, by Brian Tracy. It is an easy to read book. So far I have been enjoy it and applying some of the things I have learned.

Cherry Blossoms Blooming

2009-04-10T22:02:00.000-07:00

One of my favourite times of the year in Vancouver is seeing the cherry blossoms. Vancouver has its fair share of these special trees from early March to late April. You can check out the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival website for cherry blossom viewing map (warning their pdf is 8MB in size) and other information. Today's cloudy but bright day was perfect for picture taking. I took my 3 year old daughter with me to a photo shoot. I used a digital SLR while she used a point & shoot camera. Here are some pictures of our outing.

An Artist's Journey

2009-04-05T22:43:00.000-07:00

I am excited to have reached a point when it is time to start another blog dedicated to my journey as an artist. I will be posting about my experiences, news, resources, and of course images of my art. Besides seizing the opportunity of available daylight while my daughter took a very long nap yesterday, I must have been inspired because I finished 4 small (6" x 9") painting plus one completed a major correction on a fifth one.

I have dusted off my sketch book and art supplies and have started to get reacquainted with the traditional mediums of brush, paint, and pencil. As I continue this exploration more of my artistic side, I am looking forward to this source of inspiration that it will have a strong influence on my graphic design.

This is certainly an exciting side effect of the recession having such disappointing job search results since January. With time on my side, I have had time to think how else I can cast a wider and deeper net. I have finally set up an online payment account (Paypal) and my online store called Marilou Art & Designs Artisan Studio with Artfire, an online store for artisans selling their art and handmade items. For now I am selling photo cards and knitted keyhole scarf for toddlers. I am also very thankful for my art marketing group meeting every 2 weeks as it has kept me focused. Last but certainly not the least, I have relaunched my website to include the newest addition to my graphic design portfolio, and adding the new sections on my photography and visual arts.

Opportunities around the corner

2009-03-15T17:12:00.000-07:00

I truly believe that when one door closes (ie. my post in January about not being accepted in the self-employment program), another one opens, so keep your eyes open! It has been a busy time for me looking for a part-time job and trying to come up with a plan to boost my freelance graphic design business. As it turns out one of my searches led me to join an art salon in Vancouver. For most people, I think the word salon has an image of a beauty or hair salon or a spa. There is another use of this term pertaining to art and it originated in Paris, France.

Borrowing a quote from Art Biz Connections

A salon is a social gathering of artists and intellectuals hosted at regular intervals by a patron in his or her home. Such convivial settings for the art of conversation emerged in Paris at the beginning of the seventeenth century. - Robert Atkins in ArtSpoke

I joined the art salon and was lucky to have a very well organized leader and wonderful member artists with great attitudes. Basically we are a group of artists who are serious about marketing our art. We meet for 9 sessions every other week and follow a specific agenda. One of the great things about this group is that it pushes me to be productive and creative. We are all dedicated artists and one of our goals is to have a show after the 9th session. We came up with the name "10+1", for our artist group, which can have a few different interpretations.

So we are eleven (10+1) artists busily making art to give you a fabulous show, suitable for all ages. You will be treated to a display of various types of media from paintings, photography, 3-Ds,, digitypes, mixed media, and digital art. You will also have the opportunity to take home unique artwork done by local artists from Metro Vancouver.

I will be showcasing a few digital mixed-media art pieces. These artworks are small (11"x14") and colourful, digital art from original watercolours adding playful silhouettes of young children. I digitize traditional mediums such as watercolour on paper and use it as background when appropriate. My artworks will be available as ready to hang canvas or limited edition prints on fine art paper.

Exciting plans are in the works to have a group art show at Raw Canvas in Yaletown on June 11, 2009, Thursday early evening. I will be posting more details later on. In the meantime, we are all busy making art works. Come join us if you are in the area.

Business not as usual

2009-02-02T15:14:00.000-08:00

I believe that things happen for a reason. I received some unpleasant news which changes my entire schedule for the next year. I was so confident about this opportunity (a government sponsored self employment program) that I already put the schedule into my calendar! Unfortunately due to to so many applicants I have to compete with, mine was not chosen. I did not even gave myself time to get angry or sad, just want to do something, pronto! Over the next days after I really had time to think I felt in my heart what I need to do. I'm sure something will come my way which haven't even thought about. Whatever it may be, it may really be the way where I should be.

My Top 5 for January

2009-02-02T14:59:00.000-08:00

My Top 5 in January includes a few "firsts".

My daughter's first day of preschool and the corresponding milestone she finally achieved on that same day which made me really happy! Those 3 hours while she's in school is probably the most productive part of my day, besides doing work while she slept at night.
The longest fog days in Vancouver lasted for more than a week! A record I'm sure!
Finally reorganized our living room, bedroom , and storage. The additional bookshelf in the living room helps organize my daughter's books, toys and art materials. My daughter is thrilled to have her own bed.
Finally joined Facebook (not sure if I'll regret this one!)
Watched the historic Obama presidential inauguration on TV.

Preschool milestone

2009-01-07T15:18:00.000-08:00

Like many milestones in Daisy's life and our life as parents, I like to document it and share it with people who might appreciate it. I'm sure the grandparents and aunts and some cousins might really like to know how Daisy's first day of school went. Having these events makes me recall how it was for me when I went to school for the first time.

Daisy is 3 years and 2 months old and is now in preschool for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week. This seem like a lot considering she was always taken care of by us, her parents. It is comical that the person feeling some anxiety was me and Daisy was excited and couldn't wait to go to her school. In fact, when we got into her school I had to quickly grab her to get a photo to remember this day before heading inside her classroom because she was still wearing her boots and coat.

Upon arrival Miss Lily, the assistant teacher tried to introduce herself to Daisy but Daisy was so focused on finding her teacher Miss Yvonne, she was calling out her name from outside knocking on the front door. She went to the washroom by herself accompanied by Miss Lily. While she was in the washroom, Jon and I had a chance to just look at each other and without words just smiled knowingly that this is a start of Daisy's long years of schooling. A milestone for her and for us. A brief moment in time which I will remember for a long time how it felt to let go of my little girl whom I have not been apart since she was born. As Daisy came back to where we were standing, we were already in conversation with Miss Yvonne, a very soft spoken gentle teacher. Coming from behind Miss Yvone, Daisy instinctively came around in front of her and hugged Miss Yvonne! That was unexpected and so sweet, I knew that Daisy will feel right at home in her new school. At the same time, I felt my heart skip half a beat knowing that this is one of the many times this will probably happen in our lives, that there will be other people other than us to influence our little girl. As Daisy said “Bye Mommy, bye Daddy”, without a glance back she's off! I glanced back thinking/hoping that maybe she'll look back just to see us one more time, but nothing like that happen. Daisy was already walking hand in hand with another little girl, as they started to explore the classroom.

Walking away from her school on a chilly and rainy day, I enjoyed holding hands (sadly which we haven't done a lot of since Daisy was born) with my husband Jon back home to enjoy a short time of uninterrupted quiet productive work at home. Without Daisy at home is very much welcomed especially if I have a lot of things to do but it starts to feel like something is amiss without my sweet little girl, it was just too quiet! Somehow I know that there will be many more times like this and that more changes in our lives are to come.

My Top 7 for December

2009-01-02T01:28:00.000-08:00

Christmas season usually brings out the practice of traditions passed on from generation to generation. But as time pass, I think it is inevitable that slight differences in these traditions eventually evolve into something different as time goes on. This season prompted me to think through what traditions we as a family we will keep and what new ones need to be introduced. The events this memorable December also influenced my top 7 reflecting on weather, family, friends, and situations.

Snow! and more snow!
Christmas baking
A less commercial gift giving ever!
Sending out e-christmas cards in addition to mailing it.
Creating new traditions. More time together, less buying.
Paper christmas tree.
Boxing day sales.

Christmas baking, a family tradition

2008-12-19T01:38:00.000-08:00

I always had fond memories of christmas baking when I was growing up. My mom used to take orders for all kinds of baked goods and the aroma of all that baking just makes it easier to bring me to a more Christmassy mood. This year is no exception especially now that my daughter is old enough to "help" and with this family activity. The baked goodies I chose this year have to do with convenience without sacrificing taste and presentation. Here are some pictures of the gingerbread men I decorated. I used Anna Olsen's gingerbread cookies recipe with a few adjustments and used a lemon icing recipe for the decoration. I made 2 batches of these tasty and not so sweet cookie to allow for many "tastings" from my family. I also tried my hand on making the Italian Panetonne using a small brown paper bag as a container. This calls for very little need to decorate it and a "greener" choice for packaging. I recall making this festive bread a number of years back and thought it it time to try it again. Now I remember why I don't do this every year. It takes a lot longer time than I would like to spend on just one item. On the other hand I made two kinds of refrigerator cookies (see my other post for pic on this) and Rice crispy square and it was almost instant gratification.

My two greatest fans (and taste testers) for my baking (and cooking) are my husband and 3 year old daughter. When my daughter says "Mmm, it's good Mommy." and my husband "Mmmmm..." with eyes closed and just savoring every morsel, very encouraging indeed!

My Top 5 for November

2008-12-16T00:17:00.000-08:00

November is typically a very gloomy month with not much sunshine and lots of rain. This time, at least for a week, the weather didn't seem all that bad, with a trip to sunny California.

1. Traveled solo with my daughter for a trip to California. But having to go through airport security with a sleeping toddler in a stroller, a mommy-bag, a heavy laptop bag was a tad challenging when I was told to wake her up to be checked! Aaargh!

2. California in November ... (I certainly welcomed the days when I felt the heat of the sun).

3. Registered my daughter to preschool. That's a milestone for me! My little girl is growing up!!!

4. Did my goals list for 2009.

5. Being away from hubby made our reunion at the airport, so sweet! AND thanks to my loving hubby, I came home to an impeccably clean home, with a new dining light fixture installed plus a lovely poinsetta plant to boot to start off the holiday decor at home. Wonderful!

Orange Cranberry and Deep Chocolate Refrigerator Cookies

2008-12-09T01:41:00.000-08:00

This year, I planned to steamline my christmas baking. After getting some ideas and searching the internet for a good and easy recipe for refrigerator cookies, ended up using a recipe from an old cookie cookbook as a base and changing the flavouring to whatever I have on hand. This time, instead of orange and walnut, I used orange and chopped dried cranberries. I think the little specks of orange zest and dried cranberries makes this crispy buttery cookie a very festive cookie. The chocolate version was done by adding 1/2 cup of Dutch pressed cocoa powder and adding a teaspoon of instant coffee to enhance the chocolate taste. Indeed, it is a delicious cookie that's not too sweet with a deep chocolate flavour that is not bitter. I'll work on how to package these crispy delights to give to friends.

Sunny contemplation

2008-12-09T01:00:00.000-08:00

October whized by and truthfully I have to look at my calendar to see what activities we did. With the busy summer months behind, it seems like there was a tug-of-war between being in business and being a mom. To my daughter's delight, mom duties prevailed. It is during these times that I reflect on why I wanted to work at home... to be able to spend time with my daughter during the day, go to the aquarium on a weekday, play dates and this time of year, planned a children's birthday party for my daughter's 3rd birthday. I made a special castle cake for my little princess and it all went well.

Going into November, it more of the same routine with some freelance work and taking my daughter to her creative movement class. I reflect on how quickly my concerns disappeared, about my daughter's uncooperative behaviour earlier in class to having a much improved, focused 3 yr old at the end of the session, dancing so expressively. I'm sure there will be many more instances like these in the future.

My contemplative mood carried on to the end of November even with a trip to sunny California. My daughter was a flower girl for a wedding and almost the entire trip was like a never ending play date! We stayed at my brother's where there were other kids staying there so, needless to say, it was exhausting! We did manage to see one of our play date friends who moved to California. I would really have to rethink any more trips with just me and my daughter. I brought my laptop on this trip and it was well worth lugging it through the airport, with a mommy bag, stroller and an active 3 year old in tow! During some quiet moments at night, I managed to write down my goals for 2009. I've kept a number of years of goals list and even just comparing my list from 2 years ago, wow, what a difference!

December is here and holiday season seem almost like an obstacle course I have to go through to get to the new year, a newer outlook in business, life, on our changing priorities, shifting gears to a different schedule now with Daisy going to preschool in January. Surely a lot to think about but this is exactly why I write my goals in November. This way, I hope I can be in the moment in December with the holidays, christmas baking, family and all the things and people who really matter. Happy holidays!

Cavernous Apple PIe

2008-10-04T22:23:00.000-07:00

My first homemade apple pie in ages. Honestly, the last time I remembered making an applie pie was in the year 2000, when I showed a co-worker how to make one. I recall getting compliments on my applie pie so I told my husband that I make great apple pie. So, the other evening, he came home from the store with a big bag of apples. The baking went well as my almost 3 year old daughter watched and tried to "help". I was so proud of my "mile high" apple pie as it came out of the oven and placed it on the kitchen counter to cool down a bit. Oh boy! what a disappointment when we finally cut the crust. I was in denial when I tapped the golden brown crust and it sounded hollow. Hmm, this doesn't sound good but it looked soooo good. My husband and I had a good laugh about the cavernous apple pie and still enjoyed the delicious pie. It was even better the following day.

Whew! What a September.

2008-10-04T21:52:00.000-07:00

October certainly came quietly compared with the hectic schedule in September. I finally completed my first trade show called Mom's Night Out on September 26. At last I showed to the public my daughter's artwork which consists mostly of watercolour painting and finger painting presented in a collage. This was the culmination of a lot of work, many late nights, and at the same time doing work for my clients.

Now it is time for regrouping and reflection. Doing this trade show really expedited my launch for Dressed Art but I'm so glad it happened the way it did. Now I have more insight about what or who are my other target market but more importantly an insight about myself. Often times it is really difficult to take myself out of my comfort zone but I also recall that it is often during those times that had helped me grow-my self confidence, my ideas, my world. Change is good. I feel a great sense of accomplishment and I'm hoping that will be enough for me to make the way to the next step.

My Top 5 in September (not necessarily in this order)

1. Launched www.dressed-art.com and first trade show

2. Showed Dressed Art collage to my family and to the public.

3. My daugther's first sleepover at my sister's.

4. Bus trip to Victoria with my hubby and daughter and visiting my brother and his family and seeing their new house.

5. Home made apple pie.

Macbook to the rescue!

2008-09-30T08:55:00.000-07:00

After my blog about my iMac Gr going to deep sleep, I purchased a Macbook the following day. It just makes good business sense to have a backup equipment. I knew I wanted a laptop and was planning to get one later this year but it just came a little earlier than planned. Deciding which Macbook I want was easier when I wasn't looking at the real thing at the store. Seeing all the Macbooks and Macbook Pro lined up really did not help make my decision-making any quicker. Thank goodness my practical sense kicked in and I got the white Macbook (mid level). It was just the right one for my needs currently. Here it is its unveiling, I am very happy with this purchase. My iMac is now back in good working order with a new power supply in place. I love the increased speed of the Macbook and having the newest OS for sure but I welcome the bigger screen of my iMac when doing my work.

A franken-iMac in deep sleep

2008-09-07T20:19:00.000-07:00

This past week has been quite challenging! My main computer, a 20" iMac G5 has gone to deep sleep. I thought I was immune to having this power supply problem since it was already replaced 6 months after I got it in 2004! After searching online and finding many other who had gone through the same problems I am dealing with now makes me feel not so alone. It doesn't make it any easier on the pocket though, since Apple only covers up to 3 years from original purchase date. I was hoping that Apple would have done more to take care of their clients.

On the business side, I am hoping that I have very understanding clients who can wait a week until we can get the part and install it. My husband has been so helpful and resourceful in this whole ordeal. He opened up the iMac and reset the button manually and propped up the backless iMac back on my workstation and had a small tabletop fan at high speed cooling the inefficient power supply. This helped for a couple of days until early this morning after I did my last back up and sent the files to my clients at past 2AM, my sleek looking machine powered down as I was typing the words "power down" in an email (never to be sent).

I have learned my lesson before to always backup files, now I'll have to add to that, a backup equipment, much like the spare tire in your car. It does not have to be a full sized tire but just enough that it can bail you out in a pinch. So today we looked at the Macbooks at the store with the help of my techno-savvy "Mac guy" and good friend Luis. I may be getting my laptop sooner than I planned for.

Business is open

2008-08-23T03:16:00.001-07:00

I thought I'll have a chance to take it easy after finishing my first big project with one of my clients but it seems like momentum is on my side. It took me a long time to finally finish my first RFP (request for proposal). Hopefully future RFPs will be a little bit easier to do. As a freelance graphic designer one might think I have the time to design my own business card, to the contrary, I have designed a number of business cards and other marketing material but not for my own business. There's something not quite right about that.

It's not all complains here, I am very appreciative of all this "business" (being busy). Two days ago I finally got a copy of the coupon book I worked on in July. I of course checked the ads I designed and my very own coupon for Dressed Art. I was thrilled to see my logo in print! Now its really sinking in that I have to get the website done, get samples done so I can approach partnering locations to display a couple of samples, design a postcard insert for the ... oh did I mention that I have an opportunity of being a vendor to the Mom's Night Out trade show!

Now I think I consider myself a business woman!

My first blog entry

2008-08-09T00:47:00.000-07:00

I've finally made it to the "blog world"! I took me a while but now I'm glad I did it. Another entry on my ever growing to do list, checked off. I just finished a big project for a client and I am now finally getting my web portfolio ready. Watch out for my new website called Dressed Art to be launched (hopefully) by the end of August.