i hate rent

i hate renting. it sucks your money, you have nothing to show for it, it sucks your money and you have nothing to show for it! as of late i've been looking to buy a home so i can unleash my imagination which is prohibited by rent. of course that is next to impossible here in New York City. it is however possible for me to own back home just outside of Toronto. so i'm thinking...do i save money by staying in my cheap rental unit where i'm slightly stressed, but can own a home abroad which can be rented out to generate income OR do i move into a sweet artist space, pay double, have less stress but possibly miss out on buying my dream home? hopefully option number 3 will present itself :)
anyways i've been doing lots of research on what first time home buyers need to know. i have a few friends who have bought, flipped and sold homes however their profits weren't much. i also have family members who didn't do their homework and got screwed royally by shady tenants and/or contractors so i can safely say i've learned from their mistakes and continue to learn. oh yeah, i'm obsessed with HGTV. thanks Mike Holmes! the tentative plan: buying a 2+ bedroom detached 50's home and making it into a modern artist space that can be rented out to industry peeps (film crews, artists, or students). that way i have a constant (hopefully) source of income and within the next 5 years i can sell for a profit or move into when i'm ready to have a family.
the amazingness...i can make this all happen by April/May 2011.
i'm the live-for-the-moment type of gal. but living here in NYC has really changed my perspective especially on home owning. if my blog entry hasn't given you the buying bite, the-brick-house.com will. this frugal couple bought a home in foreclosure and did all the renos themselves.
before:

after:

before:

after:

before:

after:

i've been scouring MLS.com and have found these cutie beauties for under $80,000

i love that circular window! and if you wanted to stretch this bad boy out the ample lawn space accommodates that

then i googled mapped them to check out the area.

i love the cute character these homes have and the large windows. but i'm sure different homes will be on the market when i'm ready. window shopping, self inflected cruelty. oh my wandering mind!

when it rains...

...it pours! my life has been one crazy roller coaster! where to start...say hello to my little friend. her name, Ms. Jackie O can you believe her previous owner wanted to drop her off at the shelter? she's a jack russell/chihuahua, 6 months, and has some serious A.D.D. my friend called me to save her hyper behind and i couldn't say no especially when it comes to my furry friends
*update* since a reader wants to call me a "liar" let me clarify...*can you believe her previous owner took advantage of her friends and left this cutie pie behind. if you can't take care of a dog for the rest of their lives DON'T GET A DOG!

i finally started training at my J.O.B. i never thought i would be happy to have one but i am. i can't say where i'll be working since i signed a contract but i can say i will be a cocktail waitress at some swank lounge. my goal is to get my finances in check within 6-12months, make good contacts and go back to being a full-time freelance artist.

remember Maya's World? well i sent my voice demo to a few NY agents and against all odds got signed and have started auditioning in the voice world. too cool! my goal is to be a real life cartoon character but that doesn't seem to by the NY market. so far my auditions have been for commercial work but whatevs. i'd like to dominate this and make my way over to the cartoon world in LALA land :)

oh and i'm still grinding away at my script. i'm not writing per say but i am interviewing peeps from the 80's. so cool! actually today i did my first interview. very inspiring to hear personal stories. i was pulling from imagination which is good but now i have first hand accounts :) i'm planning 2 more interviews before i get back to my pen and paper with loaded amo.

i also met up with a very talented makeup artist today and we hit it off! i'm looking forward to getting back to my fashion photography roots. lots of ideas have been a brewing now if i could find me a stylist!

that's pretty much a good summary. i haven't been doing anything to my apartment. the hubby and i plan on moving shortly so my finances will be spent on furnishings and decor.

my life has been pretty much a hustle. i haven't had much time to make or do anything artsy fartsy. just building my contact/client list, setting up all my pieces so i can go in for the kill :)

by mid-august i should be back to my artsy self.

back on track

and it feels good. after weeks of struggling things in NYC are finally shaping up. i've discovered some amazingly talented makeup artists and still on the prowl for a great stylist. i'm back on my fashion photography which was put on hold with my multiple moves. but yes...life is really busy so i do apologize for my lack of blogging. follow me on twitter for more regular update. brb

take part

i finally watched the movie FOOD Inc. i know long enough. so then what? then you check out their amazing blog takepart.com and educate yourself on what's going on in the world outside of arts, entertainment & fashion. we can all make even little changes in our lives to save our earth. I especially like this blog entry. saving lives and the earth through frugal means.

finish what you start!

that happens to be the secret to success. simple, powerful and true.
lately i've been having a little mental war of good and evil going on. i'm actively pursuing all the things i love but am struggling with my thoughts (i know! thoughts suck!) sometimes i wish i had a one track mind. i'd definitely get to the finish line a whole lot quicker but my a$s decided long ago to take the scenic route. i guess i envy some of the people around me. so yeah, finish what you start if you want to cross that make-you-feel-oh-so-good line. thanks for listening. i needed to get that out of my darn head. back to researching :)

lomo film effect tutorial

i finally managed to upload this video tutorial onto youtube. enjoy :)

way back when

remember way back when when i said i was trying my hand at movie making? well it's still alive and breathing. now that i'm here in NY i've been steadily doing much needed research. i started writing the script but had to take a break when i realized i needed to know more about the topic at hand. it helps being here in the US since the movie tentatively takes place in Michigan. i'm turning back the hands of time and immersing myself in the classics and loving it all!