It's hard to know what to write today, yet, I feel that I need to. I have been quiet a long time on personal matters because my ex-husband was suddenly reading everything I posted and making issues from it, so I had to stop... Then, with having an actual job, I no longer had time to write at the rate required to keep my books going, so that also stopped. This is some of the plan on how to turn my life around a little more - so that I'm aiming for my goals a little bit more... and what you can do to help me get there.
(Cedar Waxwing near Ashland, Wisconsin. Sep 2021.)
I've been working a lot since moving to Wisconsin last fall. I love this place - as I did in the 90s - though I still feel that we need to get into Michigan soon. Maybe the price of crypto will rebound again and I'll have enough to buy a small parcel of land where I want to live. That's the overall goal, really... has always been.
Having an actual job isn't a new thing, but the past 26 years has been spent raising children, not making money. And the answer when I moved to Wyoming was the right one then, but not the right one now. So, I quickly became employed once I had a temporary roof over our heads back in October.
I chose to work at a local supermarket - partly because I wanted to make sure I met lots of people in the community. And the one I started working for is excellent in many ways. However, as time went on, things started changing there - they began focusing more on expanding their empire rather than taking care of its original supermarket - the one that enabled everything they have been working for.
However, with an erratic schedule that is later and later every week (barely 48 hours elapse from its release and the start of the first shift on Sunday morning), I thought about cutting back my hours so I could spend more time at home with my girls. It was a difficult thing to consider because I need the money... but I need my girls... and they need me more than they need the money. But when they stopped listening to my scheduling requests, I put in my application with another local store... and got hired. (I start this week.)
So, three main goals for the future...
All of these require a way to earn (substantial) money that isn't a 9 to 5 job. That's not something Hive is going to provide for me - and certainly not reliably.
I spent a lot of time looking for ideas online. Most of them are not as great as the proponents would suggest (or I've already tried them.) But, a few things did stand out as possibilities. As such, I am actively working on two new projects which have three separate components... which, together, have great potential to generate a real income. (I only need $80 per day to be able to replace my new job.)
This one derived from people talking about some of the ways of generating income... sleep/relaxation videos. And yes, it's a somewhat saturated niche, but it's something I know I can do. I dove into studying how to make my own videos - both using free video/sound clips from various (legit) sites - and learning how to put them together on Shotcut to make a video that could take someone through the night. At first, I was doing 10-hour videos, but my computer was screaming in pain, so I've reduced them to 8-hours with some 5-hour meditation videos.
Here is a recent video that I have completed... based on a short clip that I took at Mondeaux Flowage near here...
Increasingly, I'm using my own video footage, but I'm not yet where I can generate my own music - I hope to make that work sometime soon - though it may have to wait for a keyboard.
I still have a lot to learn about manipulating videos, but it's a one-step-at-a-time process that I should have a little more time to play with in the coming weeks as my new hours will be longer, but give me more days off as well.
I would love it very much if you could visit and subscribe to my channel. "Likes" and views will help a lot too. Let me know what you like in my videos. Constructive criticism and guidance is welcome too if you are able to help me make it better. (I probably already know the weaknesses, but might not know how to fix them.)
Crossposted here on Hive, this is going to be my main project, a substantial blog site that aims to guide the modern domestic goddess. I have noticed over recent years that the younger generation has little idea of what came naturally to my grandmother. At first, I thought it was just my personal failing - then, I noticed that others (especially those younger than myself) have a lot of trouble picking up where our grandparents and great-grandparents left off. It's for my children and (eventual) grandchildren - but it's for everyone else too...
It will be a (slow) work-in-progress with plenty of affiliate marketing, so that hopefully, I can generate some income to help me in my stated goals.
Hopefully, if people like my blog, I'll be able to attract more lucrative merchants and maybe do some videos to support that project as well.
Please visit my Freya Domestica blog on WordPress and share it with others if you find the content relevant.
To support the modern domestic goddess, we have all kinds of artwork - from classical countryside-oriented art to funny/inspirational quotes to funny images I create myself. While RedBubble remains my focus, I might try Zazzle or CafePress again or even TeePublic. Last time I was on Zazzle and CafePress, their artists' tools were rather unwieldy and time-consuming... but maybe they've got better - or maybe I was doing it wrong... so, maybe... Meanwhile, RedBubble definitely works!
Here is one of my recent works:
(pieces from Pixabay and Public Domain Vectors - put together on GIMP.)
I plan to create a lot more cute pictures and dig up more historical artwork that needs to be resurrected... but it all takes time... something I don't have much of anymore.
Meanwhile, much needs to be done at home.
I'm still putting together my new household, on a tight budget... I have to remember to take things one step at a time - though I'm not good at being patient.
The list goes on...
Occasionally, I get a few minutes just to sit... but even then, I'm thinking about my next relaxation video...
This unnamed local pond where 
Photos and videos taken myself with my Nikon D7200. The other image was constructed myself with CC0 parts.
2021
Happy 2021 to Everyone! (New Year's Day)
June 6, 2021 - Fish, Farming and the Future - including feature photo of Paul R Tregurtha
July 25, 2021 - Heartache, Health and Healing
Aug 1, 2021 - Thunder, Traits and Travel
Aug 8, 2021 - Following Freedom and the Flexibility to Change
Aug 15, 2021 - Timing is Key
Aug 25, 2021 - Circles Within Circles
Aug 29, 2021 - Sunset and Changes
Aug 30, 2021 - Last Morning - Wondrous Wyoming
Sept 25, 2021 - Making Lemonade - also featuring Edgar B Speer
2020
Feb 2, 2020 - Flu Sucks!
Feb 9, 2020 - Planning 2020
Feb 16, 2020 - Skating and Eating and Writing, Oh My!
Feb 23, 2020 - Chicken Scratchings and Graphics
Mar 1, 2020 - Inspections R Us
Mar 8, 2020 - New Chicks
Mar 15, 2020 - Pandemic Hits Writing
Apr 5, 2020 - Fools in April?
Jun 14, 2020 - Of Gardens and Vibes
Oct 6, 2020 - Drawing the Line - When it is time to quit (Not Sunday)
Dec 15, 2020 - Winter, Writing and Winging It (Not Sunday)
Lori Svensen
author/designer at A'mara Books
photographer/graphic artist for Viking Visual
(Buy my work at RedBubble, TeePublic, PicFair and DeviantArt.)
verified author on Goodreads
(Buy my books at Books2Read and at LBRY)
find me on Twitter
