Tiff’s Tips: Do Not Be Afraid To Change

by tiffanyTiff's TipsPosted on No Comments
Do Not Be Afraid To Change

Some say that, the one constant thing in life is change. That is true. Change is chosen or forced on you, either way it will happen. Life is full of fresh adventures and pivots in your plans. Adjust to these redirections. You can either resist and fear the change or accept the new normal and adjust to it. If you resist and fear the change, that may cause more issues though. Not accepting the different way of life can stunt your creative or your general growth. You should not fear change, but embrace it and adjust to the new chapter in your life or creative career. Most changes are a new chapter in your story. They can be you turning down an alternative path on your life’s journey.

This tip goes along with another one; Try different things. Do not be afraid to allow life’s changes to move your creativity into another direction. When you embrace the changes, instead of fighting or fearing them you can grow from them.

Yes, it will be hard. It’s difficult to adjust to adjusting. There will be times when you need to focus on transitioning into this new chapter of your life, whether it is an enormous change or a small one. Transitioning into the new normal will be even harder if you resist or fear it though.

It is easier, in the long run, to go with the flow so to say or at least accepting the needed change. You’ll also save emotional energy when you don’t fear or resist the change. When you allow the changes to happen, you can even learn from the events that brought on the changes into your life or creative career.

Want More?

This is part of Tiff’s Tips a blog series. I have also done a goal setting video series on YouTube.

Jesus Freaks: Revolutionaries The Great Book I’m Reading

by tiffanyLife, other updatesPosted on No Comments
Jesus Freaks: Revolutionaries book review.

I love to read and figured I would share a book I’m currently reading. It’s Jesus Freaks: Revolutionaries by DC Talk. It’s a bunch of true short stories about Christians who led or helped revolutionize the Christian faith. They are great stories of men and women who were bold for God and changed the world because of it. I’ve been taking my time reading it, but so far it is great.

Want More?

If you would like to keep more up to date with what I am doing I am on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. You can also read about my life in my series God Shows Up or in the category “Life.”

Egg (A Poem)

by tiffanyPoetryPosted on No Comments
Egg (A Poem) image
I'm boiled and bruised
Just like you.
No longer liquid inside
Life has cooked me,
There was no place to hide.
I was heated on all sides,
Break down my walls,
my outer self.
I'm ready to be consumed.
Let my life nurish your body.

Egg is a short poem that relates me to a hard-boiled egg. It is meant to be both fun and moving. I enjoyed writing it, so I hope you enjoy reading it.

Want More

If you would like to read more of my poetry please take a look at my portfolio. You can also watch a few of my poetry readings.

Tara’s Flowers Painting: A Proud Commissioned Art Piece

by tiffanyVisual artPosted on No Comments
Tara's Flower commision visual artwork

In May, one of my sisters commissioned me to a piece for her. Since it was close to her birthday and she was moving into her new place, I wanted to give it to her as a gift for those two events. I am thankful that I could ‘Tara’s Flowers’ painting to her.

Her favorite flower is the sunflower. She has a sunflower quilt and tattoos of sunflowers. Her request was that I do a dark gray background with sunflowers. She then gave me full rein on how to paint it.

I used what I knew of her new home for the background. She had dark hardwood floors, so I went for a slightly wooden feel for the background. I then had fun with the flowers themselves. It was a bit of a process to figure out how to make the flowers. I wanted them to look right, but I rarely paint flowers. As I worked on it, I realized I really enjoy painting flowers and creating depth.

The more I worked on the painting, the more I loved it and impressed myself with how it came out. The end product surprised me and love that most of the paint I used was metallic. The metallic caused issues when photographing the piece, but that’s the only drawback.

Because of this painting I will do more flower paintings and I could give my sister a wonderful gift.

Technical Breakdown:

Title: Tara’s Flowers

Medium: acrylic on canvas

Size: 11 inch by 14 inch 

Date: June 10, 2020

Want More?

On YouTube I do have a playlist dedicated to my paintings. I also have a section on this site where I share my visual arts portfolio along with my painting portfolio.

Come Easy (A Poem)

by tiffanyPoetryPosted on No Comments
Come Easy (a poome)
Come easy please
with no pain or alarm.
Be at peace when you come,
a hopeful meoldy
one filled with joy.
Come to me easy please
with no struggle or strife.
Calmly enter
and be with me.
It's all I want
all I desire.
Come easy please.

Come Easy is a poem about how I would like things to come easy to me. This can relate to both successes in my art business and love life.

Want More?

If you would like to read more of my poetry please take a look at my portfolio. You can also watch a few of my poetry readings.

Tiff’s Tips: Have Creative Friends

by tiffanyTiff's Tips, UncategorizedPosted on No Comments
Have Creative Friends Tiff's Tips image

The creative life can be hard and lonely. You will get stuck on ideas and take criticism for your work. This life will be hard, which is why having friends that are creative and a creative community is so important. They’ll be able to lift you up or get you unstuck. They’ll show you you’re not in it alone. There are other artists and creatives in the world going through similar stuff in their lives.

Yes, you will work alone if you are a painter, writer, or sculptor. You must practice alone if you are a musician or actor. There will be alone time while you create. Your creative friends will show you that others are doing the same thing. Everyone will get stuck or come up against an unfamiliar obstacle. That is part of growing and improving. All artists and creatives will have to deal with criticism for their work. Also, every creative person can improve with the help of others.

It may take time to cultivate a friendship that focuses on mutual creative trust and a feedback cycle. It is worth the work. You can find these opportunities in already established groups or events. There may take time and work to find the right fit, but you’ll be able to grow in your creativity when you do.

You will learn a lot from others and they will learn from you. You will improve your art with their help and they’ll improve with your help. These types of relationships should be beneficial to all parties.

Want More?

This is part of Tiff’s Tips a blog series. I have also done a goal setting video series on YouTube.

Tal's Tales series logo start

Tal’s Tales #1: The Unusual Stranger In A Town Of Dust

by tiffanyShort Stories Portfolio, Tal's TalesPosted on No Comments
Focus: Scenery and location.
The Unusual Stranger In A Town Of Dust

Dust and dry dirt covered the wide main road in this little town that was forgotten as the 2 suns met high in the sky. They caused the delicate vegetation to wither away and fragile creatures to seek shelter. In a few weeks, life would flourish. Soon this little town would be full of color and life from the now withered vegetation and fragile creatures. For now, it was only gray, beige, and unbearably hot. Until the suns passed each other, this town would remain lifeless.

Not even rain clouds would venture out of wherever they hid. The only storms that showed themselves were windstorms. These storms caused the dust and dirt to dance around the buildings with the passion and violence of an angry lover scorned.

A well-dressed stranger arrived in a bright blue metallic carriage powered by the latest travel technology, while the 2 suns still fought for the sky. He wore a rich violet suit with a lush emerald shirt. This unusual stranger was accompanied by an even more unique figure who was tinted silver. The silver one tried to cover as much as he could as he got out of the carriage. He carried a bag filled with medical and mechanical tools, while the well-dressed stranger carried nothing.

As they walked into the saloon, the doors swung closed. The wind welcomed them to town by dancing around the main road, causing the once clean and fancy vehicle to match its surroundings.

The stranger saw this through the dust crusted windows and tighten his jaw. His mouth nearly disappeared and his eyebrows furrowed. The dirt covering his carriage would not suit him at all.

He looked around at the saloon and it matched the rest of the town. It was gray, dirty, and lifeless, except for the barkeep that blended into the bar he was sitting at. “You’re either a week late or 3 weeks early.” He said not getting up from his stool.

Want More

All of the stories in this series can be found in the Tal’s Tales section of this site. I also post snippets on my Instagram account and Facebook page.

Tal's Tales series logo start

Tal’s Tales: A Fun New Project Starting

by tiffanyTal's TalesPosted on No Comments

If you watch my update videos, you will know my writing direction is shifting. I am moving away from articles and blogs. Instead, I will write more stories and poetry. As part of this change in direction, I have started a short story series called Tal’s Tales. The stories will be part of a larger story and use the same characters. However, each story will also be enjoyable as a standalone story. Each installment will focus on a different storytelling or writing aspect.

The major reason I’m writing this series is to improve my writing, so it is more engaging. A secondary benefit is that I hope to reach more of my target audience and show my fiction writing skills.

I’m starting with 30 story focuses. A few of the focus notes will be difficult to pull off, but being challenged is the best way to grow. I am excited to share this series with you and see where it goes.

Why am I telling you all this?

I am finishing up the article series Tiff’s Tips and have put my other series Love Nerd on the back-burner. I may post a few more articles here and there, but my writing focus will be on Tal’s Tales and my other project Royal Memories. Since this will be a shift for the site, creating a post about it seemed appropriate.

What are Tal’s Tales about?

Tal’s Tales is about a group of characters who travel the universe in a living spaceship. Each character is a different species. The overarching focus is how they interact with each other in different situations. It will feel like a wacky sitcom at points and will be a fun read.

Please, give any and all feedback. This is for me to grow as an author, so I welcome all feedback.

Sub-letter #30 To love excerpt

Sub-Letter #30 (To Love Excerpt)

by tiffanyTo Love UpdatesPosted on No Comments

Sub-Letter #30 is the last excerpt from To Love. All the excerpts of To Love can be found on the To Love section of my site. You can purchase the book on Amazon.

Please know that the headers are placed for blog readability and highlighting certain parts. They do not appear in the book.

Sub-Letter #30

Dear Dearie,

It has been about 2 weeks since I wrote about online dating. It feels like it was longer. Perhaps it was longer. I didn’t mark down the exact date that I signed up. It doesn’t matter, because I stopped.

Online dating felt like work and more than I wanted to do. My brain related it to searching for a job or a house. It differed from a job or house search tough. Instead of sending a couple emails, then going to an interview that is scheduled days in advance, I found that there should be at least one message a day. Sometimes the guy attempted to schedule them on the same day. That method brought out anxiety and fear for me.

I need to prepare and free up time. I can’t change my plans easily in my mind, so can’t drop everything to meet a stranger at a coffeehouse on the same day of being asked.

Still, although I did not like online dating, I learned from it.

The first thing I learned is obvious. Online dating is not like You Got Mail. It is not romantic or fun for me.

I am sure it is great for others. There are success stories. It is just not for me, at least not for me right now.

Also, I learned that even though I want to find you and start that part of my life, I can wait. I would rather wait with high standards than lower or change them and marry someone now.

What I need

There is no rush, I do not need you right now. What I need is the right you. I am okay with being single. This chick is awesome and a hoot to be around. I can entertain myself and make decisions on my own. Plus, my friends can give me advice and support. My point in saying all of this is that I appreciate that I am loved and I love myself. One day, you will love me and love you. I can have patience and wait for that day.

After I stopped looking for you on the dating app, I thought about how I want to describe you when I am certain you are you. How I would know you are you? In my mind, I was being interviewed. I made it into a daydream that took place after we met and everyone was aware we were in love.

In this daydream, you are the interviewer.

I guess you don’t really need to be an interviewer in this daydream, but that is how this daydream goes. We are both successes and we are doing an interview together, where you are interviewing me. You ask how I knew you were the one for me.

I answer with, “You are the only one for me because you are not perfect, but you are perfect for me. Just like every other human, you are broken and flawed. Your broken pieces do not match mine, just like your flaws are not mine. Instead, your flaws and brokenness complement mine and my flaws and brokenness complement yours. It is like a complicated puzzle. Your flaws either challenge me or are like a puzzle piece that my flaws interlock with and strengthen us together.”

Our life together will not be a “happily ever after” type of life. Yet, we will support each other, push each other, learn from and with each other. Most important, we will journey down the path of life together. We will go through hard times on that journey, but we will also enjoy great times.

The start of our journey together excites me. I look forward to working on our wedding vows and vowing them in front of family and friends when they are done. I can’t wait to find out how your flaws interlock with mine and learn how you will help me grow.

As I write this sub-letter, you are 100% percent real to me. There is no doubt and no fear in my mind. I am enthralled because I get to meet you and love you one day. Finding out who you are overwhelms me with excitement.

Okay, enough about that for now. I don’t want to fly away, and I may with all these happy thoughts. I have another poem to share.

Want More?

To Love is sold on Amazon and if you would like to read more excerpts you can go the To Love Updates section of this site. Also, I created some fun promotional videos on Youtube.