My sister Elizabeth just left my house in Texas to go back to her home in Brooklyn, New York.  She stayed for 8 days during the Thanksgiving holidaze and it was just what sisters needed- an estrofest, to say the least.  Now she is back to the NYC grind, and needless to say- I don't know how she does it.  I was born in New York, but never lived and worked in the city- which used to be my dream.  She works for a brilliant company called Ceros, and works her tail off from dawn to dusk.  I just booked another trip to visit her in May and will be reminded of the beautiful chaos she lives in daily...I can't wait.  I sit in at least 3 hours of Houston traffic daily, but it's nothing like "that New York Life Though."

I took these photos visiting my sister Elizabeth and Nick in Brooklyn...and so began our subway adventures.

1. Make a list- check it thrice...
Stick to the list people, I repeat- stick to the list.  This is where we all get flustered, confused and overwhelmed, don't be a victim.

2. Find out who's naughty or nice...
Do you really need to get everyone a gift, or will a sweet card do?  If someone in your life fell onto the naughty list (not in the good way) then don't waste your time or money.  You can't please everyone, so stop trying too.

3. Do not go on Pinterest...
You will rearrange your house a million times and then change it back to the way it was.  Yes, they have amazing ideas and yes they suck you in- but damn it woman, you can't do it all without needing a brigade of OCD maids and fabulous gay men in your corner (which some of you just might have, but sadly I do not).

4. Do go on Society6 & Redbubble- they also support artists, and you can actually buy unique gifts for everyone on your LIST this year.

5. If you must go out on Black Friday remember...
Everyone else shopping is also crazy like you, sorry- but it's the truth.  So when you start complaining about how "insane" it is, and "what is wrong with these people", you are no different.  Savage, just saying.

6. Your kids do not need the crap you will buy for them...
They didn't last year, they won't this year and they won't next year.  But you will still buy it for them because it's more for them to open...I get it, I do it too :)

7. Relax.
Take the time to actually appreciate what you have instead of buying what you don't.  If you have one person that loves you, you have everything you need already.

Good luck out there people,
Melissa Showers

Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be an artist and a fashion designer.  I cut my Barbie's clothes, drew on them, and had her strut down the runway I made out of my mom's shoe-boxes.  I continued drawing fashion designs and creating art from 3 years old to my present age of 36.  I grew up reading fashion magazines, gawking over the clothes from Versace to Gucci- daydreaming of a life of look-books and idea boards.  Now I am entering the phase in my life of, "shit- I better put my art out there and get things rolling"...you know that phase, right?  Upon this journey I have stumbled across two platforms that support artists and are just what I needed to get going.  The one I am referring to in this blog is RedBubble.  I feel it is more of a fashion driven design site, and I am loving what it has to offer so far.  In a way, it is making my dreams come true by allowing the artist to design for fashion products.  From A-Line dresses, leggings, mini-skirts and chiffon blouses- you can see your work come to life in a way maybe you never have before.  The lovely model in the photo (sadly, I do not know her name) is sporting a few of my designs and she is rocking them.  Click the link on this blog to check out my page and RedBubble itself, it just may be what you are looking for to multi-task your talents.

Melissa Showers

You may be feeling like the self portrait above right now...but don't fret, this too shall pass- hopefully.  I wrote a very positive blog yesterday, when I was feeling positive about Trump not winning.  I had to reread that blog a few times to remind myself, time to move forward- not backward.  It is what it is, and I will try to be optimistic and realistic as best as I can.  Last night, when I felt my throat closing as I realized the outcome of the 2016 election I remembered one thing my mom always told me, "this too shall pass".  And what I mean by that is that nothing is forever.  Change is indefinite, but it hasn't felt that way in this economy in awhile.  "Washington is broken", "trade is a disaster", etc...we hear all these phrases over and over and we all are desperate for a change.  Take a deep breath and pray that this "change" with our new president will be for the better.

​Melissa Showers

Today is election day, in case you didn't know.  I don't enjoy discussing politics- but I do enjoy the passion people feel and the fact that it can be liberating.  The two candidates have been in the media spotlight to the point of no return in my opinion.  As I watched the SNL parody of these running mates last night I laughed until I cried, which made me so very happy and sad at the same time for this country.  I can appreciate the clever writing, the actors portraying some incredible talent as they mocked these candidates and the hard work put into the show.  I also, don't appreciate all of those things at the same time, because I have empathy for both- no matter how seemingly "horrible" they possible are.  I have thought about not voting, and then who I would vote for if I did as many of us have.  I will go to the polls and think hard before I check the box, as I know many will- but this is the first election where I have paused to vote at all.  This country is already great, I see that and my wish is that it continues to get better no matter who is our next president.

​Melissa Showers

One may ask themselves...is this possible?  I know I have, many, many times.  I now have some more insight on this artist inner conflict and a few reminders for myself and anyone else getting started on this journey of self-awareness and ethical enlightening.

1.  Trending / Staying Current.
You may think it's your original idea...but trust me it has been done before or it will be.  That being said, if you want someone to be interested, you have to do it that much better than anyone else.  That's what trends are for, and why they work in moving your works.  Some call that "selling out", I call it market research.

2.  Research the Competition.
Between social media, press, galleries, shops, blogs, etc. you will find a plethora of artists just like you and me. All we want to do is design, breathe and create.  Guess what?  If you want to sell your art and make a presence, it's so much more than that to get started.  You need solid branding, a strong logo, a fresh website, killer social media presence and then you can begin the search for shops online that suit your art product needs.  Why all that first?  So you can create a following.  I always check out the latest artists on Society 6 (where I sell my art), Juxtapoze, Beautiful Bizarre & Hi-Fructose art magazines, Facebook art pages, Instagram art pages, etc. to see what's out there.  Keeping up with the Jones's is a lot of work, but I'm always amazed at the talent out there and truly inspired along the way.

3.  Blog your Brains Out.
I am still working on this one- as this is only my 3rd website blog post, but it's all the advice I see out there.  I like to keep it real simple, and trust that when research is proven over time- you need to give it time.  So I will be patient, and keep pushing forward and know that "starving artists" definitely originated from some truths, but thankfully I am full and don't plan on "selling out" to stay that way.

Melissa Showers