Make a new beginning {Inspiration}

Title: “New life, new beginning.”

This was such an easy photograph to create from. New life, new beginning. Simple as that. We may not be new to the world in the birth sense, but it is never to late to change your mind, change the way you see the world and make a new beginning.

Love Me ‘Til My Heart Stops Photographic Art

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This is an art piece I designed from a shot at the beach. It was inspired by a song that was playing on the radio while various thoughts ran through my head and my imagination ran wild. When’s the last time you let your imagination run wild? You should give it a whirl. It’s liberating.

Now available in my Etsy store: “love me ’til my heart stops”

"love me 'til my heart stops" Greeting Card

“I Miss You” Vintage Beach Photographic Art

Here’s a new version {below} of my “I Miss You” photographic art from the beach. I created this vintage version while packing up the beach house and moving back to the city.

The past two months have been filled with mixed feelings as we packed up and moved away from the beach. Although it was for necessary in order to to be in the city for Sophia’s Montessori education, it’s been a total change of lifestyle. There’s more square footage mind you, and we have a much more upgraded home. The large second story Florida room is inspiring and relaxing as it backs onto a preserve where we awake to birds chirping in the morning… but it’s definitely not the beach. It won’t be long though before Sophia starts attending her Montessori school and we get back into a routine. Routines are good. Always looking up and open to happiness and change!

 

Now available in my etsy store: “I Miss You”

"I Miss You" {vintage version} Greeting Card"I Miss You" {color version} Greeting Card

A Little Visual Optimism

Is there anyone who can’t use a little visual optimism on a Friday morning?!

Here’s a pocketful of happiness to make your day cheerful and stir up some pleasant thoughts!

Please click on each photograph to view on Flickr. The artists/photographers here have more beautiful pieces to show.

Glory of Spring

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.  The next best time is now. – Chinese Proverb

Optimism

One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn’ t pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself.
- Lucille Ball

Art: aquarelle: ...coquelicot: ... poète des champs et des prés...

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence. – Helen Keller [Read more...]

Barter & Trade Plans

Matted photographic art. Title: “Icy Blue Eyes” by Terry-Anne, Kokabella Creations

I’ve spent the last two weeks experimenting with barter and trade. I’ve had so many boxes delivered full of various items from artists and individuals all over the United States.

Why am I doing this? I am hoping to learn more about what’s most popular from my greeting card line and art. I’m currently working on the ins and outs of offering my products in a barter and trade system. I’m currently working out the details so staaaaay tuned!

See you all very soon :-)


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“Posh” Photographic Art

As you all know, I looooove taking a photograph and turning into something other than “a plain photograph!” I took a picture of these sexy pink and brown animal print shoes and added a dash of artsy texturizing to create a canvas-style piece of art. Then I added “Posh” and their contact info just for kicks. I’m ever so thankful for this geeky little piece of “wild imagination” that I was born with! :-)

This was my chosen art piece for the Creative Everyday 2012 Challenge. For the Mail Art 365 project, I think I’ll mail it off to a few countries!

P.S. Are these not the coolest colors?! This would be a great ad for a magazine. Talk about “pop!” It would certainly stand out!

Fonts can’t be copyrighted?

I recently read about typeface copyright law in The Public Domain: How to Find & Use Copyright-Free Writings, Music, Art & More that just came out on bookshelves in May 2010. (It’s a must-read for anyone interested in copyright laws). Until now, I had no idea that fonts themselves could not be copyrighted. Or can they? The programs used to make fonts is where the copyright law seems to kick in. Confusing, I know.

Regardless, I highly recommend doing your due diligence and follow the font creator’s wishes on usage. I use three sites for finding commercial use fonts but still read the licensing before them:

FontSquirrel.com Free commercial use fonts (check individual font license info to be 100% sure).

KevinandAmanda.com Free commercial use fonts in exchange for a link or donation.

Kimberly Geswein Fonts A five dollar donation for unlimited commercial use.

I have spent the last few days trying to understand if fonts are, in fact, protected by copyright law. I am still unclear. Designers spend the time to make them so why wouldn’t they be protected? Font design websites say they are and font copyright websites say they aren’t. Hopefully you can make better sense of it all than I can at this point. Feel free to post your comments below. (Spammers, don’t bother. I moderate and trash your comments!).

The following was posted with permission from the author, Richard Kinch. It is quite old but has a great deal of information.

Full article: Why Fonts Cannot Be Copyrighted

From the Federal Register, Vol 53, No 189, Thursday, September 29, 1988.

Copyright Office (Docket No. 86-4)

Policy Decision on the Copyrightability of Digitized Typefaces.

Agency: Copyright Office, Library of Congress.

Action: Notice of policy decision.

SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is to inform the public that the Copyright Office has decided that digitized representations of typeface designs are not registrable under the Copyright Act because they do not constitute original works of authorship. The digitized representations of typefaces are neither original computer programs (as defined in 17 USC 101), nor original databases, nor any other original work of authorship. Registration will be made for original computer programs written to control the generic digitization process, but registration will not be made for the data that merely represents an electronic depiction of a particular typeface or individual letterforms. If this master computer program includes data that fixes or depicts a particular typeface, typefont, or letterform, the registration application must disclaim copyright in that uncopyrightable data.

EFFECTIVE DATE: September 28, 1988.

Excerpts from the full text:

…Variations of typographic ornamentation [or] “mere lettering” are not copyrightable…. “It is patent that typeface is an industrial design in which the design cannot exist independently and separately as a work of art.” [Eltra Corp v. Ringer, 579 F.2d 294 (4th Cir. 1978)].

The decision in Eltra Corp. v. Ringer clearly comports with the intention of the Congress. Whether typeface designs should be protected by copyright was considered and specifically rejected by Congress in passing the Copyright Act of 1978.

…Before the advent of digitized typeface technology, arguments were made that, in creating new typeface designs, artists expended thousands of hours of effort in preparing by hand the drawings of letters and characters that ultimately would lead to the creation of an original type face design. After several years of consideration and a public hearing, the Copyright Office found that this effort did not result in a work of authorship.

… There are fewer authorship choices involved in transforming an existing analog typeface to an electronic font than in using the digitization process to create a new typeface design. Yet clearly the typeface design and the process of creating it are uncopyrightable whether the process is digital or analog.

… Typeface users … in accordance with a congressional decision not to protect typefaces, are entitled to copy this uncopyrightable subject matter. … The congressional decision … reflects a concern about inappropriate protection of the vehicles for reproducing the printed word.

Links to more information

From Birdhouse to Photographic Art Print

In my world, anything can be photographed! I bought this little birdhouse way back in July of 2010 in a thrift store in Austin, Texas. One of the crafty little centers from one of the flowers is missing and it’s pretty scuffed up. That’s all the charm of it! I photographed it and then cleaned it up in Photoshop before blending and coloring like a maniac… more like an addict because I could not stop creating all these different variations I’ve posted below!

Now available in my Etsy Store: “Flowers of Achievement”

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