Art: It's the Best Thing

So by now most of you have seen the shop that I opened on Society6, and if you follow me on Instagram, you've seen the daily drawing challenges I'm participating in. Pushing myself to get back into regularly creating art is one of the best things I've done lately.

 
Art has been a big part of my life since I can remember. I grew up drawing, painting, sculpting, taking pictures, and writing. I had a legacy of artists who went before me, including my grandfathers and my parents. I was surrounded by inspiration, and encouraged to pursue different artistic projects.

In high school I took pottery classes, art, textiles, and different writing classes that further fueled my love for creativity. I never thought of myself as a great artist, just a kid living life through a creative lens.

Sometime after college I slowly stopped doing a lot of the art that I loved. I began to forget what it felt like to make something, to enjoy the process of creating, to share my work with my family and friends. I think I lost the ability to appreciate the little things, to see the details and capture them.

Then last month I heard about this thing called #DoodleADayMay and thought it sounded like a fun project. Each day there was a different one-word prompt, what you did with it was entirely up to you. Forcing myself to make a new art piece each day quickly reminded me of why I used to love art so much.

It sounds strange to say, but I feel more like myself now. The little girl who loved to draw ponies and rainbows and live life in stories is back. I'm excited for each day, excited for the prospect of making something, of challenging myself, of imagining. When I'm not creating, I'm thinking of new ideas, wondering what I will draw next. And my art supplies are never very far away.

I'm thankful that God gives us things, shards of who He is, to use in this life. I know God is a master artist, a creative Being. His designs are before us every day; the veins in a leaf, the colors in a galaxy, the beauty of the human body. He took joy in everything He created, calling it good, and we, human beings, were the best. We are small representations of His image, and we get to share in aspects of who He is. I'm thankful that I get to make small shadows of the things He has created.

I'm also so thankful for the support I've received from all of you! I've already sold some items from my shop, and I've been getting such kind feedback on my artwork. It means a lot to have your support and encouragement!

You can always find my latest creations on Instagram and Tumblr, and find my shop designs organized newest to oldest here. If you like what you see, please share my shop with anyone else who may be interested! Also, there is FREE worldwide shipping going on through June 7!

Grand Opening: ELM Creative Shop + Sale

I am so excited to announce the GRAND OPENING of my shop on art-hosting site Society6! And what better way to celebrate than with a sale?! Get free shipping + 20% off all apparel, tote bags, phone cases, and mugs!

This shop has helped to fuel my creativity as I have been working hard to fill it with new designs and art pieces. I launched it with a soft opening several months ago, but wanted to add more of my original work before the grand opening. Now I have not only my photography for sale, but also some of my painting and lettering designs!

Please come check out what I currently have to offer! Also, if you sign up for my ELM Creative email updates, you will be the first to know about new designs and sales! (Updates are only periodic and definitely NOT spammy, I promise!)

I'm so thankful for the support and encouragement I have already received. I've always wanted to have a shop of my own and now I get to! My goal is to create unique designs and also meet the requests of my shoppers. So, if you have a particular design you would like to see, let me know! The sky's the limit!

>> Shop at ELM Creative now! <<

Snapshot of My Life

Oh hey, almost-over month of April. I'm sorry I haven't been around as much. Life has gotten... sort of busy, mostly to the extent that I haven't been able to sit and just write. Sometimes I feel like I shouldn't write here unless I have something really great to share. But let's be real, who regularly has something really great to share, say once a week? Sometimes you just need to write about regular old life.

Nick and me at church on Easter Sunday.

My April has looked something like this...

My hours at work have been picking up. Sometimes this is a mixed blessing. More money is always good, but more nights/weekends spent away from Nick, not so good. I enjoy most things about my job, my coworkers, our clients, the cute clothes, the constant activity, the discount. But I struggle to focus on the good when the schedule reads that I'll be sitting at home while Nick's at work, then going to work when he's at home. (Hate that.)

I got to thinking the other day that the childhood me would be in love with my job, especially the part that involves using the register to ring up purchases. I always loved things like cash registers and adding machines as a kid. Something about pushing the buttons was like crack to my kid brain. One of the best gifts I got as a kid was a decommissioned adding machine. Boy was that the coolest thing ever. I could push buttons and pretend to run a shop to my heart's content. So the childhood me has a little party in the back corner of my brain every time I start a transaction.

The start of April also brought back the Whole30 into our house, or I should say, a modified Whole30. We decided not to be quite as strict this time, allowing things like beans, a little corn, some peanuts, and possibly some chocolate. But otherwise, no dairy, no grains/breads, no sweets, and definitely no soft drinks (though I had cut those out months ago). The biggest hurdle for me is the no grains rule. I love me some bread. Bagels, toast, rolls, crackers, homemade biscuits... mmm mmm! But because I love bread so much, I know I lack the self control to moderate my intake. Most nights when I would get off work, on my drive home I'd start thinking about food and all I'd want to make was cinnamon and sugar toast, slathered in butter. Bad news.

The good news is, I've already been achieving some weight loss, thanks to the diet and my very active job. I realized that it's mostly the job contributing to the weight loss because how else would I be able to walk for four to six hours a day with a desk job? Add to that less crap in my system and I've already been feeling healthier, happier, and slimmer. One of my coworkers noticed the other day, which prompted me to pull out the Wii and weigh myself. Back in January I had set a weight loss goal for myself and last week when I stepped on the Wii Fit board, I was happy to discover that I had met the goal. (A little late, but met nonetheless.) I set a new goal and plan to keep up with this modified Whole30 diet.

On the family side of things, April brought Nick's and my nine month anniversary! (I think that's the one where you say "Happy nine months!" and throw confetti.) Being married has been awesome. It really just feels like hanging out with my best friend and tackling life's challenges together. Some days bring difficult circumstances while other days bring nothing at all, but we always enjoy doing whatever it is together. The main project we're tackling currently is clearing the last few moving boxes out of the spare bedroom so it actually looks like a bedroom and not a storage closet. In the process we've been unearthing some interesting things (mostly my things), like notes from friends in college and old art projects. It's kind of like an archaeological dig into my past.

Also, we had my family over for Easter, which was really fun. We started off by exchanging Easter presents (my mom was so thoughtful and gave us non-edible gifts since we're avoiding sugar), then we had an Easter egg hunt around the condo. I had hidden all the eggs, so I had the pleasure of watching everyone scramble (ha!) around to find the most. I think hiding eggs can almost be as much fun as searching for them. After that, we sat down to a late lunch of ham steaks, potatoes and rolls for those non-Whole30ers, cauliflower puree, green beans, and apple sauce. Nick did most of the cooking, and everything was delicious. We talked for a while, then took a walk down to our local cupcakery (again, for the benefit of those not on a diet). We finished the day with a movie before my parents and brother headed back home.

Besides all that, life has been pretty normal. I'm still working on building up my freelance portfolio, ELM Creative, by writing guest blog posts and book reviews, and doing the occasional blog re-design. I haven't been aggressively pursuing opportunities just yet because I'm enjoying where I'm at currently and I want to build up a collection of work samples first. I love that it gives me a creative outlet and place to start up new projects and partnerships.

I hope that you're having a fantastic April and start to this lovely spring we've been so ready for! :)

When Life Throws You Curve Balls

I say, when life throws you curve balls, get out your mitt and practice catching. It's time to learn a new skill.

I don't think I ever thought of myself as a career girl, but I've always loved writing. I assumed for a long time that it was all I'd be doing. From my earliest days scribbling stories about ponies to posting work on Fiction Press, from writing for a start up youth magazine in high school to studying writing in college, I assumed the trail I was blazing for myself would continue. But in the back of my mind I always thought about all the other things I wanted to try.

I liked majoring in Print Media, it gave me a chance to try graphic design, photography, and public relations. I started liking this concept of juggling multiple tasks and not just writing. Writing would always be my first love, but my "jack of all trades" personality kept drawing me to new and different things.

I never was involved in organized sports as a child, that is until I was 12 and had the chance to join my school's basketball team. Then I discovered that along with a love for reading and writing, there was also a love for sports. I sort of knew it was there all along since I grew up watching [and acting out epic scenes from] "Hoosiers," which was my favorite movie after "The Black Stallion," and since I saved up money to buy my own hoop to play on with friends.

Over time I developed a love for things like art [drawing, painting, crafting, and scrapbooking], photography, doing hair and makeup [my own and my friends'], singing, acting, blogging, and general DIY projects. Anything I could do myself, I would. And I still do.

In college my love for basketball [and various other sports] continued to grow when I played on the team freshman year. After that I had to quit so I could get a job to pay for school, but what better place to work than the gym? I could still be in the sports culture, even if I wasn't playing. So I signed up to run the score board or shot clock during games and worked at the front desk on the other days.

After college I actually got into my "career field" relatively quickly after getting hired as a reporter at a small town newspaper. It wasn't my ideal writing job, but I was happy to be doing what I loved. I worked there for several years combined, moving from a reporter to a digital editor, another opportunity to try something new. And this position wasn't one that college really prepared me for [past the writing and the editing], as I picked up many of the skills on my own from using social networking sites and sitting through webinars.

Along the way I've also worked in healthcare, food service, a factory, a church, and a distribution center. Not always because I wanted to, but because sometimes I had to catch a curve and do something different. And now I'm doing something totally new: working in retail, which I actually really like. It's bringing together all the things I love about clothes and fashion [an interest I developed after college] and helping women build their self-esteem through the shopping experience.

At each job I've had, I've learned something about work and humanity. I've picked up new skills and new perspectives on life and the workforce. Would I like to be a "career girl"? Sure, some days it sounds divine. But at the same time, I wouldn't trade these experiences for anything. I've gotten to do what I've always wanted: different things, some totally outside my comfort zone. And I've built for myself a resume of time and experiences, of opportunities and connections, that I wouldn't change one bit.

Halloween: 15 Ways to Use Leftover Candy

I love Halloween, first for the costumes, second for the treats! But, lots of leftover candy lying around can lead to guilty sugar spirals compounded by Thanksgiving and Christmas baking. So, why not combine the two and enjoy some treats while pawning them off on unsuspecting victims?! Uh, I mean friends and family! ;)

I created this list, a work assignment, after scouring Pinterest for some of the best, most unique recipes calling for candy. I included 15 recipes in the list, dividing them up by candy type. Included in this list is a party favorite, the Kit Kat Cake, which is the only recipe out of this list that I've tried, yet.

With this list, I love the idea that you can do something with loads of Halloween candy other than tossing it or eating it as-is for months and months. Plus, the unique factor will attract people when you share these treats with friends.

Do you know a delish recipe that calls for candy? Share it in the comments and spread the yumminess! :)

Winning Isn't Everything... But it Does Feel Good

This is just a quick post to show you this cool cup I helped us win at work. :)

We received this swanky trophy from our parent company for our website, which most of you know, I have devoted my [work] life to for the past couple of years. It's nice to see that work pay off!

Getting the website to where it is today has definitely been a process. It's been filled with angst and stress, but not without excitement and pride. It feels good to work hard, and to see that work accomplish growth and recognition.

I also know that none of this would have been possible without God's help and leading in my life.

Ever since the beginning of my time as the Herald's digital content editor, I've known that I was smart enough, driven enough and determined enough to accomplish anything. But at the same time, I knew that along the way, every time I experienced success, it wasn't just me. I knew God was opening doors, leading me, giving me insight and essentially handing me my success.

Why, I don't know. I don't pretend to be the only person God gives success to. I believe he gives it to every person who finds themselves achieving success, whether they recognize it or not.

So success feels good. It feels great to have helped the Herald receive this honor (and several others out of our six for 2012) and to know that I'm doing something right. :)

The trophy and me, enjoying a moment of bliss. :)

Small Triumphs

I am a firm believer that even the smallest triumphs should be celebrated, even if it seems a bit selfish. The good thing about having a blog is you can do some selfish celebrating and not feel too bad, because hey, it's your blog!

So I have decided to do a little celebrating of a recent triumph that I had a hand in.

In the newspaper world, we get to enter our work in annual contests with the hope of winning an award (and bragging rights for the year). For me, I go all year without really thinking about such contests, until it comes time to enter them. Then it's a mad scramble to find the best content to submit.

Since becoming the Digital Content Editor at the Clinton Herald, I typically don't produce stories or photos, so my submissions to contests never bear my name. My job is to do anything and everything online, and so I submit our website and/or specific web presentations to contests.

I recently submitted our site and six presentations to our parent company's contest, "Best of CNHI." We were excited this week to learn that we had won the award for "Website of the Year" in our division.

This was a huge encouragement for me as the website has been my [work] life since August 2011. I've spent over a year working on it, tweaking it, and trying to do the best I can with what I have. To win two awards in one year has been very, very exciting. (Our first website award and the experiences surround it are documented here.)

Among the presentations we submitted was this year-in-review slideshow I had put together:


We also submitted a page I put together for RAGBRAI (a bike ride across Iowa that ended in Clinton; it's a pretty big deal here), a web presentation my co-worker Angie Bicker and I worked on (she wrote the story and took the photo while I filmed and edited the video; we also won an Associated Press award for it), an election day guide I assembled from our content and ballot information, and two local stories (one on the caucuses and one on a settlement) that I packaged with additional information.

I love having the opportunity to be part of a team and contribute with my own strengths and abilities. We really have seen what we can accomplish when each person works toward a common goal. Yay us! :)

Preparing for a Presentation on Journalism

On Thursday I'm presenting on journalism at my second annual Clinton Community College High School Career Day.

While I'm basically recycling my presentation from last year, I did make a few tweaks, including a new presentation. Say good-bye to PowerPoint and hello to Prezi!



The presentation is essentially the skeleton to my two pages of notes. Reading over it, I get excited about all the info I have packed into it. Now I'm hoping I have a few kids who are honestly interested in journalism and are not just there for a nap. :)

Here's an excerpt from my presentation on the future of journalism, something people always like to ask about:

The future of journalism is always evolving. In my opinion, there will always be a need for reliable news sources. Therefore, I don't think the presence of the news media will diminish, it will simply change. This means some positions will most likely be eliminated or combined in the future.

I see a hybrid position that includes writing, editing and technological support skills. I think this would look something like writing and editing your own stories, then uploading them to a news site for distribution. Ideally, editors should be maintained to guarantee that content is accurately presented, but if the job market doesn't improve, positions will be combined and/or eliminated.

 

Of Newspapers and Awards and Things

Do you ever have those times where work feels like a monotonous drag of day upon day, week upon week, while you're struggling to surface from a never-ending stream of assignments and deadlines? You lose sight of the end goal, simply trying to make it through another string of days until you can breathe again. All the while, you know you need something, a kick-start, a reset, something to help you focus again.

Thursday brought my much-needed reset. We set off early in the morning for Des Moines, and the Iowa Newspaper Association Convention and Trade Show. It was to be two days of newspaper bliss--awards and prizes, networking and connections, sessions and speakers, food and fun. Some people probably don't feel refreshed after such a busy weekend, but it really was just what I needed.

My name tag at INA. :)

I got to listen to talks by Pulitzer prize-winners, other tech junkies, giants in the field of journalism. I got to lose myself in epic story telling, soak up tidbits of knowledge, and focus on that end goal all journalists should know. And I got to celebrate with the greatest newspaper writers/editors/designers/publishers in the state of Iowa as they stepped forward to claim a prize for a year's worth of excellent work.

It was just the weekend any journalist would covet, and I especially needed. For me it also represented a personal accomplishment as my newspaper, the Clinton Herald, received an award in the category of Best Newspaper Website.

Since August 2011, I have been essentially the sole updater/maintainer/overseer of our site, and it's become something of an obsession. Every day I post stories and photos, manage our social networking sites, and try to come up with new and better ways to do things. I also work on special projects, monitor and collect stats, and occasionally act as tech support to our online readers. And did I mention I obsess?

When the time came to submit entries for the Iowa Newspaper Association awards, I submitted our website with little hope. Because of the category divisions in the INA, we're grouped with the biggest papers, the ones who have multiple people working on their websites, the ones who have control over how their sites look, the ones who always come out on top. We're one of the little guys, a newsroom of seven (not including sports), a web staff of one. And yet, because we have over 10,000 subscribers, we face the giants.

Nine other newspapers in our category submitted their sites and somehow, we beat six. The little old Clinton Herald, which through the years has faced harsh criticism from the community it serves and fought to give our town the best news coverage possible, was listed with the likes of the Des Moines Register and Quad City Times. Yes, my friends, the little Clinton Herald held its own. And though we didn't place first, but third, all I see is victory and accomplishment.

A clip from the INA winning entries book detailing the Best Newspaper Website winners in our class.

For me, this represents so much. It represents accomplishment I couldn't have achieved on my own; without the support of my family and friends, I wouldn't be where I am today. It represents grace, that God has given me the gifts and abilities and opportunities I have, and for that I am thankful. It represents the faith that my bosses at the Clinton Herald put in me when they asked me if I wanted to do this job. It also represents the trust that they have given, and in so doing, allowed me to take this project and run with it. It represents a work ethic that was instilled in me by my father at a very young age. And it represents perseverance and dedication, even in the face of negativity, opposition, and resistance.

One small thing can represent so much, and that for me was this award.

We also received some other awards, from the INA as well as the Associated Press, six in all. I am so proud of my co-workers who strive every day to do their best, to tell the stories of this little river town, and to represent a news organization which is committed to real journalistic truth-telling.

My co-worker, Scott Levine, and the Young Iowa Journalist award he received.

The week is done and all that is left are the memories, some mementos, and a reminder of what we're working for. We're working to offer our community something it can't get anywhere else: professional and accurate news coverage of Clinton, Iowa, and the surrounding areas. We're working to provide services, information and a place for the community to connect and discuss important issues. We're working to stay on top of developments and demands in technology and the sharing of information so that readers can get the news where they are, whether that's at home or on the road. We're working to be better at what we do, all the time.

And in the end, perhaps that work will be recognized.

You can check out our award-winning website, as well as articles by our award-winning staff at ClintonHerald.com.

We Run the World

This week at work, I published an article titled "What it's like for the girl gamer" on our website. No, I know next to nothing about the world of hardcore video-gaming (my expertise is limited to Mario Kart and Wii Bowling), but I try to read (skim) most of the stories I publish.

I was more than a little doubtful that I'd even be interested in the article, but I have to admit, it sucked me in. And not because the gaming angle, but because I could relate to the fact that women are struggling against male-dominated realities, even in the realm of virtual reality. (Something I never even thought about.)

The first time I really remember feeling discriminated against because of my gender was, believe it or not, at my job at the Christian college I attended. My direct boss, the man who hired me, refused to ever promote me during the three years I worked for him. In fact, during my third year, he put someone (a guy) who had just started that day, over me on a shift we shared. (We had this system where there had to be one "head" employee per shift, someone to be in charge and make sure everything was done correctly.) After spending the whole shift training the guy on the basics, I was disgusted.

I guess I had thought gender discrimination was a thing of the past, especially in a school built on solid morals and ethics. But even there, favoritism played a villainous part, and it caught me off guard. I struggled through the knowledge that even though I was an experienced, dedicated and hard-working employee, I would never get to that coveted role of head supervisor.

In the years after, I almost expected to be passed over for promotions. It was a struggle not to subconsciously accept my past experiences as the norm. However, somewhere deep inside, the fighter in me refused to give in. Instead of taking a backseat, I decided to ask for a raise two years later at my job in Colorado. And you know what happened? I got the raise, and the company promoted me after less than a year.

That's when I realized two things. First, just because I was a woman in the male-dominated working world, didn't mean I deserved less, or should be treated as less. And second, most times, women have to push a little harder for what they want than men.

Fast-forward a few years to my current job (I consider it a promotion as it was a step up in the company from a reporter to an editor), which I was offered and enthusiastically said I wanted. It became another learning opportunity. This time, I learned that in a company that does things the right way, hard work and a striving for excellence will be recognized and (hopefully) rewarded.

On assignment last year at Erie Airpark in Erie, Ill. (Clinton Herald)

Sometimes it's hard to bounce back after you've been burned, but that's the only way to see progress. And even though it's 2012, progress is still needed, whether in the work world, or the gaming world, or in sports and school. Women have had to fight for hundreds of years to get what they want, what they deserve, and we still have to fight now.

So to all my chicks out there, I say this: keep on fighting! Whatever you choose to do, wherever you live and however you spend your time, remember that progress isn't over. Anywhere you can step up for women, do it, even if it seems very small. As Beyoncé has so eloquently sung, "Who run the world? Girls!"

Social Media and the "Too Old"

After being forwarded this article, Why Every Social Media Manager Should be Under 25 by Cathryn Sloane, I felt like my day had been totally disrupted.


And while there are TONS of spot-on comments and responses to this article, there were a few things gnawing away at the back of my brain. I tried to put this post off, but since my work day had become a distracted mess, I knew my response couldn't wait.

First, for those who don't know, I am one such social media manager (on top of other job duties which you can read about in this post). I juggle lots of different tasks, but a huge one is managing multiple social media accounts. And while I'm still considered quite young in my industry, I am not under 25. I never had any doubts about my knowledge/skills or understanding of social media because I felt like I had been introduced to it in just the right way at the right time.

Sloane begins by stating the year Facebook started, 2004, and how she was in high school at the time. What she fails to mention, and possibly was too young to remember, was that Facebook was only available to college students when it first began. Colleges had to submit information to be allowed access to Facebook. Then, students had to register with a valid, school-issued email address.

Therefore, there were no high schoolers, no parents trying to check up on their kids, no businesses. Just college and university students, clumped into networks denoted by their educational institutions.

Sloane's argument is that her generation was present for the initiation of social media and therefore are the most experienced with it. I beg to differ. While I don't agree that just because you grew up with something, you're the only expert in it (anyone can master and excel at social media, regardless of age), if I were to use that argument, I would actually have one-up on Sloane. I was one of the select few who first had access to Facebook, before she event knew it existed. And though I was technically an adult at this time, I still have had more years of use on the site than she.

So if we're going to use Sloane's own reasoning, anyone who was in college in 2004 is more qualified to be a social media manager than anyone else in the world. (And because I went to school with people of all different ages, I know there were 40-somethings using the site since its inception.)

Also, while Facebook is undoubtedly the global social media giant at the moment, there were rudimentary forms of social media existent before it. We were building personal web pages, chatting on AIM and uploading pictures to MySpace in high school, riding that first wave of internet connectivity. So if we're making the argument that "those who grew up with it know best" then those of us who were in middle and high school in the early 2000s would still technically know the most.

What it really comes down to is not age. There are some extremely immature and unprofessional young people in the workplace today. There are also lots of (by Sloane's article's standards) older people who excel at social networking. Age is merely a number we're stuck with to mark the years of our existence. What social media managers should be judged by are their skills.

We should be examined by our experience (again, not always years but exposure and interaction with the given media). Do we know the social media platform inside and out? Have we mastered its use; do we interact, create, post; have we networked, connected; have we represented businesses before?

We should be examined by our knowledge. Do we know what businesses want; do we understand how best to use the platform; do we understand our market, what the people in it want, and how to gauge success where we're at; do we conceive new ideas, better ways to use the platform? Do we know how to learn and grow with the changes in social media?

We should be examined by our interpersonal skills. Social media is just that, social. It's about connecting with people, interacting. It's about representing yourself or your business on a personal level. Do we understand this fact? Do we know how to interact with a measure of restraint and tact, as well as friendliness? (Because it's a given, there will be someone slamming you at some point and you're going to want to go off.) Do we know how to encourage others to interact, can we build relationships with customers and keep them coming back?

We should be examined by our skills beyond social media. Someone can know and understand social media inside and out, but that doesn't necessarily make them the best social media manager. Managers should possess strong attention to detail, because as any business owner will tell you, accuracy is key. Nothing looks worse that misspellings, over-use of exclamation points and poor grammar. Therefore, a manager should have solid writing skills (maybe I'm biased but nothing turns me off more than having to de-code a business's Facebook post).

Additional skills should fit the desire of the business. Do you want quality photos posted to represent your product? Do you need graphics to be designed and posted? Will your manager be recording, editing and posting videos? Will the manager be creating written content like notes or blog posts? Will the manager be facilitating contests and give-aways, promotions and advertising?

So all of this to say, social media management is about so much more than age. Age can always help, but it's not an instant qualifier--or disqualifier--for the position. To make such a blanket statement, that anyone 25 or older is too old, is insulting to say the least. And it's disheartening to know that after decades of work to get equal employment for all, a new generation is stepping up and basing employability on age. I ask, what will they do after the few short years they've given themselves to build a career in an industry that will no longer need them after 25? Will they willingly step aside for the new, young up-and-comers, or will they do what the rest of us are going to do, fight for the careers we love?

The Secret Life of a Digital Editor

Last week we had a work conference to talk about all things digital...


Needless to say, I was hyped up on sugar/caffeine and new ideas (hence all the scribbled notes).

I was further reminded why I love my job and why I want to not just be good at it; I want to be great at it.


People always ask me what I do. I say, "I work at a newspaper as the digital content editor." That's when I'm met with quizzical looks and I attempt to explain what I do in 140 characters or less. (No wait, that's Twitter...)

I do try to explain as briefly as I can what I do. It's kind of hard, because there's no quick and simple answer. Then I usually lose people's attention and I scrap the whole thing and just say, "I play online all day."

It's not really playing, though sometimes it does feel like it because I enjoy it so much. But the reality of my writer-perfectionism and numerical goals keep me focused.


(Yes, I do a lot on Facebook and I care far too much about likes, comments and shares. After all, part of my job involves gathering data and looking at numbers--page views, visits, things like that.)

Anyway, here's a little insight into my super secret and impossible to understand job (with photo illustrations to help). :)


Every day I show up here, the offices of the Clinton Herald. The fascinating world of the newsroom is on the second floor to the right.

We're a driven bunch of (somewhat) oddballs who get along surprisingly well. Maybe it's not so surprising, but I am thankful just about every single day that I can go to work with people I genuinely enjoy.


Every morning starts off with coffee. I absolutely have become dependent on it, and I will admit that to anyone. Lately I've taken to having it black with sugar.

(Although, today I made my own iced coffee and it was REALLY good. Granted it had a ton of sugar and caramel, but how else am I supposed to make it?!)


This picture alone tells you the most important things about my job: I work in Mac land and I am addicted to sticky notes.

Everything important that might possibly slip my mind throughout the course of the day/week/month goes on a Post-It. (Multiple colors of ink are also in order.)

When it comes to working on a Mac, for the most part I enjoy it... Except when my computer decides it's a good day to run "like slug" and drive me insane.


That's when this little guy shows up. I have oh-so-affectionately dubbed him The Spinning Rainbow of Death. He usually comes around when I'm under the biggest time crunch of the day and trying to multi-task. On these occasions I sigh/grunt loudly so that my co-workers will know I'm exasperated and I either need attention or to be left alone. (That's up to them to determine.)


One of the most important things I do is maintain our website. I consider this my top priority every single morning.

Each day, I take stories, photos and other content from our print edition and other internet sources and update the website. I work my way through all our key sections, posting correlating stories and content. Local News, Features, Lifestyles, Obituaries, Sports, Opinion, CNHI News Service stories, Associated Press stories all get updated each day.

I also create or assemble unique content for the website (like putting together photo slideshows, editing and uploading videos, writing editorials, creating graphics, etc.). I monitor our comments section and event calendar.


My other top priority has been an ongoing project for about eight months now, and that is our e-edition. The e-edition is the future of newspapers: a digital copy of the entire print product. It can be read on any device with internet access (computer, tablet, smartphone), and therefore can be taken anywhere.

The picture above is actually from our Taste of Home show, where I promoted the e-edition. I got to tell people cool facts like, "You can have the paper read aloud to you!" And "We have varying subscription rates!" Oh, and did I mention, "You can take it anywhere!"

Speaking of taking things anywhere...


One of the best perks of the job is getting to play with big league nerd toys. Of course they're also going to work.


I used this to show people how the e-edition works on a tablet. Nice and easy! (Oh and that cool collage-y background? Yeah, I designed that.) :)

So besides webmastering and enjoying the latest technological gadgetry, I also handle all of our social networking.


This includes occasionally confusing Facebook.

Actually, I post breaking news updates, links to stories, photos and other relevant content. I try to get people talking about the news that affects them and sharing our content. (Of course there's a lot of Facebook mumbo-jumbo that goes into this, like our reach and the virality of our posts and looking at insights, but I think I'll lose most of you if I get into that.)

So suffice it all to say, you should go to our Facebook page, like it and comment/like/share our posts as often as you please! (You can also check out that cool collage up close since it's also our cover photo.)

Oh, and a random fact (that I might be pretty pleased with): We've gotten over 1,000 new likes since I started this position. (Again, this probably only means something to me, but that's okay, I'm still excited.)


So besides Facebook, I also maintain our Twitter account, our YouTube page and videos, our Pinterest boards, our SmugMug photography site, and our Storify account. (Side note: I LOVE Storify, but that could be its own blog post.)


I'm also working to get our newest service running smoothly... Text alerts! People can register and receive updates in a number of different categories from news to sports to schools.

And now that we're on SmugMug, I'm working on getting lots of photos uploaded and some made into slideshows for the website.


There always seems to be something new going on and no two days are exactly the same. The best ways to stay sane/focused are with good music and snacks (and I mentioned coffee, right?).


Mmm Wheat Thins have occasionally sustained me through lunch and dinner on the random crazy days.


Finally, in tribute to the "nerd factor" of my job, I did wear my Converse to work one day. I definitely felt more in touch with my inner geek. And if clothes can affect your productivity, I totally churned out my best work that day.

That is all for now, but come talk to me next week and I'll fill you in on my latest project.

I Before E Except After C...

I'm back. Back in the world of AP Style, little hand-held voice recorders, a building that smells like newsprint, and grammatical anal-retentiveness.

Yes, I'm a journalist once again.

For multiple reasons, I'm glad, but one in particular that has been driving me a little crazy ever since I left. I've almost been losing my touch, particularly with spelling. But now, I'm back "in-practice" so it's getting better.

I'm also glad that I get to write for a living once again. One of my biggest regrets when I left the newspaper and moved to Denver, was that I was giving up the opportunity to communicate via writing and photography full time. I often wondered if it was a huge mistake, letting that go. Now, thank goodness, I don't have to wonder.

My first week back has almost felt like I never left (besides the fact that I'm having to re-adjust to a Mac-based work environment and all the special key commands that come along with that). I'm right back in the swing of things, covering events and getting stories on the front page. And even though I'm the newest reporter, I definitely skipped that "peon" phase. This makes me quite glad.

I'm excited for future growth. If there is one thing I learned in my last job it's that I like to be challenged personally and professionally. In my last job my goal was to improve, streamline and goal-orient the work flow. I hope that this will be something I can bring to my job at the paper.

I love the task of problem-solving, of asking "How can this be better?" And though I'm just a reporter, I hope one day I can implement some of my ideas. The good thing about ideas is you can try them and if they don't work out, you can scrap them and come up with something new.

For now, I'm going to work on improving my writing, reporting and researching skills. If there is one thing I love, it's digging for background information. There is so much you can find out by searching online and talking to experts in the field. Then the challenge becomes getting that information out to people in a way that is appealing and easy to understand. Clarity is key.

So I'm back, back to writing and learning and growing. And hopefully, succeeding once again.