Let's learn how to craft the path to our own success. 

It's finally time to welcome back one of my best friends, and a Crafty Ass Female regular Megan Kiekel Anderson, who is here to help me discuss how we can create success in our crafting.

Today we talk about:


Setting realistic goals
What is 'minimum viable success' 
How to craft a malleable plan
Embracing the willingness to learn and change along the way


Join us on the Awesome Ladies Project app to discuss this week's episode -- always free to join! 

Find Megan on twitter @megan_nerdnest and on Instagram @megan_nerdnest and check out her short stories in publications too numerous to count!

Episode 183: Crafting Your Success w/ Megan Kiekel Anderson

Crafty Ass Female is a podcast dedicated to helping women embrace and use their power and creativity. We believe you are a capable BADASS, who already has all the tools you need to make beautiful things and make beautiful things happen. We’re just here to remind you.

Arts

Literature

Performing Arts

Design

Food

Fashion & Beauty

Visual Arts

Topics for our show today include:


Why do we think it matters when we include other people’s words in our scrapbooks?
How we incorporate words from people into our lives.
How to get people to get used to the idea of using words in their art.
How to incorporate current events into your scrapbooking
How song lyrics and lyrics can help you tell your story.
Bringing in other people’s perspectives can help when you don’t know what to say, but also add important context.


Amazing! Look for a full blog post over on the Awesome Ladies Project later this week, and make sure to check out awesomeladieslive.com before it's too late to join us here in East Lansing next month!!!

Our Guests:

Christine is a memory keeper and crafter of all types and has been scrapbooking for well over 20 years.  She lives in Northern NJ with her husband, daughter and Havanese, Lulu, in the town she grew up in. Professionally Christine is in commercial real estate, primarily investment and asset & property management. She is an art journaler, an avid book lover, a music, theater, movie and tv fan and a hardcore foodie. Christine has been a member of the Awesome Ladies Project since 2018 and a member of the ALP FSS since 2020. She can be found on IG as cp_scraps and on the ALP as Christine_P.

Megan Kiekel Anderson (she/her) has been a memory keeper for over two decades. A dark fiction writer, she lives in Kansas City with her chaotic family including too many cats, chickens, and foster kittens. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram under the handle @megan_nerdnest or at her website at [www.megankiekelanderson.com](www.megankiekelanderson.com)

Episode 206: Using Other People's Words In Your Story

In another great roundtable for the Season of Scrapbooking, we engage in a candid conversation about the significance of selfies in personal storytelling and documentation. The episode begins by highlighting the role of selfies as a means of self-narration, allowing individuals to contextualize their own stories. Kristin shares her realization during college that she lacked self-portraits in her scrapbook layouts, leading her to consciously incorporate selfies into her routine through the creation of the Thursday3 project.

Vanessa shares her journey with selfies, admitting her initial reluctance due to negative societal connotations. However, Kristin's encouragement and the support of the ALP community enabled her to view selfies as a valid form of self-documentation. She emphasizes the importance of capturing various aspects of her life, including her own presence, alongside her family and daily experiences.

The conversation takes an introspective turn as Kirsten reflects on their early experiences with pictures and the desire to be seen and recognized as part of the group. Selfies, for them, became a way to ensure their presence was acknowledged and documented. The discussion further explores the evolution of selfies over the years, from simply being part of the group photo exchange culture to intentional self-documentation.

The episode addresses the feminist aspect of selfies, challenging the notion that they are solely attention-seeking or self-indulgent. Instead, the guests emphasize that taking selfies is an empowering act, asserting one's presence and embracing self-importance. The normalization of selfies is encouraged, giving others the opportunity to explore self-portraiture as a form of personal expression and documentation.

Throughout the episode, the practical aspects of taking selfies are discussed, highlighting the ease and convenience offered by smartphones as versatile tools for self-capturing moments. The guests also touch upon the freedom to edit, experiment with filters, and embrace different styles, thereby enhancing the creative possibilities of selfies.

Listeners are invited to embrace the idea of selfies as a valuable means of self-expression, documenting personal stories, and cherishing moments in a visually engaging way. The episode aims to inspire individuals to see the power and significance of self-portraiture, reminding them that their self-worth should not be dictated by societal standards or external opinions.

Find out more about Awesome Ladies Live at awesomeladieslive.com

Our guests:

Kirsten is a school counselor by day, and a memory keeper by night. She makes fully digital layouts and balances that with crafty paper projects. Everyday life is her favorite topic. Originally from Germany, she and her husband now live in a beautiful corner of Washington State.

Vanessa is a mom, feminist, artist, latina, book lover, speech and language pathologist, and wife, who loves to learn and have deep conversations with other awesome people, especially awesome feminists! 

Episode 205: The Importance of a Selfie Routine

Topics we cover on this Scrapbooking with Kits episode:


What does our kit love look like?
What makes scrapbooking with kits easier?
How does working with a digital kit compare and contrast with physical kits?
Scrapbooking is about figuring out what actually works for you
What makes a kit worth the commitment?
Downsides to working with kits
FOMO on kit exclusives


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Awesome Ladies Live!

How long have you been dreaming of just having a focused weekend to get some fun creative time in? And what if you could do it with people who want to learn and create just as much as you?

You’ll have time and space to:


focus on your personal creative habits
take things at your own pace 
create an incredible mixed media scrapbook 
document the weekend as it’s happening
roll up our sleeves together and map out your creative world


Dates: Saturday July 15th and Sunday July 16th, 2023 (with optional activities on Friday July 14th)

Location: The Graduate Hotel, East Lansing, Michigan

$649 from January 1st 2023 until sold out. (Includes both days at the retreat, breakfast and lunch on Saturday, Breakfast on Sunday, all classes, all class materials — some exclusive to this retreat, and exclusive retreat merch).

Find out all the details at awesomeladieslive.com

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Our guests:

Carrie is an avid paper lover, obsessed with books, a foodie but not snobby, ADHD survivor and a ragey intersectional feminist, that is hopeful feminism can save the world.

Juli is an instructional designer by day and hybrid scrapbooker by night. She loves to use Canva for all her crafty projects, and she's a plant lady & romance reader who is obsessed with adding purple to everything

Episode 204: How to Scrapbook with Kits: Pre-Made and DIY

Join me as I talk to Carol Anne and Carrie about how and why they got started scrapping, and as we share some of our 60+ years of combined experience with you!

Topics we cover include: 


How to kickstart your own scrapbooking by seeking out inspiration from others
After the basics, what are some of your essential extras when you go to create?
Figuring out what kind of scrapbooker you want to be


Annie's Kit Clubs!

a HUGE thank you to Annie's Kit Clubs for sponsoring today's episode and the launch of season 10 of Crafty Ass Female! I've been loving the fabric they sent, so make sure to check them out at https://annieskitclubs.com/ and use code CRAFTY50

Whether you like crocheting, quilting, knitting or other crafts, Annie's has a club for you. Get a new shipment every month with supplies and instructions to make something beautiful. Try today for 50% off your first kit by using code: CRAFTY50

Find out more about Awesome Ladies Live at awesomeladieslive.com

Our guests:

Carrie is an avid paper lover, obsessed with books, a foodie but not snobby, an ADHD survivor, and a ragey intersectional feminist that is hopeful feminism can save the world.

Carol Anne is a long-time multi-format scrapbooker and cardmaker, who enjoys adding humor, honesty, and song lyrics to her layouts.  Despite her quiet affect, she has been known to express an opinion or three when asked.

Episode 203: Scrapbooking: Basic Tools and Supplies

In this episode of the Crafty Ass Female Podcast, Kristin talks to Vanessa and Carrie to explore the relationship between feminism and storytelling. This episode continues our series featuring scrapbookers from around the world, coming together to discuss how and why they scrapbook.

Topics we cover include: 


Giving yourself the permission to take up space for your story and for yourself
How we're no longer satisfied with simple representation, and we need to see whole versions of ourselves represented somewhere -  truly diverse portrayals of women's experiences
What makes telling your story a feminist act?
Your words are a very important tool in your scrapbooks - but so are color, texture, style and so much more! Embrace the accessibility of scrapbooking, where you don't need to just start writing.


Annie's Kit Clubs!

a HUGE thank you to Annie's Kit Clubs for sponsoring today's episode and the launch of season 10 of Crafty Ass Female! I've been loving the fabric they sent, so make sure to check them out at https://annieskitclubs.com/ and use code CRAFTY50

Whether you like crocheting, quilting, knitting or other crafts, Annie's has a club for you. Get a new shipment every month with supplies and instructions to make something beautiful. Try today for 50% off your first kit by using code: CRAFTY50

Find out more about Awesome Ladies Live at awesomeladieslive.com

Our guests:

Carrie is an avid paper lover, obsessed with books, a foodie but not snobby, an ADHD survivor, and a ragey intersectional feminist that is hopeful feminism can save the world.

Vanessa is a mom, feminist, artist, latina, book lover, speech and language pathologist, and wife, who loves to learn and have deep conversations with other awesome people, especially awesome feminists! 

Episode 183: Crafting Your Success w/ Megan Kiekel Anderson

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