Artsy with Mya

  So as I have been posting on my Ko-Fi, I have been making a cross-stitch picture for my friend who was getting married at the end of May. Well, she got married last weekend and I was able to finish it before the wedding and frame it to give to her, but unfortunately in between prepping for the wedding and the other stuff that occupied the weekend - which not only included the wedding, but also a birthday party and a memorial service for my grandmother. With everything going on, I kept forgetting to take a picture of the completed and framed cross-stitch, but just now that it really turned out amazing and if my friend posts a picture of it, I will repost it here. However, another friend of mine is getting married at the end of August of this year and I have started on her wedding cross-stitch. I am hoping to be better at posting updates about it this time - so check back on my Ko-Fi or on my Instagram ma.ri.ah.an to see any updates.

 Over the past year or so with everything that has gone on in my life, I have found a new love of non-fiction books, particularly history books that are about subjects that are not super common to think about. This is one of those books that I saw and I thought about how I have never read something like this before.  This is a very factual book and in being that it can be very surface-level on the specifics of the stories that it was telling. The lack of information and records from the time period contributes to that as well. There are some parts of the book that be a bit hard to read as the subject is a very dark one and the things discussed can be gruesome, but it is also informative. The author does an excellent job of being blunt and factual with her writing while also infusing it with understanding and not harshness.  If you want to read an interesting book that has a lot of history in it and is about a topic that is not often talked about, then this is a book you s...

 I decided to read this book because I was looking for get back into reading fun little rom-com books again and if you are looking for a fun, easy read for a summer afternoon, this is a book for you. It does have a few more spicy moments in it, but they are not very graphic and they are done pretty fast.  There are some really interesting secondary plotlines in the book that I enjoyed. There is a whole secondary story with the main characters family and her dealing with her past and working with her parents that I wish was given more attention.  Honestly, I really did enjoy this book, but I could also see all the other stories that could have been possible with the romance as a secondary storyline and the book been more of a dramatic book.  I received this book free from NetGalley and the publishers to review and this is my honest review.  Four out of five stars

 Over the past few months, I have been getting back into reading poetry and this is a book that I am glad to have read. The connection that the author created between the bones of the body and the poems that they wrote was incredible. Each section of the book was demoted by a certain bone and that was a creative endeavor that I really enjoyed.  It's always hard for me to review poetry because it is just a personal thing to me and the experiences that I have reading it and unique, so the most I can do is share it with others so they can have their own experiences. I received this to review from Netgalley and the publisher 4 out of 5 stars

 When I first started this blog, I wanted a fresh start in my writing, I had done other writings before and even another full blog. But that blog was something created for a specific purpose which was for my trip to the New Day Orphanage in Zambia, Africa and that was the sole purpose of that blog - so I didn't feel comfortable using that blog. The blog is still up and available to read, so if you are interested - I have that blog titled 'It's a New Day With...' attached on my reading list of this blog.  However, even if I didn't want to use the exact blog that I used for my trip, that experience is still very important to me. That is why I still incorporated the idea of a new day into the new blog. I went through a lot of different ideas for names and I kept coming back to the whole idea of new days and how that concept made me feel.  So I decided to go with the title of 'New Days Ahead' because I want to go through life with the attitude that no matter wha...

 These are some of my paintings that I currently have for sale on my Ko-fi shop. I like to call these paintings my knife painting collection, because I did each of them with my palette knives.  All of these paintings and more are listed on my Ko-fi shop and I am working on adding more items all the time. Here is a link to my Ko-fi shop:  https://ko-fi.com/myaanne/shop

In year 22ish of my life, I thought that my life would be a lot different then it is right now. In 2020, I graduated with a major in social work and a minor in psychology. I immediately got a job working in social work in the Child Protection Unit of my home county. I started there in May of 2020 in the midst of a pandemic, so I never thought that the job would be easy, but it was far harder than I thought it was going to be or even what it should of been.  I worked in CPS for three months before I quit. I tried really hard to convince myself that what I was feeling at work was just normal growing pains and that if I just kept working that I could get through it. I tried to believe that I just needed to work harder and become better at my job faster and then it would get better.  Looking back, the turning point for me seriously considering leaving was when I had a phone call with a client and they told me repeatedly that I was ruining their life and that they hoped that I was ...

I just recently added this painting to my Kofi shop. It is a acrylic painting on canvas roughly 4x8 in size. I have it listed for $20 dollars and I can ship it to wherever needed.  This is probably one of my favorite paintings at the moment and it turned out far better than I imagined.   

  So my family is trying to move to a new house that we are in the process of building and trying to finish, but unfortunately the cost of materials and labor has been greater than planned for. But the transmission of my dad's truck just went out which is just another unexpected expense added on. So I am trying to help alleviate some of that burden - all money donated to this goal will to my dad and half of the proceeds from the sale of any of my artwork will also be a part of this. My goal right now is $2,500.00 and I am trying to add it to my goals but it is not showing up for me - hopefully it will for you This is cross-posted on Kofi as well

 As an artistic person who is looking at trying to make art more of a focal point in my life and perhaps even a source of income, this book was really informative and interesting to me. The author went into several different aspects of what artists need to consider and work through in their artistic pursuits. She talks about the importance of networking and mentorship for artists - which includes both being a mentee and a mentor.  Other topics that Beth Pickens discussed in this book include balancing artistic pursuits and a regular day job and what that may look like; how social, economic and familial factors can contribute or detract from an artists ability to pursue their art the way that they want too. The topic of grief is also a big chapter in this book, because it can play a really large part in the development of an artist, their art style and impact how they feel about their art.  This book is a heavy book. It can take a lot to get through, but if you are an arti...

 I have listened to this audiobook at least twice and will probably listen to it many more times before I am done with it. When I requested this audiobook, I wasn't sure if I would like it, because while I really enjoy reading poetry - I have struggled with enjoying listening to audiobooks. But this completely surpassed all my expectations. The audiobook as a whole is only about an hour long, so the time seems to just pass by.  The actual content of the audiobook is all about love; the feelings of falling in love, the hurt that occurs when you are no longer in love, the fact that no matter what happens the people that you were in love with will always be with you and you will probably always carry a little bit of love in you for that person. Then the last part of the book is about falling in love again with another person and the feeling of letting go of your previous love.  If I could give this audiobook ten or twenty stars out of five - I would. This is an incredible ex...

So, depending on where you readers have found me, you guys know that I am an artist. How good of an artist I am depends on what type of art I am attempting to do😂 However, I recently decided to start a Kofi page where I am going to post some of my artwork for sale in addition to having other pieces of mine for sale at the Vintage Hub in Kandiyohi, Minnesota. None of the items that I am selling will be cross posted.  If you want to check out my very first Kofi shop listing, the link is down below!!  https://ko-fi.com/s/c3524d3209