Artsy with Mya

 How many times do you have something in your head and then you try and put it out in the world and it just looks nothing like what you imagined? I know a lot of people feel like this and I know that a lot of artists can feel like this too - especially me.  Often-times I have these ideas for my art - these really cool focal points, landscape ideas or even people and silhouettes that I want to do. But every time I try and work it out either on paper or on canvas, it does not turn out anything like I was wanting it too. Sometimes what ends up coming out of the failed visualization of the idea turns out just as good but the rest of the time, it just sucks and I hate it.  I took approximately two art classes in college and the requisite art courses in high school and every time I set out my art supplies and work on creating something - I remember that and I feel like a fraud and that I shouldn't be doing this; much less trying to sell my paintings because who would want to bu...

 I have always wanted to travel and Italy has long been on the list to countries that I want to visit. This is a guidebook that I would definitely want to bring with me on such a visit. It has a lot of detail in it, so I probably wouldn't want to carry it around during the day, but I would definitely read it before a trip and during a trip depending on the plans for the day.  This guidebook is nice because it not only talks about and shows the physical locations but it talks about the history of the fashion salons and brands; the people that created them and what their focus was. The book also gives details about the hours and primary focus of the businesses talked about and how to visit them.  The book also mentions cafes and coffeeshops around the fashion area of Milan and mentions what each one specializes in and recommends a few things.  If you are planning to take a trip to Milan, I would highly recommend to both read this book before hand to get an idea of what...

Content warning for depression, anxiety, discussion of self-harm  Have you ever tried doing stuff when you just can't do anything? I honestly thought that it was semi-normal for years to go through life with periods where you just can't do anything and the thought of doing anything - even something that you were excited for and ready for and you just didn't go. There were times in my life where I would be laying down waiting to go somewhere - a bible study group or a friends hangout and I would watch the clock tick down to the time I needed to leave by and I just never moved. It felt like I didn't have the mental or emotional strength to get up and go through with my plans. And I thought that it was kind of normal for people to feel and maybe it is, but other people just know how to deal with it better.  There were weeks at a time where I would just stop my entire social life without even thinking about it - it would just happen and one day I would look back and notice ...

 So starting yesterday, I decided to try and expand my reach of my artwork in hope of reaching more people. Therefore, I decided to start a Facebook page. I created a whole other Facebook page with my name and started a page and shop as well. I probably didn't think that all the way through cause I got several messages about whether or not I had been hacked, but no not hacked. I just wanted to make sure to keep certain aspects of my life separate from each other - not completely separate but still having boundaries between them.  So I have a new Facebook page under Mya Kallevig and an art page with the name Art by Mya. I am working on getting a Facebook shop set up that is linked to my Ko-fi shop as well so that my work can be shopped from either Facebook or Ko-fi.  I currently have about 8 of my works listed on Ko-fi and I have more that I am working on getting up, but my family and I are in the process of selling our old house and moving into our new one and so it is ha...

 There have been a lot of books written about World War II and the equipment involved in it, but this book is probably one of the best ones that I have read concerning this subject matter. The author divided up the book by the different theatres of war and went into each theatre individually talking about what was used in general and what was unique about each area.  The photographs show and the book elaborates on how the environment and climate of the different arenas of war contributed or harmed the remains of the war.  There was a lot of focus on the primary theatres of World War II like Europe and parts of Asia, but remainders of the war are also present in places that one might not expect them to be. It is not just the remains of ships, tanks and planes that remain, it is also armaments and transports, army surplus that was dropped and other things that are not often thought about.  The focus on each theatre of was interesting because it brought forth the fact t...

  I have really been enjoying the genre of poetry audiobooks lately. As someone who is going through a rather busy period of time in their life, listening to this audiobook was a chance to stop thinking about everything else and just let the words wash over me.  Audiobooks in general, but especially poetry audiobooks are a very meditative experience for me.  This audiobook just had the author narrating the book without anything additional added to it. I enjoy having the author narrate for the audiobook as it adds a feeling of understanding and immersion to the experience that is harder to experience with a different narrator.   I received this free from NetGalley to review  4 out of 5 stars