Blogs

Casey Virata is a hardworking, single mom who is happily living her dream of being a working artist. From big, bold prints to intricate word art, there's a sense of whimsy in everything she makes which is not surprising since she says she's inspired by music, nature and laughter. Her store is called Luckii Arts (pronounced Lucky Eye) and is a tribute to both her father and her sister. This week, we asked her to swap out her paintbrushes for a keyboard so she could answer our burning questions about her art and her store.

Speaking at the 2016 Mobile World Congress this week, Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg said, "Most of the content 10 years ago was text, and then photos, and now it’s quickly becoming videos. I just think that we’re going to be in a world a few years from now where the vast majority of the content that people consume online will be video." Video. Does that word scare you? Does the thought of standing in front of the camera hawking your wares make you feel faint? You’re not alone but you’re also missing out on a great opportunity if you click now and close this window.

In any discussion of social media, Twitter generally comes in a poor second or even third to Facebook. But when you’re talking specifically about social media as a marketing tool, I say Twitter comes out on top in three ways. First, Twitter is fast. The messages are short which makes it incredibly easy to skim. Facebook is overloaded with lengthy posts, ads, a cluttered sidebar, chat boxes and notifications all over the place.

I have a confession to make; I’m not much of a planner. I love Plan With Me videos and calendars of all kinds. I love the stickers and pens and I’m completely enamored with the idea of having my future sketched out in neat little boxes. Unfortunately, somewhere between my passion for planning and the actual execution, I get lost. The planners (multiple) that I bought the first week of the new year are empty and abandoned by St. Patrick’s Day. The To Do lists that work so well in April get ignored in May. The supplies I invested in because I was sure that a range of stickers and colored gel pens would keep me on track – they’re in a box in the garage waiting for the passion to return.