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Thursday 9 May 2013

Learning A New Language

I've been learning a new language in the last couple of days.

 I wish I could say it is romantic French or beautiful Italian, but no it is more like this:

"CNAME"

"DNS records"

"TTL"

"SPF"

"PTR" 
etc. etc. etc. 

Looks familiar? 

Well it doesn't to me!!

For those who know about computer language I am sure each of these terms means awful lot, but for me it really is a new, and very annoying language.
All I am trying to do is to get my old web address to take you to my new website, which I've nearly finished building. 

Now building the website didn't come without problems either. Why is it that you never get the real deal before you actually start using a service that you just paid for?

When you are looking example websites (provided by the company you are thinking of using, shall I name and shame?) they are so beautiful and you think this is brilliant, but as soon as you start, the cruel reality slaps you in the face when "the computer" announces that you can do these things, which are about two, by using these simple tools over here and anything else you can do by just simply customizing HTML, CSS code etc. 

And of course if you do some HTML coding it is totally up to you and the provider cannot make sure that anything will work. Well of course they can't and I am not asking that, but surely they could have been a bit more clear in the beginning that these website examples are created with some customized coding. Or indeed they could have mentioned that you would have to buy another template to get anywhere near to those results.
So thanks a lot Big Cartel.

Having said all that, maybe it is a good thing. Now my website is very simple, very clear and in a way it has been a good spring clean that I intend to carry on.
Have a look and see what you think:


Hopefully once I've learned this new, exciting (ha-haa), language I will be able to lose bigcartel from the address.
And to finish off I have to agree with Ludwig Wittgenstein:

"The limits of my language means the limits of my world."

Maybe a little bit of computer language learning wouldn't be so bad after all.... Would certainly open up a totally new world! :)

P.S I think I should add here that now that I've had my little complain about Big Cartel, I must admit that they are pretty good especially if accepting all above and I shall let you know how I get on when the website is up and running.

Wednesday 1 May 2013

When I started Mirjami Design I had two options:

1. To sit down and make a business plan. (All good, proper business people to that :)

Or

2. To sit down and do this and embark on a journey that I had no idea what I was doing!!


(Look at it! It's a far off from what I am making these day! Looks like some deformed horror film character!)

 What happened next was that I learned as I went along. It is not the greatest way, but boy you learn from it!

It is a painful way and once you've gone through all silly mistakes you really wish you did stop for a minute right at the beginning and thought through what you were doing. You, well I, would have saved myself a lot of headaches.

But maybe that is the way it is.
If you, I, did think it all through I would have never been brave enough to go ahead with it all.
Also if you think too much about practicalities and put your business hat on too tightly you will kill the flow of creativity.
What you really need is a good balance and if possible have someone to keep you in check! I certainly wouldn't have been able to make it without some harsh love from the nearest and dearest of mine :)

Not too sure why I decided to start here, although it is of course an obvious choice since it was the beginning!
But I've been having such a bad time lately that I have really started to doubt if what I do is really the best thing and when those doubts arises it is nice to look right back to the beginning and from there, from this little bear (he's about 8cm tall when sitting) I see again what I saw then: a promise to reach something different and special to me.

I wanted to create something that made me feel like I am a magician turning something as boring as white piece of felt into something that has a life of its own that shines through its character.

My life hasn't been easy (a lot of illness, sadness and tough times) and I suppose creating my little characters have given me joy and hope to carry on.
I suppose in a funny way (and totally bonkers way!) these little creations are my way to fight back in the though world and I must say that nothing makes me feel like I'm achieving something when my creations bring a smile to someones face!

Now that must be worth more than a boring business plan :)

This latest bear I've done is a little different from the first one....