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makingspiritualityreal · 3 years ago

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Things that Make me Happy and Comfortable

I am compiling a list of cute elements of my room, as a gratitude journey for the little things that make me feel safe, the things I love in my space that come from a place of emotional authenticity.

I can't believe how much work and effort I had to put into being happy with small details like that. It may look simple on the outside, but for me creating this energy through recognising and expressing my sensitivity and the needs of my inner child cost me a lot of character growth. 4th house Saturn therapy all the way.

Even such a simple thing made me realise yet again, how important it is in life to work through your distortions. At the end of the day, it will matter less how gifted you are and how much potential you may have originally. What will matter is what you do with this potential and the effort you put into honesty, healing and creating your life success in alignment with authenticity. Success doesn't have to mean being a CEO of a company. To me decorating my bedroom over such a long period of time was a success because it required me to get over myself and be present with my emotions and trauma. I believe in finding meaning in the things you own and putting love into them, as they will respond in turn. Being aware of the life force of the objects you surround yourself with is a form of spiritual practice.

Soooo here we go ✨

My wardrobe (or more like the default Ikea hanger lol). I don't have much, I only have what you can see on the photo and very few items packed away strictly for winter, and I would definitely love to get more, because I still lack basics, but this is the first time in my life when I put such a concentrated, loving effort to make myself comfortable in my skin in tune with my individuality. I studied my colour palette, combined it with the colors that speak to my heart (which involved a lot of pink because somewhere inside me lives a 5 year old fairy princess). That was a big leap for me, after a lifetime of wearing mostly black…which I still have a weakness for, but is not even a good colour as a wardrobe basic for my hair and skin tone so I'm trying to minimise it. I'm very picky, so I am very conscious of every item I add to my inventory, to make sure I'm being authentic to what's good for me at all times. I'm also picky with quality, which explains the small amount of clothes. I don't buy from fast fashion brands unless I absolutely have to. I support independent craftmakers, some on Etsy, some at local indie seller events in my town. It took practice, limiting myself to conscious choices to feel good about everything I own, but I am so proud of that journey, even if it meant I had to let go of a lot of things. My preference for everyday fabrics is flax/linen with an extra touch of wool if it's cold, and silk for special occasions.

My bed, the love of my life lol. I have not met a 12th house person yet who wouldn't love their bed. What I'm really proud of is that I furnished it with really good quality stuff, mostly thrifted. I splurged on organic bed linen and an Ikea pillow + cover combo with an organic filling, so that I don't sleep on plastic. I managed to find a real wool + mohair blanket for 10$, perfect condition, and I use it to get cosy during the day. I also found an absolute gem, a custom made, hand-knitted gigantic bed cover, that can fit even a king size bed, someone sold it for 30$ because they got bored with it and didn't feel like properly maintaining the fabric. It took me ages to find the right items and then the budget for them, but I'm very happy with the result. It's amazing what you can get for a lower price simply because someone didn't feel like putting effort into basic cleaning.

My crystal collection + my dream catcher. My favourite crystals are the Amethyst comb, the Selenite moon orb and the black tourmaline, because they are the biggest, most fancy looking ones. Crystals are so alive! You can almost hear them speaking to you. I also have a few crystal necklaces and a collection of small crystals to hold during meditation. Recently, a friend made a new rose quartz necklace for me and I love it so much <3. I got the dream catcher on a holiday in Greece and it carries very positive memories of the beautiful location. This corner of the room also has a vintage-styled clock that my friends gave me for my birthday. I love it because the ticking in an empty room relaxes me and helps me sleep, and I love the mint green colour. It goes with a ceramic plate I use for ritual burning.

The flowers I picked to enjoy the spring vibes. I love flowers in the room, they change the energy wonderfully, and they help you appreciate the harmony of the season. Right now I have a small collection of plants associated with new beginnings due to arrival of springtime.

My desk corner. I have a Buddha statuette/candle holder, where I sometimes give offerings to burn off stale energy. I have an organic Amber Orgonite, a rune collection plus my card decks, all of which I use for my readings. And a mainstream, but super cute kitty lamp.

My tea set. I'm a tea addict, and my cute teacup and cute coasters give me life every day. I found them by accident, without even looking, and we fell in love.

I hope my list inspires you to look at what you own in a different light. Possibly declutter, clean your space, ask yourself about the true value of the things you own and your connection to them. If you don't feel connected to what you have and use, what is the purpose of having the excess of it flooding your life?

#making spirituality real #cancer #4th house #cancer aesthetic #cancer moon

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stregacorvina · 5 years ago

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She-ra!! (part 1)

Good morning! As you may have noticed, I decided to add a new entry on my journal routine: every Tuesday I will show you a single set, not a collection.

And from the title, you can easily tell what is the topic of this new entry, She-ra! This weekend I bing watched the 5# season on Netflix and I was so ispired to do a Bjd version! I will miss this show soooo much now that is gone, I really want more episodes...

I have to say that it has been a very long time since I fell so in love with a tv show, even if I wasn’t a big fan of the 80s version (I have seen it when I was a child but I don’t remember much) I think it is so full of positive messages and representation, we needed a show like this from a long time, especially if we consider it is a show for young people.

I will not write a full review here as there is plenty around the web, but I really suggest you to check out the show!

The animation is just average-good, modern anime get us used to excellent quality levels, but every character is so well characterized (well, the main ones, the background cast are just...background unfortunately) and as I said it is full of positive messages and LGBT representations that are still lacking in most tv shows, most of all the ones for young peoples... in conclusion, it is not the BEST show ever but a very interesting example in the wide world of the tv shows! How I wish a show like this when I was a teenager!

Going back to the costume, I will not spoiler you the new costume of this latest season (even if you probably have seen it in the Netflix thumbnail as I did) and also because I do not like it very much, I decided to make the first one, very different from the 80s one but very fitting for this new teen reboot!

I was already studing this costume when the first season aired because I was thinking of cosplaying She-ra in some conventions (as right now I have almost the same bodytype), I am still thinking about it... never say never...

Let’s start talking about the...

- Materials

I chosed white spandex for the main part of the costume: the top and the shorts, golden spandex for the details (with some foam structure inside to keep the shape) and red cady fabric for the cape - I have already used this fabric for a Thor cape some times ago and even if it is a bit pricey compared to my usual materials but it is really worth the price! It has the perfect flow and the look...speaks for itself! -

For the chest and the tiara’s gems I will use some glass gems I bought from Aliexpress some time ago, painted with different nailpolish; for the shoes, the armbands and the tiara I will use foam and fabrics...I am still thinking about making the sword or not...we’ll see....

- Step 1: patterns

I decided to use the patterns I did for the pajamas set with a few alterations.

For the top I used the t-shirt base without the sleeves (I am still thinking about making a binder - a sport bra to compress the chest, often used for female cosplayers to do male characters - because these dolls have sooo much breast compared to the original character...)

For the shorts I used the pattern for the pajama pants, already altered to make some leggins a while ago (I will show you their set in a few weeks)

When the She-ra set will be done you will find the PDF pattern pieces, including accessories, in my Etsy shop. Done with the bases, last’s start with the...

- Step 2: shorts

I decided to start from the shorts because I tought they will be the quickest piece, so after cutting the white spandex base I started to handmade sew the golden stripes on the sides...you will see A LOT of handsewing in this project!

Before joining the two parts I decided to give the stripes a good press and I fitted them on my model doll to check the lenghts.

After I decided the hem lenghts I sewn waist and legs with a very tiny zig zag stitch on my machine and i noticed that the spandex elasticity was enough to not use an elastic band on the waist.

(After seeing them with the top on I then decided to shorten them for the second time because I didn’t like the final lenght) With the shorts done, it was time for the...

- Step 3: top

I made the base in white spandex but before joining the pieces I decided to do the crest on the front.

As you can see in the pictures, at the beginning I was going for a single piece, a top with a flared bottom, but in the end I decided to redo this part because I didn’t like the “skirt”.

I decided also to add two little darts on the bust because these dolls have really too much breast! As everythig is soo small in this project it was almost all handsewn, so I decided to discard my initial idea to make the crest with foam covered in golden spandex and I went for a golden spandex cut-out, handsewn obviously.

After finishing the crest I decided to wait until the end of the top to add the glass bead because I will probably work with this piece a lot! So i decided to go on with the flared part and to do the final version of it. Firsty of all I cut away the wrong part,

then I redraw it as a half circle “skirt” in three parts, one for the back and two for the front, with the center front slightly shorter than the back. I was thinking about leaving the raw edge but in the end I made a little zig zag stitch just like the shorts.

And then, for ending with the white spandex, I made a tiny hight neck collar, mostly handmade as well. I was thinking about the usual stripe of velchro fastener in the back but I noticed that a small slit on the back was enough to fit the doll’s head, so I didn’t add it but only a small snap button on the neck (most of the back will be hidden with the cape anyway...)

To finish the top I started to make the epaulettes, with 2 mm foam as a base. I drafted the basic shape in paper pattern, then I made it two times in foam and then on a double layer of golden spandex.

I sewn the little gap with tiny handmade stiches and the I attached them on the sleeve cap with some others handsewn stitches.

This is the (almost) finished top! Isn’t it lovely? My fangirl soul is so eager to finish this costume!

This is a little preview with the flared part attached...I’m alredy in love!!

- Step 4: cape and belt

Before starting with the accessories, that I will probabily show you in Part 2, I made the cape and the belt to finish the base of the costume.

For the cape I made an half-circle to add more volume at the hem and I also made the top wider than the shoulders so I can gather it a bit more.

(BONUS PIC - Salem wants to try the cape on)

I really love the look of it! I put the cape aside for now because I still need white thread on my machine so I will hem it later on...

For the belt I decided to sewn it onto the top instead of doing another single piece (also to hid the waist seam because I didn’t like that much)

I made a mock up with white spandex to check the lenght and the V depth, then I use this mock up as the pattern for the final one on golden spandex.

And this is the finishe top! I really like it and I cant’ wait to finish this project! As finishing touches I still need to add the glass bead on the crest and the snap button on the neck.

See you on Thursday as usual for the second part of this loooong entry where I will show you the accessories and the final look.

See ya!

Chiara (StregaCorvina)

Bentornati! Ho deciso di inserire una piccola “deviazione” alla pubblicazione del giovedi: il martedi sarà dedicato ad un set singolo, non una collezione!

E come potete immaginare dal titolo, questo primo martedi è dedicato a She-ra! Quest weekend ho divorato la 5° Stagione appena uscita su Netflix e mi sento decisamente orfana percio ho deciso di realizzare anche la sua versione BJD.

Devo dire che il reboot Netflix di She-ra è una delle serie che mi ha “preso” di più negli ultimi anni, era da tanto che non mi appassionavo così tanto ad una serie, sebbene non fossi una grande fan dell’opera originale (che ho visto da piccola e non mi ricordo quasi per niente...) Secondo me è una serie piena di messaggi e rappresentazioni positive, c’era davvero bisogno di un cartone simile, soprattutto se consideriamo che si tratta di un prodotto indirizzato ad un pubblico giovane.

Non starò qui a fare la recensione dello show visto che in giro se ne trovano tantissime, ma vi invito caldamente a guardarla se non lo avete ancora fatto! Le animazioni non sono eccelse ma sono belle, gli anime più moderni ci hanno ormai abituato ad un livello qualitativo davvero alto, ma i personaggi sono caratterizzati benissimo (per lo meno i principali, diciamo che i secondari sono davvero...sullo sfondo e basta) e come dicevo la serie è piena di messaggi positivi e rappresentazioni LGBT che sono ancora un po troppo trascurate dagli show per ragazzi...insomma, non sarà il capolavoro del secolo ma una piacevole novità nel panorama cosi vasto delle serie televisive! Avrei tanto voluto crescere con una serie cosi vent’anni fa...ma mi rendo conto che ai tempi una serie così per ragazzi era impensabile!

Parlando di She-ra, per non spoilerare troppo il nuovo costume che indossa nel corso di questa serie e che non mi piace particolarmente, (ma se avete visto la copertina su Netflix ve lo sarete spoilerato comunque come è successo a me) ho deciso di riprodurre quello della prima trasformazione, che si discosta parecchio da quello originale degli anni 80 ma che calza a pennello per il mood più teen di questo reboot!

Avevo già puntato questo costume quando uscì per la prima volta su Netflix perche avendo un fisico abbastanza simile ad Adora, avevo in mente di farne il cosplay in qualche prossima fiera....progetto che non ho ancora abbandonato del tutto chissà... perciò partiamo con la scelta dei materiali.

- Materiali

Ho deciso di utilizzare lycra bianca per le parti principali del completo, la casacca e i pantaloncini, lycra oro per tutti i dettagli (irrigidita da una base di foam qua e la in base alla funzione) e cady rosso per il mantello - avevo già usato questo cady di medio peso per il mantello di Thor in un precedente cosplay e anche se è leggermente più caro del tipo di materiale che sono abituata ad utilizzare ne vale decisamente la pena! Cade benissimo e l’aspetto...si commenta da solo -

Per il petto e il diadema userò degli ovali di vetro colorati con smalto per unghie per lasciare intatta la trasparenza, mentre scarpe, bracciali e diadema avranno un’anima in foam e il resto in tessuto... sono ancora in dubbio se fare la spada o meno, vedremo un pò in futuro...

- Step 1: patterns

Avevo in gran parte le basi gia pronte da quando ho fatto i pigiamini, perciò per la casacca sono andata abbastanza tranquilla con la base della tshirt (sto ancora valutando se fare una sorta di binder - per chi non lo sapesse è una sorta di reggiseno sportivo che comprime abbastanza il seno, usato parecchio dalle cosplayer per avere un aspetto più “maschile” - per nascondere un pò il seno delle bambole e restare più in linea con la fisionomia del personaggio)

Per gli shorts invece ho utilizzato il cartamodello dei pantaloni del pigiama che avevo precedentemente modificato per fare un paio di leggins super aderenti (che vi farò vedere prima o poi)

Quando il set sarà finito troverete il cartamodello in PDF nel mio shop su Etsy completo di accessori. Le basi ci sono, perciò iniziamo subito con...

- Step 2: shorts

Ho deciso di iniziare dai pantaloncini perchè mi sembravano la parte più rapida del costume, perciò dopo aver tagliato la base in lycra bianca ho iniziato ad applicare - rigorosamente a mano per mantenere l’elasticità - la striscia dorata sui lati.

Prima di unire le due parti ho dato una bella stirata alle strisce e ho fatto una prova sulla bambola che stavo usando come modella per vedere la giusta lunghezza.

Soddifatta degli orli ho cucito gambe e vita con uno zig zag stretto e alla fine ho deciso che l’elasticità della lycra era sufficente perciò non ho inserito nessun elastico in più.

(Una volta finita anche la casacca ho deciso di accorciare ancora un po i pantaloni perchè mi sembravano troppo lunghi). E con i pantaloni finiti era il momento di passare alla...

- Step 3: casacca

Ho realizzato la base in lycra bianca e prima di unirlo al dietro ho iniziato subito sul davanti la decorazione in lycra oro.

Come potete vedere nelle immagini, inizialmente avevo pensato di fare una casacca svasata sotto, in un pezzo unico, invece poi sono tornata su questa decisione perchè non mi piaceva la parte della “gonna”.

Ho anche aggiunto delle piccolissime pences nel giromanica perchè queste bambole sono troppo prosperose per non averle! Viste le dimensioni ridotte dello stemma sul petto alla fine ho deciso di scartare la mia idea iniziale di farlo in foam e ho semplicemente fatto un’applicazione di lycra cucita poi a mano con micro punti nascosti.

Una volta cucito tutto il contorno dello stemma ho deciso di aspettare la fine della base per incollare la pietra al centro visto che avrei dovuto manipolarla ancora tanto, perciò sono passata oltre e come vi accennavo all’inizio, ho deciso di cambiare la parte bassa della casacca perchè non mi piaceva più e l’ho tagliata via.

Per fare la parte svasata ho tagliato una “gonna” a mezza ruota divisa in tre parti con cuciture sui fianchi, leggermente più corta sul centro davanti. Avevo pensato di lasciare l’orlo a taglio vivo ma poi ho deciso di fare un piccolo orlino a zig zag come per l’orlo dei pantaloni.

Infine per terminare le parti in lycra bianca ho fatto un mini collo alto, anche questo cucito prevalentemente a mano visto le dimensioni ridotte.

Avevo deciso di chiudere il retro con una striscia di velcro ma considerando la presenza del mantello ho deciso di fare solo un’apertura fino alle scapole e chiudere poi il collo con un automatico.

Per concludere la base del costume ho iniziato le spalline, dopo aver fatto una prova con un pezzo di carta per decidere la grandezza definitiva ho realizzato una mezzaluna in foam (bhe, due) e l’ho riportata su un doppio strato di lycra oro.

Ho chiuso poi la parte lasciata aperta con dei piccolissimi punti a mano e le ho attaccate al giromanica, sempre a mano, con dei punti nascosti.

Ed ecco la casacca quasi pronta pronta! Non è un amore? Il mio animo da fangirl è super entusiasta di fare questo costume!

Per concludere la casacca ho attaccato la parte della “gonna” ed ecco una preview...gia la adoro!!

- Step 4: mantello e cintura

Prima di passare agli accessori, che visto la lunghezza di questo post verranno presentati in una Parte 2, mi sono occupata della cintura e del mantello, per concludere la base del costume.

Per il mantello ho deciso di realizzare una mezzaruota per averlo bello ampio e fluente, leggermente più ampio della larghezza spalle in modo da drappeggiare un pò la parte alta.

(BONUS PIC - Salem che decide che vuole provare il mantello)

Direi che come ampiezza ci siamo! Per il momento visto che mi serve ancora il filo bianco sulla macchina da cucire mettiamolo da parte, lo finirò più tardi.

Per la cintura invece ho scartato l’idea di fare un pezzo separato visto che il costume aveva già tanti pezzi e ho deciso di cucirla sulla casacca per nascondere la cucitura sotto la vita.

Ho fatto prima una prova con un pezzo di lycra bianca per decidere l’altezza e la profondità della V, poi l’ho usata come base per quella vera e propria realizzata con due strati di lycra oro.

Ed ecco la casacca finita! Mi piace sempre di più e non vedo l’ora di finirla!! Come ultimo tocco devo aggiungere solo la gemma al centro dello stemma e l’automatico dietro per chiudere il collo.

Visto che questo post sta diventando lunghissimo vi farò vedere gli accessori e il final look nel prossimo post, che verrà pubblicato normalmente di giovedi.

A presto!

Chiara (StregaCorvina)

#bjd #bjddoll #bjdcosplay #cosplay #sheracosplay #bjdshera #custombjd #handmade #handmadecosplay #bjdclothes #handmadebjdclothes #bjdset #she ra reboot #she ra netflix #sewing #seamstress #handmadesewing #cosmaker #stregacorvina

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demontrender · 5 years ago

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Neopronoun Merch

I’ve noticed that theres a serious lack of neopronoun pins/buttons/patches on etsy, which must make things a lot harder for neopronoun users. Soooo I decided I’m going to compile a list of those i’ve seen that have neopronoun options or take customs!

Pins

👽 ArtsyAlienArtifacts - $3.00 Candy heart pronoun pin, can choose any pronoun and change formatting, plus any color options

🌈 SteerQueerYall - $12-$15 Woodcut pronoun pins, come in 3 different formats. She/They/He/Ze are the options available but you can message the seller for custom pronouns.

💖 lamoureproprestore - $7.85 Engraved rectangle pronoun pins. Has a wide variety of neopronouns readily available but you can message the seller for customs.

Buttons

🌵 PricklyCactusCollage - $1.65 Black and white patterned pronoun buttons, allows for any pronouns

🌵 PricklyCactusCollage - $1.65 Pride flag pronoun buttons, can choose from any pronouns and any pride flag

👾 nerdcorecrafts - $1.50 Pronoun buttons with a very wide range of common neopronouns, but unfortunately does not take customs.

🐯 TigersEyeAdventureCo - $3.50-$5.00 This seller has a LOT of buttons with custom options available, make sure to specify in the seller’s note if theres not an option to fill in.

Patches

🎪 Harlequinworks - $5.15 Rectangular embroiders pronoun patch, She/They/He/Xe are the available options but you can specify custom pronouns in the seller’s note

🐡 PufferfishCreations - $6.43 “My pronouns are:” pronoun patches. Has She/Her/They/Zie as options, plus a custom options (just add the pronouns in the seller’s note)

⚔️ SlayShop - $5.00-$6.00 Pronoun patches, has a lot of neopronouns to choose from but also allows custom orders

I hope someone can benefit from this list!! Message me if you do get anything from the list, I wanna see :3

#neopronouns #trendercore #mogai #lgbt #demon.txt #reblogs are appreciated so others could see ^v^

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askanaroace · 5 years ago

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Hey, I have a question that I hope is not considered rude.

If you are in a safe environment and you are open about your sexuality (or lack thereof), but you don’t like the colour scheme of the flags associated with your sexuality; are there other ways to express yourself?

I am Demiromatic and Greysexual, and proud to go under the umbrella term AroAce, but I’m not fond of the colours green or purple. Purple was my sister’s colour so I never went for it, and Green is my least favourite colour (I don’t dislike it, I just don’t like it - neutral about it). I am very much Blues, Blacks, Pinks and Whites - with the occasional Red worn for shock value.

Sometimes though; it would be cool to express that I am on the AroAce spectrum. But I don’t want to sacrafice my personal style to wear colours I don’t want to wear.

I saw someone earlier suggesting a black or white ring on the middle finger, I already wear a diamond and sapphire ring from an ancestor, on my right hand, but I could look for a simple black and white ring for my left hand. But for a Drama Queen like me, it just doesn’t feel like I’d be showing enough support.

I’m sorry for the long submission/question. And I am sorry if anything I said came across as rude or insensitive. I don’t mean it that way.

Thank-you for your time and support.

- @imaginationpheonix

No, questions are not rude. In fact, they’re the entire reason I created this blog! Because I enjoy answering them.

It sucks that so much of your identity has flags of colors you don’t like! It can result in feeling very disconnected from pride and positivity and can even be pretty isolating. I do not like the nonbinary flag and so often don’t really get into aesthetics or merch that uses the colors, so I completely understand where you’re coming from.

You’re going to have to dig a little harder to find ways to show your pride without having everything based around aro or ace colors, but it is doable!

Genderal Pride!

I know we like to get specific and and show our personal pride, but the rainbow flag is for you, too! Find awesome rainbow merch that you enjoy and proudly display those! If it strikes up a conversation with someone and you feel safe sharing more info, then you can.

Phrases and Puns!

Aro and ace lend themselves to soooo many puns and clever sayings. It can be hard to find merch with these sayings that isn’t in green or purple, but it is possible, and it’s worth digging a bit to find this. The pro of this option is that it’s not so subtle, if you’re trying to be bolder, which brings us to:

Symbology!

Look into symbols beyond the pride flags! You can turn white and black rings into white and black earrings or white and black bracelets. Similar idea but morphed into something more doable for you. Cake and dragons are ace symbols. The ace in a pack of cards has long been associated with aces and the ace of spades in particular has become an aroace symbol. So, the spade symbol has become a symbol for aros, as have bows and arrows. It hasn’t really caught on, but I have seen multiple of us claiming the phoenix as a symbol of aromanticism as a play off of dragons being associated with aces.

Look for pieces with these symbols even if they’re not necessarily specifically geared towards aro/ace pride. The con of this option is that these may end up being too subtle for your desires.

Create for Yourself!

Find opportunities to create your own pride merch done in your own preference! It can be costly, but there’s sites out there that let you create a customized shirt to order. If you can’t draw (don’t steal art!), just do text and phrases that you like! You can get fabric pens and draw/notate on your own clothes. When my sister was young, she was gifted some cheap little button badge maker that was pretty easy to make. I saw a cheapo one with just a few seconds of searching for $30. You can also turn these into magnets instead if you prefer. Do you know how to knit or crochet or embroider? Make a scarf or hat or whatever for yourself with whatever symbols or phrase you like! Do you know how to sew? Look into making patches to iron on your clothes. Can you find some beads of any of the symbology we talked about? Make your own earrings or necklace.

Get a little flexible

This is a less great suggestion, but compromise and work on accepting merch that uses purple/green, just in small or underplayed ways. Sometimes it may be impossible to avoid the colors altogether and you may like a piece so much that you find you can stand purple or green in exchange for how awesome the overall design is.

Basically - don’t be afraid to get a little creative. Here’s some stuff I found digging around etsy that shows aspec pride without so much purple or green. (Followers, anybody want to suggest their own merch or something they’ve bought that the follower might like?)

Ace of Spades pin AceStitchual pin Ace’d It pin Sp-ace pin Asexua-whale pin Gemstone bracelet Got Cake shirt Dragon necklace Dragon scarf Gray-ace shirt Space Ace pin Asexual banner Punk pins Asexual and Tired shirt

Subtle Aromantic hand warmers Let Your Arrows Fly shirt Bow and Arrow necklace Bow and Arrow locket Bow and Arrow bracelet Spade necklace Spade earrings Phoenix earrings Aromantic Shark shirt (use of “yas” so may be best only if you’re black)

Pride Mermaid stickers Inclusion pin Ace of Spades wall art Ace of Spades shirt Ace of Spades necklace

Finally, I want to address something really important in your post. Most of your post seems like you truly want to wear this merch for your own self and your own pride and your own excitement and sense of community. And that’s great! However, this caught my attention: “it just doesn’t feel like I’d be showing enough support”.

While, yeah, pride is A Statement meant to say “I’m here and you can’t silence me” and can help signal to others like you that you’re here and you’re safe and they’re not alone, it is also for ourselves. And simply wearing a punny shirt or walking around in a flag, while an incredibly brave act, isn’t the only way to show pride - or support.

If what you’re really looking for is to make a difference and connect with others, I’d really like to encourage you to more direct action as well. Have you looked into lgbt+/queer/etc. clubs and organizations in your local area? Do they have meetings you can go to and meet others or learn about resources? Do they have volunteer opportunities? What sort of relevant protests are happening in your area that you can attend? How about your local library? Does it have books like Let’s Talk About Love or We Awaken (or any other books with rep - time to do some research on some aspec books and then hit up your library!)? If not, I’m sure it has a way for you to request books you’d like to see in there. If you’re in school, does it have a GSA? Can you attend or even look into starting one? Community is an incredible resource and you don’t have to love purple or green to build important connections or show your support.

Hope this helps and have fun searching for merch!

#asexuality #aromantcism #ace spectrum #aro spectrum #question #submission #ask #imaginationphoenix #merch #pride #merchandise #support #community #long post

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eelgibbortech-blog · 7 years ago

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How to Boldy Sell Your Own Products

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Selling isn’t hard. You do it every day.

You’ve sold your friends on Stranger Things, that new Mexican restaurant, the shoes you’re wearing that are soooo comfortable, the video game with the amazing graphics.

Selling is not only easy, it’s natural. When we discover something awesome, we automatically want to share the good news. (This is one reason why funny videos go viral.)

But there is one exception. One tripwire that snares the confidence of people with something to share.

Everything changes the moment you try to sell something you built.

If you wrote the book, if you built the course, if you’re the one welding the custom mailbox, a sinister fear creeps in and emasculates your sales copy.

You start making excuses for your pricing.

You focus too much on discounts or deadlines and not enough on the value of the product.

You make ambiguous promises about what the product or service might do.

And here’s what’s tricky…

Many times, you won’t know you’re doing it.

You won’t realize you’ve watered down the value of your product or service, and you’ll unknowingly move forward with flaccid sales copy. Fewer people will be helped by the solution you’re offering. And you’ll miss out on the money a strong pitch would have earned.

But surprisingly, as bad as that sounds, there’s an even more sinister threat. While you’re busy selling your own products short to others, you might even scare away yourself. You could lose faith in your own creation and ultimately quit.

In this post, I’ll reveal a simple mindset shift that will free you up to sell your products with conviction. Then I’ll give you a simple, three-step process to help you power up your sales pitch.

The simple mindset shift that frees you up to sell naturally

A close friend recently sent me some sales copy he was planning to email to his list. His goal was to sell more copies of his book, which I’ve fake renamed The Mega Productivity Supercharger.

My friend is a phenomenal writer. His work has literally been read by millions of people. What tripped him up wasn’t a lack of talent. It was the struggle of selling your own stuff.

Read this copy, and think about whether you’re compelled to buy what it’s selling.

In case you were wondering, I’m not in this for the money.

As a matter of fact, I’ve probably spent more money building my writing career, the website, and the videos than I will make back for a very long time.

But that’s okay, because the message matters more than the money. I’ve tried to drill this in to the small team that helps me here and there with my website. They didn’t get it at first. Now I think they understand.

I wasn’t kidding when I said I’ve published over 600 posts. Sometimes they take me an hour to make. Sometimes they take 10 hours.

Here’s the thing though:

We don’t value things we don’t pay for.

That’s why I’m going to ask you to buy what I consider my most valuable work to date – The Mega Productivity Supercharger.

Buy the book here right now.

If you’re reading this before Wednesday, you will still be able to get it for $4.99.

But I never pull my prices down. After that date, the book will be $7.99 (still a bargain for the amount of work which went into it).

Again, here’s the link to buy the book.

After reading this, can you sense my friend was struggling with the challenge of selling his own book?

What made it obvious?

The first 80% of the email makes excuses for the price, which is insane. (You don’t have to price-justify a $4.99 ebook.)

He gives zero actual reasons to buy the book. He mentions a discount, but discounts aren’t a reason to buy. They’re a reason to buy now. For me to care about the deadline, I need to know how this book will make my life better, and the email shies away from that.

Finally, he explains the book took a lot of work to write — also not a reason to buy.

Since I know my friend is a terrific writer, I wanted to find a way to unleash his talent. I knew the only way to do that was to trick him into selling his product like someone else built it.

So I asked him to write a new email. But this time, instead of his book, I wanted him to pick his favorite nonfiction book and write about that.

See how much better this second email is than the first.

When I finished A Million Miles by Donald Miller, I closed the book, grabbed my keys, and went to the closest jewelry store.

Why did I go to the jewelry store?

I needed to buy an engagement ring.

After reading this book, there was no other option – I had to propose to my girlfriend, Beth. I’d dragged my feet for too long.

Your life is a story. You are writing it every day. A Million Miles will help you realize how you can tell a better story and why it’s imperative you do so.

Would I have proposed to Beth without this book? Who knows? Maybe one day. Or maybe she would have gotten tired of me dragging my feet and moved on.

If you have ever doubted for a second your purpose in life – this book can help you.

If you have ever wondered what it all means – this book can show you.

If you have ever felt like life just happens to you – this book can turn that around.

Right now, you can get this book for only $4.99.

It won’t be that price for long.

On Wednesday, A Million Miles will move to $7.99, and it will very likely never come back down. $7.99 is still a bargain considering the effect it will have on your life, but I want you to get the best deal possible.

Grab the book right now for $4.99 and start living with intention.

(Note: I told him to keep the discount language intact, but that is NOT an actual promotion or price for A Million Miles — just an exercise.)

Look at the powerful promises my friend made for Donald Miller’s book:

A Million Miles will help you realize how you can tell a better story and why it’s imperative you do so.

If you have ever doubted for a second your purpose in life – this book can help you.

If you have ever wondered what it all means – this book can show you.

If you have ever felt like life just happens to you – this book can turn that around.

Grab the book right now for $4.99 andstart living with intention.

Isn’t that crazy?

Right away his writing comes to life, grabs my attention, and gives me compelling reasons to buy the book.

Does he ever make excuses for the price? Not once.

Does he shy away from clear promises? He has a whole list of them!

Does he talk about how hard the book must have been for Donald to write? No, he tells the readers how the book can change their lives.

My friend is happily doing his duty — sharing the good thing he’s found with people he cares about.

All it took was forgetting who actually wrote the book.

That’s the secret — the mindset shift that frees you up to sell naturally…

If you struggle to sell your own products, forget that it’s your stuff.

Easier said than done? You’re darn right. Let’s break the process down.

The three points below are not random tips. This is a process that should be done entirely and in order.

1. Remember why you built what you’re selling in the first place

Maybe your answer would look something like one of these:

I wrote this blog post because learning how to sell has changed my life and I want other people to have similar success.

I create custom coffee mugs because mornings suck and I want women to know something cute and cheerful is waiting for them.

I wrote this novel to explore the theme of forgiveness so I could start thinking about the future again.

Take a minute to write down your own reasons using the examples above as a template.

2. Stop selling the box

90% of the time, insecurity comes from the packaging, not what’s inside.

You know the information in your course can change lives because it changed yours. You just don’t like the way you look on camera.

You know the story in your novel can help readers take a chance on love because you’ve lived this journey. You’re just not as good a writer as Stephen King.

You know your handmade scarves can brighten someone else’s day because they brighten yours. But you’re embarrassed because your prices can’t compete with Walmart, and your online store isn’t as sharp as the Kate Spade website.

Here’s what you must understand.

No one buys the box!

People don’t buy courses to watch someone on camera. They’re paying for the promised transformation.

People don’t read novels simply for prose. They want to know what happens in the story.

People don’t usually buy clothes just because they’re cheap. They discover something they want and find the money to pay for it.

Your job is to show people why they should want what you have for them. Here’s how…

3. Start selling your story

It’s as simple as it is effective.

I used to be THERE. Then I found this EPIPHANY or this PRODUCT. That helped me get HERE — a place where I can do THIS and THIS and THIS. I realized other people wanted to get HERE too. So I…..

….wrote the The Mega Productivity Supercharger to help them learn the EPIPHANY.

….decided to sell my custom Gilmore Girls shirts on etsy so other people could share their love for the show too.

That’s not a sales pitch. It’s just you telling your story. The fact that you wrote the book or made the product doesn’t matter.

You found something that made your life better and now you’re recommending it to other people. That’s powerful salesmanship, my friend.

Your turn

Take a minute to write or rewrite your own sales story, using the template I shared in the previous section. If you would like my feedback, post your short pitch in the comments, and we can work on it together.

After you’ve done that, read this final thought…

We all have days where we feel insecure about what we’re selling. We get nasty feedback from a miserable troll and soon we’re sinking into self-doubt.

For these inevitable moments, it’s good to have a rainy day fund.

When customers tell you how your book or product or service has made their lives better, write it down and stuff it in a jar. When you hit a rough day, dump out your stash of encouragement and remind yourself of what’s true.

You have something good to share.

Selling is how you share it.

So forget who built the thing and start spreading the good news.

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peterjcameron · 8 years ago

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How to Boldly Sell Your Own Products