Click here to view the video on YouTube.

It’s been a few months since I’ve really played Minecraft so there are tons of new features for me to discover and explore. But as always, life starts with making a house! In Episode 1 we do just that.

Follow along with me as we explore the awesome unique world of Minecraft!

I used the opportunity to capture some interesting sights and lights!

We made Chocolate Cake Pops in prep for Valentine’s Day!

How romantic and delicious, cake on a stick

And for your viewing pleasure, the elusive double cake pop!

Want some? We at Sprinkles still have some spots open for Valentine’s Day orders! We’re offering a special Valentine’s Day Cake Pop Set (pictured above) of 6 for $10. What a nice gift idea, even if you choose to treat yourself! Send me an email or contact me via the blog’s contact form if you’re interested.

Moreso, I’ve been smitten with Youtube these past oh, years, watching with an amused look on my face as its world evolved onwards and more content was added. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I should give back in a way, as over the years I’ve learned so much from all the assorted videos I’ve watched.

So I’ve decided to start doing little vlogs from time to time about all sorts of things. I guess they’ll be a bit of a Meagan show, following along with some of the cool things I do, crossing all sorts of genres along the way.

Here’s a recent video in which I evaluate some of my food photography shots for their final use in a new website.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

This month they are having a series of classes, and one in particular caught my eye: Setting Up a Home Studio with John Cornicello.

Just last night I was wanting to take part in some indoor food photography of a delicious homecooked meal, but lack of light prevented me from taking any shots. “I need a lightbox,” I muesd to no one in particular… Turns out I was speaking to the CreativeLive Gods, as they have blessed me with the knowledge I so very need!

I’ve taken to taking notes during watching the lectures. It reminds me of school in the best of ways: trying to capture the raw dissemination of knowledge with your net of pen and words. The thrill of the hunt, I guess.

If you’ve ever wanted to learn about making and using a home photography studio, consider visiting the CreativeLive free streaming page on January 10th between 12 and 530pm. Even just five minutes of listening in will give you a tidbit of knowledge to make you into a better photographer!

However, one tactic for self improvement i really do believe in is goals. Consistently setting and achieving goals will let you achieve more than your heart’s greatest desire. For me, setting goals via big dreams allows me to challenge and exceed my own limitations daily, thus achieving bigger and better things. My goal list also lets me reflect on my weekly pursuits, so that I know my time is being invested well.

Here are some of the pursuits I’ll be investing my time in during the next dozen months:

Art Prints – I’ve recharged my creative batteries and am excited to get back into art print production. I’ll be focusing on stamp-based designs, including experimenting with a series of large scale stamp & spraypaint fusions. I’m looking forward to the coming weeks when I can show some progress on this project!

Web Sprucing – Just as with a closet of unused winter gear, online web presences can use some tidying up of their own. Now that I have a bit more time on my hands, I can finally tame and better present the somewhat wild accumulation of blog posts and content I’ve generated these past years, including doing a long put-off task, my own website design! I can also use this time to join and engage with communities related to my pursuits.

Photography: This is going to be a big year for focusing on my photographic skills. Everyone knows I’m not someone who desires physical items, however I am indeed working towards acquiring one critical item: my own DSLR camera. I’ve spent years learning the basics of advanced photography with my mom’s Nikon D70s. I now know that the next step is to make it mine, find a special tool of my own that I can cherish and love, and together the two of us shall create beautiful art for years to come. I wonder if I could create a Canadian Kickstarter project to help fund my camera purchase: Donate dollars and  get a few framable limited edition hand-signed prints? I could go on a valley road trip and capture the lovely sights with my lenses! FYI I’m still leaning towards a Canon, solely for its additional video functions.

There are, as always, plenty of other secret projects in various states of completion that I haven’t talked about. Life is much more fun with secret projects! I look forward to sharing the progress and results of these endeavors with you, victory is far more sweet when shared.

What a nifty idea – print out your Minecraft scene with a 3D printer, then meticulously hand-color it in. I know how I’m going to be immortalizing the world we end up building!