I am still a total newbie when it comes to maintaining my own blog, so this infographic (courtesy of Copyblogger.com) is just the thing to keep me on track.

Every journey begins with a single step, right? Here’s how to keep one foot moving in front of the other.

Happy blogging!

Like this infographic? Get more content marketing tips from Copyblogger.

Modern Muse Web Design - Web, Blog, and Graphic Design Studio

Tonight was a lovely Fall evening. I enjoyed spending quality time with my family and watched a few Pixar shorts on TV.

There was one beautifully illustrated film short in particular that spoke to me and its message was simple – to rebound when life gets you down.

Sometimes your ego can get a little bruised…whether you’re a small business owner, blogger, or both. Just remember to keep boundin’ and things will soon look up.

Watch this video on YouTube.

Words via Life Engineering:

Here’s a story on how strange is life with its changes
And it happened not long ago.
On a high mountain plain, where the sagebrush arranges
A playground south of the snow
Lived a lamb with a coat of remarkable sheen,
It would glint in the sunlight all sparkly and clean,
Such a source of great pride, that it caused him to preen.
And he’d break out in high stepp’n dance.

He would dance for his neighbors across the way.
I must say that they found his dancin’ enhancin’,
For they’d also join in the play.

Then one day…

Then a-boundin up the slope
Came a great American jackalope.
This sage of the sage, this rare hare of hope,
Caused to pause and check out the lamb.

“Hey kid, why the mope?”

“I used to be something all covered with fluff,
And I’d dance in the sunlight and show off my stuff,
Then they hauled me away in a manner quite rough
And sheared me and dropped me back here in the buff.
And if that’s not enough, now my friends all laugh at me
Cause they think I look ridiculous, funny, and pink.”

“Pink? Pink? Well, what’s wrong with pink?
Seems you’ve got a pink kink in your think.
Does it matter what color? Well, that gets nope.
Be it pink, purple, or heliotrope.
Now sometimes you’re up and sometimes you’re down,
When you find that you’re down well just look around:
You still got a body, good legs and fine feet,
Get your head in the right place and hey, you’re complete!

“Now as for the dancin’, you can do more,
You can reach great heights, in fact you can soar.
You just get a leg up and ya slap it on down,
And you’ll find you’re up in what’s called a bound.
Bound, bound, and rebound.
Bound and you’re up right next to the sky,
And I think you can do it if you give it a try,
First get a leg up, slap it on down…”

So every year, along about May,
They’d load him up and they’d haul him away,
And they’d shave him and dump him all naked and bare.
He learned to live with it, he didn’t care,
He’d just bound, bound, bound, and rebound.

Now in this world of ups and downs…
So nice to know there are jackalopes around.

Modern Muse Web Design - Web, Blog, and Graphic Design Studio

Today I’d like to feature my latest WordPress-powered site launch, Living With Purpose – A Women’s Empowerment Retreat. This site was designed for a very high-level client, my mom. Lol

My mother is a motivational speaker and human development coach. She has partnered with her long-time friend, Marisa Rivera, to sponsor this exciting women’s retreat.

I will be on-hand as a participant and to assist during the retreat, so for those of you who register – see ya there!

I am really excited to attend this event since I would like to learn how to create the life I want. It’s already a pretty good life, but there’s always room for improvement.

For details, visit - http://Empowerment.EasLeadership.com/

Thanks for the visit! – KC

Modern Muse Web Design - Web, Blog, and Graphic Design Studio

Get out your umbrellas, cuz it’s gonna rain…Modern Muse is now on Facebook! To show your support, please like my page. I would truly appreciate it.

The process was fairly painless and I hope to write a more in-depth post someday to detail the steps I took to start my Facebook page.

I think I’ve done pretty well to attract clients without social media, but why not see what all the fuss is about, right? Lol

My motives are really quite pure in that I’d like to interact with my clients and site visitors through a platform that everyone’s familiar with using.

So…I’m hoping you’ll give me a chance and “Like” my page. Soon I’ll be launching a giveaway opportunity to anyone who becomes a fan. You don’t wanna miss out!

Thanks for indulging me on this one. – KC

Modern Muse Web Design - Web, Blog, and Graphic Design Studio

For some time I’ve wanted to write a post about working at home because well, I work from home and sometimes find it challenging. Obviously, I am able to accomplish my work goals at the end of the day, but as any work at home professional will agree, there are pros and cons.

I’d like to share with you some of the pitfalls I often face and the strategies employed to address them. These strategies may seem like common sense, but they help tremendously when put into practice.

Work at Home Challenges

I am a freelancer with a young child at home, so my biggest challenge has to do with focus. It’s hard to stay ‘in the zone’ creatively when there is a screaming toddler outside my door.

Another challenge is [seemingly] unsupportive family. At times it doesn’t register to them that although I work from home, I am still accountable to someone – my clients.

Then there’s the issue of house guests. I live in the fabulous city of Lost Wages. I mean, Las Vegas. Seems like there’s always a steady influx of people that want to crash at my place. What to do?

Set Boundaries

To be successful when working from home, you must set boundaries. I’ve recognized that in order to nurture my career, I will need to turn down invitations for personal outings from time to time. If I want success badly enough, it will be worth the sacrifice.

Admittedly, the inability to say no is a weakness of mine, but I’m working on it. More specifically, I’m learning how to turn down projects if my gut tells me to go in another direction. Not that I’m soooo in-demand or all-important, but for anyone who takes on clients (freelancers in particular), this subject is all too familiar. I’ll write an article someday about that, but I wanted to throw it out there since you might be in a similar position.

Setting boundaries now applies to out-of-town guests. If they’re a close relative, like my mother-in-law or sister, then I know in advance when they’re coming and make it a point to schedule days off to host. I still get the occasional drop-in visit, but they’re getting used to the fact that I have to work during set hours (more about this later).

If out-of-town visitors are long lost friends or distant relatives, they don’t know too much about what I do anyway, so I simply tell them that although I would love to host, I have to work, and then politely offer to meet them at their hotel for drinks or coffee during their visit. For their convenience and mine, I keep a list of cost-effective hotels handy for times when I’m asked for recommendations.

Create a Work Environment

Boundaries can also be made by setting aside a space in your home for work. Preferably, you want this space to be in the same location and respected by all as your place of work. I have a separate room in my house dedicated to my design studio and my family knows that when the door is closed and the light is on, it’s a no-fly zone. Mama is working and should not be disturbed unless the house is on fire, or you are seriously injured.

Your work space should optimally be a quiet, organized space that supports the nature of your work too (printer, phone, laptop).

If you’re having trouble carving out a work environment for yourself at home, you might want to consider the affordable alternative of a co-workspace.

I’m still pretty comfortable working at home, but in all honesty, a co-workspace arrangement is still up for consideration should more opportunities become available in my area.

Set a Schedule

The beauty of working at home is that you have the freedom to set your own schedule. If you don’t have a set schedule already, I would recommend that you implement one. In this way, you can let friends and family know when you have to work – no exceptions. Then all the other hours left in the day are up for negotiation.

By setting a schedule, I’ve personally become more productive because I can get into work mode knowing that I have a set block of time to accomplish certain tasks.

In addition, when you set boundaries regarding your time, you’re less likely to take on more than you know you can handle.

Post Hours of Operation

If you have a web site for your business, it would be helpful to display your hours of operation. This assures your clients/customers of your availability and professionalism.

Thankfully, my family is supportive of my career. In the past, I felt like they were being unsupportive because they’d ask me to go shopping on a work day, or propose a last-minute road trip. How were they to know when I was available if I hadn’t made my schedule clear to them?

Now that my hours of operation are clearly defined, my family knows when I’m available to goof off. It all comes down to communication.

Get Help

If possible, hire outside help. I learned this tid-bit during a stint as a beauty consultant for direct sales cosmetics company. Notably, the most successful consultants were the ones who acquired help early on in their careers.

Recently, I recruited the help of a babysitter who comes to my home 3 days a week. The expense is well worth it because the only way I would gain the same level of productivity would be to put my daughter in daycare. Frankly, I’m not ready to do that and the expense isn’t justified quite yet.

Maybe you need help in other ways like hiring a virtual assistant, or someone to clean your home. At least give it some thought. The investment might be worth it so you can use the extra time to focus on your business.

Start Early (or Late)

I’m personally not a morning person, but on the rare occasion that I’m up before the rest of my household, I take advantage of the quiet time to work.

I first learned of this technique while browsing for advice on housework and exercise. After having my daughter, my ability to keep house and get back into shape suddenly seemed impossible. I wondered what the heck everyone else was doing to keep up. A few quick searches online revealed what my mommy counterparts were doing – beating the crowd and waking up early.

I wish it were that easy, which is why the same can apply to late-nights. Especially if you don’t have a ton of deadlines. The night-owl in me prefers the quiet after bed-time to get stuff done. This is why 2 days out of my work week consist of evening hours. Work during the evening accommodates international clients and I can still get work done on the days my babysitter isn’t around.

Remain Self-Disciplined

Regardless of the circumstances, I am ultimately to blame if I don’t reach my daily work goals. The golden rule for anyone who works for themselves is self-discipline.

Self-discipline comes in many forms and the level necessary varies from person to person.

Hopefully you can maintain a level of self-discipline by incorporating some of the work at home strategies listed above.

Modern Muse Web Design - Web, Blog, and Graphic Design Studio

Hello! And welcome to the Modern Muse Web Design blog. I know, I know, long overdue. Especially for someone who makes their living on the web.

What can I say? With my energy centered around the well-being of my clients, personal projects often take a back seat. That’s just the way it is and I’m not complaining – it’s a great problem to have.

Lately I’ve been trying to shift my focus a bit in order to re-brand my online presence. I’m hoping to gain more exposure via social marketing, broaden my skill set and in turn, broaden my range of product offerings. All the while, I’d like to use this blog as a way to connect and share with others.

If you don’t know my story yet, I’ll summarize really quickly…

I’m a freelance web, blog & e-commerce template designer and my studio is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. Although in reality I’m a military brat, my hometown is the beautiful city of San Antonio, Texas.

I’ve loved web design since 1999. I was a sophomore in college then and created my very first web site as a history assignment.

What I love most about being a freelance web designer is that I can work and learn at my own pace. I’m hoping to continue to grow as an individual while my web design business grows and I invite you to follow me on my journey.

Thank you for visiting my new blog. Please don’t be a stranger and subscribe to my RSS feed, or bookmark my site. Until we meet again!

Best wishes, KC

Modern Muse Web Design - Web, Blog, and Graphic Design Studio