Day 1

Hi there. My name is Missy, also known as M.J.  I am an artistic painter who currently works for Old World Artists based in Hampton Roads Va.  We mostly do "faux" painting. Everything you could imagine, we have or can paint. Our work is mostly walls, cabinets and furniture.

Objective: Make the white bookshelf look like it's made of bamboo...

 Objective: Make the plate cover blend with the tiled wall...

 Objective: Make this pine island into distressed grey.

I love my job. I feel so lucky to get up every morning and know I'll get to do something creative. And can you believe, I get paid for it? I know, sounds crazy, but I'm blessed.  On a rare occasion we get commissioned to do a mural. That's what I live for. When we get mural work, it's all me. On occasion I will have some help on the background, but I am the fine line painter. I love this kind of work.

I've been thinking the last couple of months that I would like to put more energy into the mural side of the business. Today, I decided to start working towards that goal.

I am going to make a name for myself in the mural world. Because painting makes me happy!

So where to start... there are some things I will need to really get this going.  A new projector, because my overhead one finally took it's last breath a few weeks ago. I would like a digital one, so I can hook it up to a laptop rather than lug a huge one around. A new netbook, because my laptop is on it's last leg. An air compressor, and a detail airbrush to add to my airbrushing tools. I think I'll also need some advertising funds. I'm finding that the road block in my business, and probably any start-up, is getting the word out.

Now, how to fund this crazy adventure? Er.... Well I've heard some fantastic things about Kickstarter, so I went and looked them up. After reading... and reading... and reading... I think this may be worth exploring.

Day 1 assignments:
*Research Kickstarter CHECK
*Open a twitter account CHECK
*Start a blog CHECK

For day 2 my assignments for myself are to:
*Research the cost of the things I will need to make this a reality
*Find a local childrens charity that I can donate a mural to. Maybe more than one. Did I mention I love to paint?
*Write a blog post about my progress.