2019 Yearly Review: A Year of Farewells

This year, I concentrated more on the video than on the written post. What can I say? 2019 was interesting, and as 2020 dawned, I realized things were not going to calm down anytime soon. If you haven't already seen this video up on my Patreon (you should really check out My Patreon), here is my 2019 review video, complete with timestamps and links to all my projects! Cheers!


Video Timestamps

If you just want to check out one part, you can see different sections by clicking the timestamps below:
  • 00:00 - Intro: 2019 - The End of a Decade
  • 1:50 - System Andromeda 2009-2019: The Path of a Decade (for those interested in the history of this grand venture of mine)
  • 7:39 - System Andromeda Today (whittling down my focus & moving forward )
  • 10:49 - Becoming Arcadian Nomad (why Arcadian Gypsy is no more)
  • 16:21 - Tricky Fish Photography 
  • 18:12 - Travel (Research Trip in Colorado!)
  • 20:24 - Life & Lifestyle (lifestyle freedom, farmlife, family, health, etc.)
  • 25:08 - Writing Review
  • 33:20 - 2020 & Beyond (moving forward with Acting, Writing, Tricky Fish, Ransomed Roads, Lost Title Cards, etc.)
  • 36:58 - Patreon (a little info about how this is all possible)

If you saw some things you were interested in knowing more about, I've posted links of all my projects below. Enjoy!

Main Sites

Patreon



Tricky Fish Photography



Writing

Ransomed Roads 

Ransomed Roads - Travel & Lifestyle blog

The Lost Title Cards

The Lost Title Cards - movie blog

Changeling: The Ongoing Journey of an Aspie

Changeling - blog about Autism


Arcadian Nomad

Etsy Shop for Arcadian Nomad
Instagram: Arcadian Nomad
Facebook: Arcadian Nomad


What do you think?

Still exploring the galaxy?
Click on any of the following:
site - Facebook - Twitter - Pinterest

Curious for more? Check out my other projects:
Ransomed Roads (RR): site - Facebook - Instagram - Pinterest
Tricky Fish Photography (TFP): Instagram - Facebook - Pinterest - Deviant Art
TFP Shops: RedBubble - Zazzle - Society6
The Arcadian Gypsy (AG): shop - Facebook - Instagram

© Content property of Andromeda Ross, all rights reserved.

2018 Yearly Review: Praxis & Catharsis Are Back in Style

Happy New Year!

2019 looks promising and I am excited to see what it brings! In this post, I'll be doing my year review of 2018, a preview of what's coming this year, and looking back to the early days of System Andromeda. I did an in-depth video post for the four different sections of this review on Patreon. If you don't know what that is, check out my Patreon page here. Check after each section for a link to each part's video.

First...

10 Years and Counting...

December 2009 marked my first post on this blog. It was my official introduction to the world as System Andromeda, though, at the time, I called this blog Praxis & the Catharsis Impulse. So what is Praxis & the Catharsis Impulse?

  • Praxis - putting philosophy into action; in my case, it was putting into action the idea that I could have the life that I wanted without having to be a slave to traditional methods.
  • Catharsis - strong release of emotions; The Catharsis Impulse, therefore, is the need to experience this release. In other words, I wanted to share the highs and lows of this process.

It was a nod to the idea that I needed to take action on all the many projects and share my process. What started as a catchall for my favorite passions has become so much more, and I felt that should be celebrated. Happy Anniversary!

Link to Introduction video

Back to the present, but before I talk about 2019, I'm going to take a look at 2018. I felt the need to bring these concepts back around full circle as I talk about my yearly review. So what has the last year brought me? Well, for one thing, there's been a lot of movement...


Praxis 2018

"Movement" was my theme for 2018. I wanted to set an intention of seeing more movement in my life. That could take the form of dance, or seeing forward movement in my projects. I wanted movement, and movement I got. Last year resulted in a lot of new things prepped for the future, and it was quite an achievement to get this far. Here are a few highlights (watch the video to get a little more info):

Q1 - Family and Personal Growth

This period was filled with personal concerns, mostly. I acted as caretaker for a couple of relatives this year, mostly during the 1st quarter. The rest of the time was mostly spent on writing.
  • I obtained a position with an online marketing company as a blog writer. This position gave me quite a bit of new experience to use with all my other writings. I was so thankful for this time.
  • I continued work on my four blogs, including prepping for Autism Acceptance Month on Changeling: The Ongoing Journey of an Aspie

Q2 - Social

The spring saw a lot of social events and social media marketing. Here are just a few of the highlights:
  • Began at a new gym, because fitness.
  • Plays, weddings, art events
  • Local photo shoots - mostly impromptu.
  • Writing
  • Participated in movement study.
  • Creative Time
    • 3 paintings for Totems show (debuted in July)
    • Comic Con
      • 2 video shoots
      • Domino cosplay
 

Q3 - Work Work Work

This month was all about output. In particular, I did two major launches after debuting three new paintings in the Totems show. Sadly, I had to put blog posting mostly on ice for the time being, and I wasn't able to get back to it.
  • Tricky Fish Photography website - I'd been waiting years to get this one done, so I was thrilled to finally bring that one to fruition.
  • Patreon - I got my Patreon page up and running this year, a real game changer! Join me there (if you haven't already) and see what all the fuss is about!

Q4 - Arcadian Gypsy & Wrapping up the Year

I don't know if it's poetic or simply appropriate that the year ended in a similar fashion to the beginning. There was a lot of time spent with the fam and quite a bit of reflection in the mix. Mostly, though, I worked on sales for the Arcadian Gypsy. Along with the launch of many new products, there was a big focus on social media marketing. I also got to do a little experimentation with essential oils. You can see more in the video.

Link to Praxis video

Catharsis 2018: What Have We Learned, Charlie Brown?

Reflection is a huge thing for me. However, reflection is useless if you don't absorb and integrate the information. This is a tough place for a lot of entrepreneurs to be, especially in a culture that worships the highs of an enterprise, and shuns the lows. It would be disingenuous not to share a balanced view of what has happened in the last year. ....So, here it is. For better and worse, here is the story of the last year.

What Have We Learned, Charlie Brown?

Link to Catharsis video

2019: Second Star to the Right

This year is going to go fast. Know how I can tell? Because it always does. I know. Not terribly profound. But sooner than we know, I'll be doing another year's review on here. So what will it be about? Well, it's always open to change, but here are my main foci as I see it right now:
  • Photography - I have so many projects in mind for this year, I'm practically vibrating in anticipation. Just a few hints:
    • Spherical photography
    • Ransomed Roads series, including a new "local" feature and extended travel stories
    • Kaleidoscopic art
  • Writing - There'll be plenty of new series to play with as I get back to my blogs this year, and I'm hoping to start a new facet of my writing career. Some goals:
    • Proofreading assignments - this is the next natural progression of my writing-for-hire path. Wish me luck!
    • Ransomed Roads - I have a new "local" series called "Compass Culture" coming soon, as well as more of series like "Vegas, Baby" and "Summer of Color".
    • The Lost Title Cards - I'm starting the year off with an M. Night Shyamalan series, and will be going from there.
  • Tiny House - It's here, finally. I begin the major plans for making this happen. I don't know when I'll finish, but - fingers crossed - I will have a concrete plan in place by spring. In other words...
    • Plan Plan Plan
    • Build Build Build
To find out more about what's coming in 2019, check out the video!

Link to 2019 video


And that, dear Reader, is it. What have you got planned for the year? Drop a comment below to share some of your triumphs, travails, and what you have planned for the new year! Let's make it epic.


Share your comments below!

Still exploring the galaxy?
Click on any of the following:
site - Facebook - Twitter - Pinterest

Curious for more? Check out my other projects:
Ransomed Roads (RR): site - Facebook - Instagram - Pinterest
Tricky Fish Photography (TFP): Instagram - Facebook - Pinterest - Deviant Art
TFP Shops: RedBubble - Zazzle - Society6
The Arcadian Gypsy (AG): shop - Facebook - Instagram

© Content property of Andromeda Ross, all rights reserved.

Freedom Friday: Patreon


Re-cap: Quarterly Review

If you've been following along, it's been a hell of a year, filled with projects galore. I just finished up the third quarter review post earlier this month. In case you missed it, you can check out the Quarterly Review here. The big news from this quarter was the creation of my Patreon page, though, and that's what this post is mostly about.

Patreon

Patreon connects creatives with the audience that loves them. It allows them to engage more with each other through exclusive content on a membership-based platform for as little as $1/month. I love it. It means I get to keep creating, and you get to keep getting the benefit of that which I create. Note the orange button up on the right-hand side? Go check out my page, see what you think, and if you like what you see, if you like what I do here, I encourage you to become a patron. Remember, patrons will not only keep getting posts here, but they will also get exclusive and advanced content that is only on Patreon! 


What's Next...

This is my last post through the end of the year. I'm continuing to focus on some other projects for now. Freedom Fridays will return, but only periodically. When it comes back, there will be a mix of things: tips, motivational quotes, recommendations, and, of course, updates on all my projects. That said, you should definitely check out my Patreon page for the most up-to-date news, and exclusive content. I will mostly be posting there from now on.

That's all for now!
~The Galaxy Next Door




What do you think? 


Still exploring the galaxy? 
Click on any of the following: 

Curious for more? Check out my other projects: 
Ransomed Roads (RR): site - Facebook - Instagram - Pinterest
Tricky Fish Photography (TFP): Instagram - Facebook - Pinterest - Deviant Art
TFP Shops: RedBubble - Zazzle - Society6
The Arcadian Gypsy (AG): shop - Facebook - Instagram

© Content property of Andromeda Ross, all rights reserved.

Quarterly Review: Q3 2018:: New!! Patreon & Tricky Fish!!


The second half of this summer has been a crazy one, to say the least. I spent the majority of this year preparing for the launch of a number of projects, and my goodness, it's been an all-consuming kind of time, the kind where people wonder where you've gone, and if you took your sanity with you. (I'm sure it's around here somewhere.)

The Biz

The big news to come out of this period of intense work comes in two parts: Patreon & the new Tricky Fish Photography site. I'll talk about the TFP - which officially launches today!!! - below, but first...

Patreon

Okay, if you've been watching my social media feeds, you've undoubtedly seen the posts introducing my new Patreon page. I'm very excited about it, and already have gained some patrons. You can access it in this post, or click on the badge in the left hand column. I'll do a post on this in a week or two to explain more about it. In the meantime, check out the intro video for it:



Marketing & Social Media

I've had a definite dive in social media presence while preparing for this launch. I barely even looked at Facebook. I like to think of it like being a musician in the studio before they drop a new album and start touring. Moving forward, however, there will be a lot more social media. Check out the "Orbits" page on my main website to know which to follow. And, as always, subscribe or follow me here!

As for other marketing, I've been doing some re-design. Don't worry. No fundamental design changes. I've just been polishing up my logos, and creating some designs for things like stickers and bookmarks. I've also re-designed my business cards, and I can't wait to see how they look when they arrive. Here's a taste what's on the way:





Life Coaching

I'm brainstorming ideas for future webinars and presentations, and with the launch of Patreon, I'll be able to open up membership-based benefits to help others trying to achieve their dreams. I hope to get that moving along in 2019.


Life

There's been a great deal of reflection this year and, while it's been rough, it's a good thing. I've been confronting a lot of difficult stuff from my past, and focusing a lot on my overall health. You can read some of my revelations on my Changeling blog.

Health

Since April, I've been going to the gym, and about a month ago, I signed up for the YMCA five minutes from my house. The makes it easier to get over there, as I've shaved about 40-50 min off my drive time, and it has some really cool features. I'm going to have to do a post about this Y and other Y's in general.

As far as my other health has been concerned, I have been suffering from some chronic health problems in the last couple years or so, and it makes life a bit more of a challenge than I'd really like...which is to say, it makes me miserable more often than not. That said, I'm taking steps to heal, and trying to listen to my body more, when it tells me something is wrong, or that it's time to take a rest.

Advocacy

Action in this area has taken a bit of a backseat as I gather information. SCOTUS has been a big issue and I'm carefully reviewing Kavanaugh in regards to his reviews and actions toward people with disability. The Autism Self-Advocacy Network does a lot of research into this, and if you're interested, I highly recommend following their Twitter feed. As for the Changeling blog, I will get back to it eventually. I am still processing a lot from this year, and my other projects make it difficult to fully articulate some of my experiences and feelings on this matter.

Tiny House

This project is also on the backburner as I initiate some important endeavors. I look to be going full gear on this come 2019, especially once spring hits, when I can maybe start building. I can hardly wait.

Travels

Sometime in early summer, I discovered that I would not be able to make it to Burning Man this year. That was a hard one to wrap my head around. It isn't that I haven't missed years; it's that, ostensibly, I won't be going for the next couple years, and so this was to be my last one for a bit. That said, the Playa always seems to find a way to suck me back out to its dusty goodness, and Playa Magic is real, y'all. Anything is possible. Still, I was not completely starved of travel opportunities.

Local 

I've learned a lot of cool stuff about how Council Bluffs is changing for the better, and it if it keeps on its current trajectory, will eclipse Omaha for an art/cultural center in the next few years. No joke. Keep up the good work, CB, and stay tuned to Ransomed Roads for a new type of post coming soon (November-ish, in fact).

Vegas, Baby

I have never thought of myself as a Las Vegas fan. It already has two strikes against it, being in a desert and being hot most of the year. When you add in that it's mostly about gambling, sporting events, and shopping, I pretty much yawn. So color me surprised to find myself enjoying the hell out of my family trip to Sin City. Stay tuned to Ransomed Roads this fall as I recount a little of that trip.

Speaking of....

Ransomed Roads

I'm working on new stuff for Ransomed Roads. I hope to start a new series of posts on cool local stuff called "Compass Culture". There's also the Vegas project this fall, and finishing up with the Summer of Color, which is, sadly, slated for next year. It's just been too busy, and I suddenly found myself in the wrong headspace to talk about that move. Also for next year, I hope to do more tips & tricks to correspond with early release info for my Patreon page.


Writing

There has been so very much writing this year. I did the math one day a couple weeks ago, and if I average out the amount of time I've spent writing over my lifetime, then I have far surpassed the oft extolled 10,000 hours required to become a master at something. Of course, that theory has been debunked, and I would hardly call myself a "master" of writing. I would say I've gotten pretty proficient, and that took a lot of time (plus that theory has pretty much been debunked). Anyhoo...

I've had to take a break from writing nonetheless, as I also do it for my work, and have also been concentrating so hard on my other projects (which also require writing, e.g. web copy), that thinking about writing just wore me out. Once the launches for the fall/winter season are complete, I should be able to get back to work on them in November, so bear with me.

The Lost Title Cards

This summer, I started a new series on my movie blog called "Behind the Scene". It's fairly short posts that focus on a little tidbit of movie trivia that you might now know. It's pretty fun, and I look forward to getting back to them.

Changeling Ashes

Percolating....

Professional Writing

Moving to the next level with freelance blog-writing. My time with Comnio, alas, ended when the owner decided to dissolve the company. I had a great time working with all those folks, and wish them all the best. In the meantime, I am working on getting some more freelance blog-writing gigs. I even have a writer's portfolio, focusing mostly on blog-writing, up online:

Andromeda Ross - Journo Portfolio


Tricky Fish Photography

Geez, way to bury the lead. Now, for the major news: Tricky Fish has a new website!!!!

www.TrickyFishPhotography.com

I couldn't be more excited about this. I have been longing for this website for well over a decade, and I've been working on it for most of this year. As I was building it myself through Adobe's portfolio site editor, there were a lot of elements that had to come together, and I needed to get pics together and edited for some initial galleries. So much easier said than done. But I prevailed, and the results are pretty stellar, if I do say so myself.

Shops

My shops on Redbubble, Zazzle, and Society6 are technically live, but I don't have projects up yet. Stay tuned for that one as the month wears on.


Projects

I've been focusing on a few different projects this quarter. I got to go to the Lauritzen Gardens, and have spent some time getting horizon shots from Council Bluffs's many vantage points.

Omaha Comic Con (OCon) & Film-making

The big project here is that I actually dressed up for OCon:

Me as Domino from Deadpool 2

...and that my brother and I put together another OCon video this year. Actually, it was two videos. My brother conceived the idea, and he and his friend built their costumes and props themselves. I wrote scripts, built scenery, and consulted on costumes for the second half of the piece, was Director of Photography, and helped direct them in their individual scenes, recorded sound and effects....all on my smartphone (Samsung Galaxy S8). Here's the finished product:


We're thinking about starting our own film production company.

www.trickyfishphotography.com

Arcadian Gypsy

There's been hardly any movement on this, as I decided to take time off to work on other projects. To be honest, my passion for this project had waned somewhat, and I was beginning to wonder if I wanted to do it anymore. Fortunately, it seemed mostly due to my need to / interest in finishing up some of the aforementioned projects above that had me feeling frustrated. I just didn't have time to give it the proper attention. Now, I'm committed for the holiday season, and feeling a lot more excited about it, so, as always, stay tuned.

New Products/Lines

I'm currently working on getting my new inventory prepared to post to the new site. In the meantime, you can still check out the Etsy shop

The Darndest Things

The Darndest Things has been on Instagram and Pinterest a lot lately. In fact, she's a Pinterest queen!!! Check her out.

Arts & Crafts

Painting

The Totems Show was in August. I love painting, and loved connecting with my spirit in the creation process. One of the funnest parts of that was getting to do a talk on what Totems and the art process does for me. If I can get my hands on it, I'll post the video here some time.


That's pretty much it for now. I'm excited to see what Q4 brings, and I hope everyone has a lovely holiday season!

______

Plots & Schemes for Q4 2018:

Writing

More more more...There will be more focus on blogs as I get deeper into autumn....I think. We'll see how this month goes.

Tricky Fish Photography

More galleries, prints of my work, and more.

Arcadian Gypsy

New products, new lines.

Performance

Working on body movement in prep to get back in front of the camera.

Advocacy

Alternative (question what is normal) and innovative thinking for disability (like how tiny houses can help people who have disability); looking at the arts & alternative lifestyles.

Language

Currently too busy, but want to get back to ASL, and become more fluent.

Life Coaching

Webinars/speeches



Share your comments below!

Still exploring the galaxy?
Click on any of the following:
site - Facebook - Twitter - Pinterest

Curious for more? Check out my other projects:
Ransomed Roads (RR): site - Facebook - Instagram - Pinterest
Tricky Fish Photography (TFP): Instagram - Facebook - Pinterest - Deviant Art
TFP Shops: RedBubble - Zazzle - Society6
The Arcadian Gypsy (AG): shop - Facebook - Instagram

© Content property of Andromeda Ross, all rights reserved.

...the only thing to live for...


"Pleasure is the only thing to live for. Nothing ages like happiness."
~Oscar Wilde


What do you think?

Still exploring the galaxy?
Click on any of the following:
site (under construction!) - Facebook - Twitter - Pinterest

Curious for more? Check out my other projects:
Ransomed Roads (RR): site - Facebook - Instagram - Pinterest
Tricky Fish Photography (TFP): Instagram - Facebook - Pinterest - Deviant Art
TFP Shops: RedBubble - Zazzle - Society6
The Arcadian Gypsy (AG): shop - Facebook - Instagram

© Content property of Andromeda Ross, all rights reserved.