Ashley Baxter

My Home Office Gets A Revamp

girlwithacanon — Mon, 28 May 2012 12:49:20 +0100

When I first began looking at apartments in Glasgow, I told myself the priority would be to decorate my home office and lock myself away for a year. That never happened.

I was spending less time in my office, favouring my dining room table as the space was more open and airy, yet still not ideal. Over time the office became somewhat of a dumping ground; laundry and bits and pieces I couldn’t find a place for (that have since been discarded). After 13 months of tolerating dated curtains and dirty carpet, I’ve done something about it.

Before

After

Verdict

Anybody who spends a significant portion of time working from home will tell you that it’s important to have a designated office space. Now that I have a room I’m happy with, I find myself easily spending more time there. It doesn’t feel as dark and closed away as it did before, so now I don’t mind sitting in there throughout the day.

I still haven’t finished it. I fancy a new office chair, and I might paint the ‘feature’ wall a different colour and bring the room together with a rug.

Happy wee worker, so I am.

It’s not often I do this, but being self employed and working from home (alone) I don’t have the...

girlwithacanon — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:15:00 +0000

It’s not often I do this, but being self employed and working from home (alone) I don’t have the luxury of bouncing ideas off other folk, which is invaluable in creating something better. I rarely make use of my Twitter followers in this respect either, but today I find myself needing opinions before I can push forward with something.

Many months ago, being the procrastinator extraordinaire I am, I abandoned work on a blog that was designed to be a fun side project relating to my main business. There was a TV show many years ago built around this idea, so I knew there would be an audience. Basically it was a blog enabling submissions from people who had horror stories regarding tenants and property they let out.

I know, I’m trying to make a living selling landlord insurance, then rallying up a bunch of stories that raise alarm bells in the world of rental property. I like to make things difficult for myself, don’t I?

Initially I thought the site had the potential to be a bit of fun, maybe some theatrical tales of ridiculous tenants and how these scenarios could be avoided in the future. While I never promoted it, for the few weeks I had it online people were submitting stories. But these stories were angry and full of hatred. I often had to edit out swear words, as well as protect tenant’s identities by removing their names the landlords were fixated on tarnishing. This wasn’t quite what I had wanted from it, and I pulled the plug until I could think about it some more.

That time is now.

I’m not sure whether I’ll go ahead and launch this or bin it entirely (if I do launch it, I already have an existing user base at my fingertips). The question is, what direction should I be taking? From past experience submissions were bitter, when I had been leaning towards something more lighthearted. Either way, I want this to be useful and possibly educational to people.

Help me. And don’t laugh at my temporary usage of cheesy stock illustrations.

Currently reading Web App Success and attending evening college...

girlwithacanon — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 10:38:41 +0000

Currently reading Web App Success and attending evening college classes in Stow, being educated in the Ruby on Rails framework. It’s a nice feeling to be pro-active about this, but I find with the whole programming Ruby and coming from a non-programming background, people are fairly negative towards me. Watch this space, because I can do anything I put my mind to.

I don’t usually do anything special for halloween, but...

girlwithacanon — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:24:00 +0000

I don’t usually do anything special for halloween, but after attending Club Noir earlier in the year and enjoying the burlesque influence, I booked tickets to the Halloween special. Okay, so y’all know by now that I like my video games, right? It was important to me to go as something that was inspired by my love for gaming, and celebrated the scary essence of halloween (so Lara Croft, for example, was off the cards).

Mark and I teamed our outfits, though the slacker isn’t wearing his mask in the picture, and went with a Bioshock theme. I was a Little Sister, he was a splicer. I thought that if anyone approached me and said “Oh hey, you’re a Little Sister from Bioshock”, I would know I had met the man (or woman?) of my dreams. That never happened.

I emailed this video to myself in two parts, so you will notice...

girlwithacanon — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 12:56:18 +0000

I emailed this video to myself in two parts, so you will notice a slight skipping in the middle where I’ve failed to merge it properly.

I gave up drumming a long time ago, but every now and again I find myself drifting back to it. My performance is noticeably rusty, my confidence is low (which is hella important for a drummer), my rhythm is embarrassing, and my skills generally aren’t where they should be.

My dad got me into drumming, and it will always be something that reminds me of him. He too played drums. While my mum tried to encourage me to be a bit more academic with my focuses, my dad supported my desire to drum. I gave it up after he died.

While I don’t see myself joining a band — or at least a serious one — in the immediate future, I don’t want to let this little hobby of mine end up in the gutter. So today I booked two hours in the studio and had a little jam on my own. Hopefully I return to the point where I shake off my inhibitions and really go with it.

This was after about two minutes of planking (longest I had...

girlwithacanon — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 20:52:54 +0100

[Flash 10 is required to watch video.]

This was after about two minutes of planking (longest I had previously done was 45 seconds), feet on the ball, three of us trying to outlast each other. As you can see I wasn’t first to fall, but I didn’t win either ^_^ It’s kind of fun being competitive at the gym.

Also, today was my first session with the kettlebell and I got to act like a monkey in the gym, hanging off bars and stuff. I know I’ll feel the burn tomorrow, but pain is GOOD.

Hey, this is totally my work face. It’s a bit grumpy, but...

girlwithacanon — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 14:32:20 +0100

Hey, this is totally my work face. It’s a bit grumpy, but I don’t know why as I’ve just made a breakthrough with work.

Every day my dog attempts to interrupt my work flow by sitting...

girlwithacanon — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 19:15:06 +0100

Every day my dog attempts to interrupt my work flow by sitting on my lap and licking my face, and every day I have the same conversation.

“Indie, you know this roof we have over our head? And the Bakers Complete in yer bowl, and the bowl itself, and your designer harness… Well, I need to keep working to supply and maintain that stuff, and you’re not letting me get any work done.”

She never gets it.

Twitter makes me feel normal

girlwithacanon — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 14:32:31 +0100

Facebook? Not so much.

My Twitter feed is comprised of folk who dream big, work hard, and are on track to realising their ambitious goals. My Facebook feed is comprised of folk who are bored, and measure how great their weekend was by how many Jägerbombs they downed before throwing up and losing their shoes.

Sorry if that sounds condescending.

Twitter inspires me. Like-minded people share links to inspiring resources that often spark new ideas. Facebook infuriates me. People I sat next to in English class at school type lyk dis abt how dey h8 wrk.

I feel I relate more to the avatars I converse with on Twitter than the people I have met in real life on Facebook.

Is it just me who feels this way?

Working from this wee conservatory in Sheffield today, WITHOUT...

girlwithacanon — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 10:14:11 +0100

Working from this wee conservatory in Sheffield today, WITHOUT ANY INTERNET. Oh noez.

2011 Update

girlwithacanon — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 19:46:44 +0100

It’s been a ridiculous length of time since I last updated this blog, very nearly falling victim to “things I’ve grown bored of and forget about”, which happens to mostly everything I turn my attention to and explains my chronic singleness.

Anyway…

With the sudden resurrection I wanted to give a brief update on what has changed in the last 9 months.

I moved from a small village on the West Coast to the bustling city of Glasgow
I joined a gym and have since lost over a stone in weight
Girl With A Camera was given a seriously sexy overhaul by Matt Brett
I’ve landed an amazing client in Glasgow who gives me money to take pictures of their clothes
I fucked up
I fixed things (hopefully)
My sister and I finally started a little project together, a street style blog
I realised one of my ambitions and became a landlady

That is the punctuated version of the last 9 months.

Speaking of punctuated, you may have noticed I’ve moved this blog from WordPress to Tumblr. The reason being that I had neglected to write new content for various reasons, but with Tumblr I feel I can drop in regularly and update even if it’s something, well, micro and relatively meaningless.

Let’s try this for the hundredth time.

girlwithacanon — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 18:19:00 +0100

Let’s try this for the hundredth time.

I can't imagine working a strict 9-5.

girlwithacanon — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 17:30:27 +0100

I am so lucky to be self employed. Today I had some errands to run and didn’t sit down to work until 3pm. It means I have to work into the evening, but how do folk who’s hours are dictated by their jobs actually fit any life in? How do they get stuff outside of work done? Genuine question.

Went into town for a meeting with a client who I’ve been...

girlwithacanon — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 17:47:00 +0100

Went into town for a meeting with a client who I’ve been working with since moving to Glasgow 6 months ago. Some of the pictures I’ve taken for them have since been blown up and printed on canvas, then hung in the shop next to the changing room. This made me happy.

Silly me. I scheduled all my meetings and errands for today,...

girlwithacanon — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 13:18:39 +0100

Silly me. I scheduled all my meetings and errands for today, which is the day we get gale force winds and heavy rain. It’s disgusting outside. This hat will be coming everywhere with me, and I don’t care who stares. I still look professional, RIGHT?

2010

girlwithacanon — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 05:00:00 +0000

2010 was the year I started to get fit, taking on a personal trainer for 3 months and monitoring my fitness levels.

I want to work long, work hard, and do whatever I do to the best of my ability. I really think a large part of staying motivated and alert boils down to how kind you are to your body. Don’t feed it shit else you’ll feel lethargic, and with an office job it’s far too easy to fall into the trap of being lazy. The kind of people I respect are those that buy into the healthy living mentality. I want to respect myself. That’s why getting fit was a big part of 2010, regardless of how pretentious hiring a personal trainer may sound.

2010 was the year I overcame my fear of flying.

Photography has become a huge source of inspiration for me, and a big part of my almost daily life. Nothing excites me more than the possibility of exploring a new city with my camera in hand, freezing moments that I can then share with others and that will stay with me forever. With the possibility of being stuck in Scotland due to my fear of flying, going on to visit New York, Florida and Belfast (among other places this year) was the sweetest experience of my life. Facing my fear was the best decision I’ve ever made, and it wasn’t even all that bad. Of course, I say that after OD’ing on diazepam…

2010 was the year I went full frame.

I know there are no rules in terms of photography, but I probably hadn’t been shooting long enough to justify upgrading my 40D to the 5DMKII. At the beginning of the year, though, I ended up with some money and knew that’s where I’d rather spend it. I don’t think there’s a single inanimate object in my life that I love more than my 5D, and at one point my Xbox would have been a strict contender. It’s not even close now.

2010 was the year I joined a band.

Another creative outlet was reborn as I started gigging after a 5 year hiatus. It had come to the point where I hadn’t jammed with anyone in so long, my confidence was completely shot and I left joining a band on the back-burner until I felt ready. But you never do feel ready, do you? You could always be better. So I bit the bullet and started playing around Glasgow after a band had approached me to drum with them. It only lasted 5 months or so, and I’ll be looking for a new band when I move to the city (Oh yeah, I’m moving to the city this year).

2010 was the year I launched Robot Panties.

I actually have a post on the process in the pipeline. Honestly, Robot Panties is all about giving me more experience in life and work and creativity. That’s what I’m shooting for, that’s its purpose. Not to grow it into anything bigger, just to add to my bank of knowledge.

A few ‘goals’ I had wanted to meet, but fell short, included seeing more live bands play, growing my business a significantamount, learning either surfing or snowboarding, and building a fully functioning web app for work. I also thought it would be nice to, y’know, meet someone of the opposite sex who’s fun to be with and shares similar interests, but that never really happened. Well, it did. I mean, I met a lot of dudes over the past 12 months, but none that I really liked…

Looking back, 2010 was phenomenal in terms of personal growth, but lacked more so on the professional side of things. The industry I work in is stressing me out so much right now, it seems to be crawling along at a snail-like pace, but that’s another post entirely. There are many things I’m looking forward to in 2011, but I’ve decided not to set specific goals. I can achieve everything I want to if I follow this simple rule:

Always do more than is required of you.

Taking A Kit Kat

girlwithacanon — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 04:00:00 +0000

I abandoned my routine for 17 days to take my first holiday in 8 years. With this being my first holiday as an adult, it was also the first time I’ve had to leave behind the responsibilities of work.

I find it hard to switch off from my job, which is probably a sign that I enjoy what I do (I think?), but like everyone else, I get burned out from being so consumed by work. Recently, I noticed that was happening a lot more regularly, and my performance at work was suffering.

I visited New York for 5 days and Florida for 10. New York was an opportunity to soak up some culture, while Florida was an opportunity to soak up some rays. Having never been one to relax very well (I’ve always got to be doing something), I wasn’t sure how entertaining I’d find Florida. Would I get bored? Restless? But once I fully allowed myself to unwind and be sucked into the slow-paced, relaxing lifestyle of Florida, I found it to be hugely beneficial for recharging my batteries.

Preparing reading material for my holiday was easy. While I knew I wanted a break from work, I wanted to use this as an opportunity to educate myself in areas related to work that I’d been meaning to do so at home. So I brought along a few books that had been gathering dust on my bookshelf:

The Whuffie Factor
How To Build A Successful Blog Business
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing
Oh, and an issue of Inc magazine thrown in for good measure

Leaving behind the trivialities of everyday life gave me the perfect opportunity to really zone into the content of these books, and I found myself soaking up the information better than I would have done at home, which subsequently left me feeling wildly inspired.

By day 5 in Florida, I was itching to get back to work — not through boredom, but through excitement; through having had an opportunity to think about the future and scope out a plan without having the stress of work getting in the way and clouding my thoughts.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, to all those hard working hustlers out there who are married to their work, it’s actually hugely beneficial to you and to your career to take a bit of a breather. While I felt that 2 weeks away from home and my routine was a tad too much, by the time I got home I felt ready to take on the world.

New York

girlwithacanon — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 05:00:00 +0100

In a little over an hour I’ll be setting off from Scotland —> England —> France —> America, where I’ll land in the “concrete jungle” that is New York. It’s my first transatlantic flight, which naturally means it’s my first time in the States. Considering I had been avoiding planes up until 4 months ago, I think it’s safe to say I’m now catching the traveling bug.

I’ll be spending 4 days in NYC, staying in a hotel situated in New York’s prestigious Times Square. Honestly, for as much as I’ve read up on this city, for all of the photos I’ve drooled over, or for every blockbuster movie I’ve watched (not to mention the 6 seasons of Sex And The City I own), I still don’t know what to expect from New York.

Will I succumb to its much hyped charm? Everyone seems to think it’s one of the best cities you can experience, and some people have even went as far as saying it’s changed them. Whenever there’s hype, however, I always find my stubborn self resisting, but with New York… well, with New York I really want to give in and let myself fall.

I’m excited about the hustle, about the food, about the well documented tourist attractions — basically all of the cliches the city has to offer. And I’m excited about capturing it all through my camera, though I don’t expect to come away with a new perspective of the place.

This is my first holiday in 8 years. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous.

Getting Fit (Week 8: Mental Toughness)

girlwithacanon — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 05:00:00 +0100

I am 3/4 of the way through my time with a personal trainer. Working out solidly for 8 weeks after a lifetime of irregular physical activity has been an experience, to say the least. Physically I have started to see the changes, particularly where my abs are concerned. In fact, I’m nicely surprised every time I whip off my top to be greeted with *gasp* some definition. It’s also nice to wear a skirt and to not feel I’m sporting stumps for legs…

I wasn’t needing to lose much weight, it was more-so about toning up my body and making the most of what I have, shortcomings and all. I’ve steered clear of scales just because I’ve seen how fixated (and disgruntled) people become when they weigh themselves on a daily basis. I’m judging the improvement in other ways; how I feel about my body, and increased fitness levels.

The latter has definitely improved, as demonstrated today when my personal trainer sprung the same fitness test on me that he used to measure my initial level of fitness two months ago. As for the former, I feel so much more comfortable in my own skin. I’m not quite there yet — I still have a lot of work to do, but just being proactive about it has granted me the right to feel good.

If I can take anything away from my experience with my personal trainer, it’s that mental toughness accounts for everything. It’s your mind versus your body, and most people let their body win. Your body can feel weak and that it needs to give up, but if your mind is focused on doing something, you can push through the pain. I think that’s been the most significant realisation for me.

Anyway, here’s the fun part. Photos! I think I was starting to get heavier around January, just as I turned 23. I remember a bunch of us hit the pubs for my birthday dressed as Wally from Where’s Wally (I don’t know why), and feeling visibly uncomfortable in the clingy clothes I was wearing. I knew at that point that something needed to change, but it took me a further 6 months before I did anything about it.

It’s not the greatest photo to illustrate the difference, but I don’t have many good examples from January. The photo on the left is, as mentioned, the Where’s Wally night out, and the photo on the right was taken two weeks ago before a fancy dress party.

I have 4 sessions left with my personal trainer. Judging by how exhilarated I feel after a workout, I’d like to think I’ll be keeping this up once our contract has come to an end. Whether it be through joining a gym or utilising my surroundings, the sense of accomplishment after a particularly painful workout has me hooked. And I definitely don’t want to undo all my hard work.

"This is your life. Do what you love, and do it often. If you don’t like something, change it...."

girlwithacanon — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 07:19:00 +0100

“This is your life. Do what you love, and do it often. If you don’t like something, change it. If you don’t like your job, quit. If you don’t have enough time, stop watching TV. If you are looking for the love of your life, stop; they will be waiting for you when you start doing things you love. Stop over analyzing, life is simple. All emotions are beautiful. When you eat, appreciate every last bite. Open your mind, arms, and heart to new things and people, we are united in our differences. Ask the next person you see what their passion is, and share your inspiring dream with them. Travel often; getting lost will help you find yourself. Some opportunities only come once; seize them. Life is about the people you meet and the things you create with them, so go out and start creating. Live your dream, and wear your passion. Life is short.”