I’m enjoying shakily drawing again and enjoying the sunshine~ I’m hoping that you are too! xx
Business Features Visual Splendor
Neko Neko Shokupan, Tokyo, Japan’s Kawaii Cat Bread Bakery
10/16/2020What? Neko Neko Cheesecake?
“Not just cute.
Savour the fresh baked flavor of the bread, made with 100% Japan-grown wheat flour, mixed with creamy milk.
Every mouthful of the milky soft bread is rich and moist. Nothing but carefully selected Japanese ingredients. The succulent bread explodes with flavour with every bite. Come on in and try it. It’s purr-fect.” – Neko Neko Shokupan
10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Ario Kitasuna 1F, 2-17-1 Kitasuna, Koto City, Tokyo 136-0073
When I saw this shop on Instagram I could not handle the cuteness. They said they would love a feature so please check it out if you find yourself in South Korea! I know I will whenever we are able to travel again.
Love is Giving Pink 19
@loveisgivingpink.19
19, Gwangan-ro, Suyeong-gu, Busan, South Korea
Open: 2:00-20:00 / 15:00-16:00 (breaktime)
Has anyone noticed lately when you post a photo to instagram… that your stats have plummeted?
Have you noticed a drop in your content engagement and followers?
I’m going to share with you the reason why and a few ways to work around it.
Engagement Has Dropped
Only 10% of your followers (or less) are actually seeing your content.
Even though they follow you, they also follow hundreds, or thousands of other accounts. Their feed favors the accounts that play by Instagram’s unwritten rules.
Followers Have Dropped
To attract more followers or get featured on the Explore page, you also have to play by these rules. Read on to learn how to stop your content from getting lost in the sea of the unseen.
Ugh. The 2020 Instagram Algorithm.
As if we needed another pitfall this year.
Why would Instagram do this?
Don’t they want us to be successful and love using their app?
Ads and monetization. You spend more time and money, they make more money.
How?
They make us a slave to the ‘gram. They’re #1 goal is to keep users on the app as long as possible. Because of that little fact, they favor accounts that do this.
How Can You Keep Your Audience Engaged?
- Post Content to Your Feed Daily
- Post Stories Daily
- Go Live
- IGTV
- Use New Features like Reels
- Reply to your DMs Quickly
- Reply to Comments Quickly
I’m assuming that you’re already doing most of these. However, Instagram rewards accounts for doing things their way. The more time you keep people engaged on the app the more Instagram will favor your content.
Instagram Secrets
- Do not edit your post/caption within the first 24 hours OR delete and repost.
- Respond to comments within 60 minutes.
- Don’t paste hashtags, write them out, and don’t use the same ones over and over (it gets picked up as spam and you can be shadowbanned).
- Don’t use more than 30 hashtags and try to just use 5-10 hashtags that are specific to your photo.
- Post your hashtags in the caption or comments, it doesn’t seem to matter.
What About a Magic Fix?
Now, more than ever, is a time to build community and share only your best content. Content is key!
There are no ways to cheat the system if you aren’t posting good content (even if you spend a lot of money on marketing your account). The content and concept behind your post has to be good to get noticed in today’s environment of constant posting. Buying likes and followers is only a way to get your account hidden further or disabled (and everyone can tell if you do it!).
You don’t need these sketchy tactics to be successful on Instagram, you can succeed with your own hard work.
If I had one more tip it would be TIME. It takes a lot of time and effort to grow organically.
Help Me Be More Successful on Instagram!
Need Instagram advice or account management? We may be able to work together.
Contact me for more information and to see if we would be a fit.
Let’s be honest, I was putting it off for quite a long time. A big part of my “day job” career is actually marketing and web design but I have such limited free time that the very last person I am able to do work for is… myself.
So how are you doing this quarantine?
I think we’re all a little antsy and some off us are getting a little… plant-sy? If you can relate then oh boy, do I have a BADGE for you! If you’re anything like me you’ve felt a strong urge to bring the outside, inside! Thus the plant craze has ensured even more than before, yes? How many plants do you own now? You deserve an award. Get your very own PLANT TROPHY for you or a friend that displays your love and care for green and pinkery~ yes pinkery! See it here in my Miseducated Shop.
Of course I had to feature the pink princess philodendron because she is everyone’s favorite pink plant. This girl doesn’t even need water or humidity! Put her absolutely anywhere you like and enjoy her magical pink leaves~
I’m also feeling THE LOVE on my shop. I can’t even believe it. And we’re just getting started. The 439 Etsy sales and all 5-star reviews~ I so appreciate the love and the customer photos. Keep them coming! I’m always happy to help make you happy, if there is anything I can do in that regard, hit me up.
I’ve even updated my profiles, portfolio, and developed a couple of “how to” hire/collaborate with me pages here (because I am often asked for the details) in case you’re interested:
Get a FREE Custom Lapel Pin Design Quote
The Process of Miseducated Logo Design
It’s been quite a long while that I’ve been on this journey of self acceptance. Long ago there was an anonymous submission area on my blog and I got the sweetest message from a reader who said, “I wish you would be yourself and embrace it instead of hiding behind _____.”
I did hide. I hid behind my mom as a child, I hid behind Ben (my first love) as a teen/young adult, and I even hid behind Audrey Kitching and some other friends I did design for (I wasn’t as codependent with them) online and played with offline. I gave Audrey my illustrations and original artwork, I sent her inspirations daily, I blogged for her, I designed for her. We were close then, but I was always in the shadows. She would sometimes copy other designs from other artists and I didn’t want to promote any of my work because I was afraid if I took credit for my Tokyolux cats, designs, and pop art that it would be assumed I was taking credit for ALL of the copies as well.
That often happens to people who were traumatized in their youth. I was happy to create amazing things that everyone loved as long as I got to be in the background and no one really knew me.
When going through divorce or trauma it’s easy to do whatever you can to forget your memories and the pain. Embarrassingly enough, I imploded and “acted a fool.” I even pushed a lot of those friends in that community away back then. I met them all one last time at a Sanrio VIP party right near the end of my shadow self life. I was tired of being in the box I allowed myself to be placed in and I just freaked out and ran away.
I closed my store and I stopped updating my website. I fell off the online world to hide from it and isolated myself.
Now I’m 35 and I feel like I’ve been starting all over the last few years. I started traveling again and participating in shows in LA and NYC again (prior to the CORONAVIRUS of course). I started reconnecting with my old friends again. Like actually connecting. As myself.
I also started, 3 years ago, doing work for myself and I’m learning how to be comfortable promoting ME and MY WORK. IT’S HARD. It’s hard everyday. I often slink away and still struggle with quieting myself because I’m afraid. I’m afraid of what you will think of me or what you will say if I’m not who you expect or want me to be…
… but I’m done with that! I’m pushing myself harder each day to be MYSELF for ME. Not anyone else. I’m set on not becoming anything for anyone else. Except of course a loving mom who encourages her daughters to be powerful and NEVER stifle theirselves for ANYONE.
Thanks for coming along. I hope you brought snacks. xx
Use discount code #miseducated for 10% off at Selkie.
Filled with color, exuberance and power, this collection is for the Selkie women everywhere, setting themselves free.
Get your own dreamy rainbow puff dress for less and adorn yourself in whimsical decadence whether you’re safe inside or safe outside during this summertime coronavirus season.
“The series speaks to the shocking treatment of Blacks throughout history and the trauma inflicted on their bodies as juxtaposed with the abstract idea of black freedom,”
“Simultaneously, it engages with a vision of the future—one of hope, resilience, and justice.”
“I have an obsession with exposing what lies beneath the surface. It is my constant examination of the spirit, and no doubt – my intense curiosity with the cycle of life and death. Everyday, I think of peeling away layers, and imagine what I will find. I know that what I am looking for is not tangible, and with all my years of studying science, not even it can help me describe this thing. When I do finally get to a place of imaginative clarity, the visions are so intricate, and intertwined, that I find them too complex to communicate through my work. I am not YET skilled enough to show you all that I see. I work to break that barrier each, and everyday.”
I cannot fawn over Fabiola’s rewriting of history enough. I know you agree. Please check out more of Fabiola’s work here.
Slowly
Want to have penpals but not into the whole stationary, stamps, post office thing? You can also have penpals directly from your phone! Slowly takes 1 day to deliver your letter to someone from around the world. You can do a match yourself or the app can give you a random match based on your preferences. I’ve already gotten around 20 penpals and the slowness of the sending of your letter and the slowness of the response arrival makes you really consider your letter more than you would a text or email. After writing you can also swap a photo (only if both penpals agree). I adore it.
Florence
I love these graphic novel styled games. This one is about a girl falling in love and the soundtrack and puzzles are sweet! I have quite a few of these styles of games and this one is very well done.
Adorable Home
The purpose of this game is to collect love. Your partner goes to work and you will collect love from your cat/s as well as from the weather, from your garden, and by making bento boxes for your partner’s work day. It’s so cute and almost an exact interpretation of my life, haha.
Qeepsake
This is a baby book app. It has journalling prompts with questions each day and you can attach a photo. Personally you can use this to journal about anyone (or any pet). I have a journal going for my daughters Beatrice and Colette. I love that I can look back on my answers to questions I wouldn’t have even considered writing about on my own. You can also pay to print a book of each person you kept a journal about. The entries are usually just little blurbs but they are special memory bites for your future reminiscent appetite.
Selkie is one of my new favorite clothing brands. If you love babydoll dresses and Marie Antoinette then please be seated. As Selkie says, “Transform into your favourite dessert, float through parties like cotton candy. Everywhere you go people will stop you to compliment this little piece of heaven!”
The puff dress is inspired by the British dessert “Angel Delight” a light and frothy strawberry mousse, you will feel truly edible in this deliciously poofy girl. She’s one you will hand down forever. Incredibly flattering with a tight bust and forgiving skirt, the puff sleeves give the body a beautiful shape.
