Portfolio of Cheryl DeWolfe by Cheryl DeWolfe

PORTFOLIO OF CHERYL DEWOLFE

WORDS :: ART :: PHOTOS

Part one: Words ........................................................................................................... 5 B is for Blog ................................................................................................................................................................... 6 “Just Do It” ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Mad Men before Mad Men ................................................................................................................................... 11 Curb Appeal ............................................................................................................................................................... 12 A Rebellious Act ....................................................................................................................................................... 15 Damned Lucky .......................................................................................................................................................... 16 Moving On .................................................................................................................................................................. 19 Housebroken ............................................................................................................................................................. 19 Monsters, Aliens and Robots .............................................................................................................................. 21 Part Two: Art and Handcrafts ..................................................................................... 22 Art .................................................................................................................................................................................. 23 Plush Creations ........................................................................................................................................................ 26 Knitting, Needlework and Sewing ................................................................................................................... 30 Jewelry and Wearables ......................................................................................................................................... 34 Other crafts ................................................................................................................................................................ 36 Part Three: Photos ..................................................................................................... 37 Nature Photography .............................................................................................................................................. 38 Photojournalism ...................................................................................................................................................... 40 Product and Stock Photography ....................................................................................................................... 41 Abstract and Creative Photography ................................................................................................................ 42 Resources .................................................................................................................. 44 Find out or see More .............................................................................................................................................. 44 Purchase DeWolfe’s Work ................................................................................................................................... 44 Follow or Contact Cheryl DeWolfe .................................................................................................................. 44

s West Coast Beach, July 2012

PART ONE: WORDS Cheryl DeWolfe’s writing ranges from creative non-‐fiction to technical writing to fiction, poetry and nonsense. She tends to gravitate toward dark corners and the edges of reality with stopovers in the surreal and extremely silly. DeWolfe is an active blogger who has guest posted on several blogs and is a regular contributor to Life as a Human. One of DeWolfe’s strengths is introducing and explaining technical subjects to beginners through tutorials and articles. She is the co-‐author of Pin it to Profit, an introduction to using Pinterest for marketing. The following pages feature a cross-‐section of DeWolfe’s work. For more details about where to buy her published works or how to hire her for freelance articles, guest posts, or copy writing, please skip ahead to the resources section at the end of this portfolio.

B IS FOR BLOG Part of The A to Z of Tech series at Those DeWolfes Creative, published January 2012 Blog is short for Web Log; the short term is now over a decade old (it was coined in 1999) and as such, I would argue that most people are familiar with it by now. The first blogs existed as html files or as logs of information. With services like Blogger, Wordpress.com, and even Tumblr, it’s easy to set up a blog with no overhead and even integrate it with your existing website. If your website is built using a content management system (CMS) like Wordpress or Drupal, you have a built-in capacity for blogging ready to go. Why should you blog? To build conversations; to engage with the reader; to share thoughts, information or knowledge. You should blog if you have something to say. Business blogs should be related to your business in some way -- this does not mean post after post of product promotions but rather value-added information or discussions. The best blogs keep it REAL: Regular content try to publish regularly, aim for a set number of posts and if possible regular days (you can use scheduling to space out your posts if you want to write them all in one sitting or write a few ahead of regular publishing days). Engaged with readers (a) make it easy for readers to find you and comment; if you don’t have blog comments enabled (and you should), make sure you have an email address for contact. (b) reply to your readers! Even a simple “thanks for reading” lets the reader know that you are engaged and paying attention. Added value infographics, free e-books, calendar pages, and other incentives keep readers coming back. Contests may work in some markets, too. Light mood above all, keep it light and friendly! Readers will not come back if your blog is too often negative or angry (there are a few notable exceptions to this rule but they are few and far between).

Cybertrash, January 2007

“JUST DO IT” Guest blog post at the Productivityist, published June 2012 If reading the title of this post brings to mind a shoe company, you’re right on target. I’ve come to realize that when it comes to motivation, Nike (along with ad agency Wieden and Kennedy) got it right over twenty years ago. I’ll be the first to admit I’m a motivation junkie. Maybe you are, too; do you read books, blog posts, manifestos and infographics overflowing with pearls of wisdom? Unfortunately, being a motivation junkie doesn’t always lead to a productive life; it’s useless if we don’t act on it. There are hundreds of people that will tell you that, too, but until you accept it, “Just Do It” is nothing more than an empty slogan. Thing is, for millions of people, Just Do It struck a nerve. When I was in university, almost everyone I knew had at least one Nike ad torn from a magazine and taped to their mirror. Nike used the campaign to inspire athletes and non-‐athletes alike to be active but the phrase is just as applicable to writing that book you’ve been daydreaming about, submitting a resume for your dream job, asking that special someone to marry you, or anything else you’ve been putting off. You’ve heard the old nugget “Every journey starts with a single step,” right? With the Just Do It campaign, Nike encouraged a generation to take that step. I know, sometimes it seems like you might as well leap off a bridge as take that first step but there are ways around that too:

1. Plot a path. Think back to high school math and you might remember that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Life rarely offers straight lines, though, so plot your path along shorter points between point A and point B. Zig-‐zags are fine as long as you are moving toward your goal. 2. Assess your obstacles. While you are plotting your path, make note of any obstacles whether they are legal (e.g. you need a building permit), physical (e.g. you need a medical checkup), or psychological (e.g. you fear change). Sometimes the obstacles are presented by others; sometimes we put obstacles in our own paths. If it’s important, you’ll find ways to remove those obstacles or re-‐plot the path. Each of these obstacles will require a different kind of action but action is key.

3. Just Do It.

Seriously, that third step is critical. Mapping out a task will only get you so far, but actually jumping in and starting is the only way you can get to that distant point on the map. If you fail, congratulations! You can either start again (gee, that path didn’t work at all, better avoid that alligator pit) or you can move on to the next thing on your list. Moving is part of living and we should all be doing more of that.

Tent Caterpillar, June2010

Hotel View, October 2011

MAD MEN BEFORE MAD MEN Film review for The Medianook, published February 2011

All out of Mad Men episodes? Get the flavour of 1960s advertising from a retro double feature of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967) and Lover Come Back (1961).

Lover Come Back showcases Rock Hudson, Doris Day and Tony Randall performing their usual screwball comedy shenanigans in this film about competing advertising executives, the drinking, womanizing charmer Jerry Webster (Hudson) and the hard working, ethically superior Carol Templeton (Day). Randall is Webster’s boss, uneasy in his role under the shadow of his late father. As Webster’s unscrupulous tactics threaten to take down the agency, he cooks up a way to hush up a witness by making her the new “VIP girl.” Unfortunately, VIP doesn’t exist and Webster has to create a product to go with the pitch. When Templeton tries to track Webster (and VIP) down, a mistaken identity leads to madcap adventures.

Lover Come Back is typical of the 60s screwball comedy -‐-‐ if you’ve seen Pillow Talk (1959) or the more recent Down With Love (2003) then you’ve already seen Lover Come Back -‐-‐ but by watching it through the eyes of a Mad Men fan, you can interpret it on another level. It’s fun to see the characteristics of Webster and Templeton in Don Draper and Peggy Olson and maybe just a bit of Pete Ramsey in Pete Campbell. It’s also got the same feel for the cutthroat competition between agencies and the lengths to which agents will go to get an account.

The first thing you notice about How to Succeed in Business is lead actor Robert Morse who fans will recognize as agency head Burt Cooper from Mad Men. A much younger Robert Morse is J. Pierpont Finch, a window-‐washer who stumbles on a book that teaches him how to bluff his way up the ladder in an ad-‐agency. It’s a musical, albeit an uneven one, and Morse also played the role on Broadway. Also reprising his role from the stage is Rudy Vallee as Mr. Biggley.

Unlike Lover Come Back which comes close to glamorizing the industry, How to Succeed lampoons it, every step of the way from the opener about The Company Way to the era’s take on sexual harassment with the musical number A Secretary is Not a Toy to the constant sarcastic narrative from the booklet. Unfortunately How to Succeed tends to lag in the third act but does eventually redeem itself. It’s worth seeing just for Morse’s performance.

There is no doubt in my mind that the Mad Men set directors, costume designers, and even the writers took some crib notes from these two films, so while we wait for the next season, why not treat yourself to these two classics?

CURB APPEAL Excerpt from Home Staging in a Hurry, published January 2011

Curb Appeal Look outside. Realtors and designers call this step "creating curb appeal" -‐-‐ the first thing any potential buyer will see is the outside of your home and you only have one chance to make that first impression. With a condominium you may not have much control over the outside but it is still important to look. With a townhouse, you will have some capacity to improve your front entrance and/or patio. If you are selling a house, you will have much more to do. Go outside and look at your home from across the street. What do you see first? Just as you did inside, look for the sight lines. Can you see the front entrance? Is there a clear path from the sidewalk or driveway to the front entrance? Is everything in good repair? Is there unnecessary clutter? Clutter is the first thing and the easiest thing to deal with. Plies of recyclables, leftover renovation supplies, landscaping debris, kids' toys -‐-‐ all these things can clutter up a yard, make it seem smaller, and leave a bad impression on potential buyers. Follow the same rules for decluttering outside as you followed inside the house. This may also be the time to address any defects that are visible at the front of the house -‐-‐ loose steps, cracked or uneven pavement, broken fencing, drooping gutters or peeling paint. These seemingly minor issues can easily turn people away and while they can be costly to fix it may make the difference between a "handyman special" and "move-‐in-‐ready." If you are working with a Realtor, talk to them about which fixes are most critical. Landscaping A big part of curb appeal is landscaping or at least plants and flowers. If you're in a townhouse, highlight your entryway and your deck with some planters. Even the smallest splash of color can make a huge difference and unless you are staging your home in the dead of winter, color should be easy to find in the form of bedding plants. If you have a yard, look at it critically. Trim overgrown shrubs and climbing plants; remove leggy, scraggly, dead or diseased plants; fill in empty spots as needed for balance and re-‐ seed worn lawn areas. Once you've done the basics, keep everything trimmed, weeded and tidy. If you are selling in the fall, rake leaves daily; in the summer, keep your lawn watered; in the winter, keep your walk cleared. One easy way to keep flowerbeds tidy is to spread bark mulch or landscape gravel around the plants; it will give the bed a uniform look and help to keep down weeds. Whatever you do, remember that there needs to be a clear path, clear sight-‐lines, and a clean, fresh look -‐-‐ a well-‐landscaped yard can make a huge difference.

Nice house, May 2007

Moment of reflection, February 2011

A REBELLIOUS ACT Contest entry to win an OTTO espresso maker from CoffeCrew, published July 2009 A rebellious act -‐ I grew up in a home where coffee was prepared by emptying a kettle over a small mound of Maxwell House instant grounds. My father would fill his mug to start the day while my mother poured the remainder into a thermos. I never understood how he could drink something that looked cloudy and oily and smelled bitter. It never appealed to me in the least. When I entered my teen years and started getting out of the house with my friends, we often ended up at restaurants and cafes. One of our favourite haunts was the Old Towne café on lower Johnson. The narrow establishment was full of indie cred: it was dark, the original brick walls had been exposed, they had swings at the bar, and they served amazingly rich, dark coffee. I shunned it at first but eventually I grew tired of watching some of my friends get refills for their cups while my hot chocolate ran dry. My first few mugs were more sugar than coffee but gradually I was able to drink it almost black and there was no turning back. I felt, somehow, more grown up ordering coffee instead of Coke or hot chocolate. I didn't rebel through smoking or drinking alcohol; my rebellion was caffeinated. The Old Towne eventually relocated but I continued to patronize them and my coffee habit blossomed. After a stint in England (where the norm for coffee seemed to be instant) I returned to find the Old Towne Café had closed, though other cafes and coffee shops were springing up around the city. I moved beyond drip coffee to espresso drinks, amazed by the richness of café mochas and the creaminess of café lattes. Once I moved out of my parents' home and started buying my own groceries, I tried different roasts and blends of beans at Murchies, gradually finding my preference (very, very dark roasts it seems). Wanting more, I learned how to brew my own espresso with a stovetop Moka Express. Coffee got me through University and through many years of late evening shifts but once in a while a girl's gotta sleep and I started looking for decaf. Decaf really shines in espresso drinks; if they are well prepared, the flavour is the same. Don't get me wrong, I have caffeine in my veins -‐-‐ some days I drink an unreasonable amount of coffee -‐ but being able to sit and sip coffee drinks late into the evening and not lose sleep? That is its own form of rebellion.

DAMNED LUCKY Excerpt from Tracking Number, available as a stand-‐alone short story and also included in Third Party Eyes, published July 2012

I launched my webcam and looked at the image of my face projected on the screen. The camera didn’t lie, unfortunately, and I flinched at the sight of my right eye. While I had adapted to the reduced vision, I hadn’t adjusted to the raw, weeping wound that remained of my eye.

My right ear had also been affected by the virus, but so far it hadn’t spread to my sinus cavity or my brain. My doctor described me as “damned lucky” before he suggested cybernetic replacements as the best treatment option. I almost didn’t hear what he said after “brain” because it hadn’t occurred to me until that moment that my brain was in jeopardy. Now all I wanted to do was to get rid of the infected tissue as soon as possible.

I was disappointed but not surprised by his suggestion. Pharmaceutical treatments were restricted to those under sixteen and over seventy, except in rare cases where the individual was unsuited for surgical treatments, including cybernetic upgrades. Unfortunately, the treatment was neither cheap nor covered by my insurance. I spent a week fretting over the cost, knowing I couldn’t take on another job or ask my parents for the cash. Instead, I turned to cyber-‐auction house NuYu, with whose representative I’d just been speaking.

NuYu promised the best cybernetic parts for your money; you input your maximum bid and they put it out to tender -‐-‐ the catch was you had no choice where the new parts came from. I’d requested one right ear (Caucasian) and one eye (green iris, Caucasian blend). The green iris request is what made my order a challenge; it had taken NuYu an extra four days to track down a manufacturer for the non-‐standard colour -‐-‐ which led to the personal follow-‐up call.

I clicked the image capture on my webcam because I had been keeping a record of the disease as it had progressed over the past four months. I filed it in the NAv4J archive folder. Like every third person in the city, I’d picked up the NAv4J bacterial infection last spring. The N was for Necrotic, same as necrotizing fasciitis (more commonly known by the grisly but descriptive name, “flesh eating disease”) but not as fast, and Av for Avian because it was carried by birds. I don’t remember what the 4 or the J signified but it was something about the speed of infection and ability to recover; 4J was not good on either count.

The media christened it “Navadge” because it was easier to convert the 4 to an A and blend it all together than to spell out NAv4J and that nickname stuck everywhere except clinics and official paperwork.

The bacteria had spread quickly in our region. It had been a perfect storm of an unusually dry spring and an increase in bird populations, which meant that cars and pavement were pasted with droppings that turned out to be rife with bacteria. As the droppings dried, people walked over them and breathed in the dust. Two weeks later, people started to notice localized lesions. Within six weeks, the hospitals and clinics were overwhelmed by

people with infected areas from head to toe. Most people were lucky. It was rare for the bacteria to affect internal organs, though a few cases of brain damage had been reported. I was among the ten percent who suffered facial lesions; more than 60 percent had lost fingers or toes and a few had lost entire limbs.

Like most people affected, I had initially taken time off work, but eventually we all had to return to our jobs. I would have preferred to telecommute but my job required that I be on site for 27.5 hours a week and on call for the remaining 7.5 hours. At least my interactions with the public were limited. I wore an oversized eye patch to cover my infected eye and wore my hair down to cover my infected ear. It was as much for my peace of mind as everyone else’s. When I first returned to work, my boss had objected to the eye patch until I lifted it. She retched a little. As I replaced it, I remember feeling not the least bit sorry for her reaction.

Eyeball in progress, October 2008

Zombie haiku mug, August 2013

MOVING ON Zombie haiku published in Rock Heals magazine, August 2006 Crunching through his skull I realized I didn’t care whether he loved me.

HOUSEBROKEN Zombie haiku, published in Rock Heals magazine; November 2006 zombie cats and dogs cannot digest human flesh this makes them great pets Moving On is also available as a best selling design in our Café Press store.

selections from Haiku Miscellany, July 2010

MONSTERS, ALIENS AND ROBOTS Selections from Haiku Miscellany, published July 2010 the sun makes me smile but the shadows are cooler decisions are hard books make me smarter I like the way they feel, too, so cold and bookish. Tulips are pretty carnations are pretty too but they taste yucky blue sky overhead but no sign of my spaceship; how will I get home?

PART TWO: ART AND HANDCRAFTS Cheryl DeWolfe has been a crafting and creating since she was very young -‐-‐ her parents actually replaced the carpet in her bedroom with linoleum after one too many glue and glitter incidents. DeWolfe has tried her hand in all manner of arts and crafts and has never really settled on one medium which led her to choose the name "Creative Miscellany" for her craft sales. Among the miscellany you are likely to find plush toys, baby hats, finger puppets, housewares, calendars, paper crafts and jewelry. DeWolfe often incorporates castoffs and junk into her creations so the materials used constantly vary. She also prefers not to follow patterns or instructions which ensures that most her creations are one-‐of-‐a-‐kind; some of those are featured on the following pages. If you would like to purchase any of DeWolfe’s pieces or commission her to create something just for you, please check the resources section at the end of the portfolio.

ART

Bright shapes, 2006, mixed media on canvas

What a Grrrrreat Party, 1993, collage with watercolour

Colouring book, ink drawings based on plush designs, 2008

Roger plays Soccer, 2008, watercolor and ink art card

PLUSH CREATIONS

Mini-‐Huggitz trio, June 2008

Tabitha, December 2008

Mister Demon, December 2009

Four Eyes McGee, November 2007

Deskbot 3000, January 2008

KNITTING, NEEDLEWORK AND SEWING

Felt Flower Wrap, November 2010

Mug Mat, “web,” November 2011

Creeper pillow, December 2012

Napkin set, November 2011

Custom pincushion, August 2013

Wild West Fragment, mini-‐quilt art card, May 2008

JEWELRY AND WEARABLES

Layered felt pin, April 2011

Steampunk pendant, June 2011

Turning Leaves earrings, November 2007

Seaside and Red Tide keychains, July 2007

OTHER CRAFTS

Hand bound Coffee Haiku books, November 2007

Recycled crayons, May 2008

PART THREE: PHOTOS Cheryl DeWolfe has always enjoyed photography but has been able to greatly expand her portfolio since her first purchase of a digital camera in the early 2000s. DeWolfe is seldomw without a camera because she never knows where that shot-‐in-‐a-‐million will show up. Her photos have been used to illustrate her words and showcase her art in this portfolio; more are featured on the following pages, and others can be seen online. DeWolfe licenses some of her works with Creative Commons and has had her photos included in several publications as a result. To find out more, check the resources section.

NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY

Bee, June 2008

Pink Blossoms, March 2008

PHOTOJOURNALISM

Skeletal protester, Centennial Square, October 2009

Resistance is Fertile, UVic, March 2010

PRODUCT AND STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY

Dice bunch, March 2008

Produce, January 2010

ABSTRACT AND CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY

Red Grille, December 2007

Shadow play, April 2014

RESOURCES

FIND OUT OR SEE MORE •

Personal site: http://cheryl.dewolfe.bc.ca/

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Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/triviaqueen/

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Flickr set CC-‐BY: http://www.flickr.com/photos/triviaqueen/sets/72157634953903228/

PURCHASE DEWOLFE’S WORK •

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cheryl-‐DeWolfe/e/B006S3L5G6

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CafePress: http://www.cafepress.com/thosedewolfes

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Lulu: http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/cdewolfe

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Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/thosedewolfes

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Zibbet: www.zibbet.com/CreativeMiscellany

FOLLOW OR CONTACT CHERYL DEWOLFE •

Contact form: http://www.thosedewolfes.com/contact

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Email: cheryl@dewolfe.bc.ca

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Facebook: page for DeWolfe’s Creative Miscellany

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Facebook: page for Those DeWolfes Creative

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LinkedIn: ca.linkedin.com/in/cdewolfe/

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Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/victriviaqueen/

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/victriviaqueen