MARCELLA RILEY

What is Squarespace?

Squarespace is a website builder that includes a hosting, ecommerce, and domain service. It is an excellent tool for bloggers, businesses, and creatives who want to display their portfolio.

All Squarespace sites are responsive, meaning they are easy to navigate and require little to no resizing or panning of your browser when viewed on a computer or mobile device. 

Even though your Squarespace website is a template, you will have access to sizable amount of styling tools. These tools make it relatively easy to for you to customize your site at anytime. 

No matter the day or time, if you have a question or need assistance, you will always be able to email the Squarespace Customer Care Team. Squarespace recently made some massive updates to their platform and because of this change it may take about 24 hours to get a response to your inquiry, but I have found their twitter support team to quick and efficient. During specific times of the day, you may even be able to chat live with a care team member. 

If you need quick help, Squarespace also offers a huge library of video tutorials and guides.  

Templates

Squarespace does not have a ton of templates to choose from. However each template has its own unique feel and personality. Some templates have features that you wont find on any other template.  

All of the templates come fully loaded with demo content that can be replace with your own.

To add your own content, you will use a relatively simple drag and drop technique. This can be a little glitchy at times and I have found that using a mouse (opposed to a track pad) to be more effective.

Online Store

In order to accept payments directly on your Squarespace site, you will need a Stripe merchant account. Currently, you can only connect to Stripe using a U.S., U.K., Canadian, Australian, or Irish bank account.

Within your Squarespace account, you will be able to manage inventory, set up tax rules, process orders, print packing slips, and send customized emails. 

Plugins & Custom Code

As amazing as Squarespace is, sometimes you will find that their platform does not include useful features such as a PDF reader, animated text, or widgets. 

If you need to add a third party plugin, there are various areas within your account and template that will allow you to do so. 

Most plugins or feature add-ons will require custom code. Squarespace will not provide support for this, however there is a community dedicated to providing resources for advanced modifications. 

Search Engine Optimization

Squarespace provides a way for you to improve your SEO by simply including the ability to add titles and descriptions to your content and web pages.

Through google, you can submit a site map which Squarespace automatically generates for you.

In your account settings, you can view a detailed breakdown of the amount of traffic coming to your website. You can also, integrate Google analytics for a more complex breakdown of your website visitors. 

pricing

The cool thing about Squarespace is that you can sign up for a free 14 day trial. No credit card necessary. And when you are ready to subscribe, there are 3 simply plans to choose from. 

If you are a student attending an accredited school, you may be eligible to receive a 50% discount off the yearly subscription. 

the company

I am one of the few Squarespace designers who has actually worked for the company in their New York City office. From first hand experience, I can say that they do their best to treat each team member as they do their customers. The environment is extremely welcoming and there was always an air of enjoyment, even during the most stressful times. 

In the end, I had to part ways due to the deficient work/life balance. 

But what I can say is that Squarespace is a team of young individuals who are passionate about their work and dedicate their time to making the web a better space. 

As a way to say thank you for taking the time to read this article, here is a coupon code to save 10% off your first Squarespace purchase.

GIMME10

Genre Romantic comedy Fantasy Science fiction

Created by Emily Fox

Starring Laura Ramsey Sarah Goldberg Craig Horner Nick Clifford John Patrick Amedori Jessy Hodges Drew Sidora

Opening theme "In the Meantime" by Spacehog Composer(s) Stephen Endelman Country of origin United States Originallanguage(s) English No. of seasons 1 No. of episodes 10

If you want the 90’s back, you’ll certainly get a piece of it in “Hindsight,” a new one hour long scripted drama starring Laura Ramsey and Sarah Goldberg, which premiered on VH1 back in January. 

Becca (Ramsey) is giving marriage a second try, but is also having second thoughts about saying “I do” to her childhood friend Andy (Nick Clifford). On the eve of their wedding, Becca blacks out in a New York elevator and wakes up in the year 1995. 

After realizing she somehow traveled back into the past, Becca decides that she has just been given the opportunity to undo two decades of bad choices, which include a shattered relationship with her old best friend, a failed first marriage, and a dead-end job.

Becca’s new journey into the past begins the day before her first marriage to a painter named Sean (Craig Horner). Sean lives in a loft, has long hair, and talks with an Australian accent. He seems like a cool dude, but Becca already knows this path will only lead to divorce, so she runs to her longtime friend Lolly (Goldberg). At this point, their relationship is still pretty tight, so it does not take much for Becca to convince Lolly that she has already lived the future.

Uninhibited, Lolly finds herself torn between what she wants and the warnings of an impending danger involving Becca’s brother Jamie (John Patrick Amedori).

Hindsight starts off with an intriguing premise, however the story quickly begins to revolve solely around Becca struggling to decide which of her ex’s she will have the best future with. She ping pongs between the men of her past, and becomes less of a protagonist and more of the reason why nice guys turn into jerks. 

As the story’s heroine, you’d think Becca would be able to make a decision and commit to it, even if it’s a bad decision. We want to connect with this character and watch her grow and fight through the resulting situations. But you will just get a whiplash from the amount of times Becca changes her mind. 

Becca’s indecisiveness ultimately leads to her making the same exact mistakes as she did in the future and by the climax of season one, she is completely oblivious to a possibly life threatening situation her brother finds himself in and we learn why her first marriage ends in divorce, along with what causes to her relationship with Lolly to crumble.

Given the fact that Becca is reliving the past, knows about the invention of the iPhone, 9/11, and countless other important details of the future, one can only hope that Hindsight creator Emily Fox, will explore stories less centered around boy drama.

Several months ago while looking for a way to promote my side business as a headshot photographer for actors, I stumbled upon a website called Fiverr. 

Fiverr is a site that gives you access to an array of services at a low price ($5). Everyone can setup an account on Fiverr and sell practically anything. 

At $5, you will certainly find some totally bogus services being offered on Fiverr, but you will also find a lot of very useful services such as logo design, copywriting, and professional voiceovers. You can even hire someone to pray for you… 

So I decided to create an account and sell my services as a headshot photographer. But I didn’t read the fine print and Fiverr has a strict policy against communicating with anyone outside of their website. It helps to have the actor standing in front of you if you’re taking their headshots. So my first gig on Fiverr was rejected.

I’m pretty creative so I started thinking of other ways I could earn money on Fiverr. At that time, I had just ended my job at Squarespace and being well aware of their growing popularity, I decided to offer a service creating Squarespace sites for people. 

When Fiverr approved my gig to create websites, I quickly started receiving inquiries from people all over the world who were new to Squarespace and needed help. 

At first, I did not take it seriously. My ego was not okay with spending any amount of time building a website for someone for only $5. Only after completing my first order, was I able to see just how great of a potential Fiverr could be for me. So rather than creating a entire website, I changed my gig to just setting up a single Squarespace page.

The first two months were very slow and I did not receive many orders. But the turning point came when one of my buyers returned for additional help. And they kept coming back and left a fantastic review each time. After the 20th order, I received an email from Fiverr saying my account had been upgraded to a Level 1 Seller. This meant I could now charge $10 for extra services. 

(Generally it only takes 10 completed orders with all positive reviews to be promoted to Lever 1, but I later found out that my account had been penalized by Fiverr for the Headshot gig I originally created)

As a Level 1 seller, business for me picked up slightly but not by much. I was mostly working with repeat buyers. When I completed my 50th order and retained 100% positive ratings, Fiverr upgraded my account to Level 2 Seller. At this point I was able to add $20 and $40 items to my services. And this is when things exploded for me. 

I began receiving orders between $200 and $500 to build someone’s Squarespace site. Crazy right?! Now, my Fiverr inbox is constantly full. I don’t even reply to a lot of people, just because of the amount of time it takes. 

The money I earn through Fiverr certainly pays the bills. Not all of them, but a good amount. The best part of all this for me, is that I can work from home, and on my own time. 

My dream in life is to be a professional comedian, so being able to choose when I work is perfect. 

As great as Fiverr is, there are some things about it, which have caused me to seek other resources for freelancers. I have not found any source worth writing about just yet, because since launching in 2010, Fiverr has found itself as one of the top marketplaces for entrepreneurs. 

One thing I dislike like how Fiverr takes 20% commission from all sells. So if you sell something for $5, you’re only actually earning $4.

Once you deliver your services, it takes 14 days for the revenue to become available in your Fiverr account. Once your funds are available, you can transfer it to a PayPal account, which PayPal charges a small fee to do. Then from Paypal, you have the option to transfer the money into your bank account. This will take an additional 3-4 days. 

The only other option for obtaining your revenue is by transferring it to the Fiverr Master Card. There are a million fees associated with this card, which is why I choose the PayPal option. 

My biggest issue with Fiverr is not being able to communicate with buyers outside of the site. Doing so, will result in your account being deactivated.

Fiverr has been very lucrative for entrepreneurs, especially those with a growing niche such as Squarespace. So, if you are struggling to find work or just sick of working for someone else, I would highly recommend checking out Fiverr. 

A song starts to play. The bass begins to impersonates each heartbeat. You're losing awareness of the people watching. The melody erupts, causing you to forget where you are, and your subconsciousness commandeers every movement. The beat bounces throughout every fiber of your body. There is a strong chance that you may be floating. Then you realize that right now, in this second of your life, everything is okay. Moments like this are rare, but hopefully this fun guide to the top 10 party songs for this summer, will help you get there!

10. "A Sky Full of Stars" by Coldplay is definitely the most euphoric track on Coldplay's new album "Ghost Stories". This guaranteed summer smash will have you spinning in circles.

9. " Shower" by Becky G. Whether you're giddy in love or getting dressed for work, this song is quite infectious. "Shower" has a poppy melody with well-written lyrics. Arguably this is Becky G's strongest track.

8. "Money On My Mind" by Sam Smith. This 22 year old British singer-writer has the voice of a 40 year old, full-figured, black man from Delta Mississippi with a groove-inducing vocal prowess. "Money On My Mind" is more soulful than pop. It's a track worthy of the repeat setting.

7. " Loves Runs Out" by One Republic has a sort of "start a revolution" kind of feel. It begins with a piano intro joined with a pulsating drum beat. It's a pop, rock, dance anthem with chants and handclaps that ring throughout adding to the energy of this tune.

6. "Fancy" (Yellow Claw Remix) by Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX may not have a ton of depth lyrically, but it is catchy. With an unforgettable hook sung by Charli XCX, "Fancy" has a slow and quickening melody that will have you obeying every beat.

5. "Birthday" (Cash Cash Remix) by Katy Perry. It's not summer if you don't have an inescapable Katy Perry lick stuck in your head. Thankfully Cash Cash released a sweet remix of Katy's "Birthday" song. This version stands out from the original song and will certainly transport you to a whole other lever of excitement.

4. "Fever" by The Black Keys is very much a psychedelic rock song that vibrates with bass and synth. You can grove to this track in your car or on a dance floor.

3. "Problem" by Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea is a smooth blend of 90s R&B and today's electronics. Ariana Grande has a vocal range that can be compared to Mariah Carey and it is certainly the centerpiece of her track "Problem". A voice whispers "I got one less problem without you" in the saxophone loop, Jay-Z inspired chorus. Iggy Azalea's rap verse is the catalyst which sends this track to its peaking point.

2. "Summer" by Calvin Harris is an electronic/dance track that will surely place you in a trance. "Summer" is vibrant and has the right amount of bass to make you float with every beat.

1. "Water Fountain" by Tune-Yards is a song you may not find on at the top of the music charts but certainly one the deserves your attention. A simple tribal drum pattern, exuberant vocals, and an electronic instrumental make "Water Fountain" incredibly melodic. Its lush polyrhythmic beat is reminiscent of a traditional New Orleans song recorded by The Dixie Cups called "Iko Iko".

Many non-paid actors are always eager to know the secret to success. As if success is some sort of hidden ingredient in a recipe. We spend the little money we have, on workshops where casting directors and talent agents tell us that what we are attempting to achieve is virtually impossible. And the only reason us wannabes are even able to sit in the same room as them is because they are being paid to share their professional industry knowledge. We listen intently and take notes hoping these professionals reveal the map for success. 

If given the chance, I would ask them “What did you do before becoming an agent or casting director?” Nine times out of ten they would answer with a hint of bitterness regarding how they once dreamt of being an actor but was smart enough to discern that they were better suited in the role of deciding who gets to be apart of the team that they themselves were incapable of joining. 

When I moved to New York, I discovered three kinds of actors. The first group of actors know the right people, have the right connections, and are able to bypass the system. The second group are those that scour the internet for auditions, spend loads of money mailing off headshots to perspective agents, and attend lectures given by “industry” people in hopes of being noticed. They enroll in every acting course that exists and never put their gained tools to use. But eventually they will book a gig or they give up. The third group belongs to a community such as the one I fell into at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. 

The performers at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre are a breed of actors who take matters into their own hands, so to speak. They form a bond and collaborate with their classmates. They create their own content and promote the shit out of it. They rush from work to a dingy humid theater on the basement level to perform indie shows, open mics, or jump into an improv jam session. Even those with talent agents who audition during the day, still work at creating their own material at night. 

Improv groups transform into writing groups, writing groups produced live shows, live shows became a web series. And every now and then, shows such as Broad City become a hit sitcom on Comedy Central. Or these performers are hired on shows like Saturday Night Live, Key and Peele, The Daily Show, and Parks and Recreation.

There at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City, I discovered the secret to success. And the secret is to create the shows that you want to be in. Never stop creating. And support those around you who are doing the same.  

"Man, the living creature, the creating individual, is always more important than any established style or system."  -- Bruce Lee

What is so unique about the comedians who come out of The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, is that those who have found success, still come back to the theater. They have not stopped creating, collaborating, and performing. They all possess this humility that can only be gained through performing for several years on a stage that is underneath a grocery store and has water leaking from the pipes down on to the floor, audience, and sound/light board.

Comedian Amy Poehler is one of the founders of The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. I would imagine that she is super busy and yet I can not even count on my hands, the amount of times I have walked into her in the training center or watched her perform in the theater.  She always has this sort of SoCal ‘Sup, dude!’ swag. 

Over the past few years I have gotten to witness the evolution of several of my favorite comics and fellow classmates at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. It is invigorating and inspiring to always be surrounded by so many talented people. 

"I'm always thinking about creating. My future starts when I wake up every morning... Every day I find something creative to do with my life."  -- Miles Davis

There are a number of comedians who I’ve wondered why someone at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre has not placed them on a house team to perform weekly or monthly shows. Eliza Kingsbury is one of those folks. 

Eliza is an incredibly funny character actor and I think this largely has with her remarkable writing skills. She keeps herself busy and seems to always be working on something new. 

If you enjoy a good laugh, check out the latest project Eliza is working on and show some support if you can:

Dom & Tamantha

Director: Gareth Edwards

Writers: Max Borenstein Frank Darabont Dave Callaham

Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson Elizabeth Olsen Bryan Cranston David Strathairn  Ken Watanabe  Juliette Binoche 

Release Date: May 16th, 2014

What an unexpectedly endearing display of the anti-hero king of monsters otherwise known as Godzilla. I believe most fans of the the Godzilla franchise will agree that director, Gareth Edwards took what was once utterly laughable, and crafted a stunning tale of what it means to let go and allow nature to take its course. 

The moral and theme of "Godzilla" was spoken by Dr. Ishiro Seriwaza (Ken Watanabe).  "The arrogance of men is thinking nature is in their control and not the other way around. Let them fight." 

At the start, Godzilla plays more of a supporting role in his own film. Like most man vs. nature blockbuster releases, the audience has to sit through a somewhat cliché storyline of the young man who simply wants to get home to his adorable family, but instead gets caught dead smack in the middle of a war zone that only his "lunatic" father was intelligent enough to predict.

What is great about this film is that there is nothing cruel or malicious about each character's motives as they strategize and risk their lives to take down the radio-active Muto monsters.  I enjoyed catching glimpses of Godzilla as he hunted these villains, and was thirsty for more as CNN broadcasted the unfolding events leading up to battle between the monsters. 

Once all has been revealed, you will almost certainly be rooting for Godzilla, either silently or aloud as my fellow audience members did.

… because I hate myself.

Sometimes when I wake up, I can not think of anything positive. I'm angry or sad and I do not know why. It's going to be "just one of those days."  Nothing will go right, my boss is a jerk (he actually is), and I'll probably have to deal with really crappy customers today. Now I don't even want to get out of bed because I know these things are true. They are true because I made them so. 

The mind is so much more powerful than we realize. A thought is more than just a thought. It is energy. This energy flows through and affects our entire body. If you are angry, it is because there is anger energy inside of you. 

Negative energy weakens you. Positive energy give you power.  This energy that is inside you will influence the things you do, what you say, the decisions you make, and sometimes even how others perceive or treat you.

Think of this energy as a beacon of light. This light/energy will attract certain things. 

I was visiting my mom who has a home is Texas. The kitchen door leads to the backyard and I kept hearing a tapping sound. Every few minutes, something would tap on the door. So I opened it. To my surprise, there were dozens of beetles flopping around at the foot of the door. Several more beetles repeatedly flew into the glass protecting the light that hung inches from the door and fell onto the gound. I shrieked like the girl that I am, slammed the door shut, and turned off the light. 

The energy you put out into the world is the same energy you will attract. That is how the universe works. 

What is on the outside of you is the same thing that is on the inside of you. People who are fun to be around have a joyful spirit. People who are kind have a loving spirit. There is joy and love inside these people. 

When you squeeze an orange, what comes out of it will always be orange juice.  If you want to be happy, you must give happiness. You want support, you must be supportive. If you want to send your mom on a vacation to the Bahamas, you need the funds to so. 

But you can not show kindness to other people if you hate yourself. You can't give away what you don't have.

This is one of the problems I had when I used to go to church. The christian church says you must tithe your income. I'd have $20 to my name and I wouldn't receive another paycheck for 7 more days. What the church fails to tell you, is that you tithe the things you have. Somewhere in the bible there is a scripture that instructs you to tithe "the produce grown from your farm." Nowhere in the bible does it say GIVE ME YOUR MONEY. If your farm has not generated income, but you have loads crops and whatever else is on a farm, then give 10% of your crops to those who need it.  

You can only give what you DO have. 

My roommate at the time had his car towed and his license suspend. He was in some deep trouble so I offered to drive him to where ever he needed to go to take care of the situation. I did not ask him for money, but to show his gratitude, that is exactly what he gave me. Maybe he knew I was broke or maybe he didn't, but he had lots of money and that is what he gave me. Lots of money. More than enough to get me through the week until my next payday. 

If you have the tools or knowledge to be helpful in another way, then that is what you give. If you are patient, then be patient with other people. 

Maybe you're going out of town and you don't won't your groceries to go bad. Give it away! 

Because when you give, the universe gives back.

Or the fault within you and me?

There are things that happen to us that are completely unavoidable. Good or bad, sometimes there is nothing we could have done differently that would change the present. 

My grandpa smoked cigarettes most of his life. He is nearly 90 years old now. Then you hear about children like eight-year-old Lacey Holsworth, who recently passed away because of a tumor began growing on her brain. As for me, I eat like I have a tape worm yet I’ve never weighed more than 110 pounds. I am about as active as one would expect a 20s-something with a dead end job to be. Is my hypoactive metabolism caused by fate, good genetics, or something I did? I can start eating healthy moving forward but this wont guarantee that live a longer life. Which makes me wonder if I truly am the master of my universe or is my future is controlled by the unseen part of nature.  

How significant are our actions? Will the things I decide to do today, matter tomorrow? Or will I be stuck with the same ending regardless of my choices?

These are the questions that have been swirling around in my mind for the past several days since I finished reading “The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green. To be honest, this book left me feeling a bit stranded in an empty void of some sort of hopelessness. Only after rereading a few of the chapters a couple of times, did I understand the meaning behind this powerful story about teenagers living with cancer.  

The fault in our stars is that a disease has sealed the fates of these young, intelligent, and beautiful people. Having the most skilled doctor will at best only delay the inevitable. However, despite this death sentence, these kids decide to continue living until they are no longer living. And in doing so, they stumble upon something that will make the little time they have available on this earth, worth it all. 

So yes. There maybe things in life that you will have no control over, but you will always have authority over how you cope with these circumstances. Hopefully you choose to experience each breath, which might lead you to the discovery of something quite amazing, then you end up with a thing you never expected to have, and you fight hold onto it for as long as you can but eventually the stars come collect what was only loaned to you in the beginning.

“The Fault in Our Stars” is the kind of story that triggers the type of knee jerk reaction that will cause any person nearby to wonder if you are a sane human being.

There are many reasons why people risk their life in attempt to climb to the top Mount Everest.  For some, it is a thrill seeking journey, for others it maybe spiritual, or simply a life goal. They spend close to $50,000 to be given the opportunity to ascend this magnificent mountain. Most of these climbers would never make it to the summit if it were not for the Himalayan mountaineer guides. The Sherpas. 

For a Sherpa, climbing the mountain is not recreational nor is it done for pride or for a transcendent experience. The Sherpa mountaineers risk their lives out of necessity. Scaling Mount Everest is a means for providing for their family. It is a job. During a two month period, a Sherpa guide will earn an average sum of $5000. The Napali people earn an average of $700 a year, according to The World Bank data. 

The Sherpas build a path of for what will be the safest way for climbers to reach the summit. Which is basically stringing up rope and ladders so “climbers” can have the illusion that they are climbing the mountain on their own. It is also the duty of a Sherpa to shuttle up the paid climber’s tents, food, and oxygen. 

Of the many dangers that inhabit this Himalayan mountain, avalanches are very common. What is being described as the worst accident in the history of Mount Everest, occurred today, early Friday morning. At around 6am an avalanche rushed down a climbing path where a group of Sherpas were transporting up a load of equipment. Thus far, 12 Nepalese guides have been confirmed dead, 4 are still missing, and several others have been severely injured. 

When you think about the situation, you have a bunch tourist/ “adventurist” who pay the natives of Nepal to haul their stuff up the tallest mountain in the world. Sherpas are not forced to do what they do, however I am certain that if it were not for the terrible state of the economy, they would choose a safer occupation. The Sherpa guides are some of the hardest working men in the world and they do what they do for a few thousand dollars in order to support their families. 

It takes great skill and courage to be a Sherpa guide and they do what the do to escape a life of poverty. They put their life on the line to build a safer path for the well-off paying climber. Many of these paying climbers make a Sherpa’s job much more dangerous because they leave behind loads of waste, which has to be cleaned up.

I do not know what/if any kind of life insurance is provided to the Sherpa guides, but it is terribly tragic to hear about hard working people who lose their life in the name of supporting their family.