For some time, various groups I belong to online have asked me to do a page about myself. I always felt kind of uncomfortable doing that, so I put it off...and put it off...and put it off.
OK, so now I am actually doing it. There really isn't much to say about me.
How did I get my "screen name"? I used to chat with a lot of Brits and they tended to call me, "The Yank". My first name is Mary, and there was a Danish man living in London who used to call me "amerimary". It was a play on words in that I try to have a happy attitude, and my first name. Somehow, that became, "AmeriYank". I liked it, so I used it to build my web sites. The stars and stripes theme just seemed to fit right in! |
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Details...ok, I am 40-something, never married, no children. The year I turned 40, someone asked me how I managed to remain single all these years. I answered "I always keep my running shoes by the front door". I like my freedom to much, I guess. Although, my cousins and other family members mention something about stubborness. But, me? Stubborn? Couldn't be! (smile)
"AmeriYank's Graphics Farm" came out of a desire to provide free things for people to use on their web pages. Eventually, I was persuaded to try to sell my graphics on a CD, hence, first, AmeriYank's Christian Crosses was created, and then, the "create-your-own graphics kit", AmeriYank's Halloween Stuff was completed. (Click here to find info about both.)
It is my plan to create several themed graphic CDs with very liberal terms of use. It really makes my blood boil when I buy a graphics product and then find a list of things I cannot use it for. My goal is to create products where the users know they can do anything they like EXCEPT sell the actual digital image in any form, nor may they promote hate/racism, illegal activities, or pornography with my work.
Part of my mission is to create an online business using the many free and pay-as-you-go tools available around the net. Why? I want to prove it can be done. I want to prove you do not need $5,000,000 in venture captitol to get started online. I want to prove that anyone, anywhere with a decent idea can create something wonderful on the internet. And that all you need is a brain, computer access, a free ISP and to wisely use the many free tools and pay-as-you-go features available online. I want people to know they can create a better life for themselves, no matter what their current income.
Are there drawbacks? Yes, of course there are. I do not have an office outside my home--but, I have managed to sell enough CDs to warrant the purchase of a Post Office box. If you need to snail mail me, you can do so here:
AmeriYank's Graphics Farm
Mary Morris
P.O. Box 612113
San Jose, CA 95161-2113
I do not have a business phone number, just my home one, and that is usually connected to the internet, so it would be silly of me to post it here. And, I use free web hosts, so I have banner ads everywhere. Although, I did, recently, pay Zero Catch to make this part of my site banner-free. I paid for it by writing "Busy Person Guide" ezines for WZ.com.
With the advent of PayPal's "donate" button, I decided to try to get some donations, so that I can pay for getting rid of banners on parts of my web site, but still have no out-of-pocket expenses. Since this site stretches over 5 or 6 free servers, it can get expensive to pay to get rid of banners! Feel free to click on the button below to donate and make this a banner-free site.
Some say that, in order to create trust from your clientele, you need an email address that is not a free one. I have an AOL email, but if I use it for my internet business, I fail in my mission to prove you can create a web presence without any cash upfront. So, I remain with Yahoo! for now. And I, sometimes, use the free ISP, NetZero. You can reach me through email at:
ameriyank@yahoo.com
Any questions about ordering my products should be sent to:
ameriyank2@yahoo.com
My AOL and AIM names are: "AmeriYank"
My Yahoo! Messenger is: "ameriyank". But, since I never remember to turn on my Yahoo! Messenger, your best bet to chat with me is the AIM/AOL service.
I never did figure out how to make ICQ work. But I do have a firewall on my computer which sometimes makes things not work right.
I hope you enjoy my site. One of the things I promised myself when I decided to sell some of my work, is there would also always be plenty of free items here for anyone to use. Please be mindful of the fact that some of the original images are not my own. I have used fonts and other people's tubes to create some of the background sets here. Please make sure you give credit to the original artist. I do not require a link to my site for use of items on this site, but please be courteous of people who have been kind enough to allow me to use their work.
And don't forget to check out the cool stuff page. You can learn how to make a little extra money with little or no effort online, or, just find out about general cool stuff!
If you like, sign up for AmeriYank's Friday Freebie and you will get a free graphic, graphic tip, or Blade Pro Preset in your email to celebrate TGIF!
Enjoy my site and Happy Creating! |
