2019 Recap

Well. Hello there, good old blog. It's been awhile!

Let's talk about 2019, shall we? 

There are only a few hours left in this year, and in this decade. I don't have the energy to think back on the past ten years today, but do want to look back a bit on the last 12 months.

I didn't have any specific goals for the year, other than slowing down and getting back to a life that felt manageable and aligned with my soul's purpose. 

What I didn't expect was that giving up some things that were weighing me down would open me up to so many new opportunities. I was amazed when I looked back on the year at everything I had been able to accomplish. 

If you follow me on Instagram, I created a highlight for the year with links to different posts. But for this blog post, I'm gonna keep it simple and list them with a few things linked up for ya. So here we go! 

In 2019 I...

• Showed art at my 2nd Surtex 
• Launched my 2nd coloring book
• Left my art agency
• Partnered to create printables for the Reset Girl
• Rejoined the Illustrated Faith team
• Created my first physical product for Illustrated Faith 
• Launched new branding
• Taught my first in person lettering classes
• Created lots of pet portraits
• Started creating gifs 
• (you can find them by searching "mandyfordart"!)
• Launched my first stickers
• Started meeting with a spiritual director
• I see Amy at Persimmon Studio.) 
• Moved to a new art space in our home
• Bought pink glasses
• Got to hear Lisa Congdon and Andy Miller speak together
• And chat with them both in person - such a gift!
• Moved to a four day work week at my day job 
• Had two super fun pop up shops

It was a YEAR. 

We capped it off on Sunday by getting in a scary car accident. 

Yikes. So the past few days we've been taking it easy and 

majorly counting our blessings. 

I'm so thankful for all of the support I've received this past year. 

I had no idea what it was going to hold, and looking back I'm in 

awe. 

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Here's to a 2020 where we give ourselves grace and grow 

even more into our best selves!

A Dose of Encouragement

Oh yes, it's Friday friends!

Thanks goodness.

How are you doing over there? I wanted to share a bit about what's going on with me lately, and a few links to inspire and encourage you.

I've been blessed with commissioned artwork requests the past few weeks. The serendipitous thing about this is that just when I decided to take a break from working at the crazy pace I had been, some really wonderful and meaningful projects came my way.
This is the most recent one:

When this request came to me, I immediately knew how I wanted the finished piece to look. One of my favorite things about these pieces is that they stretch me to draw new subject matter. I had never drawn an amaryllis before, and it was a fun challenge. 

This dog portrait was a surprise birthday gift which made it even more fun to create...

And how fun is that name?! I used one of the owner's tattoos for inspiration for the flowers and color palette. 

And finally this piece was created for the shared bedroom of two young sisters. Do you see the little bee and lady bug? Those represent them...how sweet is that?! 

I'm sharing all of this with you to prove that the universe has your back. Just when I felt discouraged and that my art wasn't the quality it should be, or reaching the audience I wanted it to, these projects came my way. 

That validation means everything!

And as I promised, here are a few links to encourage and inspire you...

• What it takes to Turn a Hobby Into a Career at Age 40 with Lisa Congdon
• Jen Hewett on Letting Go of Perfection and Growing Multiple Skills to Enrich her Creativity
• And finally my FAVORITE podcast for creatives - check out the latest episode of Creative Pep Talk! The 6 Step Process to Unlock Powerful Creative Business Momentum

Hope you have a fantastic weekend friends!

XOXO,

New Product Alert

I have a super exciting new product collaboration to share with you today!

I'm over the moon to share that I'm creating monthly printables for The Reset Girl! 

Holy cow. Yep...that's what I'm still thinking as I share this news even though I've been working on this for weeks. #dreamproject

My first set, Happy at Home, is available now!

I've been a long time fan of TRG and am pinching myself that my creations are now a part of their store. Ahhh! I can't wait to get started on my next set. 

If you have themes you would love to see send them my way. I am always collecting inspiration!

XO,

Holiday Permission

This is your permission.

Permission to be fully you during the holidays.

Permission to be sad about what isn't, while joyful about what is.

To not allow others' anxieties, hang-ups, and issues to become your anxieties, hang-ups and issues.

Permission to feel lost and yet found.

To be whole. To be rooted. To be free.

To feel grounded in the middle of everyone else's chaos.

You get to decide.

You are in charge. 

And isn't that a lovely thing?

Sending hugs, peace, and light to you,

Coffee Talk

If we were having coffee this morning, I would tell you that whatever you are struggling with, you may think you can't handle, but you are most certainly qualified.

I would tell you that you are growing and learning, and through this hard stuff you are becoming even more of the person you are meant to be.

I would tell you to keep moving forward, to remember to take deep breaths, and to not feel guilty for that extra dash of cream and sugar in your cup.

Wishing you an encouraging, cozy, and joy-filled Friday friends!

XO,

Fairy Wing Mural

I'm super excited to share my most recent local project...

a fairy wing mural for our city's welcome center!

I've been wanting to create one of these interactive murals since I discovered this amazing one in Nashville, Tennessee...

It was such a fun and rewarding project, and I can't wait to see how visitors to the welcome center use them!

How fun are the baby wings?! I think they are my favorite part. 

You can visit them in person here! 

Sending creative vibes to you,

New Class!

Hello friends!

How is your week going? I hope you've had some small, or even BIG victories to celebrate. There has been so much going on in our little corner of the world that my head has almost literally been spinning these past few weeks. 

My boys starting middle school (HOW did that happen?!), one of my busiest times of the year at work, and keeping up with usual life stuff like we all have. But in the midst of all of this craziness there is much to celebrate, including the launching of my fourth class with Big Picture Classes, Fantastic Digital Florals!

I can hardly believe this is my fourth class with BPC, and being asked to teach another iPad drawing class has been like a dream. I had no idea how the iPad would change everything for my drawing career, and now I want to share all of the fun tips and tricks I've learned this past year with you!

This class focuses on the basics of drawing floral shapes in Procreate, one of my favorite things to draw. Flowers can be challenging though, so I hope this class can take some of the anxiety out of the process. 

I'd love for you to join me! 

And if you want to dive into lettering in Procreate, be sure to also check out my Master Class, Mastering iPad Lettering!

Sending you all of the good Tuesday vibes!

XO,

New Local Class

Hey there friends!

Who wants to come paint with me? On July 14th I'll be teaching a super fun mixed media art class at the Richmond Art Museum!

We'll create with paint and all sorts of other fun mixed media supplies to create one of a kind art pieces. 

Check out the class here

If you are local or nearby to Richmond, Indiana I'd love for you to join me!

XO,

A bit of encouragement for all of us...

The creator’s journey is not for the faint of heart.

Once you figure out that thing you want to do with your life, you’ll do just about anything to make it happen. But the path is usually unclear. Sometimes you wonder if you’ll ever find it.

It comes with hurdles, speed bumps, closed doors, and doors you have to decide to open or not. It takes courage to accept the lot of it, allow yourself to wallow for a bit in disappointment, be okay with settling into discomfort, know that you will never do it perfectly, know that there will be times of genius and times of absolutely no inspiration to be found, know that there will always be competition, but also know that no one else can do it like you.

And the path you are paving is only creatable by you.

For all of us that are finding our way toward our creative destiny, we are not alone.

So keep going.

Don’t give up.

We were made for this.


Hanging in there with you,

New Class!

Have you ever been given an opportunity that is so in line with your biggest goals and dreams that you start to doubt yourself?

Those annoying internal questions start chiming in, "Why did they choose me?" "Surely there is someone more talented to do this!"

(Helloooo imposter syndrome!)

You know what? Yes, there probably is someone more talented than you. There is always going to be someone ahead of you. 

And still, the opportunity belongs to YOU! 

IT IS YOURS. 

End of story. 

So take it all in, throw all of the thank you's you can out into the universe, and rock the sh*t out of it.

YOU GOT THIS.

If you want an example of my latest version of this story, head over to Big Picture Classes on May 1st to check out my newest class with them, Mastering iPad Lettering! Seriously...we are going to have SO much fun lettering on our iPads!

You can check out my teacher page here--->

https://www.bigpictureclasses.com/users/mandyfordart

Hope you have a fantastic Thursday! 

Breaking Free

There have been two times in my life when I felt as if the universe was guiding my soul and circumstances in a way that was not under my control.

The first was five years ago when I came back to drawing.

The second is happening pretty much right now as I type this, and has been ruminating for almost all of 2018 so far.

Everything feels a bit like it is floating in a holding space, between the now and the what is going to be, and I'm just waiting for the second gate to open and let me through. 

Meanwhile God is sending me some stellar growth opportunities.

That last line was written with a bit of sarcasm, because GOODNESS. I'm spent.

Now is the time when I need to admit I had gotten myself to a very cranky place. And when I say cranky I mean bitter, annoyed, frustrated...all of those emotions we are taught to hold inside, mask with a smile, work through with a few encouraging images shared from Pinterest. I've been trying that last one and it does help a bit. 

Funny thing about God and the universe is that sometimes when you are begging for mercy, it comes in the exact opposite form you were expecting. 

For me, mercy has looked like two weeks full of challenging situations...using my voice, speaking up for myself and for others, facing hard truths, and stepping into my fullest potential. 

It has been EXHAUSTING and at the same time EMPOWERING.

You feel like you are facing it all alone. And at times you are. But I've also had friends stand up for me, take my hand and say, "I'm with you," thank me for having the courage to speak up. 

I even got a "That took guts!" which I have never, ever in my life been told. 

I have guts?! 

Surely they were mistaken.

But you know what? Turns out I do. They've been in there all along. 

The five-year-old who used to hide behind her mother's legs at church. 

The early twenty something who quit more than one job because she was terrified of failure. 

The girl who dropped an art class in college because she couldn't stand anyone watching her draw. (I know, right?!) 

She had guts. She didn't know how to use them yet, but they were already there. 

And the funny thing about using your guts is they multiply exponentially super fast with each use. Kind of like eating Grape Nuts cereal. You take one bite, and it's replaced with two more. 

The supply just keeps building, cheering you on from the conference room, the art table, the coworker's office, the email inbox. 

I was on the treadmill yesterday morning thinking about the past few weeks and shedding a few tears, (exercise is emotional you guys) and quickly typed up this list of instructions that helped get me through...

• Speak up
• Even when it is hard. Especially when it is. 
• Lean in
• Don't run away from the hard stuff. Know that it is helping you grow.
• Hold on
• Tight. To whatever you know is true and good in your life. The people, the feelings, the experiences.
• Power down
• Rest. Relax. Do what you need to do to regroup.
• Zone out
• Sometimes you have to escape from all of it, even for a few minutes. That's OK! Turn off your mind, take a nap, meditate, eat a pint of ice cream. Whatever works. 

*May I suggest 4 & 5 be done appropriately with your favorite Netflix show, your comfiest pants, and whatever comfort food fits your mood at the moment. 

Here is an illustration of me powering down, you know, for visual reference.

The lesson in all of this is I'm right where I need to be. And you are too. 

Life being hard and challenging doesn't have to mean you are stuck. 

Sometimes it is giving you the opportunity to break free. 

So a little recap for us all:

• Use those guts God gave you
• You are not stuck
• You are right where you need to be
• You are breaking free

You got this.

XO,

Photowall Product Review + Coupon!

Happy weekend friends!

I hope you are enjoying some time to rest and relax from the week behind us. I know today, for me, was deeply needed after a week full of extra work responsibilities.

My soul needed time to breathe today.

This morning I put together a lovely canvas sent to me from the folks over at Photowall. 

They offer lots of ready-made artwork, or you can upload your own for them to print, which I did for this canvas.

It was a super easy process to attach the wooden frame and screw it together.

And now I have this lovely piece of my original, hand drawn, digital artwork to display.

Thanks Photowall for this lovely piece of artwork! 

And if you would like one of your own, you can head over to their site and enjoy 20% off your purchase with code MandyFordCampaign2018. 

But hurry! The code is only good through April 30th! 

You can also grab this lettering piece as a print in my Etsy shop here!

XO,

New Printable!

Hello friends! Happy Friday!

Oh my goodness are you as glad as I am that the weekend is here??

I've been busy over here drawing all sorts of fun Valentine's Day goodies to share with you for my newest printable set, which I added to my Etsy shop today! 

If you love February and Valentine's Day, I think you are going to love this set as much as I do. I mean, there are letter boards AND vintage typewriters. SO fun!

This set includes:

*Two patterned papers
*Six letterboard stickers (LOVE these!) including four blanks to personalize 
*Four journaling/quote cards
*Nine bullet point/list stickers
*Three tabs
*Six banners
*Six "coffee date" stickers
*Six "remember" stickers
*Two ridiculously adorable typewriters
*Three washi strips
*Three scallop strips
*Over twenty other stickers/images

I used it in my Happy Planner for my February monthly spread...

I can't wait to use it throughout the month too! That's the great thing about buying printables...you can re-print the pages/images you want to use more than once! 

I don't know about you, but I think I need about 10 copies of that "treat yo self" sticker. 

You can check out the entire set and purchase it here!

I'm also sharing more peeks into how I'm using my planner over on Instagram...come hang out with me over there! 

XO,