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,

Around Here Lately

Hello friends!

How was your weekend? I thought it would be fun to pop in and share a little random update since I haven't done that in for.ever. 

We had a really busy and productive weekend at our house. Turns out planning to have people over two weekends in a row turns Dan and I into little worker bees! 

This coming Saturday is the boys' 9th birthday party (I KNOW...9?!) and the next weekend I have a new friend coming from out of town to help me with a super exciting art-related adventure, which I'll be sharing more about soon! (ACK!) 

Sooo...we did a lot of cleaning, painting, purging, and a bit of decorating over the weekend to get the house ready.

I spent a bit of time in my little artsy corner of the house, hanging this fun wire shelf and printing some orders. And caught the light streaming in at just the right time...

And I cleaned out my boys' dresser, which turned into more than a few tears, and this photo of their first and latest pairs of shorts...

GOODNESS. They are getting SO big you guys!

And after about two months of being married to my new iPad, I pulled out my sketchbook, pencil and pens to work on a new piece!

I thought it would feel weird after not using them for so long, but it was like reuniting with old friends.

I'm really in love with how this piece turned out.

I even grabbed the star motifs from it to make a pattern...

I've been drawn to shades of pink and orange like crazy lately which is SO not like me...but maybe it is SO like the current me? 

I heard a quote the other day that said something like "you aren't required to be the same person you were 5 years ago or even 5 minutes ago." Isn't that great? Permission to always be changing. 

I am embracing that as I'm noticing lots of things about myself evolving over the past year, and allowing myself to change however much I darn want. 

Consider this your permission to do the same!

Hope you have a fabulous week!

XO, 

in my sketchbook

It has been awhile since I've done a round up of my sketchbook illustrations. Here are the most recent ones!

You can't go wrong with a little Rumi...

Dreaming up a bouquet...

Feel those feelings!

Working on this one...

I was feeling a little curse-y after two weeks of strep throat and the flu at our house...

A good reminder...

And another...

Love grows in the darkest of places...

No matter what...keep making!

Happy Wednesday!

This Is My Rebellion

I woke up this morning needing to make art. 

So I put on some coffee and got to work. 

I've never been a rebellious person or a rule-breaker, but this particular time in our country's history has brought out all sorts of defiant emotions in me. 

I'm not marching today. 

I'm not sharing political posts on Facebook or Twitter. 

I'm making art. 

This is my rebellion. 

I refuse to lose hope. But I will also not remain quiet. 

I will love fiercely and create relentlessly. 

Sending relentless hope your way,

{a reminder}

Let that light shine, my friend!

And if you are still looking for it...don't give up! It is in there I promise!

XO,

{in my sketchbook}

Hello friend!

Are you ready for a new week?

Thought I would share a few recent pieces in my sketchbook with ya...

Finished piece...

And watch me draw this one!

And in color!

And here is a new pattern!

Speaking of patterns, I was interviewed recently by Jessica Swift for the Pattern Camp blog and you can read it here!

XO,

{#100daysofyourtruth update}

Happy Wednesday friends!

Thought it was time to share a little update on my 100 day project. Hard to believe, but I've completed 70 out of 100 quotes! Whew! 

I haven't been digitizing/coloring them lately because it is so time consuming, although lots of fun! I'm hoping to catch up with a few of them, but I felt the need to simplify the past few weeks as we got through our kitchen renovation and enjoyed some much needed time with the boys.

The idea of slowing down inspired this one...

And I have a feeling I'll be using that new subway tile as a photo prop quite a bit! 

Hope you're having a great week!

XO,

{in my sketchbook}

Happy Sunday friends!

I've been a bit all over the place in my sketchbook lately...trying out all sorts of new shapes and motifs to figure out where I want to go next with my illustrations. Lettering, animals, faces, shapes from nature...nothing is safe! :) 

Close-up of my favorite doodle from the page above...

I'm loving the vintage pyrex vibe.

Lots of happy and sleepy animal faces!

And clouds because I can't go very long without doodling them.

If you've been following along with me lately you'll know that I begin a three month work sabbatical on Tuesday, and my head is spinning from all of the things I want to create. I literally feel like the ideas are going to explode out of my head if I don't get them on paper. I have a feeling my new sketchbook is going to fill up fast, so stay tuned! 

XO,

{in my sketchbook + meeting Lisa Congdon}

Goodness this weekend was pretty darn amazing. I had the pleasure of hearing one of my favorite artists Lisa Congdon speak at the Midwest Craft Con in Columbus, Ohio.

If you aren't familiar with Lisa's work, she does lovely illustrations and her journey to becoming a professional artist has been a huge encouragement to me these past few years. So, to hear her speak and get to meet her was such a treat. I also got to spend the day with my good friend Sara who is also a Lisa fan.

It was an exhausting day for this introvert, but I came away with some great ideas and tips, a super encouraging one-on-one with a book agent, and topped it off with a high-five from Lisa. I mean, come on. :)

And oh yes...this post was supposed to include some recent peeks into my sketchbook too!

Clouds, feathers, and coffee. Some of my favorite things!

Hope your week is off to a good start!

XO,