2012 - a recap

yes I sure do love tall very skinny condensed all caps san serif typography (Universe light extra condensed) & I love crows

A day is not always bright, 
and Nights are not always dark. 
All that matters is what's inside, 
because day and night 
are a reflection of you.
Avantika

Well Hello again 2013 ! here we are already on the last day of the 1st month of this brand new year. 

In my 5.5 years of blogging I've never done a year in review post I've never really wanted to look back, to reflect on the year just past I've almost always been in a really big hurry to clean the slate, start fresh, let's get going with this new year because surely it will be better, bigger some how, more satisfying, perhaps & hopefully more happiness inducing. Ahhhh, but I have become wise(er) in this blog's life. Like most things in life it seems the best lessons are often learned the hard way - I now  know that true happiness occurs  only in the moment, in the fleeting & in the now. 

But ... last year was a bit of a banner year for me so without further ado I shall reflect and mostly about my efforts in creative empire* building. If you recall my "one little word" for last year was CAN - I decided in the spirit of the power of positive thinking that continually telling myself I couldn't do something was counter productive to say the least. & what if I just decided to tell myself "sure, I can". So here we go - les highlights of 2012 - where I brag & go on about all the good things that happened to me last year.

I began the year with Kelly Rae Robert's & Beth Nicolls amazing e-course Hello Soul, Hello Business offered at Beth's Do What You Love e-university. I've taken (or have signed up for) everything she has on offer because the content is terrific, the experience & learning invaluable and I get to go to class with other creative women from all over the world here at the my teak topped desk, looking out over our little seaside harbour. What's not to love about that ? The Hello Soul, Hello Business course lit a fire in me where I believed that a fire was already burning. That rekindled blaze in combination with the idea that I would I can myself into 2012 prompted me to create & brazenly send out a promotional PDF to 20 potential dream customers/clients.

I heard back within the hour from Megan Gandt @ Madison Park Greetings, a one line reply SB we love your work ! I have a series of 10 everyday greeting cards coming out with them this month and I'm finalizing another 7 cards ! - this is a licensing gig, really the best kind of gig because I will paid royalties on the sale of all these cards. 

Next up, both Anne Brown & Sue Todd from Magnet Works also responded  very quickly to my promo PDF and I began almost instantly working on 6 designs that are currently featured in their Spring 2013 catalogue + there's a photo of me in my natural leafy habitat. Garden flags, mailbox covers and other assorted yard & garden items 

I created a banner illustration for a great client Little Bird Night Owl - check out my step-by-step.

I completed my 7th greeting card for American Greetings (& my first 2 cards are still selling well).

I was asked to create a custom typographic collage Call for Art logo for the mixed media magazine Cloth, Paper Scissors and the editors asked me to write a companion article about the process of creating that (or any other) typographic collage. I now have a gorgeous 4 page spread in the September/October issue - my first published article !

I taught a collage/mixed media workshop. Well ... Shut The Freakin' Front Door Missy Can Can - HUGE, huge, huge. I've been telling myself (while hyperventilating) my entire life that as much as I would LOVE to do something like this - I couldn't possibly actually do it. Well I did do it, I did it well & I really enjoyed it.

Then I taught another workshop & planned another ... I was booked to do a typographic collage workshop at Inkwell (favourite Halifax stockist of all things Susan Black) in the fall  but sadly it was cancelled because of too few participants - the important thing of course is that I said YES I can , I will & I'm looking forward to it.

I designed a collection of pewter & leather jewellery called Echo & went to Toronto to see the collection launch at the Toronto International Gift Fair  + stayed with my much adored nephew Michael for 3 days and had a big city ball. (1), (2), (3) days ! Uh Huh !

In October, at yet another workshop, this one a big 3 day event hosted by Deanne Fitzpatrick & I spoke for over an hour in front of an audience of 54 avid rug hookers (with a microphone) about design & creativity (+ created a killer hand-out to go with - I do love a great handout). I was completely terrified but once I got going I loved it and they had to wrestle the mic away from me ... seriously I loved it.

In November world famous design blog Print & Pattern featured my 2013 Botanica calendar - a piece I'm particularly proud of.


Wow !! 2012 you were a very, very good year.

* my attempts to make a decent & sustainable living from my creativity