Wallpaper patterns x 4

1. all over leaves 2. hot ditsy 3. grey floral 4. blue ditsy
 

Iterations on a theme

 

Doubt is an uncomfortable condition, 
but certainty is a ridiculous one. Voltaire

Many iterations of the same drawing, from paintings in my sketchbook, to purely digital drawings created with Procreate, to combining both analog and digital. These are not particularly recent creative endeavours (late 2022) as once again I find myself in that uncomfortable place where I'm not sure what direction I'm headed in - though I am confident I am heading somewhere. Where ... who knows ?

I am trying to teach myself how to be more comfortable with uncertainty which ultimately, and thankfully, leads me to the present moment because in the present moment uncertainty loses it's sting. Mindfulness and self compassion feel like strong antidotes to the negative effects of uncertainty and doubt. What will I create today is a great question.

The older I get the more I feel comfortable being a fence sitter, the more I've become an easily swayed by a good pitch gal and the older I become the less tolerant I am of people who exhort in absolutes and certainty. A Dr. Phil-ism I always loved is "no matter how thin a pancake is, there are always two sides". 

Daffodil days

 

Daffodil artwork (from top) 1. Whimsical mixed media 2. Acrylic with collage 3. Acrylic 4. Digital - Procreate plus a few photos taken on my early morning walks around Lunenburg.

L'il Owl clear out sale

 

L'il Owls - prints and originals

I started my Etsy shop in 2008 and my this blog the year before in 2007

My work in those early days was very collage based. I collected piles of vintage papers, old atlases and scrapbooking papers. Collaging, instead of more traditional illustration methods, helped soften the cute factor of my drawing style all the while indulging my love of colour, pattern, typography and texture. 

I can't remember how my obsession with L'il Owls began, I think owls were having an "on trend" moment, and it seemed a simple yet charismatic motif which I could riff on about ... endlessly ... it turned out. They were a hot ticket in my shop back in the day and 34+ unique collaged L'il Owls later ... all with names.

The remaining inventory is now listed in my Etsy shop. The owls themselves fit in a 3X4" window and all are sold in a white 5X7" mat ready to pop into a standard frame.

Beautiful, saturated colour giclee prints $10.
Original collages with vintage papers $24.

Insiders (that's you reading my blog) can take an extra 15% off all L'il Owl prints and originals by using the code OWLFANS at checkout.

Thanks for indulging my first Spring cleaning studio clear out and speaking of Spring I'll leave you with my simple, wise words mantra for Q2.

Just relax, and have fun.

A word, a mantra and a mission statement

 

Do you choose a word to guide you through each new year ? 

I really love the idea and have chosen a word each year for the past almost 10 years with varying degrees of success - success being that the word actually sticks with me well into the year - but then I wonder if maybe the initial intention, set when choosing, is actually the most important part of this exercise. 

If you haven't yet picked a word it's not too late. Susannah Conway has a wonderful workbook to download that helps you to uncover your "one little word" for the year.

One of the exercises she suggests is to reflect back on 2022 and think about what you "want more of" in 2023 and also what you "want less of". On Sunday Jan 01 at 5:45 am (I am an early riser), with my morning coffee, I wrote in my journal:

I want more contentment, more ease, more loving relationships (Oliver, Virgil & Douglas), more security, more income, more trust in my creative abilities, more focus, more structure. 

I want less insecurity, scarcity mentality, less obligation, less worry, less anxiety, less dread.

Underneath these two statements I wrote a quick list of words: calm, peace, ease, secure, loved, loving, prosper, flourish, abundance, grateful, blessed, confident, assured, prosperity and thrive.The word prosper immediately jumped to the forefront and the words flourish and thrive became my 2023 "wing words".

It took me another 2 weeks of early morning journaling and pondering the idea of "how to make this year the best it can be" to arrive at the idea of creating a simple, short mantra, an all occasion, loving, pep talk to myself to pull out whenever needed. Since my go-to, historic feeling state/comfort zone is "anxious + insecure" why not turn that old idea of me completely on it's head and ta-da ... I arrived at "calm confidence" - and I love it ! 

“Courage is like a muscle. 
We strengthen it with use.”
Ruth Gordon

I have one big goal for my creative business this year and that's to make a thriving income. The last few years have not been thriving, although my creative energy has not wained in the least, my ability to earn from this passion of mine has been practically non-existent. A fact that feels frustrating, shame and doubt inducing, and also oh so challenging. Challenging in a good way. After all, indefatigable-ness is one of my super powers. 

My creative interests and talents are diverse. I love nothing more than to be in my sunny, plant filled, second floor studio space (with studio mates Oliver & Virg) tackling something - how can I turn that energy and love into a dependable income?

Well ... the jury's still out on that one but we're intention setting here. So how about a mission statement (my first ever) to close out this Jan 2023 newsletter ?

I will use my enthusiasm, experience and varied skills to build wealth by creating modern, uplifting artwork for a diverse and loyal customer base.

I would love to know your word for 2023, let me know in the comments.

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