new year’s resolutions 2012.

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Natalie

[image by alessandro pautasso]

Ah, yes, it’s that time again… a time to sit back with a nice cup of tea and reflect on all of the things that have happened in the past year. The year 2011 was the best year ever for so many reasons:

My dad got remarried to a friend from elementary school and they had a beautiful wintery wedding in January. I got myself a new step sister, too!
At the end of January, I got hired to work on the computer all day at a screen printing shop, and if you know me at all, it has basically always been my dream in life.
I met my boyfriend Max in February and we have barely left each others’ side since. It felt so natural for us to be together that I moved in with him after only a month. Crazy, I know, but it felt like destiny was at play more than anything else.
And our cat gave birth to our two baby kitties (and 3 others that found new homes)!
I got my own little room for a studio space and gave it a complete makeover to make it my own. Love it!
I also released FOUR issues of my own magazine throughout the year and sent them off all over the world which is something I’ve dreamed of since age 12.
Max & I visited my Mom in San Diego in December and now he has basically met my entire family – needless to say they all love him!

I’ve spent this year getting cozy with Max, fixing up our home, and beginning to get a lot more serious about pursuing my art and creativity as a business. Next year I’m hoping to double those efforts…

Before I get talking about the future, though, I think it’s only fair that I take a moment to look back on the new year’s resolutions I made for 2011, and see how I did:

~~Start a new job~~ – Check!
Keep my room clean! – It’s messy right now… typical.
~~Take an illustration class~~ – I took 3!
Pay off my credit cards – Maybe next year?
Exercise more often – It went through phases…
Go on a trip to New York – I got the tickets and planned on going, but I got extremely sick suddenly the day before and had to bail out at the very last minute. :(
~~Publish another zine issue~~ – I made 4 total!
~~Create a portfolio website~~- Check, but I’m not quite happy with it yet.
~~Read lots of good books~~ - Yeah, some!
~~Completely redesign The Flood~~- Check, but it’s due for an upgrade soon.

Not too bad! But you really never know what the next year’s going to bring, y’know? There are so many unknown possibilities that you just can’t plan. I had no idea that my life was about to completely change last year at this time, just like I have no idea how 2012 is going to play out. All you can really do is set your intentions in their proper places and ride the wave.

So here are my intentions for the new year:

Read at least 12 books.
Work on organizing & decorating the house.
Try to find a way to balance work & play better.
Create lots & lots of new things!
Keep improving The Flood.
Go on trips to new places.
Start up an Etsy shop.
Learn how to cook new recipes.
Develop a better online portfolio.
Drink more water & take better care of my health overall.

I think 2012 is going to be wonderful! I don’t believe in the “end” one bit, unless it is the ending of bad things in order to make way for better things. See you next year!

christmas in california.

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Natalie

I was lucky enough to escape to San Diego with Max for the weekend to visit my mom! We jumped from our normal daily routines in dark dead Minneapolis to a sunny outdoors adventure filled with bike rides, beaches, home cooking, and good reads. It was such a refreshing and relaxing trip and I feel so grateful to have been able to break up the bleakness of winter to catch up with my mom.

Now I have 4 busy days of intense cramming ahead of me to get The Flood #6 finished and ready to send to the printers before the end of the year… wish me luck!

mission accomplished!

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Natalie

After weeks of mess-making, lists upon lists, and sticky fingers (glue, paint, you name it!), I can proudly say that I have [narrowly] survived all of the handmade planning and preparation that will now make for some wonderful holiday gatherings! I think it’s safe to say that I should’ve started making everything in November, because waiting until the holiday spirit came upon me in December was just too stressful. I have a knack for underestimating how long things realistically take to make.

On another exciting note of personal accomplishment, I finished my very first crochet creation today. I made a rainbow scarf for my step-sister Lily:

(That’s me there modeling it for you!) I can’t tell you how many hours I spent fussing over this thing until I eventually read a Facebook status update from Lily that said that she, too, was learning how to crochet! Wouldn’t it be funny if we had both crocheted each other a scarf? I’m trying not to worry about it too much because it was really good practice and I can think of about 20 things I would like to do differently on the next one.

After tonight’s Hanukkah celebration with my dad’s side of the family, Max and I are off to San Diego to spend Christmas with my mom! I’ll be able to share photos of what I made for both of their presents afterwards. Have a wonderfully jolly week and I’ll catch you on the flipside to wrap up 2011!

announcing the flood #6!

Posted on December 16, 2011 by Natalie

[Cross-posted at thefloodzine.com]

After our first full year of 4 seasonally released print & downloadable issues, we’re just about ready to embark on a 2nd volume with The Flood #6! With the new year comes a whole set of new features that are more closely geared to beginning, emerging, or established artists than ever before, but really anyone who appreciates art and seeks inspiration in its wide variety of forms will love this issue. Here’s what you’ll find:

Sketchbook Project 2012 – Get the lowdown on a revolutionary project put on by the Brooklyn Art Library’s Art House Co-Op to get your work out there and into the hands of people from all over the world.
How to: Put on an Art Show – An exclusive interview with Nubby Twiglet will give readers a chance to demystify the process of setting up your own solo art show and all of the planning and preparation that goes into it all.
10 Tips for a Stunning Portfolio – Get your foot in the door with a portfolio that turns heads in the best possible way with this helpful advice for those who are still without one.

+12 Amazing Contributors:

Artwork by Kevin Chupik [Las Vegas], Ricardo Gonzalez Garcia [Spain], Emilio Santoyo [Los Angeles], Ashton Elizabeth Hall [Wisconsin], Matias Armendaris [Vancouver], and Randi Antonsen [Norway].
“Sacred Geometry,” a design feature by Christie Powers [United Kingdom].
Photography by Gabriela Alatorre [Guatemala], Cover Photographer Madalin Gageanu [Romania], Sara Hertel [Portland], Eni Turkeshi [Belgium], and Max Sanders [Minnesota].

All that, plus creative book and music recommendations, an artsy shopping guide with design-driven wares for winter, and, as always, a Creative Directory chock full of fun and inspiring destinations around the web!

The Flood #6 will be released on January 15, 2012 in the Etsy Shop. There’s still a ton of work to do before then, but I’ll be keeping you updated with previews of the issue as time goes on! Have a great weekend…

10 books in 2011.

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Natalie

I know it’s not the end of the year quite yet, but it seems like I’m probably not going to reach the goal I made at the beginning of 2011 to read 12 books – one for each month of the year – but I wasn’t too far behind! This year I’ve read a variety of fiction and artist help books, a few Haruki Murakami novels, and a couple of classics. Making this post makes me feel bad that I didn’t make more time to read now that I see how very little I actually did! I guess it’s a good feeling to have because hopefully it will inspire me to finally reach my goal next year. To be honest I just don’t have a lot of extra time anymore (who does?), but I still think it’s important to be connected to books in some way, even if it can only be for a few chapters here and there.

My favorite book that I read in 2011 was probably Amy Tan’s Saving Fish from Drowning. You can see my review here. I liked it so much because it opened my eyes to new ideas, concepts, people, and places, and made me feel like I was a part of the travel group to Burma that the book centers around. I always love books that have some sort of dreamy mystical aspect to them, and it quenched my thirst for that as well with a ghost for a narrator.

So, it looks like once again I will be making a goal to read at least 12 books in 2012. Here are 12 books I wouldn’t mind adding to my list over the next year:

What are you looking forward to reading in the new year? Have any good recommendations? If you’re on GoodReads, feel free to add me as a friend!