Monthly Archives: February 2012

22nd birthday re-cap.

Posted on by

1

Happy Leap Day! I had a wonderful birthday on Saturday with a rare joint day off with Max (luckily he could get the day off, we have opposite schedules and it can be really hard sometimes!) and ever since then I’ve been kind of in a daze from all of the restaurant food and the sudden onset of gray, cloudy days (and now a foot of slushy snow everywhere you walk). But I did get those lovely flowers up there as a winter pick-me-up from my Mom. I quickly brought them over to live at my work because our mischievous 6 month-old kitten Rupert has knocked down every single flower pot I’ve tried to keep around the house. Agh!

Anyhow, after my birthday came and went, I was kind of upset with myself that I didn’t take any pictures for the blog, so I decided to pretend I did by quickly putting together this little gem for ya:

That pretty much sums up my birthday! It was low-key, but I got to do all of the little things I’d been wanting to do for a long time so it was perfect for me. With all of these new art supplies, compliments of Max(!), I decided I needed to make a good organizational plan for the studio and I’ve already started working on it so I should be able to share a peek sooner rather than later. I want the days of getting distracted from my workflow to go look for some randomly missing supply to be over! Plus, if I eventually am able to work on art full-time (that’s the long-term goal!), I need to create a comfortable and inspiring environment that I will be drawn to rather than afraid of. So that’s what I’m working on next… see you then!

illustration friday > capable.

Posted on by

2

Here is my illustration of this week’s topic: Capable

It’s really happening! I got the best horoscope today and thought it went so perfectly with this week’s Illustration Friday prompt that I had to put two and two together. Actually, I read two different horoscopes for today that said basically this same exact thing! The other one said, “Get ready to start one of the most challenging and rewarding phases of life that you have had in a very long time.” Isn’t that exciting? If you don’t know, it all probably has to do with the fact that I am starting a handmade item, illustration, & graphic design business that I’m planning to launch this May, and my horoscope made me feel a little more capable of pulling it off. I have a ton of work to do, but I couldn’t be happier about it!

P.S. More exciting stuff! The story behind my business was posted on the Female Entrepreneur Association’s website yesterday! Go here to read about what it’s like to try to start a business while having a nearly full-time job. Whew!

See more Illustration Friday works here.

{What’s Illustration Friday? It’s a weekly creative outlet/participatory art exhibit for illustrators and artists of all skill levels, designed to challenge participants creatively. Basically, every Friday there is a new topic posted on the site, usually just one word, and anyone who wants to can put together an illustration with their own depiction of the word and post it to the site.}

my birthday wish list.

Posted on by

1

[IMAGE SOURCES: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8]


Ahh, my birthday’s on Saturday! I’m so excited – I get to go eat some fabulous meals at all of my favorite restaurants with different members of my family and Max is taking me on an art supply shopping spree. What more could I want, honestly? It’s kind of interesting, though, how just one year ago my wish list was filled with clothing, accessories, and artsy odds and ends, and now, as I’ve gotten a little older, all I seem to care about is practical things! I haven’t bought any new clothes in months and instead have been trying to make new outfits with what I’ve already got. This year I am launching a business, though, so I guess it makes sense that I’d now want to be a little smarter about things.

Most of all, I want to organize and stock up my studio with fresh supplies like different kinds of paper and some sleek black pens, but I also wouldn’t mind a little spending/bill money, a pack of nice new markers (the Copic double-ended ones up there are ridiculously expensive, but a girl can dream, right?), a new book by my favorite author Haruki Murakami, a gift card to Home Depot so we can fix up the house (never in my wildest dreams would I think I would be asking for one of those for my birthday) and, just for kicks, a white iPhone would be pretty cool (I left my phone in a movie theater last night when we went to see “Hugo” and I have a feeling I’m going to have to buy a new one this weekend – probably not an iPhone though!).

Hope you’re all enjoying your week and looking forward to some exciting weekend plans as well! I’ll try to pop in on Friday with an Illustration Friday post – it’s been long overdue!

the flood: redesigned!

Posted on by

1

If you haven’t checked out my art & culture blog, The Flood, lately (or ever) you should! I spent last week redesigning the whole web site. I can’t tell you how much the old layout bothered me. It was too bright, loud, big, and messy, and I just couldn’t ignore it any longer. Now it’s a little more subtle, cleaner, and has way prettier fonts. I also gave myself permission to change the all-caps logo that appeared in the header and on the cover of every zine issue. It worked perfectly for a printed magazine because it was a long font (so it could cover a larger area on the cover), but my eyes really enjoy looking at this new, sleeker version a lot more. Don’t yours? Maybe you don’t quite remember… and that’s just fine with me!

Now that I am finally happy with the design of my blogs, I can focus more on filling them with great content, and that gives me a happy feeling! Next on my agenda: Creating new portfolio pieces, experimenting with products for my Etsy store, and working on this crazy house of ours.