Looking for Rhythm

It has been such a long stretch of grey days here in Buffalo, but the sun came out for a stretch and it's a welcome change. That lovely lady on the right is a sneak peek of a cool project that has consumed some of the past few weeks. (more about this summer)

 January has felt like the longest month on record in a strange way, but I think I'm seeing the light at the end of the holiday reset / work-week-lost-to-snow tunnel. I'm trying to see if I can find some sort of rhythm. I've been making an effort to spend 10-30 minutes in my cozy front studio window working in my sketchbook, or – just being present. Feels good, and looks like this:

Another thing I'm trying to get back into the practice of…writing! For the past few years I've carved out roughly an hour a week to write. I flip between introspective journaling time and other writing, like newsletters. I'm a huge fan (and highly recommend!) my friend Stella's Show Up and Write group as my anchor for this practice. I need all the help I can get having some sort of routine for my week, and this is a wonderful part of that routine. If you want to learn more, or request an invitation to join in here (scroll down – it’s two thirds of the way down the page) ;)

I'm knee deep in the planning headspace for 2024 – I have some big plans for the year ahead. I'm applying for some mural opportunities, spring pop-up events, and hoping to work on some new product offerings for 2024. Oh, and carving out time each week to create some new artwork. I always want to do all the things! That said, I'm also trying to put some boundaries in place to protect my creative energy and help focus my attention.

2023 In Review

I hope all is cozy in your neck of the woods and that the new year has been kind to you so far. I've been hibernating the past few weeks – it's been a welcome change of pace after a wild holiday season. We have had a full week of snow days here. I moved some things around in the studio and brightened up my favorite little nook to get ready for new projects. 

2023 was a huge year of growth for me – one which I'm still processing. I took big strides towards some lofty goals. There were lots of tears and some rough patches of feeling super overwhelmed, but let's celebrate some wins…

A few highlights:

– painted 3 murals, including my biggest one to date (4,400 sq.ft!)

– started wholesaling some of my products with two local retailers

– I hosted 43 virtual Studio Time! sessions

– Installed a super fun floral art installation at Fountain Plaza

– Completed two big freelance design projects for awesome clients

– Met lots of awesome people while doing 7 local popup events

– invested in a new printer (long overdue!)

– Made it in Uppercase Mag (twice!), first in the SPD issue which lead to a 
   licensing collab with Half Penny Postage, and then on the back cover

– was featured in Buffalo Home's women in business issue

– fun family trips to Pittsburgh, Ithaca and Toronto

– loads of time in the garden

– added Jasper the kitten to our cat crew

There were also countless hours spent connecting with artist and small business owning friends. And a giant ton of encouragement from my friends and family. In many ways I feel like a one person show, and in so many ways it legit takes a village. Thanks for being a part of my village!

I'm enjoying this time of reflection and can't wait to share more.

Peace & Joy

I recently painted as a temporary seasonal mural for the Boulevard Mall (a local shopping center). They were looking for something cheerful and uplifting and I think we arrived in a pretty wonderful place with this mural. It was actually an adaptation of something I pitched a few years ago that wasn't selected for a project. So, lemons to lemonade! 

10 years into my creative business I have a lot of work around the studio that is waiting for it's time to be recycled, reenvisioned or find it's own way to shine.

New Postcard Sets!

The collection of linen tea towels have been wonderfully received so far… and I'm super excited to share that I have added two new sets of postcards to the shop as well! One is a series of the #100daysofbluepen project I made earlier in the year, and the other is a collection of happy-making patterns. Both are packaged as sets of twelve and are blank on the back. The 4x6 inch cards are the perfect size for a sweet, thoughtful note to show you care without the pressure of too much space to fill, and there is an option to add a set of kraft envelopes if that suits your letter writing fancy ;)

New Linen Tea Towels

My new collection of linen tea towels arrived last week – and they look great!! I find ordering a production run of new products stressful… but, I was so delighted to open up the box of linen towels to see how beautifully the colors and patterns reproduced. I also switched up the packaging and that both looks awesome, and is much easier for me to assemble. Win, win!

I uploaded some new photographs of the designs in the shop that show the packaging and the details of the patterns. Check them out here!  

Thanks so much to those of you who took the leap and preordered – I was able to wrap and pack those orders and they went out in the mail yesterday… ahead of schedule. Yippee!