A Holiday Message from Ginger!

Happy holidays friends and colleagues! The season is upon us! I love this time of year. The lights, the carols, the excitement in the air, the delight in our six year old son:) My favourite things to do during the holidays are to curl up with a good book, get into the studio for some soul-feeding creative time, cook slowly, go for solo walks, and spend quality time with everyone I love. I'm so looking forward to doing these things for the next two weeks and I hope you are doing things equally joyful and inspiring for yourself.

As I wrap up the year I'm looking back and thinking, yes it's been a really good one. I've been focused on changing habits—doing less, being more intentional with my time and energy, making choices that bring me closer to my truth while supporting my family. Nurturing my health is still a challenge but I'm getting there, and I've been finding more moments of joy and feeling happier overall. My days are filled with homeschooling our son, cooking foods for vitality, and making the transition from my art & design company to my small art-only business. It's been pretty slow going but yes I am slowly transitioning away from graphic design and focusing more on my art! This winter I will take the final steps away from Red Pear Creative after twelve meaningful years and start working under my own name. I have been working on my new Ginger Deverell brand including a new website and online store for months and I will be so excited to share it with you in the New Year.

I wish for each of you a restful and inspired holiday season with many moments of joy, connection and love, and vibrant wellness now and always. It's the real stuff, the stuff that truly matters, yeah?

Thank you to everyone who supports my art + dreams – I've got a whole lotta love for you!

xo Ginger

p.s. I added more of my paintings to Society6 so you have a greater selection for iphone and ipad cases, laptop covers, tote bags, throw cushions, t-shirts, duvet sleeves, mugs and more. Order online and it's shipped to your door. Check 'em out: (4 pics)


NOTE: In the new year I will be switching from @redpearcreative to @gingerdeverell on Instagram and Pinterest and Facebook and continuing my blog over on my new website when it launches. If you're already following me on social media we will automatically stay connected.

Quiet: Reflecting on 2014 & looking ahead

For years I've chosen a word at the beginning of each season or sometimes just for a phase of life and it has guided me. It has been an informal and very intentional practice. A few past words are believe, receive, peaceful, abundance, beauty, trust, breathe, begin, hope, fun. In 2012 I experienced coming alive again & feeling peaceful. In 2013 I had a beautiful year full of discovery & I expanded and when it came to a close I had a strong desire to push myself further, and so last year I chose the word unleash to guide me. It came from a very powerful intention and desire to put my passion and creativity and full self out into the world. To truly unleash my potential. 

I did just that. I put my art and creative self further out there. I launched the year with a kindness mission which inspired my heart and gave others a small gift (I loved hearing from people how they saved my messages of kindness on their fridge or how it lit up their day or how it felt like the message was aimed directly at them and it was just what they needed to hear). I rented a beautiful studio space, created a sacred space, properly celebrated which is something I don't always do, and joined a creative community that I can walk to. I started documenting inspiring moments and began posting on Instagram and instantly loved the experience of sharing pieces of myself with other beautiful creative souls and having a little window into their lives and work (find me at @redpearcreative). I wrote guest blog posts & shared reflections on my process and work on my own blog. I connected with shop owners and had my work featured in beautiful boutiques. I shared my passion and process with visitors at events & experienced the joy of selling my art. I expanded my products to include notebooks, art blocks, gift wrap, art prints, greeting cards and tote bags. And I pinned my heart out on my Pinterest boards. I set out to unleash myself into the world and I felt like I grew and expanded with every step of the process. What I didn't expect was for a whole new meaning of the word unleash to surface and in some ways collide with the outpouring of work – unleashing from roles and labels, untying myself from things that aren't working, letting go of what I don't need anymore. Almost by force at first, I started letting go of things that weren't serving me. Oversubscribed work commitments, draining interactions, physical clutter, big ideas that were too big for this time in my life, expectations, limiting labels, unnecessary rules. It was a choppy journey and by the end of the year I was feeling depleted and sort of lost. I was struggling on the mama front, and struggling to remember who I was. It wasn't until I withdrew entirely and unplugged for a few weeks that I started to see it was all taking shape. I was becoming. I was going through that rough patch that seems like there's no reason but at the end you look back and see with simple clarity that it was all necessary. It was during this I started to feel the word quiet spreading over me like a warm blanket.

Now as I am firmly planted in a new year I find the word quiet is my guiding force. This is a time for hibernation, going within, reflection, renewal, closeness, smallness, gentleness. I am feeling quiet on all fronts. I am not expanding big, but instead I am expanding in small subtle and quiet ways. It is a soul expansion rather than a tangible material expansion. And it extends beyond me, beyond self, to those I love most dearly, and to what I feel is most important in life. It is a quiet re-discovery of who I am and what my place is in this world. This is my way forward. And of course I am still making and creating, and doing it very intentionally.

xo

p.s. Quiet art prints available in shop.

Unleash

Unleash. My word for 2014.

I’m taking a page from Kelly Rae’s book – I knew the second I read this word that it was mine for the year ahead. I was thinking a lot about being brave, taking action and opening doors at the time.

Last year I had three words that guided my journey. They came about organically as I felt overwhelmed and needed to be peaceful, as I doubted myself and my path and needed to believe, and as I burned out and opened myself up to receive. The year wrapped up with calm, stillness, hibernation and a sense of my own power surfacing. Then the greatest thing happened – creativity poured out of me, I jumped to life, planned, worked, and felt energized and inspired. As the New Year rolls in I’m thinking big, planning big, creating bountifully and going after what I want. I am unleashing all the beauty that lives in my mind, creating with abandon, reaching and stretching for what I want my career and parenting to look like, taking chances and standing face to face with fear and rejection. I am untying the knots of pain and hurt that I’ve carried so long, creating space for the new. I am untangling myself from the patterns that aren’t moving me forward and instead taking action, being brave and being true. My voice is getting stronger as I ask for what I need and want. I can see opportunity and doors opening.

This is the year for me. The year where my growth manifests from a tiny nourished seed into a vital bloom. I am truly seen, as me.

Welcome 2014. I have been waiting for you.

2013: A Beautiful Year

 [ One of my latest pieces, perched ]

This year has truly stretched and expanded who I am as a person and an artist. Thank you for walking the journey with me. I am so incredibly grateful for you. I’m ending the year calm, inspired, and leaning into the desire for a quiet spell before I set out to create another beautiful year.

First, let me share some meaningful highlights that have filled me to the brim:

• The mixed media art retreat that changed me, inspired me and connected me to a beautiful community.

• The inspired reading retreat with creative ally and close friend Stephanie Sauvé that launched us both deeper into our truths and onto our paths, and that deepened a friendship that celebrates our full selves and pushes us to be our best.

• Pushing the boundaries and evolving my art-making style, and the beautiful pieces that emerged in the process. Here are a few I'm fond of, including some process photos – Softly, Spirited, Fierce Believer, Begin, Surfacing + Winter + Harmony.

 [ at sugar + spice art retreat. photo credit: Joyelle Brandt ]

[ beautiful, messy art desk - some of my hand carved stamps ]

• My experiments in surface pattern design, creating my own prints and papers for layering, stamp carving and geli-print making. I am loving discovering the possibilities.  

• Working with several stellar clients on design projects grounded in self-discovery and visual voice. The work I did with Melanie Rupp of Visionaria and Andrea Papin Counselling was some of my favourite. These women are amazing and I'm so happy with how their brands and websites came to life in spacious clean designs.

[ andreapapincounselling.com ]

[ visionaria.ca ]

• Doing commissioned artwork. I love this experience.

• Launching my Etsy shop and selling my art online. Thank you supporters! I have wanted to do this for a long time and it felt great to take the leap.

• Having a big run of greeting cards printed by moo, featuring all of my latest paintings. And stickers too. It was nerve-wracking but they were so well received – thank you everyone who bought greeting card gift sets. So appreciative of your enthusiasm and support.

• Seeing my art prints and greeting cards featured in boutiques. This is the beginning of something huge for me – I love turning my art into products. Can’t wait to expand into even more products. 

 [ Display of my art in Peaberry Boutique & Studio, Quebec. Photo credit: Renee Savoie ]

 [ packaging up my greeting card gift sets ]

• Sketching. I’ve created a practice of sketching whenever I have small moments of time. I find so much joy in it. My sketches pile up so when it comes time to paint, carve or do digital illustrations I have lots of raw material to work with. Plus sketching is a bit like meditation for me.

• Books. In my true book-loving spirit, I’ve been soaking up wisdom and inspiration all year long. Here are the ones that inspired me most, many of which continue to propel me forward on my biz and personal journey: The Firestarter Sessions, Grow Your Handmade Business, Conscious Living, The Highly Sensitive Person, Daring Greatly, Torn, I just Like to Make Things, The Creative Habit, Organized Simplicity, Creative Illustration Workshop, and have just started reading Flora Bowley’s Brave Intuitive Painting (love it so far) and Zentangle: The Untangled Workshop. Next up is The Art of Nonconformity. And after that The War of Art.

 [ Harmony. Prints and greeting cards available here ]

• Doing a 21 day meditation experience with Deepak Chopra.

• Writing. I wrote a lot this year. Blog posts, free writing, morning pages, night pages, journaling, prompts. This has been a year of self-reflection via writing and I’m learning that I love to write.

• Healing. Physical, emotional, spiritual.

• Going within and looking at the limiting beliefs holding me back, and starting to replace them with beautiful truths (this is a journey). Allowing and receiving the support I need to grow through this, including my blooming relationships with a counsellor and a business consultant. 

 [ in heaven in barefoot contessa, simply my favourite shop in Vancouver ]

• I opened myself up to real connections with creative women that have impacted me beyond words, and I have found an online creative community where I am home. I belong.

• Most recently I’ve started integrating mixed-media jewelry making into my repertoire (this takes me back to a passion from my childhood and it feels like such a natural thing for me to explore).

• I’ve been saying YES a lot this past year. Opening the doors to opportunity and welcoming support, abundance, beauty, spaciousness and joy.

 [ disheveled, relaxed and happy, in Port Townsend. Wearing my fave gold glitter shoes! ]

• And on a final (longer) note, I’m proud of how I’m integrating motherhood and business right now. It is not easy, and I’m often filled with conflict, but I’m navigating it in a healthy way (bumps and dips are inevitable). It’s easy to get stuck on the guilt train and tell the same story even though it’s not serving you anymore (“being a mom doesn’t leave enough space for making art and running my business, there’s never enough time…” etc). We all get caught up in this but I felt like I had the strength this year to put it aside and change my reality to something that works better for me. I am making room for my own needs and desires within our family, and everyone is benefiting. And I’m listening to the whispers that have been getting louder and louder, trying to get my attention and remind me of what kind of parent I want to be, what kind of experience I want to offer my son.  I’ve made some big changes, and will continue to.

 [ new piece, in progress. working big ]

As the year comes to a close and I prepare for the next chapter, I'm thinking about what I’m really after...

A Quiet Mind. A Peaceful Heart. An Ignited Spirit.

This is what it’s really all about. My journey of art-making, growing, parenting, and self-discovery is all connected. Being engaged in a creative process is my most natural way of being in the world, and my way of discovering who I am. From this place I send my art out into the world and hope others will use it as a mirror to see how beautiful, gifted, capable and valuable they are too, and inspire them to reflect and discover who they are.

I hope you’ve a had a beautiful and rewarding year, and that this holiday season brings you joy and closeness with those dearest to you. Happy Holidays dear friends.

Sending peace and love,

This post is part of the Flying Lessons Blog Circle. See what my flying sisters are reflecting on at the end of this wonderful year:

Amy Riddle, Asheville NC
Sandy King, Atlanta
Monica Martin, San Diego
Robin Heim, Southern California
Naz Laila, Australia
Laly Mille, France
Kathie Gadd

A New Year and Gratitude

Happy New Year everyone!

I'm excited to be starting a fresh new year, to dig in to new challenges, to create beauty. I'm ready to feel my soul grow again this year.

Last year was a big one for me. My son turned 3, and I came out of my parent-focused shell. I launched myself onto a creative growth path that has been quietly dancing around to me for years (for most of my life I guess, I just wasn't quite ready to understand what it all meant). I just knew that it was time. Time to find my creative self, to trust my instincts, to follow those callings and leap towards everything that felt right to me. I did just that. I put logic aside. I sacrificed a lot. And I felt alive for the first time in years. Over the next six months I took two online mixed media courses, a creative business class, started blogging about my journey, designed and launched a new and improved website for my creative business, launched a company page on facebook, painted more than I have in the last 5 years, started exploring doing prints of my art, and am now I am working towards opening an Etsy shop to sell my art & reproductions. I have come alive. I am buzzing with creativity, calm with strong confidence, quiet as I listen to myself and trust that I know the way, and grateful for this life I am creating.

I am serious, excited and scared.

I've only ever felt whole when I was creating. As a youngster I lived on a rural acreage, immersed in nature, usually alone and outdoors. I had a vivid imagination and was always working on something. I started with drawing, gluing, crafting, doodling and storytelling. My dad got me started painting when I was about 5. Then handmade floral jewelry and hair clips when I was about 8. Then it was book-making, book-marks, art cards. Then as a pre-teen I was writing stories; mostly unfinished novels. I figure skated, took dance lessons. And through it all I was painting. I took every art-related opportunity that was available to me in a small town, and I relished in every lesson. I danced, skated, glued, pasted, brushed, wrote. It poured out of me. I distinctly remember feeling more at home in my high school art room than anywhere else.

And when I grew up I tried to keep art at the centre of my life but slowly it drifted off to the periphery. It was a once-in-a-while hobby. My design work is wonderfully creative, but still something was always missing in my life. I traveled and explored and tried to fill that quiet void, but it wasn't until last summer that my life exploded with the joy I always knew was waiting. I had been admiring the works of Anahata Katkin and Papaya Art for a few years and then one day in the late spring of 2012 I looked up their website on a whim. It led me to a whole new world of art - mixed media art -and my world immediately expanded, as though I had taken a huge breath. I knew instantly that I had found my place. It was then my mixed media art course with Danita, and a book called Taking Flight by Kelly Rae Roberts that had me riveted and in no time I was changing the whole course of my life, knowing with complete certainty that this with the path for me.

And here I am today. Embarking on a new year, ready for all that it brings and feeling grateful. And feeling, finally, at home.

With renewed energy, and gratitude, thank you for sharing this experience with me.