on growth

[image credit: morning dew, fine art america]

Every day is a growth day. I want to stay in my happy productive zone and skip past all the dark places, but that's just not how it works. We're human, and this means insecurity, guilt, anger, shame, doubt. They creep up on us. I dig in my heels and resist but inevitably I can't avoid the dark moments. I find myself overwhelmed by exhaustion and emotion that are no longer willing to be ignored. It's tough, uncomfortable. But then I find myself on the other side and I know it was necessary to go through it rather than fighting to dodge around it. It's the beauty of growth. And of life.

I've been reading Daring Greatly by Brené Brown. This book is truly profound and life altering. It's also uncomfortable, overwhelming, heartbreaking, and hopeful. All the necessary ingredients for growth. If you haven't found yourself a copy it's so worth hunting one down and carving out some time to read this incredibly crafted insight into the underlying things that drive our beliefs, self-esteem, behaviours, relationships and ultimately our ability to love, lead and parent. Brené Brown has some amazing kernels of wisdom to share.

With renewed confidence and strength,

Books + Quality Time + Wellness

When life gets overwhelming I say focus on the little things that bring joy to your everyday. That's what I'm doing! Here are some treasures in my life right now...

Book: The Fire Starter Sessions, by Danielle Laporte. What were you born to do? How do you find that fire that makes your soul feel alive? This book is AMAZING, possibly my favourite ever. Ever. Bold statement.

Recipe: Rosemary Olive bread recipe from Elana Amsterdam's Almond Flour Cookbook
For all you fellow gluten-free and grain-free peeps out there, try this bread! I've tried all the commercially available options, some small bakery-made options, and they all felt the same to me - low on flavour and with a really dry texture. It wasn't worth eating bread 'til now :)
 
Treat: The big amazon parcel that arrived last week, and that my 4 year old immediately tore into and sprung it open with delight. He distributed out the books, some for everyone :) The highlights for him were Ferdinand the Bull, Yucky Worms and one of my childhood memory books, The Paper Bag Princess.

Quiet Time: Reading quietly on the sofa in the evening (no TV!) with my son passed out on my lap has turned out to be the highlight of my week, despite all the sickness we've endured lately. Last week I read almost every evening. And the bonus was my husband picked up a book that had just arrived in the big order called Conscious Living (a recommendation from Kelly Rae Roberts blog), plopped down next to us on the sofa and didn't put it down until his eyelids were drooping and calling for bed.

Wellness: Eating real food - not living on things in plastic wrappers. My journey into real food has left me with a sense of wonder at the flavours real natural foods have. There's a fabulous book called Eat Taste Heal that combines ancient Ayurvedic principles with modern western ideas, and has really changed the way I look at food. I read it last year and pulled off the bookshelf again recently.

Nature: Spring flowers. Our yard is full of japanese roses, tulips, daffodils, heather, forsythia... It's a feast for the eyes. And new things are popping up almost daily. It's a great reminder that there is hope, a fresh start, we can indeed start anew.

Friendship: I have some lovely women in my life, who I cherish. They are holding me up in different ways as I move through a challenging blip on the radar. I'll do the same for them. 

Quality Time: Campfires! Two nights in a row on Easter weekend, with my husband and my young son chattering excitedly, mesmerized by the flames and thrilled by the smoke. So calm. Such a replenishing experience to sit contentedly and watch the fire together, with deep conversation about big things.

It's amazing how life can feel like a crazy overwhelming mess and a lovely treat that we're lucky to have all at the same time. I know I'm living my life the way I'm meant to if I can find the calm in this mad storm :)

xo

Healing + Truth

[ art journal page from last summer]

When I had a baby four years ago I knew it would be a journey. The beautiful thing I didn't realize was it would be a healing journey - body and soul healing.

After my son was born I was propelled into physical health challenges. They seemed insurmountable, unsolvable. I wrestled, I fought. And then I started to approach them peacefully and holistically and carried myself through many phases of healing (still going). All this physical recalibrating naturally led to emotional soul seeking. At first with prompts from many great books (oh how I loved it when my latest amazon parcel arrived. Those parcels kept me going). And then over time the prompts came from within. I started to listen, and the more I did the more the answers revealed themselves.

I started to paint again. I expanded.

I connected with nature. I expanded.

I found people who build me up and formed my community. I expanded.

And I found clarity on work, on my passion for art and design, and on the kind of business I want to be running. Tweaks were made, are continually being made. I'm finding my truths.

I'm on this journey, always will be, thankfully. My world is expanding, my energy is back, my heart is swelling and I'm looking forward. There are bumps along the way for sure, but I've got optimism and truth tucked in my pocket, and they always win.

xo

Joy in the small things

It's a busy spring! The last few months have been gradually picking up pace and I have a neat collection of design projects on the go right now. I've got my head down, I'm working hard, and there's time for little else. But I am managing to find great joy in a few small things right now:

1. Cauliflower Crust Pizza, by Brittany at EatingBirdFood.com. It's so delicious and is truly nothing like eating bird food. I swear. I'll never go back to flour crust.

2. Stephanie Ryan's daily small sweet steps. They arrive in my inbox every morning and set the tone for my day. I have come to love these little nuggets of wisdom and look forward to them as part of my daily ritual.

3. Two Books:

Organized Simplicity: The clutter-free approach to intentional living. By Tsh Oxenreider

I have so much praise for this book and Tsh's values. There is a simple recipe for homemade deodorant in the back that I love. 

 



Living Simply with Children: A Voluntary Simplicity Guide for Moms, Dads, and Kids Who Want to Reclaim the Bliss of Childhood and the Joy of Parenting. By Marie Sherlock

Good ideas for keeping life simple and staying connected with your kids. I want to start our own pioneer night ritual with our young son.








 4. And of course, my son. He's almost four, full of curiosity, and an amazing storyteller with a vivid imagination.

I'm grateful for all these little things that add up to a rich and rewarding life. Soon life will take another turn and everything will shift, but for now this is plenty.

xo 

Restless in the Spring

I'm feeling restless. Spring is floating around in the air, hinting at fresh starts and new growth. I have this intense urge to clean my space, get systems in order, purge unnecessary material and mental stuff. Old art is coming off the walls and new art going up. We're airing out our walls and bringing spaciousness to our daily lives again. It feels good. Isn't it amazing how much clutter (physical and otherwise) can weigh us down? No more!

It's a strange time for me because I'm not motivated to paint right now, and it's okay. It's actually okay. I'm pouring my creativity into client design work, and into organizing and refreshing my physical and mental space. Ah, this is cause for a deep calm breath. Soon I will be happily back in the studio making art, but for now my canvas is here, in the minutia of our home.

Speaking of art on the walls, I recently bought this small print from a very talented artist and good friend, Melissa Thorpe (see picture below). I can't wait to choose her new home on our wall. 

Portrait of a Lady, by Melissa Thorpe, Hilltop Hausfrau

[Etsy shop here]

xo

Creative Day

I'm sick with a cold right now, but I decided it was important to carve out some creative time anyway. I know how easy it is to let it slide and have weeks go by without any soul art time. I also know what that does to me - not good. My son was in good hands with his nana and I snuck away to my studio. I'm so glad I did. I feel rejuvenated and inspired, and completely ready to rest now.  I painted; I illustrated some new patterns and made my own art papers; I listened to Bjork; and the sun was even streaming into my studio while I worked which is unusual for Vancouver - kind of my perfect day.

 

[ A work in progress ]

 

 [ My pattern and art paper explorations ]

With a contented exhale I'm off to rest,

Sassy Sketches

 

[ Two fun sketches I did recently on my reading retreat. I'm excited to see what they turn into when I incorporate them into new paintings. ] 

Sketching is so relaxing for me, almost meditative. I get lost in another world and when I come out there is a new creation in front of me. For whatever reason I stopped sketching for a lot of years, and it's only recently that I rekindled my love for it. I'm also embracing it as a great practical tool to take an idea and develop it off the canvas, and later bring it back to my painting.

I keep thinking it would be great to incorporate sketching into my daily routine. Maybe one day I'll get there. In the meantime I'll be happy with doing what I can. That's all we can do at the end of the day isn't it.

xo

Inspiring Reading Retreat

I was lucky enough this week to spend two days and nights away on a reading retreat with a great friend and professional colleague. We read, talked, brainstormed, inspired, laughed and slept. It was an intense time of self-reflection, business dreaming, research, planning, and creative exploration. I am exhausted and exhilarated. I feel like the ideas and projects that make my soul happy got the attention they deserve. And I'm back in my studio again, tackling all my wonderful client projects and personal projects with revitalized energy.

One particular book really stood out for me:

Grow Your Handmade Business: How to Envision, Develop and Sustain a Successful Creative Business, by Kari Chapin

I love Kari's creative approach to business planning and dreaming. Hers is the first business book I've successfully read cover to cover. She focuses on all the right things for creatives; pursuing your passion, determining what's a hobby vs a business, developing your mission statement/ purpose, time management, writing a business plan, and so on. A great book.

Thank you self. That break was just what I needed.

Doily Heaven

I bought a few vintage doilies on ebay and etsy recently. They are so much fun to use for texturing backgrounds.

There has been a creative burst and a new painting is emerging with these...

Lots of gratitude and happiness!

Tea Motif!

There hasn't been a lot of time for creating lately, but with stolen moments here and there I've had some fun extending my tea motif to greeting cards and more paintings. New supplies have added to the fun.

I ripped up yogi egyptian licorice mint tea pouches for these ones. 

I've been experimenting with adhering glitter so it's really on there & doesn't shake off easily. It seems Golden regular gel medium and workable fixatif are the magic combo.

Isn't it neat to see how far a motif can go?