small sweet steps

Surtex Recap

I had an amazing time at Surtex last week. I have been attending Surtex for the last 7 or 8 years for work and inspiration. I have walked the show secretly dreaming of one day exhibiting my work.

My intention this year was to help my friend Cindy Ann and to walk the show and introduce myself to some licensing reps. I want to start licensing my art but, I am waiting out a contract that is up in November. So, unfortunately, I am in a holding pattern until then except for my freelance work. I wanted to introduce myself so that when I start contacting companies in November, hopefully they will remember me.I had some positive feedback and interest which was very exciting!

The best part of being at Surtex this year was meeting some pretty amazing designers and new friends. I am so inspired by these women, not only because they are super talented, they were so open, honest and supportive of each other. They shared so much about their successes and challenges. You have no idea how refreshing it is to be with that kind of energy. It is so disheartening when you meet people who want everything for themselves and aren't willing to share. There is enough for all of us out there, the universe can be so abundant if you send out the right energy. Cindy Ann was so nice to me. This was actually the first time we have seen each other. We first "met" during Decor8's ecourse "Blogging your Way". We became friends online and started talking on the phone and finally met last week. So, here I am with this new friend that has spent a lot of money and devoted so much of herself to have this great booth at Surtex and guess what she does? She introduced me to her clients! Not only did she introduce me, she introduced me as a designer and asked me to give them my business card.  I was quite speechless at such a self-less act. Speechless and so full of gratitude to this special soul. I know in my heart, the universe will return that energy to her in amazing ways and you know what? So will I. Thanks again Cindy Ann.

So, where do I go from here? My plan was to try to find a licensing rep to work with right from the start in November but, after talking to my new friends, they convinced me to start out on my own first. At this point, I am about 85 percent sure I am going to exhibit at Surtex next year. Wow, did I just say that? This is something I have wanted to do for soooo long, the thought of making that dream come true is huge. This year is going to be full of small sweet steps. First, my health and my Lyme Disease treatments. That is going to take up most of my summer. Second, playing with my art and seeing where I can take it. I have so many ideas, I need to find the time to experiment. Third, November.... my freedom. After that, develop, market, sell, and prepare for Surtex.

I am a little bit nervous about committing too much right now because of my health, but if these treatments work and I regain my energy and life after 12 years.... nothing will stop me from reaching my dreams. Nothing!

Much love, prosperity and good health to you, my friends.

Cindy Ann Ganaden at her booth ©g design.

Some of the amazing women I was telling you about. I wish I took more pictures.

L to R- Jessica Swift, Caroline Simas, Cindy Ann Ganaden, Khristian A.Howell, and Niki Malek.

It was also great spending time with Monica Lee, and Mary Beth Freet of Pink Light Design and Megan Halsey. Check out their websites and blogs, they are amazing!

Join me at Surtex!

I am heading to Surtex! My plan is to walk the show on Sunday, attend the 25th Anniversary party Sunday night and I will be working at my friend Cindy Ann Ganaden's booth on Monday. If you are going to be at the show stop by and say hi! Cindy Ann's booth is going to be amazing, I can't wait to spend the day with her.

Visit Cindy Ann's booth, ©g design,  Corner Booth #630

Check out Cindy Ann's blog too!

Chasing Pavements

Hello dear friends, I can't believe I haven't posted in over a week! Time is slipping through my fingers these days and my days seem to be blurring together before my eyes. I have been struggling lately, not feeling well. It caught me by surprise because I was going through a good patch for a while after leaving my full-time job. I can say with great warmth in my heart that it is so much easier to deal with my challenges when I have room to breathe with my new schedule. My gratitude runs so deep for my new found freedom that I find myself grasping onto it with such intensity that if I loosen my hold on it, just a little bit, it will wither away. Because of this, I feel like I am chasing pavements, trying everything possible to hold onto my freedom instead of just trusting and believing that everything will work out. Maybe, just maybe, if I let go of this fear that keeps me bound, I will find peace and health...

 

New Work in Progress

Hi everyone, I wanted to post some new flowers that I painted. I haven't decided what to do with them yet, maybe a pattern or a print? I have been busy these last couple of weeks and the art is flowing! I love times like these when you feel like you are being carried along to a new destination that is a mystery to you. I feel optimistic and happy and that is new for me. I am so thrilled that you are here joining me on this journey. Here's to wonderful things around the bend.

Bookmarks?

Wouldn't these make cool bookmarks? What do you think, should I get some printed and sell them? Do people still buy bookmarks? How are things going? I am doing pretty well. The freelancing is keeping me busy and I am trying to set aside time for my art but it is challenging. I feel all over the place these days. My mind is swimming with ideas and new directions to take and my body is struggling to keep up. I am trying my best to get healthy. I need to be healthy to pull off this new life I want. I am now officially gluten free for several weeks now and I gave up my soda addiction. I lost about 10lbs in the first two weeks of giving up gluten, that was a nice little bonus. My next hurdle is trying to incorporate some exercising into my life, so I bought an exercise bike to get started. We'll see how that goes. I may not be feeling great, but I am feeling pretty darn good about myself. That is something that is new for me. How are you feeling these days?

Small Sweet Steps: The Pain of Creation

I have these vague ideas in my head that I am excited about trying to create. In order to birth these new ideas I need to try some new techniques and mediums that I have never tried before and that is very intimidating to me. Do you ever get that feeling that what you are working on isn't quite right and that you need to dig deeper to pull out what is waiting? Creation can be painful. I am so excited about my new ideas but I seem to be paralyzed. I ordered some new supplies and I find myself sitting here staring at them, and staring at them, and I can't move. Does this ever happen to you? How can I flip this feeling of pain to joy? I need to be brave and jump right in but the fear of failure holds me back. Gosh, all of these emotions that rule our lives and keep us from doing the work we are here to do are amazing. Why do we allow these feeling to hold us back?

I am going to try to jump in and just do it. I am going to try to be present and not think about the finished product.

Wish me luck, here I go!

 

Let Your Soul Be Free to Fly

Hello my friends. Please excuse my absence. I have been trying to adjust to my new life. It is full of new challenges and I am trying to settle into it all. I need to establish some routines and schedules, it is the only way to be successful at this. Right now, things are crazy. I actually have too much work... which is a very good thing. It is only for a couple of weeks and couldn't have come at a more perfect time. I am grateful to be able to put a little savings in the bank for when things slow down.

The interesting thing about this is that even though I am so busy, and putting in more hours, I have noticed a lighter feeling within me. The stress of working a full-time, sitting behind a desk all day job is leaving me. I am happier. Life is never perfect, even when our dreams come calling there are always new challenges associated with them. But! with the new challenges come new insights into who we are and what our purpose is. I am excited to venture into this new phase of my life with an open and grateful heart.

In Progress

I feel like I am getting into the swing of things. I finally got a chance to paint this weekend and am feeling good about it. I know I keep saying this, I apologize, but these past couple of weeks have been sooooo crazy that I feel like I totally dropped the ball with my own art pursuits. Balance is definitely going to be a running theme this year. I hope you like the picture of my in progress paintings. This is the first step I take when creating new prints. Next step is scanning them and playing with them in PhotoShop.

 

Finding Balance

What a ride I have been on! My first week of freelancing is going well and tomorrow will be my first day working from home. If only you could see me jumping up and down!!! I am so excited about this year to come and so sweetly happy to say goodbye to the life that I am leaving behind. When I speak of that life, I am not referring to the people or the places, I am talking about the harshness of my physical and emotional health.I feel like a big weight has been lifted off of my chest and I have a little bit more breathing room and less stress. I have some new challenges to face, but I chose to look at them with positivity and light.

Finding balance, happiness, health and fufillment is my number one priority for this coming year and I am going to try to document it all here. I am sure it will not all be sunshine and roses, but that is life. Right? All I know is, it is going to be a very interesting year.

 

 

 

My First Day

What a crazy couple of weeks I have had! First thing, my mom is doing well. She had 4 stents put into the arteries to her legs and has to go back next month to have more work done. She is feeling better, so thank you all so much for your support.

Today was my first official day as a freelance designer. I will be spending two days a week at Lenox. This will be my steady gig for the next year and hopefully longer than that. I had a lot of different emotions today. They ranged from joy and giddiness to fear, worry and self-doubt. I was surronded by beautiful art today from amazing artist and designers and it scared me. I found myself comparing my work and wondering if I was stone cold crazy for leaving my very safe and secure job. Just when I was at my worst today, I looked out the window and saw the most amazing rainbow. This picture does not do it justice at all. The tree line in the distance was gold and the sky above it was pink that turned into indigo with this beautiful rainbow illuminating the sky. Look at the building at the bottom of the rainbow, doesn't it look like a pot of gold???? I took this amazing site as a sign that I made the right decision and am on the pathway to an abundant life filled with magic.

Thank you all so much for all of the support you have given me through this period of expansion in my life. Words can not express my gratitude for your love, support and encouragement.