​

Dear Reader,

Things look a bit different around here, huh? All I can say is that productive procrastination got the best of me and here we are, in a redesigned version of my email newsletter.

I’ve decided to change things up a bit so you can expect one whopping email from me each month plus the usual artist interview email. Am I nervous about sending out a long email? Absolutely….people don’t seem to read much these days, but I'm trying to be optimistic about it so here goes.

What happened in February…

I’ve been very quietly creating art every day thanks to Genna Blackburn’s 75 Art Challenge….as of today I’m at 41 days in a row! Nobody is more shocked by this than me.

When it comes to art challenges (whether they are IG drawing challenges that last a month or the #the100dayproject) I’m generally pretty allergic. Just the mention of an art challenge causes me to freeze up…and usually give up as well. Does that happen to anyone else?

So what’s different about 75 Art? Well basically for me the difference is I’m not sharing the art on social media and I'm not putting much pressure on myself. I'm keeping it my little secret which has been really nice. I've created plenty of bad art, some weird art, and a few things I like.

Here are a few lessons I've learned so far:

• All I need is 5 minutes. There have been plenty of days where I've had more time, but in a pinch, 5 minutes is enough to put something down on the page.
• I used to think that starting a drawing in pencil meant I couldn't draw...which of course is ridiculous. Thankfully I've managed to get over this and now I start most of my sketchbook pages in pencil. Phew!
• I also used to think that you had to finish a sketchbook page or spread in one sitting. Not anymore! I have given myself permission to work on a spread for more than one day in a row.

Since you are my people I thought it might be fun to share a few pages of my sketchbook with you. I don't have any intention of taking this project to Instagram, but I do like the idea of sharing it with you in hopes that it inspires you to get out your favorite art supplies and draw a bit.

Here’s a few of my favorite sketchbook pages so far.

And here’s a few ugly spreads for fun too.

What’s inspiring me lately…

In a word….Patreon.

In the last month, I’ve joined a few Patreon groups that have really helped spark my creativity and have made me feel excited about testing out new mediums and art styles. Each of these groups has encouraged me to play and quite frankly, that's just what I've been needing.

These four recommendations are all art-based Patreons, but I also want to mention that Dylan M's The Fellow Artist Group is top-notch.

Katy Moody Katy is a freelance illustrator and artist living in the South of England. What I'm loving about her Patreon: When I joined the group she sent a link to her contents page which lists tons of great video tutorials, livestream replays, painting sessions, blog posts and lots more. I've already watched several videos and am so excited to continue following along.

Ema Malyauka Ema is a children’s book illustrator, born in Belarus, and currently lives in a cozy town in the Netherlands. What I'm loving about her Patreon: So far I've watched several of Ema's process videos. As someone who is NOT a book illustrator, it's been really fun to see how she develops her work.

Oral Stevens Orla is a Scottish artist exploring landscape, nature, and the outdoors through abstract painting. What I'm loving about her Patreon: I've really enjoyed watching Orla's process and how she finds inspiration from and uses the outdoors to inspire her work.

Emma Block Emma is a professional illustrator and artist who loves working in her sketchbook using mixed media. What I'm loving about her Patreon: So far I've watched her videos on drawing animals and have found listening to and watching her process really helpful.

February blog posts…

Artist Interview: Diane Rooney I met Diane in an artist community a little over a year ago. She is so practical, supportive, and inspiring that I couldn’t resist asking her to be a part of the Artist Interview series. Read article

Crafting Captivating Connections: Instagram Captions for Surface Pattern Designers The tool I used to create all of my IG captions for my Pitch Like a Pro launch. Read article

One more thing worth sharing...

My creative biz coach, Liz Brindley, is giving away free creative business coaching to five lucky people! Liz helps creative women start and grow businesses that fuel a thriving life they love. She is offering five slots for 30-minute coaching sessions (worth $300 each). Enter to win by filling out the 5-minute survey here by 5 PM EST this Friday, March 8. She is also giving ALL survey participants some business feedback via email too!

​

Have thoughts on the new format? I'd love to hear them. Hit reply and let me know what you think of the new monthly email and if there's something you want to talk about in a future email let me know.

Warmly,

If you love my newsletter and other content and want to help support me here's a link to my Tip Jar.

Support from people like you helps me continue to do what I do, and it is much appreciated.

​​​