Stuck

I was watching a snail heading out this morning, gliding across the walkway like it was on a grand adventure. I helped it over some grass growing between the pavers that it seemed perplexed by and wished it a good trip. A friend came by today and we filled the hours talking and eating and carrying on... When she left I dragged my sketchbook out to the picnic table to try and work on some ideas I had and just sat there. Stuck. A few scribbles and notes, but it felt like work, so I stopped.

Heading back to the house I looked down and there was a snail (I'd like to think the same one) returning from its road trip. Suddenly it stopped, picked up its head and tilted it slightly and looked like it was deep in thought... and possibly worried... I hope it makes it home...

Tired of crickets?

They must get tired of the same old night sounds from time to time?

Leap of Faith

My Leaps of Faith are neither heroic or epic, and that's okay.They still count.

Just a little more time in the day?

Sometimes my life is so full and busy that I come to a full stop. It's like the gears lock up, like an over-wound clock. Yesterday was one of those moments. There are so many good and wondrous things happening, but they all require Action and Mindfulness and Reflection, and I hadn't given myself permission to go be outside and Just Be for a few minutes.

So I went to bed early, counting check boxes on my To-Do list instead of sheep, and when I woke up this morning I did my best to rattle my brain into shape. Everything will work out, it always does. I guess it is like over-winding a clock or watch, sometimes you just need to shake it a few times and it will start ticking again.

First Craft Show!

So interesting (and nerve-wreaking on some level) watching people look at your work. I tried not to hover and force chit-chat on them, but it was hard not to ask which illustration they were looking at when a small chuckle would escape them... I did shriek with excitement a bit when I woman laughed aloud and bought "Namaslime-Within" - her sister teaches yoga - and explained to her shopping companion about Namaste (vs Namaslime). I'd love to find an open minded and slightly quirky yoga place that could embrace Namaslime. All in all a solid day, good sales, friends and family stopping in and texting me love and support, some random encounters with friends who didn't even know I would be there... Passing thunderstorms and the best booth companion I could hope for.

To everyone who has emailed me about card orders - Thank You! I'm working hard to get a process in place, as I was overwhelmed a bit after Jon Katz unexpectedly wrote about me, so please, bear with me, and know how much I appreciate your enthusiasm!

Long but good day!

Learning...

Learning curves are more fun with friends, don't you think? I'm on a pretty steep curve right now, figuring out a work flow for shipping notecards, invoicing, and staying sane... It's all such a good mess to have!

Sometimes this is all it's good for...

Shhhhhh... It's still a work in progress

If you look at the top menu you'll see an extra place to click, Notecards! I'm finally showing the card designs I have available, ones that have been selling in my local bookstore (Ebenezer Books, Johnson, Vermont — lovely owner, lovely store), as well as a few extras. I've also found a Vermont company that can print my illustrations on coffee mugs! They'll make an appearance here soon.

I'm wrapping my head around accepting online payment. It's an evil necessity I am discovering, but PayPal takes a fairly substantial cut. Bear with me while I work out the kinks.

Thank you to everyone who has clicked through to read or comment here, the last year has been a lot of fun, as I'm discovering how much I missed making art, and how much I enjoy making people smile!

Stickers!

Sheets of stickers have arrived, and I am beyond amused...

Good morning, everyone!

Things are falling into place

This week will bring some changes to my site: listing cards and mugs for sale! I've been selling them through my local bookstore, and am going to be sharing a booth with a friend on July 8th, at a craft fair in Craftsbury Vermont. Paperwork (hello, sales tax) and planning (hello, how to display cards?) have been taking a lot of brain power. But I think I am there. In the back of my head since the slug incident, there has been a story brewing about a slug and a butterfly... I was delirious enough after mowing the lawn in today's heat that I sat down and started writing and sketching... I'm terrible at my own long-term projects, but I think I will keep nibbling away on this one.

Too close to my muse?

Insect empathy is getting the better of me. I just flicked an enormous slug off of my flowers and it hit one of the deck supports. I felt bad. I swear when I went to check on it, it was giving me puppy dog eyes.

Every Morning starts with Good Intentions

The Busy Life of a Paranoid Hummingird

Watching Deranged Hummingbird in the rain, determined to keep everyone away from his feeder.

But what are you going to do with it?

It's been interesting over the last year, getting in the groove with "doing" art again. I make myself laugh, which is a good thing, and other people laugh as well, which is even better... I'm enjoying experimenting with paints and inks, and recently have gotten a kick  out of actually having to replenish my card supply in the local bookstore.

I don't know how I feel yet about trying to answer people when they ask "So, what are you going to do with your art?"... I usually self-consciously laugh, and say, well, I am doing something with it... I make it. I share it online. But Anxious Me starts mumbling about my not being a "real" artist, about not having a voice or direction, about not working large enough, or deep enough or... well... all that garbage conversation that a few of us have with ourselves.

I don't intend to try and make a living off of it, in fact, part of me hates to have any focus on "oh, that would sell!"... but I like the idea of being able to cover my art supplies by producing saleable items. I like making people smile, and maybe they start looking closer at nature around them, having conversations with insects, or wondering what swear words hummingbirds use when defending their feeders.

All that being said, I am looking into selling cards and prints here. I suspect it would mean setting up a PayPal account, and I need to come to peace with the state sales tax paperwork annoyance. My time is precious to me, and I dread having to spend more hours keeping track of expenses, figuring out shipping, and trying to keep an eye on how a new income will affect my budget (oy, health insurance, why must you be so complex for the self-employed) so I'm not fully committed yet... but getting close...

Mapping it Out

"Mapping it Out" is in progress...

I took a mini vacation last weekend and ran away from home. I almost didn't go because I was feeling so overwhelmed, and the weather was finally sunny, and I felt like I should stay home and garden and take care of house stuff.

I'm so glad I went. Most of it was spent here, both Saturday and Sunday, where I talked with as many people as I possibly could, and sat in the sunshine listening to laughter and conversation. Making "friends" online feels very strange to me, it felt good to talk in person and know that, indeed, these are friends.... Then I was able to hole up in my wonderful motel room, complete with back deck, read and relax.

The motel owner frantically waved me over one afternoon when I pulled into the parking lot. A huge cecropia moth  was creeping along, slowly moving it's wings around, stretching... we started to move it out of the sun and with a burst of energy it lifted up and flew across the lawn, and we both shrieked loudly and happily! What a gift. I sketched a small version for the owner and left it when I departed.

I've been home for 3 days and to be honest I am ready to map out another trip! I'm going to be in my first craft fair selling cards and prints in a few weeks, and I'm scrambling to pull together what I want to present, how to set up my display, and realizing I need a receipt book, ha ha -- this is going to be an adventure!

Things I Learned from a Blind Dog

One more post about Lyttle. He went completely blind about 2 years ago, shortly after coming to live with us, after my friend that owned him passed away. I had promised her I would care for him (there was never any question! I had dog-sat for her for many years, and Lyttle and I understood and loved one another) and we had both assumed that he might not linger long after her. He instead seemed to know that I would need him around for a while. I realize now that he was transitioning me through some years of change and growth, that he was a consistent measure of my days, and warmed me while he slept on my lap in the evenings.

I wrote this list last night while thinking about what a character he was, and what I learned from living with him these past years.

We always hoped that when he smiled while sleeping it was because he could see in his dreams.

I started posting photos on Facebook of all his "screw it, close enough" moments, usually around his almost making it to his bed before falling asleep. Oh, he's missed.

Come Back

I hope this spirit comes back to visit sometime. Lyttle was a brave beast. Nosy, stubborn, loving, protective, strong. He loved investigating the nooks and crannies of life. I met him  over 10 years ago, and he has been living with us for the last 2. He didn't care that he was blind, he powered through and over any obstacles in his path. He made me laugh, made me cranky, and made me cry. A true lap dog but always up for an adventure. He passed away this morning, here at home. The house still echoes his pre-breakfast "hooting" sounds and I've already looked outside half expecting to see him searching for treats on the lawn. I told him last night my lap was ready any time he decided to come back.

The Summer of Being Enough

I felt like my own Inspiration Poster yesterday while driving home. And honest-to-god moment of "I am enough." It even extended beyond me, and turned into "my garden is enough, my art is enough, my work load is enough, my life is enough." This summer, I decided, would be one where I would practice the art of Not Needing to Be More.

There are enough memes and posts out there about Being Happy With Who You Are that I know I am not the only one who spends time thinking I should be more... more creative, more compassionate, more athletic, more educated... and thinks my office should be more organized, the garden more colorful, meals more healthy, and definitely wishing for more time...

Not this summer. Nope. There's enough of everything.