Just do it.

Don’t @ me, Nike.

Photo by Dominika Roseclay on Pexels.com

I just renewed my yearly subscription to WordPress and I swear-to-glob that the past year flashed before my eyes. What have I created this past year besides more stress for myself?

Not much, to be honest. 

I think made a couple of spoonflower patterns, a paper doll, sewed a blanket or two, uploaded a few designs to Redbubble, drew a couple of things, and took a few Skillshare classes… But ultimately I spent a whooooole lot more money on my creative ventures than I made. I’m not joking. I bought a new embroidery sewing machine that I haven’t used, and an iPad Pro, among other things. I had all the best intentions but none of the energy.

It’s embarrassing.

I feel depressed (boohoo, I know). I’ve always been someone that needed to create. It’s my outlet and my biggest enjoyment out of life.

I’ve had this really strong urge lately to create my own “world.” Something to dump my (very little) art and writing knowledge into. A passion project of sorts. I wouldn’t even know where to begin. I know this will never be something that I can do to pay the bills, but I would love to be able to create consistent content that people enjoy. Something to be proud of and give me purpose outside of my family. I’ve almost completely lost myself and I’m craving some sense of identity. Maybe what I’m really looking for is a way to escape this hell hole that we’ve all been living for over a year now.

So, that’s why I’m writing this jumbled mess this morning. I just finished my homework and I’m contemplating my life choices (lol). Sometimes I have to tell myself to “just do it” otherwise I wouldn’t create anything at all… Or clean my house.

I don’t know who will read this, but I love your faces. And I hope you have a great day. I’m off to get another cup of coffee and try to resist the urge to order another $25 in Door Dash. What are your plans for today / this week / this YEAR?

On the plus side, as I was writing this, my parental instincts kicked in and I caught my daughter opening paint before she created a mural all over her room. I guess we’re going to go paint now! 😀 

Send help.

-Linds

It’s FriYAY! “I’m an Affiliate!”| Weekly post #2

Hello Everyone! I hope you’ve had a fantastic week, home safe and happy with your Families. This quarantine stuff got real, real fast, and I’m sure you’re over it as much as I am. It’s more important now than ever to stay busy, take care of our mental and physical health, and try to channel positivity. And with that said…

Let’s start with some positives.

I was accepted as an Affiliate with Dickblick.com and Arteza, which I wast totally not expecting. This means that for every purchase someone makes using my referral links I get a small percentage of the profits. So, if you’re in need of art supplies and want to support a small artist, you can find the links in the shopping section on my primary menu on my website. Thank you to both Arteza and Blick for accepting me into your artsy family. 🙂

My brain was kind of rude to me this week. I’m just trying to get out of my own way and get some fun-work done. Though I definitely think I could have accomplished more since last Friday I’m so excited about the future and what’s to come. I bought a printer, and a Cricut cutter so that I am able to create stickers and photo prints of my artwork and put them up for sale on Etsy. I have a ton of ideas that I hope I can whip out in the near future. My printer is here and my Cricut should be here later today too, woo!

I only managed to get one project completed this week art-wise, but I am in love with this print! Although it won’t be available for several weeks on Spoonflower I did manage to upload it to Redbubble. ❤

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Weekend Plans

This Sunday is Mother’s day but where we are still under quarantine I’m not sure we are planning much of anything. Though, to be honest, that’s totally fine by me. I want nothing more than some quiet creating time. If my Cricut cutter arrives on Friday like Amazon estimated a week ago (which I doubt), then I’ll probably be making ALL the stickers. But first I really need to start pumping out some content… Did I mention I reaaallly need to get out of my own way.

What about you? What are your plans for this coming Mothers day weekend?

Things I Loved this Week

“Neon CyberPunk” – Courtesy of Griffyn Sawyer.
Thank-you for coloring the “Wheaton Kitties” coloring page, Griff! :))

This post by Daniel Sonderling. “The only way you can learn to write is to write,” and many more amazing quotes. I can relate so much to everything he says about making mistakes and creating. Definitely worth a read!

These carved ceramic cups made by Reddit user u/ForestCeramicCo. Seriously, how gorgeous are these? I think pottery might be one of the few creative hobbies left that I haven’t tried at least once. Maybe one day.

“Stripey” – Courtesy of WordPress blogger Roshaunda D. Cade

And of course, “Stripey.” He is the new Forky (see: Toy Story 4) and I love him. What I didn’t expect was the amazing mind behind such a simple act of creativity. This happy little paper-critter was made by a talented writer and teacher by the name of Roshaunda D. Cade. If you love writing, learning, and being creative, I highly recommend checking out her blog. She focuses on being creative a little every day and that is something I think we can all get behind. Keep on keepin’ on, Dr. Cade!

Have you been creative this week?

Have a Wonderful Weekend!

Thank you, everyone. If you read my post, don’t be afraid to say hello down below in the comments! I hope you have a safe and happy Mother’s Day.

Much Love,

Linds.

First blog post; it’s official! (Contest Details below)

I DID THE THING, Mom!

There is nothing more vulnerable or invigorating than deciding to put yourself out there for the entire world to see.

Don’t worry, my clothes are staying on. I’m talking about DOING THINGS. Again, my clothes are staying on (you’re welcome).

I’ll admit it; I’ve spent more time than I probably should worrying what others think of me. Let’s be real, we all have flaws. Imperfections. Undesirable traits, habits, and behaviors. It’s part of the “charm” of being human (lucky us!). From the time we are born to the day we ultimately cease to exist we are being judged, analyzed, always trying to escape that ominous magnifying glass we call society. This makes it THAT much harder to show anyone, well… anything.

I turn 28 in a few weeks. I’ve had two kids, lived through some things, and done the life stuff. I like to think I’ve become a little wiser and a tiny bit smarter. I’ve made it this far without too many pitchforks, and now It’s time for my next adventure.

If you’re tuning in; first of all, you’re amazing. Thank you for checking out my website. It’s been many months (years?) in the making and It seriously means the world to me (I promise I’m not just saying that THANK. YOU.). It’s been a dream of mine since I was a young teenager to have a website of my own, my domain, somewhere to shoot-the-s**t that I have 100% control over. A place to congregate all the randomness I’ve decided to experience, learn, and enjoy. So that maybe, just maybe, someone will come across it one day and think “hey, that’s a neat thing” about anything I have created or done. Even if it’s just me drinking my coffee at the age of 57 one day, forgetting about something I’d made 20 years prior (Let’s be honest that’s far more likely).

And if you happen to be some random person who is currently lost and wondering where you are, and how you even got to this website: Welcome! I hope you find something of interest, or at the very least, a good laugh and a pleasant 5 minutes… Annnd, maybe a prize!…

To celebrate the grand-publishing of my website, I would like to host two separate contests; please feel free to join both. One for the artistically inclined (obviously not me), and the other simply for fun.

The first is a random drawing that anyone and everyone is welcome to join.

Rules: Please subscribe to my blog (so that you can see who has won when It’s announced), share the contest with a friend, and comment your name down below with one thing that you enjoy that makes you genuinely happy. Winner will be chosen at absolute random with the help of a generator. 🙂

Prize: One 4×6 art photo-print, printed on high-quality glossy photo paper and signed by me, your choice of art. And STICKERS (also made by me). (Shipping will be paid by me, of course).

The second is an illustration contest; traditional and digital art are both fine.

Rules: Please draw something in regards to the theme “spring.” Judging will be based upon creativity, not just skill. For submission, my contact information is located on the menu above.

Prize: One 4×6 art photo print signed by me, dated and numbered. (Winning artwork will also be shared on all social media with your permission). And again, STICKERS.

I know it isn’t much, but I hope to hold fancier contests and raffles soon. Thank you to anyone that decides to participate! ❤

Let’s get out there and make some things!

Much love,

Linds.