Continue reading »]]> Ok so if your not an creative person this post probably won’t excite you too much, but I am excited so here is my share!

I just received my Dottarific markers, I love making dots in artwork, I get annoyed when the dots aren’t circular more often than not they end up being more of an oval shape  and it’s time consuming to colour bit dots (ok yes I am a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to details) …  I have been experimenting with different types of materials, arts, ways of working to mix this in with my design and illustration work as well as my artwork. They are all wonderful tools to get the creative juices flowing and I am all about maximising my time these days…
Anyway… When I saw Jane Davenport using these markers in her recent workshop I had to get some …they don’t carry them in Australia I got them from Paper Ink Arts.

So, I just had a quick play and look at all my lovely dotties … oooh exciting *claps hands*

Continue reading »]]> Tuesday 15th November is Pink Rose Day.   I am delighted to have been able to donate a framed print of one of my artworks -”Pink Rose” to support fundraising for Central Coast Kids In Need and be able to help in my own little way.

This annual event will be held to support local charity, Central Coast Kids In Need, fundraising group aiming to provide financial and other support to families of seriously ill children from the Central Coast, who need to travel to Sydney and Newcastle for essential and often lifesaving medical treatment.

The original artwork that was created especially for a family member who just loves roses.
The print has been framed in a custom made frame especially just for Pink Rose Day.

November 15th is coming around fast so please if you are a Central Coast local get along on the day and buy a rose to  help support this wonderful cause AND if your not a local the have a wonderful section on their website for accepting donations
The details for the day are here: http://pinkroseday.com.au/index.php/2011/11/14-days-to-go/

Continue reading »]]> Been a busy past few months here in the studio, i have had quite a few coloured pencil workshops, client logos, newsletters, other projects flying out there door,  needless to say I am not superwoman and did suffer a bit of creative burnout.  After a bit of a break I have been working on my next creative endeavour.

Here is a little sneak peak. This one uses drawing in pencils & pens, painting in watercolour, digitally enhancing and adding elements  – all of which are in  my little bags of tricks and I am having heaps of fun combining them all together.

So thats all for now, I am enjoying the fact that school holidays brings me time out of the normal schedule so i best be off and make the most of it

Continue reading »]]> Christmas is a coming!

I have had some nifty ideas for some “different” christmas cards, because what do we all think about for Christmas in Australia?

Well I think about:

heat, food, summer and the beach,  relaxing and friends.

Hardly the snow and ice which comprises of the standard Christmas paraphernalia, anywho I get ahead of myself.

I have been experimenting with some different materials and techniques which will hopefully satisfy my ideas and allow me to offer my clients and people on my subscriber list some cool stuff for their own clients for Christmas.
So here,  is a little sneak peak of the latest I have been working on and you will be seeing more sneak peaks over the coming weeks.

I am loving the warmer weather at the moment and I can tell I am going to be very much at the beach alot this summer!

Continue reading »]]> By asking the question ”Are you OK?”  today  it aims to prevent suicide by encouraging people to connect with colleagues, friends and loved ones and ask…

Today, I wanted to  share my experiences as someone who has suffered from depression.  A family breakdown and  a whole life change almost 4 years ago left me with a major questions about who I was, what I believed in and an overwhelming feeling of sadness and that just wouldn’t go away. I share this with the hope that it might give some insight into what it could be like for someone dealing with depression and how others can help & that it is important to ask the question, but also highlighting that you might need to ask it again, and again and again!

I was actually thinking about this topic a couple of weeks ago, when I read a story about someone who had commited suicide as a result of depression, the article mentioned the fact that friends had been worrried about this person and asked him if he was ok? He had answered pretty confidently and left friends thinking that he was ok! Not long which after he was no longer with us as he commited suicide.

My first reaction is that I can understand how this could happen. Even though questions are sometimes asked they are not always answered truthfully for a number of reasons.

It would be logical to think  that there there two answers to the R U ok question, in theory the answer can be yes or no?

There can also be other answers to that question that are hidden unless the asker is willing to dig a little deeper.
In my personal experience and I am sure its true for others – I said  Yes even though I knew I wasn’t,  (which I know isn’t really helpful but these ARE emotions we are dealing with here and sometimes they don’t really make “sense” ).

WHY would you say Yes when everything is NOT alright?
Well, what if you aren’t really “sure” that there is anything “wrong”, you might think you are just going through a bad patch,  you may not value yourself enough to make a big deal of it, you may not want to burden friends with all your problems, or simply you may not feel comfortable talking about your feelings at this particular time, place /with this person.

Another major one is  “Yes I am fine” because its easier  to say.  I know I felt all of these things at one point or another and dealing with issues is hard. It’s the hardest thing I have had to do, it can be easier just to say Yes and move on just getting through that day.

On the other side of this is.. its scary …  what if  I say “No I am not ok”,  What happens then?
Will the person you have trusted in confidence simply fog it off to being a bad day/week? That is not really helpful either. What if you don’t have anyone in your life who is your “Champion” that will be there to support you no matter what! Trusting in someone who is a “taker” or doesnt have your best interest at heart can’t really be helpful either or someone you don’t know very well.

Often talking about issues can be the first start and so being a friend and really listening to what the person is saying can really be such a relief to a sufferer and help them feel that they are not alone, and that there is someone there to help.

I am blessed to have  wonderful support network of family and friends and I talked often (exhaustingly)  particularly with a select few which I can’t begin to tell you how much it helped.

For me,  that overwhelming feeling just never went away, as soon as you wake up the next morning it is back. Sometimes when you have been dealing with something over a long period of time, you don’t know another way to be, it becomes what you know and you stay with it. People start to expect that you have “moved” on particularly as you form new relationships and that all is ok, but if you haven’t dealt with the issues at hand this can all be an illusion.  Another issue for me was that I would  just start to feel like I  was getting on top of things and another issue, problem, item would come along which would add to the pile that was already there. Something that was very small seemed very big because I had my whole life turn upside down and that sense of overwhelm just came back again and followed me around all the time. Which trully did feel like a “BlackDog” that would never go away, for the first time in my life I really did understand that term.

So, today for RUOK day…. I just wanted to highlight that if you are prepared to ask the question, also be prepared to recieve an answer  “Yes” I am fine”, “No I am not” and you maybe have to say  “Really?” ….

Be prepared you  may have to ask again and again before your loved one will admit that there is a problem.  It may mean that you have endless cups of tea, phone them everyday, ask them over to dinner, (which my glorious friends did and I just don’t know where I would be without them) that break in the rountine particularly if you have young children might be just the thing to help them through their day . That’s what friends are for and good ones make all the difference!

Websites: http://www.ruokday.com.au, Beyond Blue: http://www.beyondblue.org

And if you feel like you can’t cope and can’t call on family or friends, Please call Lifeline: 13 11 14   or see your GP for advice on where to go locally for support.

Continue reading »]]> Mums with young children…  how are your mornings?

Not that long ago,  I had a lot of people  respond to my sanity chart post (both online and offline).

I found that while that version of the chart worked great for a little while, what we really needed is more of a check list that can be run through in the mornings, and placed in a more prominent position ie. on the fridge where we are in the mornings.

If you have a child like my eldest which is easily distracted by just about anything, I am hoping something specific like this that he can action by actually marking off and moving onto the next thing will be more successful (then we can rub it off and start again the next day).

<- Left is a revised version of the chart. He decided that he wanted to draw a “warewolf” and put it on his chart, he was so excited when this was printed out and his artwork was on there!  I am thinking that this is fantastic for the kids to feel like they have contributed to the creation of the their chart and distinguishes it from siblings chart- so YAY.

The plan is that this format supports them by keeping them on track, and they can remember what is next on the list without having to ask me, (and if they do i can say go check the list hahahaha) and then if they do all those things they can be rewarded on the reward chart ! – way too organised yeah i know.. but its worth a try isnt it ?..cause i am tired of hectic mornings and want to reward good behaviour!!!

So in response to everyone asking ! Yes I will make them available to everyone!! Thinking of releasing a “generic” one that can be downloaded and printed by you and then also one if you would like to customise it to your child, with name and drawing and tasks.

What I am asking of you today is, if this would help your mornings…

What would you like on your child’s check list?
Please give me some ideas for little pictures and tasks of your morning routine so that I can include them !!! – leave a comment below!

Continue reading »]]> Would you like to come along and learn how to create coloured pencil art?

Coloured pencils are fun, clean – no need for brushes and water, simple to use and somany people find them so relaxing!

I have the following classes  and workshops coming up in August and September.

August 3rd & 17th, 2011 – Workshops with Central Coast Art Society at the Gosford Regional Gallery Studios (Studio 2) – Web St, East Gosford.
Cost is $10-  9.30-12.30. » More info here.

 September 14th & 21st - Somers McCourt Gallery Gosford
Really excited for  2 coloured pencils classes over 2 weeks at the Somers McCourt Gallery in Gosford.
These classes we will be covering techniques, and tips on how to create coloured pencil artworks. I will walk you through my own techniques and processes and we will work through the process so you can come away with a good understanding of how to apply these in your own artworks. For all artistic abilities.

102 Mann Street, Gosford.10am-12pm Cost:$50- for both sessions.
To book email:somersmccourt@gmail.com or phone 0407 067 024

Continue reading »]]> I have been having slight difficulty with this one lately, trying to regain focus….  in my days I am switching from:

mum to designer to artist,  (interruption back to mum)  to newsletter editior to accounts person to answering emails , (interruption back to mum again) to consultant for clients to tutor to friend to daughter,  (interruption back to mum) to technical person to bug-tester to mum helper at school ,  (interruption back to mum) -

You get the general idea! Oh and did I forget to mention there is the person called Belinda in there that sometimes need some love, caring, exercise, art time … and I haven’t even considered the housework.

This post isnt really about the fact that I need to get some things off my plate (yeah i know thats the plan) and its not about trying to be a “Supermum” (i really dislike that term) it so not what I am trying to achieve here, I am simply doing the things that need to be done, and yep I need to offload some of the tasks that can be done by others to others so that I can concentrate on the other stuff -I get that but mostly I think this is just about life as a mum who runs a small business.

It’s busy, its interruption, its losing your focus each time you switch to a new task, a new hat, a new role.

So I am putting it out there… what do you to switch hats and remain focused on the job at hand and be able to deal with the interruptions. Would love some tips!!!

Continue reading »]]>
Ok, so I get not everyone is the spiritual self- development scene.

In fact, particularly on the spiritual side -  I have never been into this (I am not sure I am on it now) but what I am into is the notion that – we are all able to improve ourselves through education in various areas of our life (if we want to).

My journey in the past 9 years has been very much full of stop and start, up and down stuff and regular readers of my blog and art blog will know I have been on quite the trip (probably shouldn’t share half the stuff online that I do – but it is my journey, it’s part of who I am today. Part of  who I am  is also to give / share  – I hope it helps others by sharing which is why I do it).

For those of you who haven’t been on the journey with me -  I have been spending this time reading, writing, listening and watching (and drawing) all types of stuff relating to what has been going on in my life , but what I really have been doing is discovering and educating myself on various topics and trying to find where I fit.

As part of this earlier this year I decided to take the » Adventures in Manifesting course written by Sarah Prout and Sean Patrick Simpson.  I am a fan of Sarah’s and was interested to hear what she had put together. I would recommend it if your interested in law of attraction stuff. Anyway, I digress… through this course  Sarah & Sean recommended this book “You can heal your life” by Lousie Hay .

I have to admit I am sceptical of any of this spiritual airy fairy stuff but they spoke so highly of it I decided to buy it. (See how powerful that influence was).

So, today I wanted to recommend this book to you if you are interested in looking at your life from a different perspective.

Loving yourself. No matter  what your flaws are, what you have done in the past, how your life has been it is all about the love now in the present and that will bring you happiness and love in the future. Yep! sounds a bit airy fairy and I probably wont do it  justice by trying to convey all of the great stuff in this book – so I won’t.

What I will say is that I usually don’t recommend things unless really have made an impact on me – and  this one most defiantly has.

I will also tell you that this book is beautifully illustrated (which I wasn’t prepared for buying the book
online) the pages are thick and colourful and full of illustrations on every page it just a great experience to read not just for the content but also the way it  has been put together.

I am yet to finish this book, about 3/4 through, I also found it was in my local bookshop and there were other companion books to this one and a workbook if you want to get really into it.

Two key messages (amoung the many) that I have found in this book which have helped me emensly are:

1-  Don’t want for the – when this XYZ  happens then you will be happy - there is always a when..learn to be happy now!

2 – Learn to approve of yourself, say it to yourself learn to accept all that you are and approve of it.
For some people this comes very easily for others not so much I am part of the not so much… but I am learning and improving .. and continuing on the journey.

LINKS:

• Buy the book at your local shop or here: http://amzn.com/1561706280

• Adventures in Manifesting

• On Twitter: Louise Hay | Sarah Prout | Sean Patrick Simpson

On a side note: You will have noticed I have a new blog design.
I have creative part of my site / blog which is called Creativity, Inspiration & Business this part is for my readers who aren’t necessarily my clients or customers,  but enjoy my musings on topics such as the above  -  life, inspiration and business.  These are topics I am passionate about and write about often. Hope you like… leave a comment let me know what you think

Continue reading »]]>
What if today, everything in your life completely changed as you currently know it?

I am talking about everything. Your job, your career, your house, your business, “Your life”. What would you do tomorrow?

Would you go on and continue to do as you have always done? Pretend like yesterday never happened ? But how?
What is the point of continuing with something if it no longer seems relevant if it no longer existed? What if, what you thought was important and solid in your life, your very beliefs were challenged and had disappered – What would you do then? Where would you turn to next?

Would you question all the things you have done in your life up until this point? How did they lead you to where you are? Had you really enjoyed/ hated any of those things in the first place? What about the things you used to enjoy but had forgotten about what happened to those ?

Why did you give them up?  What about your need for basic security? How are you going to keep a roof over your head?  How will your children eat? What about that dirty sink, the washing, garden that needs mowing? How will those things get done when you are so busy worrying about the other stuff?

And,  what about actually getting some time to think, relax enjoy yourself? When will those things come for you? Surely all the good things you have done will come by and help you out somehow won’t it? …

Well Fuckit! Throw caution to the wind and forget about those things for a few hours, days, months, years and go and do whatever the hell you like! Yep do that, and do that right now!  But all those questions will come back to again tomorrow or if not tomorrow next week, next month, next year.. sometime soon they will come.

What happens if you go back to what you once did, decide to pick yourself up, push on… one foot in front of the other and all that, its not heroic its not particularlly special its just the fact that you must push on – What choice do you have?  So you do .. you go back to what you used to know, surely that will work!

Waitup ….things are not the same as it used to be, the world has changed. Your needs have changed you are not the person you used to be. You have other things now that need to be taken into consideration….

So…Which way now?

You can just continue down your previous path but it doesnt serve you anymore – thats just crazy. So you come to the conclusion that what you thought would work doesn’t, what you think you had was an illusion, What you thought you knew about yourself is no longer there.

What do you do?

Some people say that you shouldnt share too much of your personal stories online, it’s not good / professional to show yourself as a business owner in a bad light, people don’t want to hear negative things, it will affect your customers, your brand… etc etc etc.

Your business is not you!

Business people don’t want to hear about all this personal crap, just give customers what they need and get on with it.

I have discovered something about myself recently, my business is not me! Yes logically I always knew this but somehow because my service, my art, my creativity is such a part of what I do …  it is something I have a hard time disassociating myself with.  I figured if i worked hard enough then the results would come through. In all honestly they have not… I am working harder than I have ever done in recent years and its not working, however, I  am the driver of  my business, my life…. I connect with people online constantly every single day. More so than I do in real life  (yes sad I know)…
So I ask those people this?

How do you know about the person behind the business if you only want to hear the good stuff?

How do you know that this person is someone you want to work with, can trust, will do the right thing cause thats the kind of person they are? How do you know if you want to be their friend, if they care about you and what your all about? How do you know how this person is like you whether they value the same things as you? How do you know that this is the kind of person you want on your team? Do you even care? What does that say about you?

Back to the question, if all these things happened to you – What would you do?

Today I share this on my blog, because its my story. I don’t have any answers I only have questions.
I share it because it tells you, where I have come from and where I am today. It might give you insight to the person I am, it might make you think that it’s not worth your time. If it does thats totally fine, I am ok with that, I don’t do it for you. I don’t do it because I want to be perceived a certain way.
Does it say everything it needs to about me? Is all of this me as a person? No. Does it tell you everything about my business No.
Does it tell you where I am going? No, only because I don’t know the answer to that yet.

What does it say about you though, What would you do? Would you be the person you are today it it happened to you, and What would you tomorrow?

Please leave your comments I would love to hear them.