The Unicorns Made Me Do It

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I'm working on some rad new changes to the blog for 2014. You can already see some change with my blog layout and logo. I really wanted my little space here to be more of a reflection of me and the growth I've made as an artist. I'm also going to have lots of new arty things to look forward to in the new year! 

I appreciate every single person who takes the time to read my blog, leave a comment, and chat with me on Twitter! Interacting and making new friends makes having a blog even more fun! I made a short blog reader survey to get some feedback from all you lovelies. It's not long and you can click here to fill it out. 

Thanks again, and Happy Holidays! xo

One Girl Bicycle Club

Today I was excited to receive my One-Girl Bicycle Club zines in the mail. I just sat down with a cup of tea and read through all four issues.

This was my first time reading a zine, and now I'm intrigued. I love the freedom, honesty, raw emotions, and bravery that I found in Sonya's writing. I can relate to many topics that she talks about in her zine from college to driving, and making/keeping friends to getting out of your house. I enjoyed the progression from zine one to four, and the growth Sonya has done before my eyes in a few pages.

She has definitely inspired me to try my hand at making a zine, even if no one should ever read it, just for me to chronicle this time in my life. Sonya wrote a blog post on the benefits of writing a zine that's a must read.

A few of my favorite quotes from One-Girl Bicycle Club:

"Basically, I don't know how to function as an adult." Issue 4

"I want to be a maker of things. I don't want to work under people- I want to work for me..." Issue 3

"...but what if I need two copies of Bitch magazine and a book..." Issue 2

"Feminerdism (that's a word now)" Issue 1

There are so many more, but I guess you'll have to pick up your own copy! Also,check out all the rad playlists.

Do you read zines? Write zines? I'd love to check them out, leave a link in the comments.

Also, check Sonya out here: Blog Etsy Twitter

***This is a repost from my old  Wordpress Blog ****

One-Girl Bicycle Club

Today I was excited to receive my One-Girl Bicycle Club zines in the mail. I just sat down with a cup of tea and read through all four issues.

This was my first time reading a zine, and now I'm intrigued. I love the freedom, honesty, raw emotions, and bravery that I found in Sonya's writing. I can relate to many topics that she talks about in her zine from college to driving, and making/keeping friends to getting out of your house. I enjoyed the progression from zine one to four, and the growth Sonya has done before my eyes in a few pages.

She has definitely inspired me to try my hand at making a zine, even if no one should ever read it, just for me to chronicle this time in my life. Sonya wrote a blog post on the benefits of writing a zine that's a must read.

A few of my favorite quotes from One-Girl Bicycle Club:

"Basically, I don't know how to function as an adult." Issue 4

"I want to be a maker of things. I don't want to work under people- I want to work for me..." Issue 3

"...but what if I need two copies of Bitch magazine and a book..." Issue 2

"Feminerdism (that's a word now)" Issue 1

There are so many more, but I guess you'll have to pick up your own copy! Also,check out all the rad playlists.

Do you read zines? Write zines? I'd love to check them out, leave a link in the comments.

Also, check Sonya out here:

Blog
Etsy
Twitter

Find Your Voice: Week 1

I am really enjoying this project. I took me a while to get started, but it all started falling into place late last night. :)

Here is the cover of my SmashBook that I am using. There is a nifty pocket in the back to put my worksheets.

 

Here are a few fun supplies I picked up at Target this morning that I can't wait to use!

It took me a while to fill out the worksheets, and for a few minutes I felt kinda stressed, but I went and watched some My Little Pony and got some perspective. I'm not deep or philosophical. I'm pretty laid back and I like cute things. So my worksheet is a true reflection of me (also with the lack of sentences, just words and phrases, that's how I think). I also had to start with the last question and work my way to the first...

Lesson One: Intro
What is storytelling to you? What stories do you want to tell?
Story telling is about the journey (good and bad), the little things, and the memories. I want to tell all the things I never want to forget. My treasures, memories, and love!

Who are you?
quirky, phase-y, colorful, kawaii, adventurous, aware, indecisive, learning focus, growing, brave

What are your storytelling goals? How do they fit in with the rest of your creative and life goals?
goals: be expressive, find myself in this new stage of life, try something new
fits in: be creative always (in everything), find happiness in the everyday, discover the spirituality within myself, be a positive role model for my daughter

What are your favorite stories? What do they have in common?
Fav stories: Sailor Moon, Harry Potter, Edie, Legally Blonde, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Enchanted, Beauty and the Beast
Common: magic, humor, romance, tragedy, LIFE!, action, spontaneity

What styles do you find aesthetically pleasing? What are you drawn to visually?
faces, eyes, color, simple, cute, black and white with pops of color, vintage, kitschy, minimalist flare

Which storytellers do you admire?
Josh Ritter, Lisa Loeb, Jewel, Jenny Lewis, Ayn Rand

What is your ideal story? What are you looking to get out of the FYV workshop?
Ideal story: real, raw, magical, journey, spiritual, awakening

I know my answers may not make much sense to you, but that's ok.

If you would like to participate in the Find Your Voice workshop (IT'S FREE!!), check out the links below:

Click Here to learn more about Find Your Voice

Download lesson one here

Join the facebook group

Sign up for lessons delivered straight to your email

Bewitched

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Print by Nan Lawson[/caption]

Today is the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, which happens to be one of my favorite books. I also adore the 2005 film adaptation starring Keira Knightley. My husband on the other hand hates it. So when he's getting on my nerves, I put the movie in to let him know he's in the dog house. At one point, the disc was magically scratched up and my poor puppy Loki was blamed.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFsgLhx9dxg?list=PL5EEF0906FD47515A]

Writing a Children's Book: Writers Block

I've had this idea for a children's book in my head for years, and one night this idea wouldn't let me sleep. I ended up scribbling in a notebook I kept near my bed, with no light and no glasses; then promptly fell back to sleep. The whole thing felt like a dream, and the scribbles in my notebook looked like ancient hieroglyphs in the morning. I was able to decipher some, but I knew I was missing a huge chunk of my wonderful idea in the chicken scratch. I tried to remember what woke me up in the first place, but all I could think of was looking through the windows of houses at night from the street.

I had no idea how to go about writing a book, but the idea was haunting me. I did some research and purchased a 'how to' on writing and illustrating a children's book. I dove right into the book on writing, and I started thinking of my story in terms of pages (32 is the magic number). As a visual person, each page helped me flesh out my story and it started to evolve into something real. I continued to read through the chapters in my 'how to' book, and suddenly all my progress halted...character study...

Now I find myself with too many thoughts, yet nothing to put on paper. Writers block. As I sit here and write this, I realize my mistake was taking my 'how to' book so seriously and loosing sight of how I normally work; which is backwards and hardly ever following the rules.

I know this is only the beginning, and I have many more pages to write (and illustrate). I've somehow come up with the perfect ending in the middle of my story. Now my quest is figuring out how to get there...