Before the canvas: a new series

An account of the daily life of an artist. Real paint splatters, side jobs and lots of interruptions.

trying out new layouts for save the date cards | working on a new technical repeat pattern

Behind every creative work is a reality nobody sees. For me, that reality is an auto-immune disease that painfully locks up my wrists and working between homeschooling my kids & doctor’s appointments. But it's also the quiet victories: a client approving a logo, a greeting card licensed, a painted sky finally feeling complete.

We see polished works like novels in bookstores and paintings in galleries, but hidden beneath them are layers of:

• Countless unseen hours

• Failures and corrupted files

• Messy life circumstances

• Quiet rejections

Inspired by Mason Currey's "Daily Rituals" I want to share the unfiltered reality of creative work. Maybe it makes you think that if I can create through illness, motherhood and self-doubt, you can pursue those words burning inside you, that dress waiting to be sewn, that art longing to hang above the mantle or whatever else you've been wanting to create.

The path won't be straight. The learning curve will be steeper than you imagine. Your comfort zone will become a distant memory. But the journey will be entirely, beautifully yours.

---

Monday - a timeline

MORNING

• Wake with kids, coffee, check family diary and work agenda, another coffee (that checking was clearly hard work!).

• Family standup meeting where we all share what we're going to be doing today - meetings, appointments, work locations, schoolwork, clubs, chores. Pray.

• Try out some layouts for Save the Date card lettering.

• Help kids with schoolwork, make supper, bake bread, play games during breaks, check emails, household tasks.

• Work on the technical repeat for a new pattern.

AFTERNOON

• Write this article

• Website design work (I love working with Migrate Marketing!)

• Scan in a new painting for licensing

• Check out a new licensed photo design that went up

• Commit to fonts for an upcoming project

• Coffee and Monopoly Deal with children (I lost big time!)

• Bible

new licensed photo card available at Minted | scan art for licensing | choosing new fonts

EVENING

• Finish up work tasks

• Family time, conversation, review of the day

---

This is the reality before the canvas. Creation in between life.

I hope sharing these glimpses behind the scenes somehow gives you permission to create within your own beautiful chaos.

                                                           Till next time,