Keeping Christmas Simple At Our House...

We're keeping things simple this year at our house for Christmas...

A large green wreath with a big red bow welcomes visitors to our home. The artificial tree we bought years ago when Ben & Jesse were little has been 'fluffed' and decorated with lights & shiny Christmas balls & years of accumulated ornaments.... Makes me smile every time I walk by! 'Handprint ornaments' we made in Jesse's kindergarten class are hanging in the kitchen windows above the sink. And the 'folk art' nativity scene I love has a place of honor on the piano in the dining room. Last of all, a gorgeous pointsetta I bought at the grocery store sits in the middle of our dining room table. Instead of the pre-holiday frenzy I often dread, in our home,

All is calm, All is bright.

2016 has been a very challenging year for me (more on that another time...). But as it closes, I'm grateful for the growth and the lessons the year has held for me. God is indeed faithful and kind and good.

Wishing You A 

Very Blessed Christmas

And A

Happy New Year!! 

Time for a Blog Makeover

I really don't know how this happened... but somehow, long ago, this chubby mermaid became the star of my blog header...

She's a character from one of the first art cards I made years ago... Yes, she looks gigantic here, but she really only measures a teeny-tiny 2.5" x 3.5". Still, she's very sensitive about her weight (*wink*).

I think I just related to her, with her flowing auburn hair (the color my hair used to be). She's all dressed in a cheerful shade of purple & swimming happily in the sea. Cute little mermaid... she's perfectly imperfect, and I liked that about her. Somewhere along the way, we became fast friends, and she's followed me all over the web.

Fast forward a bunch of years and many colored pencils & markers later... this sweet silly doodle showed up in my sketchbook. And once again, I just knew I could relate to her. She's growing older, but she continues to smile at the future. She's comfy 'just being herself'. She loves God and is blessed to encourage others along the way. She still believes in the magic of art & creativity, and it brings her so much joy! She's a little bit 'creakier' these days... and you can see the laugh lines around her eyes.

I'm not sure yet what her name will be... maybe something old fashioned, like Clara or Felicity or Grace. But I am sure that she's the perfect companion for me as I continue on my arty journey!

My Aha! Moment

I have to be honest with you... I feel a little foolish about writing this blog post. At the beginning of last month, I thought I had all my art plans figured out... I was going to create digital stamps & offer them for sale to crafters through my Etsy shop, PholkartStudio. I set about the process of creating TWO new blogs... one to feature my handcolored digistamps & another to host a monthly challenge for crafters who create handmade cards. Yes, my plans were coming together nicely!

But something just wasn't sitting right with me... and without taking time to explore my discomfort, I pushed those uneasy feelings aside & pressed on with my plan.

Midway through the month, I began to realize that I just wasn't very happy. I was feeling a constant inner push to create brand new designs. I had put on my organizer's hat & was directing my new operations, clucking over each area like a mother hen over her chicks. I had taken on the role of marketer/social media guru with new zeal & began spreading the word about my big plans... In the end, I discovered I was juggling too many balls in the air and I was feeling completely frazzled!!

Finally, I took time to listen to my heart. And I rediscovered what I probably knew all along... I missed creating colorful little pieces of original art by hand & I missed working on my illustrated art blog. As a BIG introvert, I had been pushing out beyond my comfort zone & I wasn't spending quiet time renewing my energy. Most of all, I was running out ahead of the Lord.

And so... I began the process of pulling back & deleting. No more digital stamps. No more challenge blog. I put the brakes on my daily social media. And I went back to my studio & started "makin' stuff."

"Little Red Riding Hood"

Honestly, I began to feel lighter... and happier... and more "me" almost right away.  My inner self breathed a deep sigh of relief.

So here I am... a little lost, a little 'between things,' with no big plans or arty business goals. I'm just trying to show up each day with my sketchbook in hand, trying to listen with my heart to the Lord & hold whatever comes next for me very loosely.

Thank you Lord that you keep loving me even when I go off in my own direction. Thanks that you have good plans for me & I can trust you to lead me. Please help me to listen to you with my head & my heart... and to follow wherever you go.

Follow Me...

Photo Courtesy of BigStock Photos

Back when I first starting creating art (with the hopes of other people liking & buying it!), I had absolutely NO idea that achieving my hoped-for goal of being a little art biz involved anything more than simply making art that I loved & "putting it out there" on the internet for others to love too!.... Really, what's so complicated about that?!

You see, I had a "If you build it, they will come" kinda mindset (thanks to the movie, Field of Dreams for the perfect phrase to describe my thinking!). I soon found out that I had a LOT of learning to do! It just wasn't as simple & easy as that!

Along with nurturing my art skills along (read here... mostly trial & error!), there was a whole GINORMOUS, always-changing world of Social Media to get a handle on. Sheesh!... Who'da thought??? Not me, that's for sure!

Photo Courtesy of BigStock Photos

So... being a natural researcher & a great lover of learning new things, I happily dove into the process of coming up-to-speed on all things Social Media... blog writing, & facebook posting, & image sharing on flickr & Pinterest, & arty newsletters (Oh My!!). I have to admit, I never really got the "hang" of Twitter (...what do all those hashtags mean, anyway?).

But recently, I found myself "hitting the wall." I felt I just couldn't "push myself out there" anymore. Having an online presence had ended up feeling like a huge burden to me (especially as the BIG Introvert I am!). After all, what I really wanted to do was to authentically be myself & MAKE ART!! So, I backed away from my beloved computer & quietly hid myself in my studio to regroup for a while.

And I'm still in that regrouping process... Mostly, I've been trying to simplify (goodbye Twitter!). I'm trying to listen to my own heart. I'm trying to get in touch with what nurtures me & what drains me. And then, I'm trying to ignore what everyone else out there in cyberspace is doing.... and what all the current advice is saying... and simply show up with my art when I'm able to & be myself.

I know this may be "wrong thinking" to many art business owners' ears... but for me, I need to follow my own arty path. I need to feel free to be HAPPY both in making & promoting my artwork.

** ps ~ I would be DELIGHTED if you'd like to follow me anywhere my art is found! There are links to my Facebook Page here on my blog, as well as to my Shops &  Pinterest collections. I hope you LOVE what I create!... I certainly LOVE creating it for you to enjoy!  :)