January has been a blast, you guys! I've gotten more done for my business this month than I feel like happened most of last year!

It all started with "Your Best Year 2018" by Lisa Jacobs. This business planner is AMAZING - it really helped me figure out my goals for the year. I blasted through my January goals, so I'm very excited! (I also rewarded myself with gelato, so that was extra nice ;) ) Motherhood Series

My big focus this quarter is on my Motherhood series; it's a collection of paintings that explores the deep feelings of motherhood, using hands and faces combined with the language of flowers to give hidden meaning to the work.

When I was still in the planning stages for the Motherhood series, I asked on Facebook about other ladies' deepest feelings as mothers. I was really surprised and humbled at the depth and honesty of the responses I got! There were beautiful descriptions of loneliness, fear, and the loss of self, along with tenderness and love. One mom even sent me a heart-wrenching poem about her experience as a young mother that used imagery of a comet, galaxies, and stars. I started to realize that this series had the possibility to really touch a lot of people, and started to wonder, "Did I bite off more than I can chew? These feels like a big responsibility!" But that didn't stop my excitement. Whether or not you're a mother, I think putting a beautiful image to a feeling will be really powerful. We all experience such deep, intense emotion sometimes, and we often can't describe it or talk about it with others! That's my big hope for this series. I want you to be able to look at my paintings and say, "That. That is what I've been feeling."

Beginning stages of "Anxiety"

I'll admit that fear and self-doubt did slow me down for a few days. Knowing that this subject was so close to so many hearts made my hand hesitate before touching brush to paper. I'm so glad I pushed through it though - these paintings are worth the effort.

"Anxiety" - a closer look

This painting is about the clawing, encroaching anxiety that haunts so many mothers, whether it's from Postpartum, or just those feelings and fears that we all deal with. The flowers in her eyes are Columbine, and they mean 'trembling and anxious'. The flowers behind her head are Sainfoin, and they mean 'agitation'. Finally, the flowers at her shoulders are Rhododendron, and they mean 'beware, danger'. The yellows and purples stand in contrast to each other, adding an on-edge feeling to the whole piece.

Etsy

I've also been doing a lot of work on my etsy shop! There's a bunch of Valentine's Day related things, so be sure to go check it out!