1st April - New Things!

April is finally here which means a lot of things here in the studio; Firstly, that today is the day that I launch my first ever downloadable wedding invitation range on Etsy, and secondly that it is exactly one month until my husband and I fly to Mexico for our 2 year delayed honeymoon! 

Needless to say it's a very exciting month ahead, but today I am most excited about my new wedding stationery range which has been 5 months in the making. 

All of my wedding stationery designs are fully customisable, and once edited are sent as digital files so that the happy couple can print from the comfort of their own home. In designing this new range I really kept in mind all the things I learnt (the hard way) when I got married with the hope that I can help make a couples wedding as stress free and beautifully designed as possible. 

I also wanted to create designs that were not only fun, but also adaptable to the couple at hand. My Woodland range is a neutral and less frilly design that hopefully caters to couples who aren't looking for the typical overly feminine wedding stationery designs. 

The entire collection is now available in my Etsy Shop available in Deluxe and Basic sets as well as individual listings should you just want an invitation or just a table number. 

To celebrate the release of my new stationery I am also hosting a Spring Sale on some of my other lines in my store! You can 30% off select lines until the 29th April when I will be closing my shop doors for my Mexico trip. 

What's more, as an EXTRA treat for any of my newsletter subscribers, I'm sending out an exclusive additional 10% off coupon code in today's e-newsletter. Sign up here if you would like to be informed of any future promotions & discounts, and also for weekly new blog post updates. 

I hope you like my new range as much as I have enjoyed designing it! As always please feel free to leave any feedback or comments - your support is always greatly appreciated! 

Happy Friday

Deborah x

Kimono Commission

I hope you are all suitable stuffed with Easter chocolate and enjoying your long Bank Holiday weekend!

The greatest thing about what I do for a living is that I know that my next project will always be different from the last. For the past few weeks I've been working on a lovely little commission for a dear family friend. She spotted my Crane, Swallow, Frog pattern printed on a satin sample and instantly fell in love, asking me to cut and sew it into a Kimono. 

I'm never one to shy away from a challenge, and this was certainly one; My dress making skills aren't quite 'up there' yet, and I had never made a kimono, nor sewn with stain before, so needless to say I was a little nervous. However, armed with a Simplicity pattern I soon became engrossed in make this beautiful little garment! 

I'm a little jealous that I need to give this away, but thankfully I have some fabric left to make myself one too. Maybe with contrasting colour bands...

Deborah x

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5 lies you shouldn't tell yourself as a freelancer...

Working for yourself is an absolute dream. It can be all of the stereotypes that people associate with it such as working in your PJ's, having your own schedule, being able to get up whenever you want but it can also have it's downsides like any good job. 

I've been freelancing for 6 years now and these tips are just my own observations and experiences, all of which I've learnt to work with in order to thrive. I hope they help you too! 

1. "Everyone else seems to have it sussed out..."

Ever thought you'd spend a good half an hour browsing Pinterest to get inspiration for a new client or project only to feel like a complete failure after those 30 minutes are up? Yep, happens to me at least once a month! Trouble is we are all just seeing the highlight reels of everyone's lives, and the real truth is that nothing of what they have achieved came quick or easy. Take the analogy of the road, the journey - your freelance career is just as such. It might all seem straight and clear, but there may be forks in the road or winds and bends that take you to places you weren't expecting...that's the joy of the journey. It's the experience. You will suss it all out too one day, and if not, take comfort in knowing that someone out there is looking at your work and painfully pining that you have it all sussed out....

2. "I should say yes to every project"

This is a massive temptation especially when cashflow is dry, but ask yourself some simple questions and you should never really go too wrong:

1. Does this project align with my own ethos and working ethic? 
2. Does it actually pay my time? 
3. Are they asking for my creative talent, or for someone to copy someone else's work? 

I've had many experiences where I've been quite desperate for money to pay rent that I was considering getting paid a pittance, to copy someone else's style, to maybe pay a quarter of said rent. In the end I knew it was wrong and not what I wanted to be associated with. I politely declined the work to the client (albeit thinking I was an absolute lunatic at the time)  but within a few weeks a dream client came along. The universe knows and will always balance itself. Never sell yourself short. 

3.  "I should be working like [Insert amazing designer/illustrator/freelancer's name here]

Working like this will only bring you down and make you feel like a fraud. Live genuine and work genuine! If a client doesn't like your style and wants you to work like another illustrator/designer/freelancer, then they aren't your target market. Think about that for a moment, because the world is crammed full of 7.4 billion people and within all those bodies there will be someone who aligns themselves with the product you're offering. Sure, said amazing designer who you think you should work like is raking it in and has the big clients, but that is their story, not yours. Carve your own path and see what trails you can blaze. 

4. "I need to be working X amount a hours a day."

Did you know that the 9-5 working day was only introduced during the Industrial Revolution to prevent people working 15 hour days? Since then this has stuck, but there are people in the world who only work 4 hour days and still achieve a lot. There is no hard and fast rule for how you should work but only you know how you work best. If you know you can only do your best work in the AM then get up early and hustle. We're all individuals and we all function differently. 

Studies have shown that people tend to work best in 90 minute work cycles, so if you are struggling to get work done but not burn yourself out, try working 90 minutes then break for 20, and repeat. I personally work better when I set myself a target time to work to and see it as a challenge to see how much I can complete in that time. 

5. "When I'm not doing client work I'm not actually working." 

This one I am the WORST for. We all need to remember that we work in creative fields as freelancers. Our jobs need to be nurtured with development and inspiration. So you think that visiting a museum or reading a design magazine isn't working? I'm here to tell you to try and see it differently because this is essentially visual nourishment for your brain. 

How can you evolve and grow as a creative if you don't stay ahead of the curve? How can you bring innovative and exciting projects to clients if you don't go out into the world and drink in all it has to offer? Staying inside and furiously scanning the internet is one tool to finding inspiration, but you will find nothing better than out in the wild, on the streets, in a conversation with a likeminded friend or within the pages of a book you never thought you'd read. Most of my ideas have come to me when I'm not trying to be in work mode, when I'm relaxed and exploring. 

So give yourself a break. If drawing can become a paid job, that defies peoples perceptions of what a job is, then research is just another facet of that gem. 

Now it's over to you guys! Have you made any realisations within your self-employed or freelance career? Feel free to share them below or tweet them to me @deborahpanesar using the hashtag #freelancelies 

Deborah x

Nottingham Etsy Team Presents: Meet The Maker, 10th March 2016

Last week saw our Nottingham Etsy Team host our second meet up of the year at Rough Trade, showcasing three of our talented who talked about their Etsy shop journeys so far! 

Our Meet the Maker feature, which Team Leader Katherine Jaiteh runs, is such a popular fixture in our social media content that we thought it would be a great opportunity to bring it to a live event. These talks are a lovely way to get behind the story of the Etsy shop, and to see that each shop starts somewhere with it's own goals and motivation. 

Speaking at the event were Hilke Kurze of Buchertiger Supplies and Buchertiger Press, Charlie Marshall of C Marshall Arts and Katie Abey of Katie Abey Design. 

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It was pretty inspirational to hear how these three ladies came to open their shops, what drives them, and most importantly their advice for running their shops. These were some seriously tough ladies, each trying to balance work and personal commitments around building a craft business. And that is no easy feat, believe me!

Their advice for budding or current Etsy Shop Owners?

• "Etsy = Personal" Katie Abey explains how receiving little handwritten notes or extra goodies in your orders is the difference between a one time buyer and a repeat buyer. And let's face it, we all love free stuff. 
• "Treat Yourself!" Charlie's belief in the power of giving yourself a pat on the back is really not to be underestimated. If you've finally conquered that photoshoot, or listed those 5 listings which you thought you'd never do, then you deserve to give yourself some recognition and maybe a sweet treat. 
• "Give Yourself Goals" Hilke constructed and ran her Etsy shops by setting herself short and long-term goals. Even if she didn't reach them within the time frame she expected, there was a framework to build her shop by. 

Before I end this post on yet another successful meet up I wanted to share a quick snap of myself with the other Team Leaders who work hard to make it what it is! We haven't been around for very long (only since July 2015!) but we work hard to make our team the most supportive and creative community that it can be! So big shout out to (from Top left to bottom right): Amy Phipps (Social Media Leader), Rachel Ward (Senior Social Media Leader), Becky Kennedy (Team Captain), Katherine Jaiteh (Social Media Leader), Me! (In-Person Events Leader) and Michaela Bere (Team Navigation Leader). 

We have a lot of exciting meet up's planned for the year, but pay particular close attention to April's event which we will be hosting with The Craft Off! Here's a little teaser to get you in the mood...

Have a great week! 

Deborah x

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Does deleting your Facebook Page mean freelance suicide?

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I’m writing this blog post today to reach out to you, to help me process a question that I’ve been trying to get a handle on for the past year: Do I delete my Facebook business page or not?

It’s been a strange and winding road that has brought me to this place. A few years ago I would have been preaching loud and clear about how important it was to have a Facebook page, that it would be sheer madness to not have one at all. Sometimes I think about it and like some it’s sort of ex I suddenly have all these little feelings of nostalgia towards. But, like a terrible ex, there’s a reason why I simply have fallen out of love with it, and now I’m struggling to figure out a place for it within not only my life but also my work.

My anti-Facebook feelings have been progressively growing since around 2010, funnily enough right after graduating from University. Post-graduation is a funny time, especially if you don’t have a brand new job to go into straight after, where you’re trying to find your feet in a world where you’re not surrounded by other people, intensely, for the first time in 3 years. Facebook was my lifeline to a life that was slowly growing smaller in the distance, but it was also my self-harm tool. Scrolling through an endless stream of friends who had moved together to a new city, who had these amazing new jobs (in their degree field), who seemed to have figured it all out, was quite a painful experience when I was still working at Sainsburys, far from all of them.  

That’s when I began to hate logging on to the site. I could tell that it was unhealthy for me to be immersing myself in everyone’s ‘highlight’ reels. Doing so only made it harder for me to move on with my life, to build new friendships and social circles. I was just too wrapped up in everyone else’s lives rather than nurturing my own.  

So from that point on I started using Facebook for personal things less and less. I was strict myself, not allowing myself to scroll too much through the feed, or do a good Facebook stalk (come on, we’ve all been there) and if I did, to keep reminding myself that what these people were doing with their lives did not invalidate mine, or my achievements, in any way less important.

At this point I was LOVING my business page because it was giving me the voice I needed to get my business out there. My confidence towards my illustration work was growing because of the likes and shares, and I felt more comfortable posting through my business page than on my personal page. It was, in some sort of psychological way, allowing me to become the person I wanted to be.

But then there came Instagram. And Twitter. And a blog. And Linkedin. And all the many other social media sites. Before these platforms came around Facebook was the calling, especially after MySpace (sorry Tom!) and it was just the done thing; you had a Facebook, and if you have a business then you have a Page. People would say that to not have one was just madness. Really, the true madness is in the many, many platforms that you feel you must tend to.

One day I realized that I was feeling mentally exhausted from thinking of all this different content to share over so many platforms. I’m not a marketer, I’m an illustrator and should be tired from drawing, not social media. I started thinking ‘I need to lighten the load’ and when I even entertained the idea of getting rid of my Facebook Page I immediately felt myself back peddling.

“No, no, no that wouldn’t be wise” I would tell myself. “EVERYONE has Facebook and connects to it, so I would missing out a huge audience of people to share my work with. If I deleted it I would be shooting myself in the foot.”

And that is the general consensus amongst other self-employed people. Because being self-employed is part of the reason we need it: It’s a free resource to help promote your business. When I say it like that, in layman’s terms, I’m almost thinking that writing this blog post was pointless. I’ve nearly convinced myself to go back on my argument! BUT, plenty of people survived before Facebook. They found work, they promoted themselves and even better, they thrived. So why can’t this be possible in 2016?

There are no cut and dry rules to running your business. This can be a daunting prospect, which is probably why we all follow the same rule of thumb; website, Facebook, email, Twitter. Could we stray off the beaten track though?

I tried to find out.

Surprisingly there aren’t that many blog posts about not having a Facebook Page as a business, but what I did find started to get me back on the anti-Facebook bandwagon.

Freelance writer Alexandra Franzen has no social media profiles, and you know what? She’s thriving. Read her blog post about her decision and tell me if you don’t suddenly feel compelled to live a more authentic life.

There’s also some interesting (and revealing) points that I feel you should read over on the Kissmetrics blog. True, this is more pitched towards Marketers, but there’s a lot of valid reasons to NOT have a Facebook page within the post.

By this point in my ‘should I delete my Facebook?’ mental debate, I started to try and make lists of pro’s and con’s for it, to try and find a black and white formula to make my decision:

+ Facebook is a worldwide platform, which means anything I post has the potential for a global audience.
+ It allows people to contact me in other ways, other than email.
+ It keeps me up to date with other businesses that I love.
+ It helps me rank in Google.
+ I use it not just for my business but for my other responsibilities as an Etsy Team Leader.

-       It sucks out time in my day
-       It’s hard sometimes to have your posts seen by Facebook’s ever-changing algorithm.
-       It paints a bad picture of me if I don’t respond to private messages within 5 minutes (and then hastens to tell everyone about it…)
-       It takes people AWAY from my website, which has all my work and info.
-       It gives people too much opportunity to bash on your business online before you can help try and resolve an issue (this could be argued a good point, due to freedom of speech, but not necessarily nice if you’re trying to build an image for yourself and haven’t been given the chance to help that customer.)
-       Fans don’t actually mean clients. I have never had a client find me through Facebook.
-       Lest we forget the endless adverts…

It’s clear I have more negative than positive feelings towards it, so I tried a new tactic: Look at my stats and see if it is actually working to engage fans; well, all I see every week are red numbers and arrows pointing down. These don’t make me feel inspired to try and improve them, they just make me feel exhausted because they’re almost trying to say ‘you need to invest MORE TIME into this!’

I simply don’t have more time – in a literal sense of my workday, and in a metaphorical sense for my life. When I think about Alexandra’s ‘life-minutes’ phrase it actually makes me freak a little. I would hate to calculate how much time I’ve probably wasted trawling through Facebook, setting up posts, trying to engage people. I could have been creating new work, making new things, connecting with real live human beings, nourishing my mind and just experiencing life. Instead I feel I am buried inside a world of stats, algorithms, scheduled posts and constantly checking to see how many likes it’s gotten.

Perhaps it’s my attitude towards it that needs to change, or perhaps I’m just becoming a crotchety old woman in a world that’s moving forward. This isn’t a decision that I want to take lightly (it’s taken me years to build up the loyal following I have!) and I am plagued with ‘what if’s’ and fears around the actual deleting of the account; will my fans not be bothered about my work anymore? Will the action itself reflect poorly on me? Will I lose business?

But there is still that little part of me that is definitely trying hard to take the plunge and move forward. Perhaps I am not the crotchety old woman I think I am, perhaps not having a Facebook is the new way forward? Is this the last era for Facebook, with the likes of Instagram and Snapchat taking the fore? Or am I just investing too much energy into a decision that should be as easy as simply deleting it?

I know many brave creative’s who don’t use social media at all and to them I take my hat off. I still pertain that social media does, and will always, have a role in our modern world, however I’m not sure I want Facebook in my social media picture. Alex Mather’s (of Red Lemon Club) advises in his book How to Get Illustration Clients, to have all social media profiles but invest your energy into one that works for you. For him that’s Twitter, and his following is strong, believe me.

I’m not sure writing this has drawn me any closer to a conclusion, but I put it to any of you who are freelancers, self-employed, small business owners or creative’s: Do you think there is a way of running a business without Facebook?

You can either drop me a comment below or even email me directly – I would love to hear your thoughts and would be ever more grateful if they help bring me closer to some sort of decision!

In the meantime, I wish you all a happy and healthy social media week

Deborah x

Favourite wellbeing apps at the moment...

Happy 1st March!

It's a new month, which means the chance to start some new habits for the month! Because I've been assigning a new resolution to achieve per month, I have decided to make March all about getting enough H20. Why is that important? Well, aside from being the purest life giver on this earth (seriously, I'm not joking) it's been proven to reduce headaches, improve attention, reduce hunger and even prevent wrinkles - all of that plus it's free. It truly is one of our best resources on the planet, so I thought I would try and stick to the 2 litre a day rule.

Like all things I throw myself into, I wanted an app to help me. If you hadn't realised yet I absolutely love helpful apps - I've got my Strava for all my running, my On Trees app to show all my bank accounts in one place & budget plus my coveted Dominos app for when hunger strikes. So seeing as I have so many I thought I would share my top 3 that I have been using, starting with my latest free app download...

Waterlogged - FREE

I've been using the app for a few days now and I absolutely LOVE it. It's the simplest way of logging your water intake and has the loveliest user interface. It has set containers with their volume measurements that you can use, or add your own containers.

As you log your water intake the bottle fills, and what's more neat is that the water in the bottle on the screen tilts when you tilt your phone. Awesome! The app also syncs to your Apple Health (if you have iPhone) so you can see the full data on there with anything else you've recorded. It's a free app so it's nothing to try!

Nothing fills me with more nerdy pleasure than seeing the confetti on the screen when I reach my 2 litre goal for the day, despite the fact that for the past few days I have needed to wee SO much. 

It's also been quite a revealing app - The first day of recording what I drank was abysmal. I realised that I didn't drink enough, especially when I'm working on lots of commissions because I tend to just drink tea like it's going out of fashion, so it's really given me a good kick in the rear to try and stay hydrated more. 

Come back to me at the end of March to see if my hydration plan has made me more attentive, less wrinkly and headache free!

Headpsace - FREE for 10 days, payment plans thereafter

After going on a meditation retreat last year I was determined to keep the practise going when I got home - but I kept finding reasons and excuses to not do it. Partly I really struggled because I liked the guided meditations that we had on retreat, and at home I couldn't really re-do that. So when I discovered Headspace I was beyond excited to get back on my meditation game. 

The app is so painfully lovely I get distracted sometimes by the amazing animations and graphics that have been designed, and Andy's voice, well, that is so soothing I could seriously just listen to him on repeat all day long. I think this app is awesome for anyone who has never tried meditation as it's free 10 day foundation course really covers the basics such as how to sit properly, how to count the breaths and even what to do should unruly thoughts pop on by.

The animations that come with it help illustrate Andy's points and make the practise plain and simple, not some mystical and difficult hobby. 

After the 10 day free trial you can then choose to pay for the remainder meditations which I have gone for. You can pay monthly at £9.99, or yearly which works out cheaper monthly however is a bigger outlay. Discount codes do come by often so make sure you sign up to the mailing list if you've downloaded the app! I purchased the yearly bundle with 3 months free thanks to those handy discount codes. 

Knowing that the app is counting how many days in a row I'm meditating, and even the total number of hours, are great motivators for me to make sure I'm doing it for at least 10 minutes a day. After the foundation course they have heaps of meditation courses available to help with everything from anxiety to sleep, pregnancy to creative block, plus quick ones for situations where you may be having a meltdown and need a quick fix.

Hear and Now App - FREE

This smart little app is also a new addition, and it will blow you away. 

The simply premise is that it's an app to help you be mindful, to help you breathe through stress. I haven't delved too deeply into it yet but what I've used so far has been really insightful. 

The app uses your camera and flash on the back of your phone to measure your heartbeat. As you rest your finger cover the camera and flash, the app with register your heart rate and then ask you to follow the inhale/exhale commands on screen. It will read your heart rate before and after the exercise to see how well it's slowed your heart rate down. I was lying in bed when I was doing this, not stressed in the slightest, but a few minutes doing this and my heart rate had significantly slowed down. It even measured how complex my heartbeats were and how well my heart rate could be controlled. Mind. Blown.

This little app is on my speed dial app list for any time that I might suddenly be feeling very stressed, and coupled with Headspace I should be a totally horizontal woman by the end of 2016. 

If you're a health app freak like me, I'd love to hear about it! Do you have any apps that help you stay on track with your physical and mental health? Drop them in the comments below!

Deborah x

The Revenant

The Oscars goes live this weekend on the 28th, and all I keep thinking is that I sincerely hope Leo gets one because I truly feel it's long overdue. 

Most of my favourite films are ones he's starred in; Shutter Island, The Great Gatsby, Inception...I mean come on, Titanic. But, last month myself and Avnish went to see The Revenant and that then booted all of these off the top spot. Everything in it captivated me. The cinematography, the story, the filming style, the colours. My mind was quite creatively blown when I left the cinema, so much so I felt like I had to create a pattern to release some of that creative overflow. 

Only using the weapons and animals featured in the film, I wanted to create a simple and stark design to mirror the film. I know this is far from capturing the sheer beauty that The Revenant provides, but I love it none the less. 

I'm hoping to have this up in my Society6 and Etsy shops soon, so be tuned for more updates!

If you're tuning in this weekend for the Oscars, I hope you'll be joining me in sending out all those positive vibes to Leo - I don't think the internet could cope with another year of Poor Leo memes. 

Deborah x 

Keeping that fear 'edge'

For the past week or so I've been working my way through my HUGE box of business cards which I've been collecting for 4 years, inputting each and every one of them into a new spreadsheet database. You might think I'm a little mad for doing this time consuming, and let's be honest, inanely tedious job but it's all part of the process I've started since reading Alex Mather's e-book How To Get Illustration Clients. 

I've been working on creating, nurturing and building my database of contacts, one business card typed into Google Docs at a time. BUT, I'm not writing this post to subtly promote Alex's book, or brag at my awesome patience (which isn't that awesome, I promise) but, to tell you about a discovery I made that really struck me whilst going through these business cards;

All of this can end at any moment. 

Now, I don't mean in the morbid sense, although you wouldn't be wrong with making that connection too. What I'm on about is freelance business, creative business, art careers, that can all come to end in a quicker fashion that it may have taken to create. The amount of cards I went through who either were no longer doing that line of work (illustration, surface design, tailoring, design etc) or simply did not exist on the internet any longer took me quite by surprise. 

It had the same tang of when you discover an old school friends-father's-long-lost-cousin had died - you don't know that person at all, in fact you probably never met them, but you acknowledge there is a loss there and that someone was somebody's something; Aunt, Uncle, Niece, sibling whatever. For me, it's the same thing. These people's business cards don't hold much sentimental value in my life, but I can't help but wonder what's happened to these people. Are they ok? What happened for them to no longer be doing that line of work? All those long hard years of working, just gone. They were someones illustrator, photographer, designer, copywriter. 

I can see how this may seem a little dramatic , however when you work for yourself you sometimes can forget that in the midst of the hard slog of seeking out clients, networking, marketing, generating work and still trying to earn a regular bit of money, some creative or freelancer, somewhere, had the plug pulled on their dream of a creative career. And that's a sobering thought.

I have no idea what the circumstances are for these creatives who I met many years ago - they may possibly be on to bigger and better things, situations that suit their circumstances better, but I can't help but feeling immense gratitude for still hanging on to my dream, even if sometimes it feels like I'm just hanging on from my fingernails. 

One day, I may find myself in a situation where I need to make a hard decision and I cant stop myself from imagining someone, somewhere, finding my business card after 4 years, Googling me only to find that I exist no longer on the internet. The very thought makes me a little sweaty because I absolutely refuse to let that happen.

But that's the feeling you want. Really!

If you're like me and still hustling your career then I think it's healthy to have a little fear to keep you from being complacent. I tend to work 1000% harder, doing things that I find uncomfortable and loathsome, when I'm low on clients and money. But what if I applied this fear edge to when I'm actually ticking over nicely? Imagine the work generated! 

I have a lot of business cards left to wade through, but I can tell you that I'm getting through them faster than ever before now that I remember what I need to do to prevent my future business card self ending up in a recycling bin graveyard.

Before I head off for an evening of Walking Dead and pizza (because Walking Dead gives me another type of fear and pizza is my comfort) I want to leave you with a question: If you saw your career as your lifeline, how tight would you hold onto to save yourself from drowning? 

As always, I'm keen to hear your thoughts! How do you keep yourself from being complacent in your career? How does it make you feel to imagine never doing your dream job ever again? Feel free to drop your comments below or tweet me!

Deborah x

Nottingham Etsy Team Seller Seminar Sessions with Daniel Hughes Photography

Tuesday evening saw the Nottingham Etsy Team host their first ever Seller Seminar Session at Rough Trade Nottingham, and it was pretty awesome (if I do say so myself)

One of the things I absolutely love with Etsy is the community it fosters, and as an Etsy seller myself I've been very lucky to be involved with the Nottingham Etsy Team on a very hands on level. Last year I was promoted to In-Person Events leader, and with the help of my other fellow team leaders we put on the first of our Seller Seminar Sessions at the incredible Rough Trade to a sell out audience! 

Over 100 Etsians and local creatives braved the cold to attend our event, the first of many aimed at helping fellow Etsy sellers start, improve and build their own Etsy stores. Our first event hosted on Tuesday talked about all things product photography, a key element to any online business! My good friend Daniel Hughes - photographer extraordinaire and all round lovely chap - hosted the event, covering topics such as lighting, white balance, shutter speeds and backgrounds. 

It's events like this that truly make me realise how lucky I am to not only have a career I love, but a career that fosters an inspirational, supportive and dynamic community. I have overflowing gratitude for my role within the Nottingham Etsy Team, knowing that I get to meet people I would have never met any other way, to visit places I would have never visited and to learn A LOT along the way. 

A huge thanks to Rough Trade Nottingham, Daniel Hughes, the Nottingham Etsy Team leaders and everyone who came to Tuesdays event! Without all of you it wouldn't have been the success it was! 

If you're a Nottingham creative or Etsy shop owner reading this and thinking "I missed out!" never fear - we have HEAPS of events in the works, and regularly post about them in our Facebook Page. 

Until the next event!

Deborah x

New Year(s) Resolutions

How many of you made resolutions on December 31st, eagerly awaiting the midnight strike with lots of hopeful wishes for how you were going to be the most awesome-productive-human-being-that-can-achieve-it-all-no-sweat? And how many of you are still working on those resolutions, 40 days into 2016? 

Resolutions are hard, and they're also a sure fire cruel way to beat you down and make you feel pretty useless. That's how most of my 2015 felt - another chip of disappointment after another chip of disappointment after setting myself limitless goals such as 'get new clients' and 'be found online.' I didn't want my 2016 to end up the same way my 2015 felt (which is a resolution in itself, right?!) so I found some inspiration through the guru of simplicity Leo Babauta. His book, The Power of Less goes into the secret behind his success in losing weight, quitting smoking, becoming a marathon runner, quitting his job and creating a life and business that makes him happy. The secret, I'm sure you're dying to know, lies on the simple premise of applying a habit for 30 days. 

If you're feeling cheated, let me explain - It's been proven by scientists that it takes 30 days in order for us human beings to form a new habit that we are likely to stick to. Using this parameter, Leo Babauta applied himself to a new habit, 30 days at a time. So how does this come into resolution making? Well, on December 31st 2015 I decided I was going follow in Leo's footsteps and create 12 resolutions for the year, doing one resolution for a month until it sticks.

I'd love to show off and say that I've planned my entire year ahead, but I just haven't. I'm kind of winging it as I go along! All I knew was that January was dedicated to meditating for 10 minutes every day, and February would be to trying to kick the white stuff (sugar, not Coke). So far my plan as worked brilliantly - of course there have been days when I missed a meditation and when somehow I've ended up with 2 teaspoons of sugar in my tea when visiting a friends, rather than none, but that's just life.

The kinder I am to myself about working through these small challenges, the more likely I am able to feel like I have achieved something. The 30 day rule is a great kindness that you can offer yourself because it only asks of you one thing; just to commit to 30 days. Once those 30 days are up, it's up to you to decide whether you're going to keep the new resolution or not, and if you're not bothered by it and it's just taking up a shelf in your mental library, then by all means, mentally throw it away and start new. 

The aim of this exercise to help liberate you from the constraints that making resolutions can do to you; getting it right first time, never allowing yourself to slip up, never being realistic with yourself. That last one was a game changer for me. Remember my previous years goal of 'get new clients' and 'be found online' - these are undefinable goals (be found online? Where do you begin!) and although they're not unattainable there's no clear form or way to achieve them.

Instead of simply shooting for moon, spend some time planning the stages to climb there. 

In our Nottingham Etsy team we had a great discussion post about this very topic of goal setting, which I highly recommend you read. I also suggest taking a look at Elise Blaha Cripe's Get To Work book which is a physical accompaniment to help you goal set on a micro level. I use mine for everything, not just business, and it helps me stay on track with my own resolutions and goals. 

I'm looking forward to seeing how my year turns out, and all the new habits I may have learned along the way. If you fancy joining me, feel free to drop me a line and let me know how you're finding your monthly challenges. Alternatively, let me know if you've been setting resolutions and how you've been finding it so far! 

It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop - Confucius 

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As always, have a happy week

Deborah x

New Kitty Pattern!

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Back in December 2015 I decided that it was long overdue to draw up a cat pattern! I find cats have such individual personalities that it seemed so wrong to just draw from getty reference images - so I did an international call out on my Instagram to which I had an unprecedented influx of tags as people sent me photos of their gorgeous kitties! 

Roll forward to January 2016 and I am so pleased to say that the kitty pattern is now finished, named Le Chat Toile de Jouy for all it's Frenchy vibes. I wish I could have included all the wonderful and beautiful cats that were sent my way, you should have seen them! 

I'm so extremely pleased with how this design turned out, and now it is available in my online shops! 

Le Chat Toile de Jouy All Over Tee

Le Chat Toile de Jouy Leggings

Le Chat Toile de Jouy Mug

Purchase tees, leggings, mugs, shower curtains and even duvet covers with my kitty pattern through Society6

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Le Chat Toile de Jouy is also available as a downloadable art print in my Etsy shop! Simply purchase, download, print and frame! 

This design is also coming soon to my Spoonflower page where you will able to purchase it on fabric and wallpaper. 

As always, I love to hear feedback! What do you think of my latest pattern? Is there a particular animal you would like to see illustrated next? 

Deborah x

Top Pin Picks - Wall Art

There's something really satisfying about seeing illustration being translated onto different forms and surfaces; textiles, pottery, metal and wood are some of the surfaces that you will find illustrative work on today. But, when it's transformed by size, then it becomes something more exciting!

I've always loved creating wall murals for clients, and theres been something quite thrilling about people seeing your process and being able to interact with it, a crucial (yet forgotten) element that sometimes gets lost in your studio whilst you polish up your work before anyone can even see it. 

So, I wanted to share my top 5 picks from my Wall Art & Murals Pinterest board; a collection of some of the most inspirational wall art ideas and artists around at the moment, and hopefully an inspiration for you should you wish to take on your own personal wall mural! 

Circus themed mural

I wish I knew who the artist was, but I absolutely love this dream like mural - the grey background is the perfect base to highlight the pretty bright colours, adding to the circus theme. Would look so lovely in a playroom!

DIY Moon Mural

I love a good moon illustration, in fact I love anything celestial, but I am so totally in love with this moon mural, especially in gold! 

Charlotte Mann

I absolutely adore Charlotte Mann's work - creating 1:1 illustrations on walls, she creates rooms within rooms drawing in simple black lines. 

Tom Moberg

A dry wall sculpture artist giving a new name to interior design! Tom Moberg's delicate and detailed wall sculptures are solely bespoke creations, sometimes left monochromatic and sometimes painted. 

Sean Sullivan

This absolute masterpiece is by artist Sean Sullivan - Taking a residency at LACE, Sean went over his 3 month deadline...by 4 months! He eventually stopped the sharpie mural, resulting in this beautiful masterpiece that was showcased in January 2012. 

Ever taken on your own wall art project? Leave a link in the comments below!

Have a great Monday!

Deborah

Illustration as Meditation

A big HOORAH as this is not only the first official day of launching my new website but also my first post on my new integrated swanky blog! For my first post I wanted to talk about 2 of my greatest passions and what it means to have them work together.

I discovered illustration 10 years ago and meditation 10 months ago, however it’s only in the past few months that I’ve actually started to appreciate a unique correlation between the two.

Work in Flow

The idea started to form when I began re-reading Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.  Mihaly discovered the concept of ‘flow’, a highly concentrated mental state where time vanishes and other external factors do not distract us. When we are totally absorbed in what we are doing, present and accounted for, we find joy and happiness even in the most challenging and uncomfortable of situations.

The very words of being ‘present’ and ‘concentrated’ are also associated with meditation and mindfulness. I’ve had only two meditative experiences where I have been completely lost in the breaths, in being aware of my body and the environmental sounds around me. So much so it took me a while to come out of that calm state.

This exact experience has also happened when I’ve had a very challenging or complicated illustration to complete and I’ve found that my mind isn’t necessarily blank or empty, but it’s simply being. Observing. Letting me just work and peacefully letting external brain chatter diminish.

Creating a Practise

The more I started to notice it, the more I actually started to cultivate it. Like a meditive practise. Letting my mind have those doubtful or scared thoughts pop in if work isn’t going right and simply letting them be, acknowledging them, and moving forward with my work.

Allowing myself to keeping pushing through with it no matter how busy or crowded my thoughts were getting, I wouldn’t let them paralyse me from making progress.

Now I apply all that I’ve learnt so far from meditation and use it in my illustration practise. Here are some ways you can do it too:

1. Have you ever been too scared to start a piece of work?

We’ve been there, and it’s not fun. Acknowledge that, take a step back and focus on your breaths to help you just begin. Every meditation practise starts the same. As a human you can’t go from 0-60 and expect for it to work. Much like getting comfortable and emptying your mind before a meditation, do this before starting a new project.  

2. If you’re working and not necessarily gripped with what you’re doing, you may feel your mind start to wander to checking your phone, Facebook or googling the first curious thought that pops into your head.

Once again, take a step back and let those feelings be.

Once you’ve brought your mind back to the task at hand begin again by listening to your breath, external music (if that helps you work) or even just sounds around you. I personally love rainy days as those are my most productive. I have the window open and just listen to the rain, it’s the natural white noise I need to stay focussed.

3. Like a timed meditation practise, time your illustration work.

Set a timer for 60 minutes knowing that afterwards you can go make a tea, check your phone or step outside for a moment. Work, and meditation, flows better when you make structured time rather than loose and unstructured promises.

4. Have regular moments where you become mindful of that present moment.

Perhaps you’ve had a terrible email, or you’ve been having a string of bad luck with work and you’re feeling lack lustre with it.

Take a moment to mindfully stock take everything that you have in your life at that very minute; a loving husband or wife, a warm home filled with your own treasures, a wonderful text message from a friend. It can be a cliché, but if you’re sincere with it you’ll find that those negative interruptions in your day are not worthy of your energy when you have a lot of things to be grateful for.  

Keep Practising!

Practising these four simple steps will open a whole heap of benefits for you, much like meditation too. 

You may feel yourself become less stressed as you work, that the number of times you have negative thoughts in the day will diminish, or simply that you will have more mental energy to tackle other problems. Whatever the benefit, meditation is a proven practise for improving mental and physical health. It’s saved me from many years of depression and anxiety, and I work hard every day to work on at least 10 minutes of meditation.

If you find that right now 10 minutes is not a possibility, try the above steps to integrate meditation into your workday. Sometimes the simple act of just stopping in your tracks before your thoughts runaway with you is a good starting point in feeling empowered with your emotions.  

Now it’s over to you guys!

How do you stay focussed and calm in your workday? Do you work to a meditation practise or do you find other methods work just as well? Please leave your comments below to start the conversation or if you feel like spreading the word feel free to tweet and share below.

Deborah  

Extra Tools:

• Download the Headspace app for free and try ten minutes of meditation a day for 10 days!
• Read The Little Book Of Mindfulness for pocket sized pick-me-ups. 
• Listen to guided meditations thanks to Free Buddhist Audio - download them to your phone or mp3 player and plug in for instant meditations.