Nottingham Etsy Made Local
Another year, another successful Etsy Made Local from the Nottingham Etsy Team!
The girls, yet again, put on amazing event, showcasing not only over 40 stalls of local and handmade talent but a whole host of extra features such as a VIP early access event, candy floss machine, free craft workshops and plenty of festive sparkle.
Another year, another successful Etsy Made Local from the Nottingham Etsy Team!
The girls, yet again, put on amazing event, showcasing not only over 40 stalls of local and handmade talent but a whole host of extra features such as a VIP early access event, candy floss machine, free craft workshops and plenty of festive sparkle.
Amy from Super+Super hosting the free drop in craft workshops to make Christmas decorations.
This was my only fair of the year after spending the past 12 months focussing more on my freelance career and client based projects than on the handmade wares side.
It was so lovely to meet my wonderful customers face to face! I forgot how much I missed doing fairs and markets after spending a year just working from home. I definitely missed the interaction and the chance to be out in the world making lovely human connections that markets bring with them.
A good sign of a super busy event is when you don't find enough time to take the photos you want! I really wanted to share with you some snaps from the event of some of my personal favourite items (which, believe me, is hard to do when every single one of the 40 stalls were amazing!) but since I didn't manage to, here are 5 of the 40 stalls that I'm seriously swooning over:
Delphine and Max
mage from Delphine and Max
I was opposite Delphine and Max at the fair and loved not only their stall set up but all of their beautiful porcelain items! These porcelain and gold earrings in particular stole my heart.
Modflowers
Image from Modflowers
Expert crafter, seamstress and blogger Modflowers' adorable dolls and fairies were a beautifully whimsical and vintage touch to the market. I know these beautiful handmade dolls would look so lovely in our little girls room!
Cocoa Tabby
Image from Cocoa Tabby
As well as having a mouthwatering Etsy shop, Cocoa Tabby also has a bricks and mortar shop in Derby that you can go and visit if you have the restraint to wait and buy her chocolate in person! These Christmas tree chocolate slabs are getting added to my Santa wish list.
Petrichoralia
Image from Petrichoralia
I have a jewellery obsession, especially when it's been made with unusual materials! Petrichoralia's jewellery is made from concrete, and finished with gold and silver for a wonderful mix of industrial and elegance. These concrete and gold earrings are just too beautiful not to share.
Fabritzia Design
Image from Fabritzia Design
I've been coveting Fabritzia Design's work for a long time, but trust me when I say it's even more beautiful in real life! Her prints and cards feel almost too good to give away as gifts, I just want to frame them all, especially this pigeon woodcut.
The end of the fair was also a bit of a calling card for some of the team leaders, including myself! Captain extraordinaire Becky [Becky, Queen of Frocks] has now officially stepped down in order to continue with her studies and work, as well as get married in the next few weeks! One of our social media team leaders, Katherine [Dendiko], will also be leaving the team as she embarks on a teaching career in Egypt. I have also stepped down as leader whilst I prepare for our little girl to be born in March, something I didn't appreciate would consume so much of my time!
The Nottingham Etsy team is now in the good hands of Rachel [REW homeware], who will be taking the helm alongside our remaining leaders Michaela [Blue Stiggy] and Amy [Super + Super] until new leaders have been recruited. I'm still excited to take part within our growing and ever evolving Nottingham Etsy community, and can't wait to see what the girls bring in 2017!
Did you manage to make it to our Etsy Made Local event? If so share your photos on Twitter or Instagram by tagging myself @deborahpanesar or @NottinghamEtsyTeam - we would love to see!
Practising Gratitude
Happy Thanksgiving to all my wonderful US clients / readers / customers!
It may not be a holiday that we celebrate here in the UK, but from my years of watching US sitcoms and shows I've always loved the tradition (and forgive me if this is not a tradition!) of sitting around the table and stating what you're thankful for.
It's so important to take a moment, even if it is just once a year, to show gratitude for what you have rather than constantly thinking of what you don't have.
Happy Thanksgiving to all my wonderful US clients / readers / customers!
It may not be a holiday that we celebrate here in the UK, but from my years of watching US sitcoms and shows I've always loved the tradition (and forgive me if this is not a tradition!) of sitting around the table and stating what you're thankful for.
It's so important to take a moment, even if it is just once a year, to show gratitude for what you have rather than constantly thinking of what you don't have.
It's quite easy to forget all those wonderful little things that make up the the small joys in our day to day lives, especially when the world around us can be chaotic, un-predictable and (especially this year) disappointing. Whether it's personal life or work life, your laser beam focus on what you haven't done, or what you haven't achieved or are lacking can easily over look the other great things that are clearly around you and which, to others, may be what they feel are lacking.
“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”
So here is my compact (but not complete) list of things I'm really grateful for - the small and the big stuff...
My home studio - you are warm, you are cosy, and I don't have to pay separate rent for you
- The Nottingham creative community - in particular the wonderful Nottingham Etsy Team where I feel like I've met my tribe and have a reason to leave the house.
- Spotify ... you have enabled my golden oldie and tacky music habit which has got me through many a deadline.
- My husband - Truly, no other human I'd want to spend this short time on earth with. We created a lovely little phenomena who I can't wait to meet in March - I hope she has your dark hair and un-fazed personality, but not your beard.
- Our daughter - you kicking me in the bladder right now tells me that you're alive and nothing makes me happier. Keep kicking little one.
- My family - extended and blood - who have been my cheerleader and my shoulder to cry on in what's been a year of lows and highs.
- Chocolate malted milks. Whoever thought to whack chocolate on malted milks needs a statue, or a national day. Or both.
- The bin man who actually puts my bins back for me - you don't have to do this, you are a lovely human.
- My neighbour who is always signing for my parcels - you saved me so much time trying to find a car park space at the depot.
- CBT - Thank you for helping me to get my life back. I owe you, and the NHS, so much.
- Yes, the NHS. Always the NHS.
So what are you grateful for today? Feel free to share with me in the comments below, or write it down and keep it safe for a day when things feel like they're really not going your way.
P.S I'm really enjoying this roll I seem to be on with writing posts! Do you want to read more or less? Drop me a line, or tweet @deborahpanesar to me know.
The Guilt of Selling - And How to Work Around It
If you run a business, you know how important selling is. We have to sell in order to survive, and of course to pay for all the fun (and not so fun) stuff that comes along with being an adult (or one that is pretending to be).
After all, only you can keep the proverbial lights on in your small indie empire.
For the vast majority of the year selling and selling tactics don't seem to be an issue - the odd discount code here and there, a sale, a promotion or an offer. They do wonders to bring in new customers and clients and, hopefully, boost sales. But then comes along Christmas and it's foreign cousin, Thanksgiving, who brought their unwanted and shamed twin brother, Black Friday.
Illustration by Deborah Panesar
If you run a business, you know how important selling is. We have to sell in order to survive, and of course to pay for all the fun (and not so fun) stuff that comes along with being an adult (or one that is pretending to be).
After all, only you can keep the proverbial lights on in your small indie empire.
For the vast majority of the year selling and selling tactics don't seem to be an issue - the odd discount code here and there, a sale, a promotion or an offer. They do wonders to bring in new customers and clients and, hopefully, boost sales. But then comes along Christmas and it's foreign cousin, Thanksgiving, who brought their unwanted and shamed twin brother, Black Friday.
It seems Black Friday stirs up some pretty intense feelings in not only customers but also businesses. Black Friday is a mixed review entity.
Like the typical un-liked cousin who turns up for family dinner, you don't want to acknowledge them but there is this sense of obligation to have to accept them and entertain them for all their unlikeable traits.
Personally, I've never wrangled with the sense of guilt around this selling period, perhaps because my customers have been only too engaging in the Black Friday sales I've hosted and the savings it's meant for them. But last year I started to notice a lot of designer-makers share through their social media how they wouldn't be taking part because of the mass consumerist aspect of it, and how instead they would donate to charity or host a sale a different time.
Queue floods of guilt and shame, and also a lot of questions.
If we stand against Black Friday, what does it mean when we do hold promotions and sales during the year? Don't these things entail the same consumerist driving ideals? And what about when we have post Christmas sales? or even, when we're just trying to sell anything?
And down and down the rabbit hole we go.
I came to a pretty stark conclusion that in the end, it would mean no selling at all if you didn't want to be a part of that lifestyle. And as much as that would be a wonderful ideal to live with, it's not necessarily possible with crippling outside forces such as a weakened currency or a more spend wary audience who maybe don't have the disposable income they once did. People are far more careful with how they spend their money, and they want to make the best possible financial choices.
So what can we do, as indie businesses or designer makers to keep our businesses afloat without selling our souls to the Black Friday devil? How can we help our customers, and ourselves, to make more from the money we have?
Firstly, we need to stop feeling guilty for selling, in any shape or form. You are a business, and if you are serious about building your small and perfectly formed indie biz into something bigger & better, or even for the satisfaction of knowing that every penny that pays for your living costs was earned by your hands, then you need to accept that there will be an element of awkward selling.
Hustling is hard. And if it's making you feel uncomfortable then that's probably a good thing because it means you're stepping out of your comfort zone. So keep doing more of it and see what happens.
Secondly you need to look at your business, no one else's, and ask yourself these questions:
- Can my profit margins handle a Black Friday Sale?
- Do I have to mark down all my products, or can it just be a select range?
- How have my sales performed in the previous years of Black Friday?
- What is my customer response to past Black Friday sales?
Only you can answer these questions around your business. If you own an Etsy shop you can check your analytics based on days, months and years via the statistics page to see how sales performed at this period of time, and even see what kind of keywords and tags worked for you to bring in those sales.
Lastly, decide how you'll market the whole thing to stay in line with your brand. A Black Friday super promotion will only feel tacky and salesy if you use the same template as say Amazon or eBay on your own business. So think outside the box and consider some of these ideas:
- Donating some of your Black Friday sales to charity (if your pricing module can handle that)
- Promoting it in a humorous or sarcastic way that actually laughs at Black Friday
- Take discounts off the table and offer free shipping or free gifts instead.
- If using discounts, use them sparingly - only apply it to products that have a decent profit margin and where you will earn a wage from them. Follow this super handy article from Etsy to make sure you're not undercharging your items.
Above all, remember to keep it personal. I can hazard a guess that the main reason people buy from your small business is because you are the face of the brand, and they want to buy something from a human and not some warehouse out in the middle of nowhere. So make sure that every step of your Black Friday journey is unique, individual and personal, just like your brand.
And should all of this still make you curl up and die inside, then Black Friday selling is not for you. Accept it, and plan a different way to generate sales and interest over the peak selling period with either a blog post, newsletter, or maybe a giveaway. Take advantage of the high numbers of people trawling through the internet that weekend, and make it work for you.
This year I have decided to take part in a Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale but only on some selected lines. I'll be releasing more information around this exclusively to my mailing list subscribers, so be sure to sign up if you want this information to land in your inbox!
Freshly added - The Christmas Shop!
Brrrr!
Anyone feeling like we skipped autumn and now it's just winter? It's definitely hibernating season, and with just over 6 weeks till Christmas Day now is a good a time as any to snuggle up at home and do all your gift shopping from the comfort of your sofa and an oversized blanket.
I'm really excited to share with you my fully stocked Christmas Shop which is now open! Some old favourite prints have returned, as well as some brand new Christmas card designs.
Brrrr!
Anyone feeling like we skipped autumn and now it's just winter? It's definitely hibernating season, and with just over 6 weeks till Christmas Day now is a good a time as any to snuggle up at home and do all your gift shopping from the comfort of your sofa and an oversized blanket.
I'm really excited to share with you my fully stocked Christmas Shop which is now open! Some old favourite prints have returned, as well as some brand new Christmas card designs. Check out some of my personal favourites below:
Some other new things...
I have also newly listed two new original drawings in aid of Remembrance Sunday and the Royal British Legion. These come framed and 10% of each sale goes directly to the British Legion charity for the Poppy Appeal.
There are still plenty of bargains available in my Sale Section including these handmade cushion covers, reduced to £16 from £31.
Deborah x
Let's keep making mistakes!
It's been one year since I proclaimed from the rooftops (well, my Tumblr page) that I was going to stop working on my business and to instead pursue designing and illustrating full time.
Reading through this post (which for some reason makes me cringe and want to delete it forever from the eyes of the internet) I can recall so vividly how burnt out, tired and quite dejected I was feeling about the whole thing. The 'tipping point' part of that whole post was true - something needed to change in order to for me to change how I felt.
12 months on, what can I tell you?
It's been one year since I proclaimed from the rooftops (well, my Tumblr page) that I was going to stop working on my business and to instead pursue designing and illustrating full time.
Reading through this post (which for some reason makes me cringe and want to delete it forever from the eyes of the internet) I can recall so vividly how burnt out, tired and quite dejected I was feeling about the whole thing. The 'tipping point' part of that whole post was true - something needed to change in order to for me to change how I felt.
12 months on, what can I tell you?
Well, I did not succeed in making this dream a total reality. I'm here to tell you today that I did not end up making not a particularly smart business / life / wellbeing decision that I only realised the other day.
And I feel so damn positive about the whole thing.
Genuinely, I have never been more ecstatic than realising I had made this mistake. I felt it in my entire body, this happy revelation, that I gave it a damn hard try, and no one can take that away from me. I slogged the year, I trialled and boy did I error. I made some monumental fuck ups, some of which are embarrassing and some of which are truly teachable moments.
Bathe in the glory of your fuck-ups, embarrassment and face-palm-worthy errors because these are your sign posts and slip roads to a new direction.
Some of you might be curious how I came to this state of delusional bliss where I seemingly lost my mind in the many fuck-ups and laughed? It's quite boring really - but I did some sales forecasting.
I kid you not - I spent two days (out of curiosity more than anything) making a detailed year on year comparison of my sales from 2013-2016, which I'll explain below. I've made a template of the model I created should you wish to embark on this mind-numbingly revelation-worthy task [NOTE: remember to save a copy of it, not input your information directly onto it, as it's a public Google Sheet and all your financial information will be shared with everyone which is not good].
The madness first started after reading this super helpful Etsy Blog article, to try and forecast Christmas sales for my shop. And when the results were tallied, all the information from each months revenue and number of sales input into my spreadsheet, I sat back and thought, damn, I underestimated the power of my wonderful little illustrated business.
So then I went off a tangent and I pulled up ALL my accounts for the same timeframe (2013-2016) and started inputting all my revenue information, month by month, year by year, to start painting a picture of what my year on year sales were like. I even went as far as to break this down into the each revenue stream, so I could get a better idea of where my money was coming from.
And when all of that was done, I sat back and looked at the cold hard evidence which only number crunching can give you - and I realised a number of things:
- I made decisions last year based on feelings and not on financial evidence.
- I did not appreciate what I had till I stopped doing it.
- I busted some serious ass this year, and although it wasn't my strongest from a money point of view, it's been the smartest I worked in a long time.
Who knew that all this meaning could come from something as mundane as sales forecasting? Admittedly there are heaps of businesses who do this every year, and are probably wondering why I never got on with this before, and you're right. I'm a little late to this smart financial forecasting party. But I'm here now and I'm loving it.
I'm geared up and I'm positive about where to take my illustrated business.
I'm excited to get back into making and designing products to sell. I can't wait to head out into the world again to meet my customers face to face at craft fairs and events. I'm looking forward to the thrill and the anxiety of launching new ranges and approaching stockists and being so fully immersed once more in the designer maker world.
It's been a learning curve this year working solely as a freelance illustrator whilst my shop took a bit of a backseat - and I've been so grateful for all the projects, commissions and opportunities that came my way. I've learned so much about how I work, function and thrive as an illustrator, and I'm excited to come back to normal business as it was pre 2016.
Most importantly however, the one thing I've learned that I feel you should take with you from this moment on after reading this: Embrace how much this may also be a fuck-up.
No great business ever grew or became the power-house they are without taking some wrong turns; trusting the wrong people, investing money in the wrong thing or even taking their business down a route that maybe wasn't such a good idea. Mistakes = progress and progress is better than sitting and waiting for it all to happen.
So before I leave you to go out into the world and embrace all your error-making ways, that only a human can do, I want to leave you with a profound quote from Amanda Palmer:
““Everyone in this room is going to be gone pretty quickly — and we will have either made something or not made something. The artists that inspire me are the ones that I look at and go, ‘Oh my god — you didn’t have to go there. It would’v been safer not to — but, for whatever reason, you did.’ And every time death happens, I’m reminded that it’s stupid to be safe… Usually, whatever that is — wherever you don’t want to go, whatever that risk is, wherever the unsafe place is — that really is the gift that you have to give.””
Read the full article that this quote was taken from, 'Vincent Van Gogh on Fear, Taking Risks, and How Making Inspired Mistakes Moves us Forward' by Brain Pickings and also take some time to watch this incredible interview with Grace Bonney, the owner of Design*Sponge, on Marie Forleo's blog entitled 'Overcoming Fear, Accepting Imperfection, and the Real Deal with Work Life Balance.'
Now I'd like to hear about your monumental fuck-ups that you're grateful for (if you have anything, perfect human) - leave them in the comments below or tweet them to me @deborahpanesar
Keep up the trial and error and don't be ashamed to shout about it.
All Hallows Eve Style
I love Halloween.
All that weird and wonderful stuff - it's my absolute favourite. And I love seeing people in costumes not taking themselves too seriously. It's all got that magical element to it, like Christmas, where once (or twice) a year you can lend yourself to believing in the afterlife, the paranormal and the unexplained.
It's also that time of year when you get to see some amazingly creative clothes, jewellery and baking ideas! My Pinterest and Instagram has been completely Halloween themed for about 2 weeks now, so I thought I would share with you some of my favourite finds for the season:
Image source: Mindpirates
I love Halloween.
All that weird and wonderful stuff - it's my absolute favourite. And I love seeing people in costumes not taking themselves too seriously. It's all got that magical element to it, like Christmas, where once (or twice) a year you can lend yourself to believing in the afterlife, the paranormal and the unexplained.
It's also that time of year when you get to see some amazingly creative clothes, jewellery and baking ideas! My Pinterest and Instagram has been completely Halloween themed for about 2 weeks now, so I thought I would share with you some of my favourite finds for the season:
How are you spending your Halloween this year?
Deborah x
Illustrators for Mental Health
It's World Mental Health Day, and in celebration of a cause that's quite close to my heart I wanted to share something that combines two aspects of my life; illustration and mental health.
Here are some of my favourite illustrators bringing to life how it feels some days to live with a mental health illness:
©Annie Dornan Smith.
Purchase Illustrated Affirmation print via anniedornansmithdesign.co.uk
It's World Mental Health Day, and in celebration of a cause that's quite close to my heart I wanted to share something that combines two aspects of my life; illustration and mental health.
Here are some of my favourite illustrators bringing to life how it feels some days to live with a mental health illness:
Gemma Correll
Image by Gemma Correll
Fellow graduate from Norwich University of the Arts, Gemma Correll is a British illustrator, writer and comic artist living and working in California. She creates humorous and accurate depictions of what it's like to live with clinical anxiety and depression, and has even written a book entitled The Worriers Guide to Life documenting her candid and hilarious depictions of overthinking in an anxiety riddled world.
“The illustrations were all inspired by my own anxieties and neuroticisms ... I suffer from clinical anxiety and depression and I find that the best way to deal with it is to find humour in it.
I honestly think that humour can be a saviour at times of distress or, if you just live with a constant level of anxiety and depression like I do. ”
Emily Coxhead
©Emily Coxhead
This notebook is the first thing I ever came across from Emily Coxhead, photographer, illustrator and designer based in Chorley, UK. Her work is a fuel injection of positivity and warmth, particularly her creation The Happy Newspaper which she funded through Kickstarter.
“I wanted to create something that celebrated people, their kindness and recognised the magic in people we walk past and know nothing about, the ‘everyday heroes’. I realised there are so many people going through difficult times, from tiny things to humongous, life-changing things. I thought if I could help in a small way through my letters, scribbled notes and silly little drawings, I could maybe make a few people smile and remind them that things will get better.
The simple idea was: there should be a newspaper that does the opposite of all the current newspapers, one that celebrates what’s good in the world and is cool and colourful to look at.”
María Sanoja
©María Sanoja
Brooklyn based artist María Sanoja was mindlessly walking down a street, over-thinking, when she bumped into this exact a-frame. What happened from that moment on was a project that would reveal the amazing contrast between our everyday surroundings and truly the analogue that runs through our minds.
“I was overthinking, as usual, when I bumped into this blackboard outside a café that I pass by every day. I realized that I’m often so absorbed in my own thoughts that I miss the simple, beautiful things that surround me. My overthinking often keeps me from being present.
For 100 days, I will make an effort to be here and now. I will get out of my own head to see what I have been missing. Each day, I will draw something that I notice around me, and I will pair it with whatever it is that I’m overthinking, in an attempt to be more aware and learn to let go.”
Marissa Betley
Artist Marissa Betley's incredible 1 in 4 project is another 100 day illustrated project to help raise awareness of mental health issues which occur, as the project's name so aptly describes, to 1 in 4 adults in their lifetime. The artist interviewed a range of people with varying disorders that include depression and schizophrenia, describing on her website, "these people are our family members, our friends, our co-workers and our neighbours. Love and support makes all the difference."
“Each story has been unique and I have been incredibly inspired by the constant thread of courageousness and bravery showcased by everyone I have interviewed ... It’s not easy to open up about these things, so I am very grateful to all who have contributed in the name of helping others.
What has been most shocking to me is the more I talk about mental health, it seems everyone can relate to the topic, yet so few are talking about it.
”
Siobhan Gallagher
©Siobhan Gallagher
New York based illustrator and designer Siobhan Gallagher, uses her amazing Instagram account (@siogallagher) to share her illustrations that try to de-myth the 'polished' look of the Instagram life, a world we all think is real but is truly not reality.
“We’re imperfect, scared, anxious and depressed – but we’re willing to share and relate to others ... Some social media accounts are so curated and polished to make it seem like people are living perfect lives with perfectly posed experiences and bodies, and that’s just not interesting ... I’d rather share my interior life through drawing, because those thoughts are more real and relatable.”
Autumnal Style
We've been so lucky to have 20 degree days this September, and even that brief week of balmy nights that took me back to a lovely thundery July. However there is also that faint little nip in the air in the morning, and the nights are starting to draw in closer. I feel like I want to start hibernating, to gather all my warm things and build a fort.
We've been so lucky to have 20 degree days this September, and even that brief week of balmy nights that took me back to a lovely thundery July. However there is also that faint little nip in the air in the morning, and the nights are starting to draw in closer. I feel like I want to start hibernating, to gather all my warm things and build a fort.
I've created a treasury this month to reflect this turn in the season, filled with inspirational products from inspirational Etsy sellers from all over the world that inspire that feeling of cosiness that only Autumn can give.
What are you coveting this autumn?
Deborah x
Freelancing and Depression
There's a lot about freelancing which just shouldn't make sense to help depression. In fact, a lot of the elements that make up working from home, or for yourself, can be strong contributors to depression and anxiety; lack of human contact, unusual work hours and the ever ebb and flow of money have certainly been things that have contributed to my own depression.
There is however this unique and hidden gift lying under the crying snotty panic and fear riddled mess you seem to become when you have depression, and that is that freelancing can be your saviour.
There's a lot about freelancing which just shouldn't make sense to help depression. In fact, a lot of the elements that make up working from home, or for yourself, can be strong contributors to depression and anxiety; lack of human contact, unusual work hours and the ever ebb and flow of money have certainly been things that have contributed to my own depression.
There is however this unique and hidden gift lying under the crying snotty panic and fear riddled mess you seem to become when you have depression, and that is that freelancing can be your saviour.
I'm not trying to sell the notion that it will cure depression and anxiety, trust me, there is no sure fire cure. The cure is unfortunately inside yourself. However, from my experience freelancing has given me the rare opportunity to dust myself off and begin the ascent back to a world where you don't lose your shit over not cooking a risotto correctly (This has actually happened. I'll talk about that some other time.)
So I present to you the top 6 elements of working for yourself that can help you in your depression:
You can work to your schedule
Whether that is an emotional schedule, physical schedule, or an actual work load that needs to be handled, you have the flexibility to fit everything in to your day the way you want. The 9-5 grind is merciless and unforgiving to your sudden feelings of hopelessness that could crop up mid-meeting or even on an idle visit to the photocopier.
When you work from home you can work to the beat of your own drum, even if that drum is beating a little erratic one day and slow the next.
Flexibility for those all important appointments
Let's face it, like any illness you need to get medical help if you want to make some sort of recovery. The mind is the same. I have CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and it's an absolute godsend. I love having someplace to go, once a week, where I feel I'm making a positive impact on my mental illness.
The time and day I go for my sessions would be a nightmare to arrange in an office job. And think of all that sick leave ... possibly no sick pay ... No thank you. Even if I'm not functioning even 80% of the time at work, at least I am able to make it into my home studio around my appointments and know that no other time was needed to be taken off.
Cry ugly, freely - and then pick yourself up
I probably spent around 70-90% of my time crying when my depression was at it's worst. 50% of that time was bent over my keyboard sorting my emails which were getting backlogged. But that is totally ok.
There was no Janet from HR pulling me out to try and motivate me to pull it together so I could carry on with my day, or risk of causing a scene in front of my colleagues. I could cry and cry at my desk, and when I was all spent with crying I could carry on with what I was doing without anyone else passing judgement on it.
No crazy boss or superior-other hanging over you
It's hard at the best of times to get work done when you have someone breathing down your neck, but when your depression is making you function less than productive, and you work for a big corporation, that can be an issue.
Now I'm guilty of not adhering to this advice because part of my present problem is that my perfectionism makes me my own cruel and unforgiving boss, however if you are a freelancer who loves the freedom from being your own boss then relish in this fact.
The only deadlines and targets are your own, and you make your workload as heavy or light as you need it. You don't have a quota to reach for someone else's profit, you can just work to your own values and goals without destroying your mental wellbeing.
No clean laundry? Not washed your hair in weeks? You're golden
Everyone always goes to the standard stereotype of a freelancer being someone who gets to work in their pyjamas all day, and frankly I resent it because I loathe working in my pyjamas. I always endeavour to get dressed like I'm going out to work because it puts me in a good headspace.
But when your headspace is pretty foggy and full of negative thoughts and feelings it can be a comfort to know that life can still go on from your desk, even if you're not dressed for it. And even if you have to have an anxiety induced Skype call with a client you can be rest assured that you only need to be dressed for an hour and then normal service can resume.
Remind yourself: You're living the dream
When you're having the darkest days, remember that you are working a job that (hopefully) brings you joy and is your passion. I have days when I doubt what I doing, the career I've chosen and what it all means. I doubt the choices I'm making, and berate myself for bad ones. But the one thing that lifts the dark clouds is a gentle reminder of the jobs I left behind, the ones that didn't bring me creativity, joy or diversity, and that now I'm not living that life. I'm living a life where I get to draw everyday. And that's something pretty special right?
Remember though, if you do work in an office or salaried environment you do have rights regarding your mental health, including the right to not work in an environment where there is stigma attached to mental health.
Make sure you don't suffer in silence. Have at least 3 people who know the ins and outs of what's going on so you don't feel the need to carry the heavy burden alone, if you're working in an office or from home. See them as your lifelines and trust them with your personal information. It makes all the difference between isolation and recovery.
And if you are suffering from any of the topics covered above, or know someone who is, there is plenty of support out there. Organisations like Mind and The Blurt Foundation have tons of information on their websites to help guide you in perhaps finding treatment or for helping a loved one.
Sending out all the good vibes (even to myself),
Deborah x
Deborah Panesar Textiles shop is now here!
I am SO excited to FINALLY reveal my brand new online store: Deborah Panesar Textiles!
I am SO excited to FINALLY reveal my brand new online store: Deborah Panesar Textiles!
For the past few months I've been working hard to create a new Etsy store just for all my textile pieces, which I have felt needed a separate home rather than being muddled amongst my stationery pieces.
It's been a true labour of love, working hard to improve on my previous lines with new fabrics, linings and a whole new look, as well as working on creating 'seasons' of designs. After having to delay it's launch due to delays, problems with printing and a spot of poor health, the store is now live and kicking and features some old favourites as well as spring/summer16 designs. New products, and my Autumn/Winter16 collection, will available from October so keep your eyes peeled for exciting new things!
Feel free to browse my new store via Etsy, and should you wish to see new products when they're revealed either click 'favourite shop' or sign up to mailing list (no spam, I promise!)
Freshly added to the shop...
It's been a busy time in the studio recently getting ready to launch my second Etsy shop, whilst updating my old lines in my current store.
Take a look at some of the new, and old, products that are now back in stock and available through Etsy.
It's been a busy time in the studio recently getting ready to launch my second Etsy shop, whilst updating my old lines in my current store.
Take a look at some of the new, and old, products that are now back in stock and available through Etsy.
New card designs available as well restock of old prints.
My Origami writing sets have also had a little face lift! There's a new design sneaked in there too...
As always I love to hear what you think! Please feel free to drop me a line, or even fill out this questionnaire with feedback on my service, products and work.
Deborah x
Nottingham Etsy Craft Party (Photos + Video)
Last month saw the Nottingham Etsy team's busiest meet up as we hosted a tie-dye event for the annual Etsy Craft Party!
On a rare and beautifully sunny day in Beeston, our team members came to fold, clamp, peg and tie their belongings to make beautiful tie-dye creations! With 4 different tie-dye colours to choose from, we dyed everything from pretty dresses to bed sheets, t-shirts to trainers!
Last month saw the Nottingham Etsy team's busiest meet up as we hosted a tie-dye event for the annual Etsy Craft Party!
On a rare and beautifully sunny day in Beeston, our team members came to fold, clamp, peg and tie their belongings to make beautiful tie-dye creations! With 4 different tie-dye colours to choose from, we dyed everything from pretty dresses to bed sheets, t-shirts to trainers!
It was incredible seeing everyones creations unfold, with so much imagination used in each piece!
A huge thanks goes out to all of our members who came along, as well as the other fellow Nottingham Etsy team leaders Rachel Ward, Becky Kennedy, Michaela Bere, Katherine Jaiteh and Amy Phipps of which the event wouldn't have been possible!
Special thanks as well to Daniel Hughes for photographing the event, and Avnish Panesar for creating an amazing promo video which you can watch below.
Our next team event is next week on the 14th July, and will be a two part seminar on how to create a blog for your craft business! It will be hosted by blogger Mike Aspinall of The Crafty Gentleman and held at Rough Trade on Broad Street, Nottingham.
If you would like to book, tickets are available through our Facebook Event page but are limited so be sure to book in advance.
Deborah x
Thought Catalogue & Brianna Wiest
It's been a busy old time in the studio working on lots of top secret projects, however I'm really excited to share with you some new work which I have created for Brianna Wiest's book, The Truth About Everything.
I was commissioned to create the new cover for the books re-release, published through Thought Catalogue.
It's been a busy old time in the studio working on lots of top secret projects, however I'm really excited to share with you some new work which I have created for Brianna Wiest's book, The Truth About Everything.
I was commissioned to create the new cover for the books re-release, published through Thought Catalogue.
"Life is an uncertain morphing of the beautiful and devastating, the reckless and ordained, the inconsequential and cataclysmal. In this first compilation of her work, Brianna Wiest writes about her own experiences uncovering the life's greatest truths. The selected pieces are ones you'll turn to when you are in need of answers, comfort or a little tough love. Brianna writes from a place of solace and understanding, as "The Truth About Everything" asks you to challenge what you thought to be true, take the spiritual journey, and come out on the other end with your own story to tell."
You can pre-order Brianna's novel through Thought Catalogue, or purchase earlier copies of the book through Amazon.
Deborah x
Nottingham Etsy Craft Party
Really excited to announce this years Craft Party will be tie-dye themed! Myself and the Nottingham Etsy Team have been working hard for the past few months to make this years Craft Party a hands-on summer crafting extravaganza.
Really excited to announce this years Craft Party will be tie-dye themed! Myself and the Nottingham Etsy Team have been working hard for the past few months to make this years Craft Party a hands-on summer crafting extravaganza.
Not heard of the Craft Party?
Every year Etsy invites all local teams from around the world to host their own Craft Party for their team members to get stuck in to fun crafting sessions whilst meeting up with other likeminded and local sellers. It's a perfect chance for Etsy sellers and non-etsy members to get out of the studio, connect and create!
This year we'll be hosting our tie-dye event at Beeston Youth Community Centre On 19th June, our main crafting activity being tie-dye however hosting some smaller DIY tables for make and takes as well. Refreshments and treats will also be on offer!
If you're interested in coming along to our event (open to everyone! Not just Etsy members) you can see more details plus book tickets through our Facebook Event page.
For some tie-dye inspo we also have created a Pinterest board with lots of ways and garments to tie-dye!
If you're an Etsy seller and not yet part of a local team you can join one today by searching the local teams page.
We hope to see you on the 19th!
Deborah x
A Honeymoon in Cancun, Mexico
**DISCLAIMER - This post is unapologetic holiday spam**
For any of you who have followed my blog/social media profiles for a while you'll know that it's taken myself and Avnish a little while to get around to booking our honeymoon - 2 years in fact. We knew we wanted to do something big for our honeymoon, to visit somewhere we would never usually get the opportunity to go to, so we spent the good part of our first 2 years of marriage saving to go to Cancun.
And the verdict? It was well worth the wait and the hard earned cash saved.
**DISCLAIMER - This post is unapologetic holiday spam**
For any of you who have followed my blog/social media profiles for a while you'll know that it's taken myself and Avnish a little while to get around to booking our honeymoon - 2 years in fact. We knew we wanted to do something big for our honeymoon, to visit somewhere we would never usually get the opportunity to go to, so we spent the good part of our first 2 years of marriage saving to go to Cancun.
And the verdict? It was well worth the wait and the hard earned cash saved.
Turquoise seas, incredible wildlife and possibly one of the most hospitable places we've ever been to, Mexico truly is a destination of dreams.
When we holiday myself and Avnish usually like to do A LOT and walk EVERYWHERE but we made a pact to keep this holiday completely relaxed. I didn't think it would be possible to switch my mind off for 10 whole days but it turns out I can sit on a beach and do nothing at all, and I loved it.
Don't get me wrong, we also did a few excursions to visit some of the local sights:
Chichen Itza via Ik Kil sinkhole
Now classed as one of the new seven wonders of the world, Chichen Itza is the site of one of the most famous Mayan temples.
Before we headed to see the ancient ruins, our tour guides took us on an unexpected trip to visit a shaman and then to swim in a sinkhole at Ik Kil.
Xcaret Ecological Park
The second excursion we booked was the visit Xcaret in the heart of the jungle - an eco-archaeological park where you can experience the history and traditions of Mexico alongside their native animals and birds.
On arrival to the park you're guided to drop off your things in secured lockers before strapping on a life jacket and flippers to swim through one of their three natural rivers that flow through the park. We chose the cave river, swimming amongst small fishes and under bats in cool caves that opened up to thick jungle with macaws sitting right at the waters edge.
After this we took a jungle river tour, visited the huge aviary and butterfly house, saw turtles, stingrays, sharks and dolphins, visited a Mexican chapel and graveyard and watched a traditional horse show and fertility ritual.
As if this really wasn't all enough, the whole day ends with a show spectacular (which we managed to get front row seats for) that tells of Mexico's history with a flourish of costume and dances and also a live rendition of how the Mayan ball game was played.
Cancun as a place was also so incredibly beautiful, and kept so immaculately clean! I was a little dubious as to whether I'd like to be in a heart of a tourist resort, given that our usual holidaying is to stay as traditional and local as possible, but it was actually quite a nice change for us to do the overly touristy thing and stay all inclusive in a resort.
I'll certainly miss the free bar and puddings, not that my body will.
It's so hard to believe that it was a week ago that we were having our last day in the sun. Truly, it was the trip of a lifetime and I can't even begin to tell you how much inspiration I found out there in the fabrics, paintings and costumes let alone the actual landscape and wildlife that lived there.
The whole trip has sparked heaps of new ideas and projects that I am just too excited to keep to myself. Think a Mexican animal inspired print and possibly revisiting an old creation ... I won't say more!
Deborah x
Adios Amigos!
As I write to you this week I'm taking absolute pleasure in writing every kind of list as we pack to head off on our honeymoon!
Avnish and I will not only be celebrating our 9 year anniversary together, but our 2nd wedding anniversary whilst in the balmy heat of Cancun, Mexico. This trip is actually going to be our honeymoon, a vacation that has been 2 years of planning and saving in the making. We haven't been on holiday in 3 years so needless to say we're extremely excited to be getting some sun and sand for 2 weeks.
Because I will be off adventuring this is just a little post to let you all know that my Etsy and Notonthehighstreet.com stores will be closed from Friday 29th April until 12th May. All orders must be placed on or before the 28th, especially if you want to make the most of my Spring Sale which has been going on over in my Etsy shop.
I also wanted to keep you all up to date with some really exciting projects that I've been working on this month:
Collaboration with Mr Panesar Design
Fittingly enough the first of my new projects has been a collabotayion with my husband Avnish - together we've created gig posters for legends Led Zeppelin and of course The Boss, Bruce Springsteen. These designs are available as prints in Avnish's shop.
New Pattern: A Llama Folk Tale
You may have seen my vibrant llama pattern at the top of this post, which I'm really excited to say is now available to purchase on products in my Society6 shop. I've loved creating this new summery pattern as it's pushed me out of my pencil drawing comfort zones to dabble with painting; a medium I'm not usually too confident in.
Submission for the Spoonflower x Sprout Pattern competition
Last but not least (and this is kind of my favourite) a Japanese Garden inspired print for Spoonflower's April design challenge! Voting closes tomorrow 6pm EDT (10pm GMT) and what's better you can vote for more than one design! I voted for 10 because there is just so many lovely designs!
I'm excited to share with you all my Mexican experience when I return next month, perhaps in a bumper visual blog post! If you can't possibly wait till mid May then be sure to follow me on Instagram (@deborahpanesar) and Snapchat (dbillustrations) as I'll be documenting some of our adventure.
Until next month!
Deborah x
The Craft Off x Nottingham Etsy Team
Last week saw our Nottingham Etsy Team collaborate with The Craft Off to bring an evening of fast paced and competitive crafting!
Hosted with our friends Rough Trade Nottingham, The Craft Off is like Art Attack meets pub quiz: Our attendees were given an hour to craft under a secret theme with only a select range of materials available. The winners being named Craft Off victors and winning some incredible prizes!
Last week saw our Nottingham Etsy Team collaborate with The Craft Off to bring an evening of fast paced and competitive crafting!
Hosted with our friends Rough Trade Nottingham, The Craft Off is like Art Attack meets pub quiz: Our attendees were given an hour to craft under a secret theme with only a select range of materials available. The winners being named Craft Off victors and winning some incredible prizes!
Our theme for the evening (since we were hosting the event at the legendary Rough Trade) was 'dancing shoes' and the breadth of creativity was absolutely amazing to see!
Our winners were extremely lucky to win a heap of craft prizes: Workshop vouchers from The Bead Shop and Sunflower Design, Rough Trade gift cards, Etsy goodie bags as well as exclusive Craft Off prints designed by myself, printed by Dizzy Ink.
Poster designed for The Craft Off event
Photo by Dan Hodgett
Prints coming soon to The Craft Off shop
Photo by Dan Hodgett
I was also so bowled over by the generosity of Steph and Rhea (The Craft Off organisers) who so kindly got me a gift for my help in organising the event!
We had such a blast working on creating this event not only for our Team members but also for the local Nottingham crafting community - there's no greater sight than watching people come together to find joy in the handmade, even if it's for a slightly competitive reason!
Until our next event, here's a beauty pageant-esque photo of me holding a giant crayon.
Photo by Dan Hodgett
Deborah x
Misses Wrap Dress
It may have taken me over a year to get around to making this vintage 1952 dress but it was so worth the wait. I'm in love, and now I've made one I want to make 100's of the things in every colour and pattern combination!
It may have taken me over a year to get around to making this vintage 1952 dress but it was so worth the wait. I'm in love, and now I've made one I want to make 100's in every colour and pattern combination!
I discovered the pattern like everyone else - through the Great British Sewing Bee - and instantly saw the potential for some awesome contrast combinations to happen! So when I finally got round to sorting it I decided to order my Crystal print in it's original grey pencil design from Spoonflower on combed cotton, plus some plain black polycotton. I used plain black bias taping to contrast against my pencil repeat pattern and added some of my grandma's vintage buttons to the front to add an even more personal touch.
I'd quite like to make this in my Crane, Swallow, Frog design (imagine it with light pink contrast!) for a more spring look, or even in my Bones print for something a bit more alternative. That's the joy of this pattern, you can really make it so unique in it's design that the combinations are endless!
Now that I feel totally invincible (sewing wise) I'm pretty excited to get started soon on my next dress pattern from Simple Sew with their Trudy Dress - Wednesday Adams vibe here I come!
Have any of you had a project that you've been putting off which you want to finally finish? Have you also attempted this dress pattern?
Hope you're having a great start to the week, and hopefully a productive one by the end!
Deborah x
Draw it, Print it, Ink it Publication
It's been pretty exciting here in the studio this weekend as I received my own copy of Draw it, Print it, Ink it by Pepper Baldwin, a new temporary tattoo book which features one of my custom temporary tattoo illustrations!
When I opened my Etsy shop back in 2010, temporary tattoos were one of my first initial products to hit the shelves, and you guys have been loving them ever since! Whilst launching and running my own lines, I have worked on a few temporary tattoo designs for other companies such as Pepper Ink, run by Pepper Baldwin, one of which you can now see in her latest publication!
It's been pretty exciting here in the studio this weekend as I received my own copy of Draw it, Print it, Ink it by Pepper Baldwin, a new temporary tattoo book which features one of my custom temporary tattoo illustrations!
When I opened my Etsy shop back in 2010, temporary tattoos were one of my first initial products to hit the shelves, and you guys have been loving them ever since! Whilst launching and running my own lines, I have worked on a few temporary tattoo designs for other companies such as Pepper Ink, run by Pepper Baldwin, one of which you can now see in her latest publication!
Draw it, Print it, Ink it helps is a fantastic resource and guide to help delve into the world of temporary tattoos - from using templates to figuring out size and placement, as well as giving step by step guides to creating your own tattoos at home. The remainder of the book is a beautiful source of inspiration, broken down neatly into different categories.
And here is my little illustration! These herb illustrations were commissioned by Pepper last year and I'm so excited to now see them make the pages of her new publication.
If you're interested in creating your own temporary tattoos and fancy having a copy of Pepper's new book, you can purchase it through Amazon and it's publisher Octopus Books.
You can also view my own range and collection of temporary tattoo designs which include mermaids, unicorns, foxes and ships, through my Etsy Shop.
Happy Sunday!
Deborah x
Be Brave, Not Perfect
Ever had a month where work feels like it just is a relentless battle of one chaotic failure after another? That was the entirety of my March. Frankly, when April 1st hit I was glad to be out of that month believing I had some curse hanging over me.
It's pretty easy to displace the blame to other people, and even easier to look inwards and start blaming yourself too when things go wrong.
Art print by Elise Blaha Cripe for the Get to Work Book.
Ever had a month where work feels like it just is a relentless battle of one chaotic failure after another? That was the entirety of my March. Frankly, when April 1st hit I was glad to be out of that month believing I had some curse hanging over me.
It's pretty easy to displace the blame to other people, and even easier to look inwards and start blaming yourself too when things go wrong.
You didn't land that dream client because your works shit and therefore you are a pretty shit person. You had that fight with a close personal other because it's a reflection of how terrible you are. You haven't been paid in over a month because you're hopeless and you'll always be hopeless. See the picture?
I recently watched an amazing TED talk from Reshmi Saujani titled 'Teach girls bravery, not perfection' and I started to become aware of something so blindingly obvious.
How many of my failures have been a result of not being brave enough? Sorry, scrap that. How many times have I NOT attempted to fail because I haven't been brave enough?
I've always been a massive perfectionist, to the point of reducing myself to tears if I believed I had not followed some homework instructions properly or not getting a piece of work right. It's always been in built into my personality, and because of that I don't usually take a lot of risks because I already perceive myself to have already failed even before I've tried. I have created these little safeguards which I use to protect myself from any possibility of being hurt.
I think of what it is to be brave and just do and I see that the root of my current problems - creative block, lack of new work, loss of interest and belief in my illustrating capabilities - is because I seem to have forgotten what it is to try and be brave. To be open minded to a world of possibilities without having so many safeguards in place to keep me from getting hurt emotionally.
In Reshma's talk she talks about the difference in how boys and girls are raised, how this has a profound effect on girls to seek perfectionism more so than boys, and when I look at my husband I can see where she is coming from. There is so much in him that I admire; courage, bravery, and the ability to just start things. I don't ever see him sitting in front of a blank sketchbook crippled with fear of doing rough drawings wrong, and if there's an opportunity for a new brief I don't see him losing his mind trying to figure out every minute detail.
Perhaps it's a gender thing, and perhaps boys are raised differently. That could be only a partial piece of a much greater puzzle. There are plenty of brave women (if anyone's been watching the new series of The Island you'll know who I'm on about) and there are plenty of perfectionist men. Perhaps the key lies in cultivating bravery in people, to teach everyone the value of not being afraid to fail.
Failure is such a terrible word and I genuinely wish we could eradicate it from all vocabulary. Nothing good ever came from telling someone they were a failure, or from someone telling themselves that they are a failure. Nor does anything good come from people trying to avoid failure.
Think back to school days and how disappointed you would feel to see the words FAIL on a test. This negative way of grading, of putting people into organised categories, shrinks the world and makes most people believe that they are limited. We know that there are people who break those limitations in the world, who never let those failures hold them back and who go on to do incredible things, but somehow that message might not get through to those few of us who just don't believe that we could ever be that brave.
It's probably a storyline that will take a while to adapt and shift, but even if it's just one small thing every day that pushes your perfectionist limits to the brink, then that is a positive change.
For me, I'm working on shedding my perfectionist ways (but not too much, I'm not a maniac) and trying to open my mind to the possibility that it's never too late to be brave and make a change. I've been making small changes to my work routine to try and cultivate more daring and free illustration and so far I'm already feeling a little less stifled. We can only hope that by May I will be an illustration anarchist...
Until then, I hope you all find bravery in the small day to day!
Deborah x