fellow travellers...

I am a firm believer that our stories are not for us alone.  They are for us to give courage, support and wisdom to each other, our fellow travellers.  I take these things from each of you and hope to give it back in some small way.  I want to say thank you to all who read my blog, for sharing your comments and for being a part of this journey, my journey...   I really love reading and appreciate you kind words and I am constantly amazed at how small the world is getting and how big my own little world has become... thank you

dorky little things...

(final painting in my latest series... not quite finished)

This piece above is a lead in to my next series of works for July, which is about childhood friends, imaginary and otherwise...

Time management is an interesting thing... it is something I think I am ok at and do quite well.  I have these silly, dorky little things that I do to help me get things done, I am going to share them with you, but don't laugh...

Ok here goes... I tell myself "the more I do today, the happier Katherine of tomorrow will be"...  If I paint the last three arms, get the last few backgrounds ready or do a page of faces tonight then it will make the Katherine of tomorrow happier, that will be one less thing she will have to add to her to do list in the morning.  I often think of my future self and how I can help her out and it works for me... do I sounds crazy?

The other thing I do is to try to do at least one thing each day (apart from the weekend, unless I feel like it) towards my creative business.  Even if it is just a bit of filing, sorting out the ongoing mess on my kitchen table, a little online research or finishing off a little something on a painting etc... It is going to make less work for me tomorrow.   I like to be on top of what there is to be done, with a busy family life, work commitments, friends etc... I have got to really.

After I have finished this e-course I am thinking of doing a post on how I create my girls... if anyone is interested?

what's at the back of your mind...

Even though I have not done any art (apart from the one above) this weekend, I sure have been thinking, talking and breathing it...  this e-course has really got my mind going.  I have been thinking of my whole art package, what look do I want my work to convey,  what do I love doing/making, and what do I want to offer my customers... then how can I combine these things to make me jolly proud of what I do.

What I love doing...

• drawing
• painting
• sewing
• sticking bits of paper together
• making books

What I am thinking of trying...

• a range of original paintings in a few different sizes
• a selection of prints from my favourite originals
• some kind of character development... 5 - 7 different personalities that feature in my work
• developing a few animal like characters based on my girls into soft toys.
• a selection of magnets and post card sets from my favourite originals
• a series of original drawings based on the girls and animal characters
• handmade notebooks featuring a drawing on the front

So that is what has been on my mind lately...  As well as the ALL WHITES!!!  dreaming the impossible dream!!!

is your brain the same as mine...

You may notice a few changes on my blog layout, I've added an etsy and a felt page, a portfolio page, a news update page and a few others...  I have also linked my web address (www.sleepandhersisters.co.nz) to this blog until I get a real live website sorted.

I have done a few more of the little drawings I mentioned in my last post...  and have also done another one of the collage girls, although there is not actually a lot of collage in them... (I am still working on that).  I am realising that all this has come from me struggling with the development of my style.  As well as soft and subtle I am also really attracted to strong colours and everything in between.  Like Amelie, I just love the colours in that movie, the greens and reds... and every time I see it I feel an intense urge to add that strong colour element to my work.  Which inevitably always, always ends in a disaster.  It really frustrates me no end!!!  I like to look at it but I can't replicate the feeling it gives me into my own work... I am slowly learning that it is ok to love what I see and love what I do and for them to be quite different.

Although I have this internal battle with the ongoing development of my work, I think to some extent I already have a unique style and it is something that people recognise as being me.  Like the first time I finished one of my pendants and I wore it into town.  As a sales assistant passed me in a shop she pointed to my pendant and said "that looks like a Katherine Quinn".   I smiled and said "it is, I made it last night"...  that is a nice feeling.

I think I my brain works too fast for my hands sometimes... is your brain the same as mine?

something a little different...

I went to the craft 2.0 yesterday and got really inspired to draw again thanks to minu.  I used to do lots of drawings like these before I would do a painting, and I really do miss doing them.  I have never really thought they were anything special, they were just my ideas.   But now I see that that fact in itself makes them very special and important.  I have decided to do a series of these for my exhibition.  I am also thinking that this might also be a good chance to give the girls some proper arms and hands (I know I have said this, and attempted this many times before, but maybe this time it might actually work out)?   I think this is a big part that is stopping me from progressing with a children's book.  I keep thinking what kind of book has a picture of a girl standing there with extra long arms and no hands on each and every page?  Well I can't think of any story line that would fit...  So I am going to spend the next few days playing around with these little drawings, I am thinking of about 39 of them in total.

some kind of wonderful...

Well I am feeling much better now, thanks everyone for all your well wishes...  I had another go with this piece and am feeling much happier with her then I was before.

I think I have mentioned before that I am part of what I called our local etsy group... well we have grown into some kind of wonderful.  We are now a group of passionately creative Kiwi's with a diverse range of skills and expertise and we have started a website/blog  http://www.newzealandhandmade.co.nz.  I see this as a place for everyone to get ideas, support, advise and probably a few laughs, so go take a look, leave a comment, and let me know what you think.

I probably shouldn't have...

This piece above is what was left after I had an idea that didn't work out so good...  I probably shouldn't have started it really, I have a silly head cold and can't seem to think straight.   So I have put her in my 'to do folder' and have just made a big pot of soup, lit the fire and I am watching Oprah, it is sunny outside but so very chilly and it feels good to be snuggling down.  

I am off on a road trip to Wellington early on Saturday morning to have a look around Craft 2.0... I am going with some members of our little etsy group that has now developed into New Zealand Handmade (more on that soon) and I can't wait!  I just hope I can shake this cold before then...

here I am falling...

Over the last few days I've been thinking about my fears and I have decided that it's probably not the fear as such, it is actually the power that I am giving these fears that is the scary part...  After writing them out they don't look so bad on paper, but in my head a few of them were huge, so here they are...

• I am scared of losing my job and what that means for me and my family financially, although one of my dreams is to be a full time artist,  I think the leap to do this is super scary and the self doubt starts to creep in... "you could never do this, you are not good enough"!!! 
• I fear waking up and the creativeness that has flowed through me my whole life has gone, gone for good.
• people are disappointed in me... 
• I will never have a good idea for a children's book, I have a lot of bits and pieces of ideas but nothing substantial yet.
• failure scares me.

 We were also asked the question "what would you do if you knew you would not fail" After listing the last fear above this really made me smile... I would do everything, I would do it all.

dreams, fears and everything in between...

(dream a little dream of me)

We are four days into the first week of Kelly Rae's e-course and it has bought up a whole lot of interesting thoughts.... Firstly she encouraged us to think about our dreams, goals and our passions.  Then the question was asked "What would you do if you knew you would not fail"... what were our fears.

So here are my creative dreams so far (in no particular order)...

• write and publish a series of children's books with a wonderful and supportive publisher.
• to have a licencing deal and produce a beautiful range of stationery and products.
• work full time as an artist earning a good living doing what makes me happy.
• earn enough to be able to travel and visit my new friends around the world.
• surround myself with people who I love, who are emotionally supportive and who love me for who I am and what I believe.
• be involved in the creative community in Hawke's Bay and New Zealand.
• nurture the HB/NZ handmade group I am a part of to become a big presence in the online world.
• develop a stunning website with a clever designer
• take part in an art retreat in the states.
• a dream I would like to be a part of would be to have a local art supplies shop that would have a cute little gallery and café attached.

I am still working on my fears... they are harder then dreams, I know what the fears feel like but I'm finding it hard to put them into words.

particular colour palette...

Well last night I settled down to do a little collageing...It took me ages to get going and I kept finding other things that need doing first, like emptying my pencil sharpener barrel, which wasn't even full.  Usually I only do this when the top is bursting off with far too many shavings! but eventually I got started.   I realise looking at them now that I seem to be attracted to a very particular colour palette and found it quite hard to steer away from these colours.  I guess most people have a colour palette they like to stick to, mine seems to be greeny, bluy, creamy with a dash of redy pink.

As I was doing them I kept trying to imagine my girls in there somewhere and I just couldn't, well not yet anyway and maybe not at all?  Tonight as the rain is falling (again) and the fire is roaring, I am going to add another layer and see what happens.  This could be a really good way of using up all my scraps of paper I have lying around.