This past year has been a year of "awakening" and growth for me in my designs. I've had my share of "growing pains" in the past with my art where things didn't always work out how I hoped--I was busy juggling other good things, and my art was constantly taking a back seat. Which is not bad, as I was busy with my two beautiful babies which I had practically back to back in 2006 and 2007. Between 2003 and 2006, I went through a period of infertility and miscarriage between my oldest son and my middle daughter, which made me think that I wouldn't be so lucky to get pregnant right away if I tried for a third. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I found out I was pregnant with my little boy, Colin, just one month after we started trying. Go figure! You can imagine the excitement I had, and the nervous feelings of inadequacy in reaction to my fast growing family.
Besides my focus changing dramatically, there really are numerous reasons why I felt stuck in such a rut with my art. Number one, not knowing the computer well enough as a design tool (I was known in college for my thick impasto oil paint style, the computer was truly my nemesis. However, oil painting is not exactly kid-friendly, so learning the computer seemed necessary.) Number two, not getting out enough to explore for inspiration. I think I missed what was going on beyond the walls of my own home and neighborhood for a good 2 years. Number three, being diagnosed with ADD (attention deficit disorder) and battling whether or not to try medication as a means of help. Number 4, not practicing drawing on a regular basis--you ever hear of the concept: you don't use it, you loose it? Well, rusty was what I was becomming for sure! Numbers 5-100... just so many things going on in my life during that time, that my art was starting to lack a certain freshness.
But this year, I have come to know that there truly is a time and season for all things, and perhaps now, I am starting to come into a season of art discovery. That is one of the beauties of art and design...it is flexible, it will be there for you when you are ready for it, it will evolve, grow and change over time, and is naturally an expression of the many things that influence you in your life. My little ones are now a little older (2 and 4), and are better at self entertaining...allowing me a little more Mommy time. I have also forced myself to learn the computer and discover what it has to offer as a design tool--I'm actually liking it a lot, and do I dare say that my nemesis is now my best design friend? I have been able to get out a whole heck of a lot more with my little ones being older...I'm able to see what's going on in the outside world...and when I'm not able to get out as much as I would like in a week, I treat myself to an "internet exploration trip," and see what hot trends are creeping up into popular culture--this can be dangerous though, as this practice has fed my shoe addiction all too well. As for my ADD, after a long inward battle, I decided to try ADD meds, and have been pleasantly surprised at how well they allow me to focus and organize my life, while I still attain my creativity and imagination. Heck, I don't know why I was so apprehensive about going that route, as it really has been such a Godsend to me (and my family.) I have also been practicing my drawing skills on a daily basis with all of the digital dies I do for the
Silhoutte Store each week. This single activity has probably contributed to the largest amount of growth I've seen in my art in the last year. It's fun to create little images, without having to commit to the whole concept of a product line...and ironically, by making little drawings and images every day, I am OVERFLOWING with ideas and concepts for my other larger projects. Making little pictures has literally taken out the intimidation of getting started on a paper or fabric line, so much so, that my little notebook is full of little notes, more than an year's worth of ideas planned out...just waiting to escape and leap onto my Adobe Illustrator art board. Yippee!
I am so grateful for all the experiences that I have had over the past few years which have brought me through this growth in design. With the literal evolution in my creative processes, I thought that it was high time to celebrate it with a brand new look in my logo. I am changing my plain black and white signature logo to a colorful logo that symbolizes creative freedom (through the bird and olive branch), and the belief that art exploration should be continuous and is good (this is symbolized through the curling swirls extending beyond the frame which hint at this out-of-the-box continuous creative exploration) also the idea that I should "keep it fun, but real" which is symbolized in the playful color scheme grounded with brown. I am excited to unveil my new logo which epitomizes my new outlook on design and art.
Old logo...
