New Mailers and a Dose of Cute

Hooray my new postcards are in!  They look great.  Now to mail them out.  I just remembered I need to design a label with my info for the backs…So a new design, more labels, some printing and off they go.  I’ll put some in the shop as well.  

In un-related news: Look what I found hiding in the bathtub the other night:

Oh, hello.

Goal Check In

So how have I been doing on this month’s goals?  Well…pretty ok, actually.  Yes, I have a bunch of loose ends to tie up before I can go crossing everything off my list, but that’s alright.  That’s what this last week is for right?  

In case you need a little pick me up, my Hello flat card (above) is available in the shop, and would love to go home with you.  I’ll also be adding a few other cards as soon as I get them.  And hopefully I’ll have a few exciting announcements by the end of the month as well!

The Garden Grows Green Green Green

Remember a month ago we made those raised beds and planted all those seeds?  Well, a bit to my surprise, everything is actually growing!  Probably greatly helped by the plentiful summer showers we’ve been having the last few weeks.  See what I mean?  

For those of you who need more garden happiness, there are more over on Flickr.  

By the way, how is everyone doing on their Modish Biz Tips Goals?  Hmmm.

Creative Leadership

Thursday night I got to meet John Maeda, the new president of RISD, at a RISD alumni event.  (Yes, I graduated from Pratt, but as my parents are alumns and Mr G is going to start teaching there this Tuesday(!), they let me in.)  

Copyright RISD

Maeda’s talk was really wonderful, and I have to say, unexpected.  The president of Pratt Institute is many things, but a dynamic public speaker he, alas, is not.  Maeda was witty, well spoken, and seemed to genuinely listen to those around him and then adjust, or not, according to their input.  He seems to be extremely accessable, which seems like a rare and good thing:  He has various blogs, is on twitter, facebook, etc, apparently he can be found walking around campus most days, and if you’re an early riser you’re welcome to go running with him at 6am.  At the Q & A someone asked a question he could have easily hedged, but how wonderful was it to hear him say, “I don’t know.  But I’ll find out and get back to you on that.”  

What struck me the most was when he spoke about Creative v. Traditional Leadership.  This really hit home for me as it pin-pointed so many of the problems today with “leadership” in our country, the corporate world, and various relationships in general.  Plus, he laid it all out in a handy chart:

Take a look at it.  It seems to be the direction our culture is moving in. Which I find to be both heartening and really exciting.

Reality Check

I woke up  in a bad mood today, my head swimming from anxiety dreams.  I felt anxious about work, doubtful of my career path, and in general was just wonderful to be around.  A few minutes ago I found this my inbox: 

“The most significant thing a woman can do to boost her self-worth is be conscious of her thoughts. Her thoughts inform everything around her. If she believes in herself, the world will too. Our most important job on this planet is to proactively clean up our thoughts.” 

~Gabrielle Bernstein, founder of HerFuture

Ah, yes.  Hello wake up call.  That statement is something I truly believe, and unfortunately, often find myself forgetting.  

Who is sending me these timely little gems?  Thank you Daily Worth.  You seemed to have picked me right up off the ground and set me back in the direction.

Illustration Friday: Craving

Snow White is always craving a good, crunchy, green apple ever since… you know.

Waking Up

 

I’m thinking I need to find a morning ritual again. I seem to have slid away from anything not resembling gulping down coffee, throwing on whatever clothes and then immediately starting work.  I do wash the dishes every morning while listening to NPR.  Which I love.  But maybe if I woke up a little earlier and I’d actually have some time to wake up.  Figure out what I’m doing that day.  Just be quiet before it all starts.  

When we first moved to Providence, I had breakfast in the nook by our living room bay windows.  I guess because it was so cold in there during the winter I stopped doing it.   But now the leaves are out on the trees and sun comes pouring in.  I think its time to enjoy sitting there again.  

I also miss crocheting.  Its getting hot though (or was– this week is chilly and wet,) and big projects aren’t so fun in the heat.  But maybe a little square a day?  Sitting in the window, with coffee and a cat, watching the leaves?  Seems like that would be a nice way for my brain to wake up.  

Do you have a morning “ritual”?

June Goals

Time for June Goals with Modish Biz Tips.  

1. Send out Newsletter announcing Other Such Things online shop!  

2.  Research specifics for new kid product.   If it seems doable, plan out and work on the drawings for it. 

3.  Contact Thumbtack Press and possibly others to see if they’re interested in carrying any of my work as prints.    

4. Get my two promo postcards printed and mailed out.  I decided to go with my “Balloon” image and “Garden” image after all.    

5.  Contact two blogs about my online shop. 

6.  Add new work to site and HAI!

 

Hey Look!

I’m on the front page of Hire An Illustrator! right now:

That image is part of a series of large wall murals for Tazza Mia Bistro.  One of several projects I’ve worked on with the wonderful art director Risa Puno.

May Goals Wrap Up

Oh dear.  Goals for Modish Biz Tips did not go so well this month.  Here’s what I had:

1.  Add images of what I have in my etsy shop to my Goodies page on my site.  The images will link to Etsy.  Geez.  I should just do this today.     (Edit: Done!)

2.  Research specifics for new kid product.   I did a bit of research.  But not nearly enough. 

3.  Contact Thumbtack Press and possibly others to see if they’re interested in carrying any of my work as prints.   I did a bit of research into it, but then really just dropped the ball. 

4.  Make bear drawing into a poster. I looked into this and really hated all the affordable poster places.  I really like the image, but I don’t think I’m ready for posters yet.  Though I am going to talk to some friends who are printers and see if they have any ideas.

5.  Get Garden promo postcard printed.  I decided against the Garden image for my next promo.  I realized when mailing out my last promo that it was really oriented towards children’s markets exclusively.  Which is great, but this month I want to have two postcards– one geared for children and another for the trendier fashion/ teens/ beauty market.  The new image for the Children’s Market one is above.  I’m still working on the other one.

6.  List Hello postcard in the shop.

7.  List two new items on Etsy.  (from April Goal List.)

8.  Email contact list announcing new site and new work, asking if they’d like to be on my mailing list.  (from April Goal List.)

Ah well.  Next up: June Goals!