This blog is a place for encouragement, color + design inspiration, tips for creative entrepreneurs and small business owners, and general creative musings.
Creative people need to be around creative people to thrive. When life is busy, it can be hard to make those connections, so the Art is a Record Creatives Community was born. Join our private Facebook group, where you can ask questions, share what you're working on, and be inspired. It is a place where we can share with confidence and encourage each other to grow. I hope you’ll join us!
In April, I submitted the following concept to the NEA Big Read Great Lakes Bay Region Public Art Project. They were looking for a piece of public art to be created and installed, one in Bay City, one in Saginaw, and one here in Midland. It felt like a once in a lifetime kind of opportunity, so despite my insecurities I went ahead and applied.
Read MoreI’ve been so excited to share this brand reveal with you! Not only because it’s a beautiful logo, but because it represents a much needed service in our community. Rooted Potential offers occupational therapy and lactation consultant services to babies and moms.
Read MoreThis simple phrase is at the root of everything I want for myself, and it is my desire to help as many people as I can to do the same: Do more of what makes you feel alive.
Read MoreI met Julia Kepler several years ago, when she was first opening Serendipity Road in downtown Midland, Michigan. Serendipity Road is a small business that supports small business in the form of a gift boutique.
Read MoreDo you need a degree to start your creative business?
The answer is simple: NO. Having a degree is not a prerequisite for living a more creative life or running a successful creative business.
Goal Setting for Creatives is a free, email based, three day self-guided workshop. It consists of a daily email with an interactive worksheet for you to do in your own time. Creatives CAN set and meet goals.✨
Read MorePeople will take your small business as seriously as you teach them to. If you talk about your business like it’s a hobby, people will treat it as a hobby. When people ask you how things are going, don’t shrink down and play it off like it’s no big deal. Running a business is a big deal!
Read MoreThis is an open letter to all the creatives out there. We need you and your work. Every time a person steps into their purpose and shares their gifts, the world is better for it. It’s time to stop playing small, and start playing BIG.
Read MoreThere once was a girl who felt broken. She felt sad, and alone, and unloved. She lived in fear and regret and didn’t dare be herself. She would shrink down to the form she thought would be most palatable for others. She stayed quiet and said very little, for fear of saying the wrong thing.
Read MoreOver the past year I’ve been on a journey to explore color and texture through paint. I’ve created this collection slowly, and thoughtfully, in between the moments of everyday life. Each piece is unique in size, colors, and application techniques. Some are framed and some aren’t. It’s an eclectic bunch, but they’re all part of the Amorphous Impasto Collection.
Read MoreLearning and accepting this fact has give me a sense of freedom. Letting go of the “I’ll be happy when I...” or “I’ll be successful when I...” myth and learning to live in the moment is a beautiful thing.
I’m not an expert at this. I have to remind myself constantly, but it’s starting to stick. Love who you are now. Keep learning and growing, always, but you are enough today.
When it comes to creative living or creative entrepreneurship, it’s important to know the power of no. When you’re starting out it will be tempting to say yes to every opportunity that comes your way. The good, the bad, the “do it for the exposure.” I’m speaking from experience here. I worked with design clients who were not a good match for my style. I took on projects that I didn’t even offer as services. I said yes to outrageous timelines. This is an excellent recipe to get burned out pretty quickly. I do recommend trying new things, stretching yourself, and pushing your limits, but you don’t have to do it to your own detriment.
Read MoreThere are lies we tell ourselves every day. Sometimes they’re excuses not to go for the thing we really want, to protect ourselves from the possibility of failure. Sometimes we get so caught up in what we’re “supposed to do” we forget to listen to our own instincts. Here is my top five list of things you do NOT need to go after your dreams, whatever those dreams may be.
Read MoreI used to think I could do everything, all the time, as it came to me. I said yes to every creative opportunity that came my way. I wanted to do it all, and I wanted to do it now. I’m here to tell you, you can do it all, but you don’t have to do it all right this minute.
Read MoreI am anxious a lot. That information always seems to surprise people. People tell me I seem like I have it all together. I always seem like I have a plan. I’m always doing so many projects, or doing cool stuff with my kids. They’re not wrong, but the reason I always have a plan is anxiety. I reason I’m always doing a ton of projects is anxiety. This is how I deal.
Read MoreI’ve been thinking about fear a lot for creatives. I don’t mean that I’ve been feeling afraid, just trying to analyze that fear we all feel that sometimes keeps us from creating. The biggest obstacle keeping people from what they most want is fear. Fear of failure, rejection, judgment.
Read MoreI remember the first time I was introduced to alcohol based markers in high school they were messy and bled, like watercolors, on vellum and I wasn’t sure what to do with them.
Read MoreWinter can be a hard time for people living in cold and often gloomy climates. There isn’t a lot of sunshine, it’s hard to get outside. Don’t get me wrong, I know winter in Michigan is beautiful, but sometimes Vitamin D and exercise isn’t enough when you’ve hit late January and haven’t seen the sun in weeks.
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