I am so excited to share with you the work of the very talented Laura of etsy shop laurageorge. Her illustrated work is whimsical and imaginative, like a dream world come to life. Most of you have probibly seen her popular print “Don’t Panic” featured on several design and art blogs. However, it seems this talented woman is daily churning out new and inspiring drawings (which you can find on her blog “Minutiae”).

Artsy Questions:

Well, I’ve definitely been drawing for fun my whole life. I went to school for theatre, where I majored in performance but minored in design. I started painting backdrops for productions. When I graduated, I freelanced for awhile working for theatres & painting murals for small businesses. A few years later, I went through a tough time & started doing more personal work. A friend told me about etsy, and I created a shop & put a few drawings up. I was really surprised when they sold, and everything sort of stemmed from there.

I”ve had a part-time job for years now. I’ve been doing 60-70-hour weeks for the past 3 years, between my side job and my artwork. I’m actually taking the leap this September and going full-time. I’m really quite scared, but I’m also so excited about the prospect of focusing my energies.

I typically get up around 10 or 11 (I’m a night person!) and do email / internet updating for the first 2 hours of the day. With coffee. Sometimes I have lunch with a friend. Then I work on whatever project(s) I’m working on for the bulk of the day. I usually then fill etsy orders & maybe make a post office or supply run at some point. Sometimes I get to go to the lake or I’ll take a yoga class or something relaxing. Then I typically work more… I’m a workhorse. If I have a show coming up, I’ll go all night. Until like 2 or 3 am. If I’m not under any deadlines, some nights I’ll do dinner or drinks out with a friend or my boyfriend. Either way, I’m usually up until the wee hours.

I’ve been waiting tables 2-3 nights a week for the past many years.

My workspace is currently in my apartment, which is in Chicago on the top floor of a vintage walk-up building. In the summer, I take my gear out to my patio and work in the sun with my plants whenever possible! My actual studio is a separate room with pretty french doors and windows & more plants. I work on a big table looking out at a very nice tree that makes flowers in the summer and turns bright yellow in the fall, which is not a bad deal as far as city views typically go!

Most of my direct inspiration comes from my dreams, and mental snapshots that I get in quiet moments — most often just before sleeping, when waking up, or when driving. I usually see a picture of what I want to draw or paint, in its entirety. It’s a true challenge to then try to capture that exact image when I’m working. I also get inspired by traveling, nature, music, meditation, books, and my loved ones.

Oh there are hundreds. I love mark rothko, yoshitomo nara, naoshi, lisa kowalski, richard wright, hiroshi sugito, sean morris, tim biskup…

Staying focused on one task when there are many to do. And wanting to be painting instead of ordering mailers and figuring out taxes.

Now for some random fun questions:

I’m originally from Wisconsin. I’ve lived in Chicago for 8 years.

There are too many answers to this question! I shall choose one: “Amelie” is a lovely movie. One of my favorites.

All. Present obsessions include: The Books, Juana Molina, High Places, Fela Kuti, Hawk & A Hacksaw, Breathe Owl Breathe, Bill Callahan, Chad van Gaalen, Omara Portuondo, Ane Brun, Bonnie Prince Billy…

uppercase is wonderful. and i love giant robot.

Be persistent & don’t be afraid to put yourself out there! We are so often our own worst critics and we can be really hard on ourselves. Be gentle to yourself. The most important thing is to do the work, and let it come from an authentic place.

I hope I’m still doing a variety of projects as I really enjoy the challenge & excitement of working in different veins. I’d really love to be working more with children’s books & magazines, doing more design work, and doing more murals / large-scale projects. I love doing collaborations with other artists, too, so more of that would be lovely!

I hope that you all enjoyed getting to know Laura and her work a bit more! Happy Monday!


-Stacie

No Comments

No Comments

 I have been on the hunt for some pieces that I can use to hold and display prints for my upcoming show. I was so lucky to stumble upon this adorable magazine holder in a local antique shop. It was a dark brown wood before with a worn finish (why didn’t I take a before picture?).

I painted it with Valspar Caribbean Spray Paint and voila! Now I have a cute little holder for 8×10 prints, plus I can use it in my home, as I am trying to infuse more blue in my decor!

How has your weekend been so far? Tomorrow I am thrilled to feature an interview with an AMAZING illustrator named Laura George. You can check out here etsy shop here. Be prepared for some awesomeness!

-Stacie

1 Comment

I’ve been missing in action for the past few days! Honestly, I have been feeling quite inspired creatively and have been spending all of my free time making things! Yet on Tuesday, I had to take a break from all of the creativity because Violet had a request… or rather a demand: cake. Literally, she woke up and started screaming “Cake! Cake! Cake!”

So, I found a lovely dairy free apple cake recipe. I did not take pictures, but that’s okay! It was actually quite tasty! It did taste healthy, but healthy is good!

No Comments

Good evening. I would like to introduce you to Madame Monkey Pants… also known as my daughter, Violet. Yes, Monkey Pants is our affectionate nickname for our little girl. I know it sounds silly, but she does not refer to herself as “Violet”, but rather “Monkey”. It is actually quite cute! We ask her where the monkey is, and she points to herself. Violet is giving her best monkey face in these pictures.

Life has been incredibly busy the past few days. I am printing like a madwoman, and trying to stay focused, as I have little time every night to work after Madame Monkey Pants hits the hay.

Oh, and thanks so much for the advice yesterday on the dress! I went with the yellow dress. Ordered it today and am hoping it actually fits! I am always nervous if I should order a Medium or a Large. However, the size chart implied to order the Medium! Isn’t it amazing how a wearing a size Medium instead of Large can make you feel soo much better about yourself?

Uh Oh… Monkey Pants is stirring in her sleep….. gotta go!

-Stacie

2 Comments

I am selling some of my Gingiber Products at a craft show. It is my first show and I am a bit nervous, but firmly believe that a new dress will ease my nerves.

Now, I am a curvy lady, so inexpensive options from ModCloth or LuLu’s are out of the question (whimper…. so much cuteness in such small sizes..)

But, I am hopeful that I can find something gorgeous at the Shabby Apple. I recently heard of this shop. Here are my 3 favorites:

5 Comments

Hello and happy Monday to you all! Now with a striking creepy portrait like this, you must keep reading, no?

Do you ever feel like you have nothing to say? Nothing worth sharing? I don’t want to live my life simply so that I can have something to document on my blog. I want to be creative. I want to have time to cook. To be with my family. I want it all to be genuine. No agenda.

I have seen quite a bit of conversation recently in the blog world about the appropriate way to blog. What topics are taboo and how to be original and such. There are great organizations like BlogHer and articles about engaging an audience. Simply, there is no right way or wrong way to blog… to each their own, right?

I am not sure where I want to take this blog, if anywhere. I love having a place to write. To document memories. To chart my growth as a mother and artist. Sure, I have dreams of outgrowing my little Arkansas life. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be an “it” blog that people want to read and talk about…. Then I realize that the larger the audience, the more criticism is bound to surface.

I do not know if I can take that criticism right now. It has been a huge challenge for me to even put my artwork out for the world to see. There was a point in my life when I would not even talk about drawing to friends or family. Having a blog and an etsy shop has built my confidence tremendously. And for that, I am thankful for this little online world. Recently a very popular Brazilian Blog did a great feature story on me. I was completely surprised and flattered! However, when I clicked my google translator to read all of the comments, I had my first dose of harsh reality: not everyone likes my work. Some people are outright rude about it. But, the sooner I can learn to handle such criticisms, the more fearless I can become.

So, what am I trying to relay to you, my dear friends? First, I love my blog. I anxiously await new comments and love encouraging feedback. Second, in the past year I have evolved tremendously in my interests and motivations. I no longer live to watch television or take naps…. I want to find a way to tap into my creativity and express myself in the most beautiful way possible. Third, I am continually evaluating my next move. How do I find a way to make a living doing what I love? Is blogging the answer? I hear often of bloggers who can actually make their living writing and sharing lovely things with the world. Is that who I will be in 2 years? 5 years? Perhaps never. But, believe me, most bloggers think about this at some point.

Thank you for listening to me, helping me sort out my thoughts.

Oh, and I now have 100 followers…… I am seriously doing a happy dance right now!

1 Comment

Recently I was on the LivingEtc website when I noticed a little news blurb about a store called LifestyleBazaar. The name was quite intriguing, so I immediately began browsing their selection of unique housewares.

1. Desk Tidy by Black + Blume

2. Mr. Impossible Chair

3. Pantone A6 Notebook

4. Labware Table/Floor Lamp by Benjamin Hubert for Authentics

5. Inside Out Bathroom Cabinet by Marcus Beck

6. Blaue Blume Large Cake Plate

I always enjoy discovering new and fun places to window shop. I think my hubby would love the Labware lighting fixtures….. alas, my taste always exceeds my checkbook!

-Stacie

No Comments

Guess who just signed up for her first Home EC Class? Me! My sweet husband knew that I wanted to take the class and gave me his blessing today!

I am so excited. Most of you who read this blog have probably heard of the class already, but just in case you don’t know about it:

“If you’ve always wanted to learn how to use that sewing machine you found at a garage sale or could use a few tips on how to get your button holes to turn out like they should, you should join us for Home Ec, an online class designed to teach you how to enter the land of back stitching and squaring up with confidence. You’ll get the skills you’ve always wanted and resources to become quite the innovative crafter/homemaker/business person/best Christmas present maker ever.” – Rachel from Smile and Wave

I cannot wait to brush up on my skills. I have always sewn curtains, reupholstered furniture, made stuffed toys, etc. But I have always been self taught and would really like to add some craftsmanship to my work. Plus, I really am pumped about meeting so many awesome people who are taking this class. I cannot imagine a more friendly, energetic, and positive place to learn and get to know people better!

Huzaah!

-Stacie

2 Comments

Greetings!

I am way excited to share with you that I had the opportunity to create several illustrations that will be featured in La Petite Magazine‘s 2nd Issue! It comes out August 30th.

In case you don’t know about La Petite, it is an online children magazine. The lovely ladies behind Kenziepoo created this magazine. I fell in love with their 1st issue. You should definitely check it out!

Thanks,

Stacie

3 Comments