The business of love

It's time for Valentine's and as a card maker you would think this would be a great opportunity to shout about my work and get lots made.

   

Truth is, I only managed to get four cards done in time and when I say 'in time' I mean this week and that's not really enough time for anyone to order one! 

At the moment I am sitting with my little girl on my lap. She's asleep (phew!) but while this gives me a while to write it doesn't give me the opportunity to create.

I recently joined a website called All by Mama, which is basically an Etsy for mums and I was asked to include a 'tip' for other mums.

I wrote my advice a little smugly, feeling like I had achieved something: "I think my best advice is to simply get on and do it! It's surprising how little bits of work can add up to something quite big. I think if you are passionate about your work then you will find a way."

And now I read it and go 'yes!' that's right, but I have been so busy just getting on and doing it that I didn't really plan ahead.

My new advice to me is to get a calendar and write down all the events of the year from Mothers Day up to Xmas and then plan backwards! 

Perhaps if I can sort that out then the rest will fall into place. 

Who knows? 

Being a time scarce mum has pushed me to be creative with any moments that I can squeeze in some creativity, but that doesn't come free of baggage. It comes accompanied with thoughts of 'shouldn't I be playing with her right now, or I shouldn't I be doing....' And I have to reassure myself that it's okay, I can do something I love, that and  the fact Tabitha needs to have her own space as much as I need mine.

And so I carry on. I might not be a perfectly organised but I am living a life full of love and that's something to be happy about. 

Thoughts on buying original art

Original art

I bought my first piece of original art just before Christmas. I had fallen in love with this painters style through her Facebook updates and felt a connection to her portraits. Angela Kennedy has a knack for painting whimsical girls with soulful expressions and when I saw a picture of an angel she had done I kept wistfully looking at it.

I am usually quite reluctant to buy art, (of any kind) mainly because a lot of my own work fills my walls and space is a bit of an issue in my tiny miners cottage. But this felt special and because my Nan had recently passed on, I was encouraged by my mum to buy something to remember her by.

This was the perfect thing. And it is a beautiful. It took a few weeks to arrive from the U.S. but the anticipation was exciting in itself. I unwrapped it with reverence and hope. You never quite know what something is going to be like when you have only seen it online, but it was every bit a lovely.

I love the image, but I also love being able to see the brush-strokes on the wings and the delicate handwriting on her dress. There is an 'energy' and 'aliveness ' that you only get with original art. I always think that it is as if the artists soul has permeated the canvas and imbued it with a magic that goes beyond the image itself.

I think a lot of people are hesitant to buy original work because they think it will be too expensive, and they worry about whether it is 'good art'. I think if you go with your heart though it doesn't matter whether it is critically acclaimed and art is more affordable than ever before.

With a plethora of online art sites and the ability for artists to sell directly to the public, consumers can bypass the hefty gallery commission that tends to double the price of artwork. It's always worth a conversation with an artist, to discuss what your budget is and what you are particularly interested in. 

I recently did a special commission for a special customer who I had built an online friendship with. I knew she liked my work and had bought lots of my fairy cards and a small picture: so when she asked if I could do something bigger, I jumped at the chance.

This was a challenge on a few fronts because I had become used to working on a small scale where I could add lots of detail. Creating tiny images also fitted in with my little girl as I could take my work around the house with me and even out in the car! 

Working on a picture bigger than my table meant that I had to develop my technique and made me pay more attention to composition and the use of space. It was a lot of fun and once every inch sparkled with fairy magic, I knew it was time it could fly to its new home.

My lovely customer (and friend) Lindsey said when she received it: "OMG !!! Had my husband put it in the frame before I saw it, absolutely love it, Martin and Amy too, trying to put it where we can see it all the time, worth every penny, your work is truly beautiful, it has a serenity about it, I am very, very happy, thanks Jac's XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Make sure you let everyone else see it now!"

It's so lovely to get such positive feedback and such a delight to create something totally unique for someone. I think that with commissions it's not just the energy of the artist that goes into the piece, but the energy of the person who wants it, making it even more special.

I think most artists would be delighted to hear that you are interested in their work enough to order a commission. Why not get in touch with one that you follow and see what they could do for you in your budget?

Setting intentions

I was scrolling through my images on my iPad the other day and the amount of work that I had done really struck me! Everything was there, from my first logo attempts to my first batch of cards, right through to my most recent work.

It's almost been a year of exploration and learning and I'm happy to see that things are moving in the right direction. I have been very fortunate to make some amazing connections with people and this has helped to grow my confidence.

Positive feedback and some regular sales have enabled and inspired me to keep trying new things. Some things haven't worked for me, but lots have! 

I have REALLY listened to as much advice as possible. You wouldn't believe the amount of webinars and podcasts I have listened to! The Thriving Artist Summit has been really awesome for art specific help, but I have also watched loads of mindset stuff by Tony Robbins, Gabrielle Bernstein and Marie Forleo. 

I think you have to have a good mindset when you are an artist. It's too easy to start worrying about your art rather than enjoying it. I feel quite lucky that I love being creative and being a mum makes my desire for creativity even stronger.

So! What do I have planned for this year? Well it's a good question! There's part of me that is really pushy:wanting to find new galleries, organise an exhibition, generate press, do craft fairs, but.....

This year I'm also going to California to train as a yoga for surfers instructor.... Yoga for surfers teacher training

I need to study, practice and set up a business that I will just be able to press GO on, when I get back home in November.

At the moment my head feels a bit all over the place! I feel like a bit of a split personality, but I think that's because it all feels like it's floating in the future. I think I just need to take control of the now and the future will take care of itself.

This year I have also started Life Book, which is a year long art course. It also involves a healing/spiritual angle, which is great as that is what art is about for me. 

The picture is my response to the first lesson and sets my intention for the year to be fearless. It's a great reminder for me to stay strong when I feel the wobble and to have faith that everything is going to work out.

What do you have planned for this year? I hope that it is happy and productive, whatever you decide.

Painting a picture is a funny thing

Painting a picture is a funny thing. 

It's so easy to look at a finished piece and think 'if I knew it was going to look like that then I could have done it a lot quicker'. 

The finished piece of art doesn't show its stages of incompleteness and indecision, it simply radiates it's cohesion and harmony.

I am guilty sometimes of looking at other people's work and thinking 'I could do that!' And yes I probably could, now that the piece has been created, but would I have gone through all the creative decisions that they did to get there in the first place?

The answer is probably no.

What would you do when faced with the infinity of a blank page? For the options really are infinite and can stop a lot of creativity in its tracks. But if you go beyond that and get something down, what choices do you then make?

What size, what shape, what colour, what subject, what medium, what style, what, what what? A million decisions need to be made and this is often at the stage when the answer to those questions is actually 'I have no idea!'

I rarely start a piece of art with the completed vision sitting like a photograph in my head. 

The beginning for me is the impulse, the drive to create something, anything ! 

And so then I get drawn to colour and I play and let the paints do their own thing.

I like a certain amount of randomness in my work. It's good to have control, but it's good to let go and experiment. To see where you might go. New visions and images start opening up and this is so exciting! 

My Glitter and Earth pictures come together almost serendipitously. With my handmade stamps I can compose pictures quickly and without that feeling of infinite search that can be so exhausting!

Before I know it they have a life of their own and then I can build up the scene, adding texture and of course glitter. 

I can't quite help it. I love the way that different coloured glitter reflects the light. It changes the picture ever so slightly as you move it. It's entrancing and beautiful. 

I love the process of making my cards and pictures. I find it meditative and healing.

At the moment, looking after my little girl, my time is so precious that my art has become my surfing and my yoga. I take flight in my moments of creativity and I connect to something that is beyond me as well as part of me.

This connection with something outside of me, gives me confidence in the finished piece. I feel like I'm channeling energy, prana, something
 divine. In this way my work is guided. I don't create. I am simply the vehicle that facilitated it! 

It's a journey every time and it's important to me that the process is one of joy, because that is what I want to share with the world.

Thanks for reading and being part of my journey.

I'd love to hear about your creative journey! Have you ever said 'I could do that' after looking at somebody's work and then actually tried? 

Personalised Christmas Gifts

It's a bit weird thinking about Christmas when the summer's warmth is still lingering and autumn has only started to touch the trees.

But I wanted to show you some of my new framed pictures.

These are available to buy at The Roundhouse and Capstan Gallery in Sennen. the Roundhouse and Capstan Gallery

However, if you would like something custom made for you or a friend, then this is the perfect time to get in touch to avoid disappointment!

These pictures cost £35 and the frame measures 5"x7". (I will be making larger ones soon!)

Please get in touch to discuss! The more info you give me about the recipient, the more I can tailor it and make it extra special.

    glitterandearth@gmail.com
     www.jacquelinewild.com

Best wishes and fairy kisses xxxx

Rogue theatre

Days of magic

08/24/2014

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"Remember you are the stories you tell about yourself. So make them good ones."

It was the end of summer fairy ball and we wound our way along a woodland path past mermaids and singers, fire jugglers and a spider lady.

Each character and scene a preview of what was to come.

Like Alice in Wonderland we found ourselves in a world where things were not quite as they normally are.

But a world of beauty and magic which we were lucky enough to be part of.

The fairy path led us this way and that until we passed through a door that took us to the fairy ball.

We watched as five tales were told, of dragons and head teachers that turn into spiders and a tale of love and passion and the thrill of the ride.

At the end we danced as the sunlight sent it's last kisses into the clearing.

How we found our way out is another story, but we made it in the end and we know that we will go back. Although it will be another time and another door.

We made it home dreaming of the stories we could tell about ourselves and the magic we really are.

http://www.roguetheatre.co.uk

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The Whimsy Emporium

It's a great feeling when you are inspired. I was lucky enough to find The Bohemian Collective and fall in love with their beautiful, whimsical look books. The Collective shares a spiritual, earth, hippie vibe, filled with white lacey crochet, turquoise and animal skulls.

Take a look at the website to see what I mean: Boho collective

There is a sense of freedom and connection on every page.

The Whimsy Emporium is part of this collective and when I saw an Instagram post for a collaboration, I said 'yeah!'

This picture is the end result and below is a bit more about the process and some earlier stages of the work.

Natasha, Miss Whimsy herself, said she liked my work and that was enough to get me scribbling away.

I used an image from the Boho Collective's 'Winter blues, summer dreaming' look book and incorporated Natasha's most recent necklace and earrings that she had posted on Facebook.

Things quickly took shape.

I played around with the image in Photocandy a little bit in the initial stages to get an idea for layers and patterns.

In the end however, I didn't feel that it needed any extras. I loved the process so much! I felt like I was channeling the image and it just came alive.

I am so grateful for having the opportunity to create this piece and look forward to seeing where Natasha uses it.

Please take a look at her Etsy shop: The Whimsy Emporium which has so many glorious pieces and the adornments that my whimsical fairy is wearing.