100!!

Wow, this will be my 100th post on here! What a great way to start 2016 off! I have taken to calling this year the Big Bang year as I plan to create lots of fireworks!

I'm not quite back to work just yet, insomnia/rough night mixed with a very stressful thing to do today has left me feeling like I should actually keep things nice, steady and chill today so instead of throwing myself in to things... I'm spending the morning plotting what's going to happen this year! Or more to the point this month and this week.
I'm actually feeling fairly excited about it... Even the self employment paperwork :P

The big thing this month is finally getting my etsy shop up and running. I've been trying to get this to happen for so long now that it's become one of those annoying challenges. It feels like I keep hitting a mental block with it all but now it's all or nothing.
The worst/best thing right now is how many ideas I have buzzing around my mind, designs, products, projects you name it!
I have one idea that's quite huge, it was extremely intimidating and I was unsure whether I should put so much in to what I guess could be classed as a gamble but after talking to my OH about it he motivated me to just go for it. Hearing someone say you should do it can make all the difference to how you feel so now I really do have a huge project happening.
I have absolutely no idea how long it's going to take me either! But I will be keeping quiet until it actually starts happening or I'll burn out all of my motivation talking about it.

I'm also hoping to attend some art fairs this year if I'm lucky. It seems fairly tough to get in to some places and you have to impress before being accepted so that could be interesting.

There's also the joint project with my OH featuring our fur babies... It will now be a kind of tribute as our ratty people have sadly now passed on but we will never forget our mischiefs and so the mischief book/zine will be born! Basically a fun little book about pet rats and the mischief they cause!

I will also still be taking pet commissions! I'm hoping to expand on this over the course of this year as I really enjoyed working on the commissions I got during 2015. It's always fun drawing people's pets and I love working with the ink and watercolour medium I use.

I must also get organised this year, one of the biggest lessons I learnt in 2015 was how unorganised I am and how much stress that can cause when it comes to work. Commissions were always fine and any work for other people was done on time but when it came to the festive season I left it too late and ended up spending a lot of November and December stressed beyond belief.
So 2016 will also be the year where I don't leave things until the last mintute... Maybe ;)

So it's going to be a big year! Also expect my Redbubble to be updated more often this year, another outlet I need to keep organised. It's slightly daunting to see everything I've plotted but at the same time it's wonderfully invigorating. It's always good to have things planned out so perfectly that you know exactly what needs to be done and when. Being self employed/freelance can make that side of things difficult as you never really know what's coming next so actually having this is like having stable ground to walk on for the first time in months.

So hello 2016! The year of big things and sparkles! Adventures and fun! Of taking chances and being spontaneous! I tend to think way too much about things and plan them out perfectly and sure that does work but sometimes it can also be a disaster when it doesn't go how you plan and you have to wing it. I don't want to over think things this year. It's going to be a very big adventure indeed!

I wish you all a fantastic 2016 and hope the first Monday of the year isn't too horrific.

Goodbye 2015

Well what can I say, I'm both sad to see the end of this year but also excited to shed the old 2015 skin and get a nice fresh start.

At the beginning of this year I was in a completely different place to where I am now. The year has been filled with so many extreme ups and downs. It's been an extremely emotional year!
And I am feeling so blessed and thankful for everything I have.

I have the most wonderful and supportive family surrounding me. My parents and my partner have never let me give up and they're always giving me the emotional support to keep going no matter what gets thrown at me. Without them I wouldn't be where I am now.
Without the constant stubborness of my boyfriend I wouldn't be doing what I love and I most definitely wouldn't be taking on some huge projects in 2016.

It's going to be a big one, I can tell you that much!

This year has been the baby steps forward, one at a time, building up my confidence in a world that originally terrified me. Sure I could have done much more but I don't think I would feel as comfortable and confident as I do now.
But now I'm ready to take that leap of faith.

2016 is going to be filled with fantastic and wonderful new adventures.

So I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported me over the last twelve months.
My partner who keeps things real and keeps me me.
The wonderful artists I've met who've proven that people on the internet aren't all scary! The other creatives who've liked and commented on my work. It's nice supporting each other and I love the little artist community I share my world with.
The wonderful people who like my work, share my work and who buy my designs. I definitely wouldn't be here without you guys!
I still can never explain how amazing it is when I see someone buy my work. And I also love how my work is now spread all over the world! It's a very surreal feeling for me.
The amazing people who read my ramblings on here! I know I tend to ramble on and talk nonsense at times so it's always so nice to see that my posts get read!
And to the people who have commissioned me, thank you for letting me work with you! It's so much fun to see your pets and hear about their characters and mischief. I'm an animal lover at heart so it combines two of my loves and I love to talk to fellow animal lovers who adore their pets!
Just a big thank you to anybody who has helped me to get where I am, even if it's the most simple thing of liking an image on instagram. You'd be amazed how smiley I get over that!
And also to the people who have tried to hurt me this year, the trolls. You made me realise that I am stronger than I originally believed and... you mean nothing to me.

Two years ago I was scared to post work online, I had one outlet that was twitter and that was it. If you'd told me back then where I'd be now I doubt I would have believed it.
I want to make a point that you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it and believe in yourself.
So going by this, I'm extremely excited for 2016 and to see what I can make happen.

This year I got my redbubble account which has been amazing! I mainly focussed on that and networking... 2016 is going to include Etsy, art fairs, sparkles, a bit of book making and lots of adventures!
I can't wait!

So again, thank you! Thank you for a wonderful 2015 :)

And here's to a fantastic 2016, I wish each and every one of you so much happiness and luck in this new year.

You're wonderful!