I read recently that Megan Markle, as in Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex Megan Markle, had a little calligraphy side hustle going. Before HRH got her big break working on the show Suits, she worked for a paper company and offered calligraphy for celebrity weddings and even taught a workshop! How cool is that?! She prides her self on being very disciplined as she learned and practiced the art of calligraphy!

It’s also when I am most inspired to paint as many leaves and use as much color as possible. I use what I gather as reference and loosely paint what I see as I interpret colors, shapes and lines. If you haven’t played around with watercolor yet, it’s a very simple practice to help you learn how watercolor behaves and how you can easily, in a few minutes, add some interest to your sketchbook or journal pages!

I recorded this quick time lapse video for you to see how to sketch out a rough shape, loosely interpret what you see and play with color and water flow.

Not having enough time in the day seems like a common problem all around. I’m not sure if it’s because we are glued to social media, watching endless cute animal videos or perhaps it’s all the binge watching on Netflix, to which I am guilty of myself!

These time sucking activities are all inactive, non-participatory, and time wasting activities that we are all guilty of! This fall I set a few goals for myself and one of them being; to make more time actually make art!I have set in place a few tips and strategies that I want to share with you, to help you find more time to make art too!

This practice sheet and more, is now available in the Free Creative Library that I have built for my awesome subscribers here on life i design!

Perfect to use with your dip pen, small brush pen or even a pencil! Creating consistent practice is the only way to improve your strokes, your confidence and muscle memory.

Everyone’s journey is always so different and inspiring. I thought I’d share this lengthy post about how I got started with lettering and calligraphy as a hobby and a love for writing, and how I turned it into a home based business. Sit back, pour yourself your favorite bevvie and allow me to share with you my journey along with some practical advice!

Back to falling into routine and getting ready to learn!

It’s the perfect time to offer you 50% off all of my online classes!

Now is the perfect time to learn a new creative skill or take an entrepreneurial leap with classes ranging from…

This World Calligraphy Day is going to be a little bit more special. I have the pleasure of teaming up with Manuscript Pen Co to offer some inspiration to practice your calligraphy, lettering, or even handwriting for a special cause for World Calligraphy Day this year. Along with participating, we have a great giveaway to share!

If you run your own business from a home office then you will know just how difficult it can be to concentrate. Whether you’re constantly distracted by your family life or your office space isn’t quite what you want it to be, it is important you’re doing everything you can to ensure you can work efficiently.

These last 6 months, I dedicated a lot of my time and energy into painting new pieces of original art work, and also to exploring my passion for illustrating and designing.

What I’ve learned over the last 6 months is that consistency is key. Practice is paramount. Confidence comes with practice and consistency.

Teaching others how to start a home-based creative business has been something that I’ve wanted to do for years. I feel very fortunate to have been able to work from home while my kids were growing up. Working from home allowed me to have independence, to keep a part of who I was, and it gave me a break from being a Mom along with all the other jobs that go along with staying home.

If you are a fellow creative entrepreneur and are struggling to grow your business, then read on!

What I’ve learned most over these last few years of being a creative and building my online business is; how to focus on important tasks, managing my time so I’m not working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and lastly how to rely on those around me for support and advice!

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of watercolor and waterbrush pens. I teach workshops and online classes that feature a waterbrush pen to easily paint stems and leaves as well as create a variety of brush pen lettering.

As a designer and artist, I find that having a variety of mediums and tools to create with keeps my art interesting and fresh so that I stay inspired and creative.

I thought I’d share with you a few quick videos that I recorded using the Timelapse feature on my iPhone - I have to say, it’s quite an addictive feature to be able to record these timelapse videos!

I was browsing a few hand lettering groups on Facebook last week and discovered that quite a few people aren’t quite sure what Modern Calligraphy is and what the difference is between more traditional forms of calligraphy. I thought I’d create an easy cheat sheet to help explain what Modern Calligraphy is for us visual people! First, here’s a quick video that I created while making and digitizing the lettering for the cheat sheet!

In reality, the business path can be both rewarding and challenging. When you’re keen to engage with your creative ideas and let the inspiration flow through your mind and body, the last thing you want to be doing is to manage a business.

Who says business management is all about responsibilities, administrative tasks, and plenty of documentation. It’s fair to say that as a creative entrepreneur, you want to lose yourself in the artistic process of giving life to your ideas.

day (small ones - like a to-do list) and I check them off or cross them off my list! It’s so empowering!!

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t always get to check things off my lists. Sometimes I don’t get to everything on my list and have to re-evaluate them and see if they are worth carrying forward.

Another reason why I like to write them down in my daily planner is because I’m an easily-distracted-creative. My focus isn’t the greatest. I get bored, distracted and need to always remind myself to re-focus. It’s both a curse and a blessing. The good thing is, I never run out of ideas!!

Why I decided to join the #100dayproject

I’ve participated in the project in the past but have never made it to 100 days!

Last year, I attempted to use my Canon Rebel to shoot a photo a day. I did ok, I just fizzled out around day 20something… I think. I am going to give the project a go again this year, and have decided to work on a tiny painting a day.

My painting won’t always be detailed or finished, but I have decided to focus more on my art this year and thought, “why not join the #100dayproject!”.

Happy beginning of spring! There’s something about longer days, filled with sunshine and above zero temps that make people happier, more optimistic and inspired to use color!

I thought I’d share a fun and easy watercolor project for beginners that is sure to boost your creative spirit and mood!

At any point in starting, growing and running a business, I feel like we need inspiration, information, a fresh perspective, and motivation to push through when we need a little boost. Podcasts for me serve all of those purposes and more. So I thought I’d share with you Podcasts that have helped me in my creative business.

Before I get to this free March 209 calendar that I made for you, it’s confession time.

Even though I plan and write things down, it doesn’t always mean that I finish everything I hope to. I’m ok with that - now.

I think we plan and try to achieve too much in a short amount of time. Don’t you?!

A few weeks ago, I stupidly walked into a door frame going into a crawl space and gave myself a concussion. I wasn’t skydiving or skiing down a mountain, I literally walked into a door frame, head down, looking at my phone trying to turn off the flashlight app. Stupid right?!