As for me, I too have been keeping busy!  I have worked on a few new collections and made a lot of new work that I am really proud of.  I am still working with an art agent, and have had my best year yet in sales and licensing deals.  She has sold some of my work to big brand names like Hobby Lobby, and I got two licensing deals with companies that will be using my work on ceramic glassware, paper plates, tea towels and planters. 

England has been a very fun experience so far. There has been plenty of opportunity to travel, eat good food, and meet new people…

When I find a spot that calls to me, I improvise movement in that found space...

I'm currently working on my second children's book, which will be about a special weekend with my main character, Seoul and her Halmony. My first book, "Seoul Finds Her Talent," was both written and illustrated by me.

These last two years have been a giant learning curve, with tons of mistakes  made along the way. With my second book being published later this fall and  several promising ventures ahead, I’m grateful to have given myself grace in the  missteps and for the confidence I’ve gained from the mistakes.

When you’re not “from” anywhere, how do you ever find a place where you truly “belong”? 

It always feels refreshing and brings a renewed sense of excitement to get busy with client work, as I truly believe creativity is a muscle that needs to be exercised through different mechanisms. While cooking may seem like a far cry from photography in the sense of creative mediums, I have found that creating in and of itself spawns more ability and desire to create!...

This was just the project I needed to break me out of my post-graduation funk- It had been months since I created anything much more than an imprint on the couch cushions…

Balancing the creative work with our military life doesn’t go away, but hopefully we can give ourselves grace when things slide for a while.

I ended up dragging all my art supplies up from the basement and sorting them.  I wrote a long but deeply satisfying journal entry listing each pursuit—and honestly exploring what was attractive about it as well as what caused me to lose interest.  As I wrote, I suddenly saw how I’d been craving something non-messy that involved pleasing color and texture but that didn’t strain my hands, eyes, or budget…

This coming year, may we experience the joy of breathing, may we be authentic enough to find our tribe, surround ourselves with those who value bravery over perfection, and dive deep into our craft to see what is possible. 

Living in Fairbanks, Alaska was such a great experience and I learned a lot about myself and the direction I wanted to take with my art. I was so grateful to be a part of the Tanana Valley Farmers Market, many local events and having my work displayed at a local brewery. One of my favorite accomplishments was creating a new art collection. This body of work expressed my personal struggles with anxiety, living in Alaska during the pandemic and brought awareness to the effects of winter on people in the Far North.

"The Sacrifice" tells the story of a Military family, from a Military Spouse point of view. It is a direct reflection of my life, and based on real life events as a military spouse.

My brain has been very preoccupied with raising twins and it’s already overloaded with just being a mom and the continuous responsibilities of running a household. Learning something brand new was just not in the cards for me right now. It was important for me to take a step back. I decided to scratch all the new projects and start over with projects that come easy to me and use up some fabric from my stash. During the Christmas holiday I took up embroidery again and completed this stocking for one of my twins. This was an easy project that took just about a week to complete.

I had lost my favorite person in the world, my Grandma of 95 years young. I owe all of my fiber arts career to her, in fact. She's the one who taught me to crochet, embroidery and sewing techniques. My go to person for everything. We used to enter our county fairs together. This past “Fair Season” was very quiet and sad. In the past we would call multiple times a day for weeks on updates, how we had butterflies of excitement about the items we entered and who won what in each fair category. Such wonderful and loving memories.

Many weeks, [my art] gets shoved to the side as other things take precedence. I have let the business side of my practice fall away for now. It has been a hard year of mourning my time to create, but also seeing the fruit of my child rearing. T

I can't believe it's already been a year since my article came out! I dubbed 2023 my "Yes" year when it came to my small art business and it did not disappoint. I tried things I've never done before, like selling my items on consignment, teaching watercolor classes and running small business meet ups with other like minded military spouses here on Kadena AB. I met and exceeded goals that I thought I wouldn't see for a couple of years still and I just feel so excited to see what the future holds!

When asked to give an update on my past year, the word reminisce comes to mind - and all of the past years seemed to gather into this one.

The main focus here in Europe has been harnessing inspiration, taking the time to experiment with my art, and learning new things.

Set yourself up for success with S. C. I. E. N. C. E., a group of principles identified by Dr. Sean Young, a behavioral psychologist, to help you stick with the behaviors that power lasting change through engrained processes.