Bits & Blobs of March so far

Embracing Creative Space: A Spring Reset

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Hello friends!

March has arrived at the studio, and it felt like the perfect time for an EPIC early Spring clean! I've been finding that staying away from screens has been both tricky and necessary lately, so I've been prioritizing projects that don't involve them. Been looking for the light as prescribed by my friend Gayle Kabaker.

I often remind myself that for many years as a textile designer, I didn't have a phone updating me every second. I'd simply go to my desk (which didn't have a computer) and hand paint all day. Perhaps I'd check my laptop at home in the evening for emails, but that was it. Those were simpler times, and I'm hoping to implement stronger boundaries for my creative practice now. I've been limiting my time on 'The Gram' and focusing on more in-person connections with fellow designers and painters. We simply weren't meant to be available to so many distractions, non-urgent updates (I know, everything does sound pretty urgent at the mo...), and ways to procrastinate—it's frankly making my brain squirrelly!

Studio Reset Highlights

I started by rearranging my bookcase and rediscovered some favorites I'd forgotten about and still love so much. There are many more but will do in another letter to you ;)

1,5,4

1. GEORGIA O’KEEFFE: WATERCOLORS 1916–1918

2. Flower Color Theory

3. David Hockney

4. Flower Power : Prints from the 1960s ( I have a few books from this series and they helped me a lot when I first started designing textiles.)

5. Bringing Nature Home

Before and almost after, bookcase

Here are a few spring cleaning activities that brought me joy:

• Sorted through old paints and opened watercolor and gouache tubes that had mummified. I popped them in a small glass jar with a bit of water to reinvigorate them!

• Washed and dried brushes, reshaping any ends that had gone 'skewiff'.

• Sorted all brushes into order by shape and size.

  

• Went through my remaining scarves (I've mostly removed them from my website) and discovered I had more inventory than I remembered! I'm offering these to you, my wonderful subscribers, at a hefty discount. Use code Bits30 at checkout.

  

Weekend Workshops

This weekend was a wonderful reset at the studio with two days of in-person workshops—just what the doctor ordered! It's the last of the anemone season, and we had some absolute beauties to paint from local farmers by way of our friends Cedar Farm Wholesale.

In the studio.Photo by Chad Silver

Colorful Poppy demo

I thought we'd make this March demo a bright one! I hope you enjoy it and that your own creative spaces are feeling refreshed and inspired as we welcome spring.