Living & Loving By the Lake
Homwork #3: Living & Loving by the Lake
This week's Homwork prompt was to put a spin on the overused phrase "Live. Laugh. Love." and make it your own.
I've loved playing with watercolor and lettering since working with it for a client project (more to share on that soon!). Not only how it looks but how it feels. It's made me realize loosening up my hand is what's been missing for me in my lettering. This watercolor approach is helping me discover other styles of lettering I enjoy. I don't have to maintain the same one all the time. An eye-opening statement for me.
When I get really wound up about a full client & project schedule, everything about me tenses up from my neck to my hands to my mind & heart. Not good. Not healthy. Then the water comes along. Softly. Unassuming. Always there. Reminding me what I'm made of.
How do you feel about the water? What does it do for you? xo, Em
Find each week's lettering on my Instagram. Or join the creative challenge anytime and receive emails from Lauren with the next week's prompt. Sign-up here.
Now is the time for rose-colored glasses
Homwork #2 Now is the time for rose-colored glasses
This week's Homwork prompt was to redo a piece you created in the past to see how far you've come in your skill. I recreated my rose-colored glasses girl from 2014.
Rose-colored glasses girls (2014 and 2018), watercolor + ink | Brave Girl Design + Blog | lettering challenge by Hom Sweet Hom, #homwork week 2
Improvements made:
1. I like the materials I used more this time around – watercolor paper (thanks Mom!) and paint, my favorite ink pen, and colored pencil for the letters.
2. I didn't push so heavy on my pen this time or maybe I got the ink to paper mix right. Last time I remember thinking the ink bled too much but wasn't sure what to do about it.
3. Placement feels more thoughtful now. I wanted the glasses to demand attention and have smaller circles balance out the image with her earring, cheek rouge, and little side-knot.
“There’s a subtle—and crucial—difference between letting your dreams guide you & letting them put on pressure that hinders you reaching for them.”
I remember drawing her after yoga one night in 2014. I was completely frustrated with my career and feeling very impatient so I drew the woman I hoped to be. Some elements feel the same between them but 2018 Rose Colored Glasses girl looks grown to me;
Confident but not cocky.
Awake without demanding attention.
Playful yet passionate.
May you put on your own rose-colored glasses this week and see the glow in the ordinary. Or be the glow yourself and let it inspire those around you.
How are you brightening your days lately? What's one of your favorite projects you've created so far? xo, Em
Find each week's lettering on my Instagram. Or join the creative challenge anytime and receive emails from Lauren with the next week's prompt. Sign-up here.
Foreign Words
Il Bel Far Niente: The Art of Doing Nothing
It's ironic that this Italian phrase is what I was drawn to this week since I haven't been in this state of chaos since my last semester of college. I suppose we often long for what we don't have.
Mama Moon & Joel have this joke about being sooo busy. They think it's silly that we walk around claiming how busy we are like it's a badge of honor or an excuse to be unkind. Sometimes people say it for you, "Oh, you must be so busy..." or they preface their request for a favor, "I know you're probably busy but can you...?". Mama Moon responds to these statements beautifully,.
“No, I'm actually not very busy. I simply didn't make that a priority."
You are never too busy to:
Look someone in the eye & smile.
Take 1 minute to look around you, you're breathing for gosh sake.
Have lunch, really taste your food. Let it be an experience with an enlightening conversation instead of a backdrop to your screen full of to-dos.
There is a difference between busy (frazzled, burnt out, bitter) & full (balanced, energetic, lucid). I'm choosing full. Happy Friday, friends! Em
Week 14/52 of the #52handlettered project with Miranti Kayess (formerly Pen & Peplum)
Motivational Mantra
I do not know how to relax.
I haven't relaxed since I was about 5 when my dad used to braid my hair before school & let me pick out my own outfits. By braid, I mean a series of knots that kept my hair out of my face except for the strays that stuck to my cheeks due to the applesauce at lunch. By outfits, I mean a rainbow of colors that didn't match because I was going to call the shots on what I wore.
Ok, maybe I've never known how to relax but life brings you what you need when the time is right. Right now I need to ride the wave because I'm exhausted with trying to control everything, with worrying if I'm saying the right words at the right moment, and with the hustle that is only hard when you're not being kind to yourself.
You can't calm the storm...so stop trying. What you can do is calm yourself. The storm will pass. — Timber Hawkeye
So when my Jeep windows won't defrost as I'm driving down the highway, after we already paid someone to fix that problem months ago, I'm ridin' the wave man.
When there are clumps of Tiger's hair throughout the house ONE DAY after I vacuum every room & every rug. Cool dude, ridin' the wave.
When I look at my task list at 4pm & only 2 have been completed because the sun came out & blew a warm wind up to the doorstep that told me, "Write, write, write. The checkboxes will be here when you return."
Well, you know what I'm going to say...I'm ridin’ the wave.
Love, Em
Week 13/52 of the #52handlettered project with Miranti Kayess (formerly Pen & Peplum)
A Lyric
"I've only got one shot, won't waste it on a shadow box. I'll stand right here." — Undermine by Hayden Panettiere
One of the things I love about personal projects is how much they trickle into client projects. What started as me writing on a coffee cup evolved into product photoshoot practice for an upcoming client.
It also helped me iron out some wrinkles that I won't have to spend my time on when it comes to styling my client's product, giving me clarity to focus on their beautiful pieces instead of technical difficulties. I'm going to wrap this up to a win-win-win. Standing here, Em
PS. Anyone else a Nashville fan?! Juliette Barnes is the kind of tornado I can relate to.
Week 12/52 of the #52handlettered project with Miranti Kayess (formerly Pen & Peplum)
Home
Home is something I've been trying to recreate ever since I left my parents' house 5 years ago. All my college apartments didn't cut it, as hard as I tried. The rental Joel & I lived in for a year almost felt like home but then we moved as soon as the furniture was placed "just so" & the backyard maples became something I could count on. I'm hopeful our house will become our home in time. It's silly to expect anything else because as thrilling as a new place is, as exhilarating as being on an adventure to unknown land is, it isn't home.
Home is soft moments.
Home is the way the light sits right before dusk.
Home is the smell of bonfire on your clothes.
Home is the way the wood floor creaks as you dance around the room.
Home is the closest of souls housed in sturdy walls.
Staying soft, Em
Week 11/52 of the #52handlettered project with Miranti Kayess (formerly Pen & Peplum)
On a Day Off
The freelance life isn't really conducive to days off (why didn't anyone tell me that a year ago?!) but I was fortunate to have a 4-day weekend with Joel a few weeks back. It was at the end of February when the cabin fever was strong & the sun had been weak long enough. We had to get out of this place for our sanity!
Before we headed north to go snowboarding, I built a shelf out of wood from my Uncle's old barn & transferred all my plants to bigger pots so they'll be ready to take off after the last frost. I'm also trying my hand at propagating succulents & started them, as well.
I learned how to use a circular saw thanks to the shelf-building (it basically works like a sewing machine), got excited about life & how we grow, grow, grow thanks to the plant-transferring & got a whole lot of "fuck!"'s out of my system as I fell down the slopes on my snowboard. You really can't ask for a better day off than that.
Daring to take more days off, Em
Week 10/52 of the #52handlettered project with Miranti Kayess (formerly Pen & Peplum)
How Do You Like Your Coffee?
Lately, Joel & I have been treating ourselves with Aldea Coffee, a local coffee company that sells ethically sourced, high-quality coffee beans in small, fresh batches. Their mission expands beyond the end-product with a processing facility in Honduras that they use to train farmers on environmentally sustainable methods.
What I love about this company is that their process is very personable with strong way values to educate, support & provide meaning for their employees. It's more than just coffee, which makes the coffee even better. We have the Union Blend made by farmers, Victor, Maurico & Martir but we also really like the Espresso Roast.
A dash of sweet is also required for my morning cup. Flavored creamer turned into a bad habit after having it in 3 cups a day every week. Luckily, I found a coffee creamer recipe that's super good, ridiculously easy to make & doesn't tear up my insides. The recipe calls for vanilla but I've also tried it with cinnamon & nutmeg. Both spices did not disappoint!
I don't know a lot about coffee other than how much I absolutely need it to start my day. I'm an addict & not ashamed. Most of my family won't talk to me before I have a sip. I blame this on my momma. Or should I be thanking her for passing on the obsession?
How do you like your coffee?!
Week 9/52 of the #52handlettered project with Miranti Kayess (formerly Pen & Peplum)
Things That Soothe
When I started jotting down what soothes me, I noticed my list items were seasonal. For instance, a hot bath soothes me in the middle of winter while a cold beer on a northern lake sandbar soothes me in the middle of summer. To switch those seasons would make both experiences miserable to me.
However, one thing that soothes me to my core year-round is a good ole chat around the kitchen table.
Because now I have your stories with me & you have mine. We become gatherers of each other's battles won & heartaches. We keep them safe with gut-busting laughs over that embarrassing thing that happened last week. There's not much else that puts me more in the moment like sitting around a table telling stories does.
The Has Heart Herio Series I was a part of last weekend reminded me just how much this soothes me. Oh man, did we talk & talk & laugh & talk! These men & their stories are forever imprinted on me. Not only do I owe them for protecting my freedom but I owe them for breaking my heart wide open. & that's what is so beautiful about table chatter; you talk & you listen & you leave with a high yield from each other's harvest, full & renewed.
May you always sit long enough to listen, Em
PS: The background of this image is of the cutting board Joel made me because we don't have a kitchen table yet. I'm counting down the days until Spring when Joel & his dad start crafting our very own. It will sit in our kitchen nook, hopefully stuffed to the tabletop with laughter, card games & a full harvest. I can't wait!
Week 8/52 of the #52handlettered project with Miranti Kayess (formerly Pen & Peplum)
My Everyday Essentials
This was the first week of the 52 Handlettered Project where I took the picture first & wrote my list second based on the photo styling. Every other week it's been the other way around. I originally started this project to unwind from the day-to-day craze & now it's feeling like another task ON TOP of the day-to-day craze. Does anyone else do this? Turn your fun stuff into work stuff which in turn takes away the fun stuff?
I think it's extremely easy to do if you're in an art-based career because your work is also your heartbeat (or you're just a workaholic). Now that I've thrown myself full force into an art-based career lifestyle—because I've dreamed of doing so for years—my perspective has changed on what it means to "do what you love".
It's laughable now but I used to think "doing what you love" was the EASIER route. ha! The biggest thing I've learned is that doing what you love doesn't mean it's a free for all where you don't have to answer to anyone or that you can jump ship if you get a better offer or that you have complete creative freedom. I suppose it can mean that...if you don't want any clients.
I've realized I actually prefer being black & white in my business while letting a lot of gray into my personal life. It's essential to be your free spirit self in matters of your art, your heart & your imagination. These parts unearth you & you need to let them guide you.
But that isn't a business model.
It isn't a structure that will sustain you if you want to run your own business. I'm not to the point where I'm ok with this realization but I am to the point of seeing definite improvement to my mental stability & stress level when I have more structure with my business. This structure creates breathing room for me to be my fully creative & energetic self rather than my mentally spent & unshowered zombie buried in piles of admin work self.
I've been pondering on a better business structure, my mission as a graphic designer & what my strengths are so I haven't had much time to reflect or meditate, which actually made it very easy to jot down my everyday essentials. They surfaced quickly: his morning kisses, my luminous body oil & taking care of my plants.
And then I think, at the very core of each of us, isn't all we need essentials?
Taking care of mine, Em
Week 7/52 of the #52handlettered project with Miranti Kayess (formerly Pen & Peplum)
A Quote About Love
This quote came to me in a dream this morning. I was in a classroom taking the ACT until I realized I already have my Bachelor's & no longer live in the world of pass or fail. I told the teacher I've been here before so "No, I won't be taking your test".
She nodded, "Kiss it. Then, let it go".
Since this dream was now 17 hours ago, it's making less & less literal sense. How I interpreted it is still important, though.
I realized that until you move on from your past, you may see yourself in it again & again. The same ole battles in a new town or a new job or a new relationship means you may not have learned your lesson yet. I think these patterns repeat in life until the timing is right for you to first, notice them, & second, break them.
I used to think I needed to pass every test (that's where my self-worth was, you see) but after a year full of my biggest struggles to date—in both my work & personal life—I'm just now skimming the surface that there's another way here. It's "self-love" to a degree but it also feels like I'm detaching from this "pass-fail" mentality.
This way is a lot less hard on my mind, body & soul which in turn is a lot less hard on my relationships, career & community. At least that's my intention from now on. It's a momentous realization from a brief sunrise dream. There was so much deep lovey-dovey truth in it for me that I had to put smooches all over everything!
Isn't life so absolutely insane? What was once beautiful to me is now baggage. I kissed it...so I could let it go.
Love, Em
Week 6/52 of the #52handlettered project with Miranti Kayess (formerly Pen & Peplum)
Places to Visit
I put this prompt off a bit because I'm really not sure of a place I want to visit. I know there's a spotlight on wanderlusters & vagabonds in the online world but I haven't felt an urge to hop on a plane since my trip to Seattle 3 summers ago. I would love to visit Ireland, Africa & Australia someday.
When I think about it right now though, I don't want to save for it, plan it or get on a plane to visit it. I'm actually very scared of flying & deep, deep water so flying over the ocean is a mashup of fears I'm not ready to tackle.
However, I've been stuck in my house & studio (going to blame it on the weather). I'm barely able to convince myself to walk to yoga so I do have places I need to visit for my sanity. Yoga is one of those places & the library being the other.
There are many worlds tucked away in a library. So many in fact that most of them you can't fly to because they only exist in the mind, the fantasy world, other realms, in the past, etc. It's an all-expense-paid trip to anywhere in the Universe you want to go. It will surely change you.
My upcoming travel plans: an ancient community in a red tent, a small farm in southern Appalachia, & returning to the home of my wild nature.
Safe travels, Em
PS: After 4 years of making my hand lettering digital, I FINALLY discovered an amazing way to isolate my type from this post on Spruce Rd. Thanks, Jamie! I nerd out big time when I find a tool or technique that makes my process better. If you're looking to make your hand lettering digital, watch this quick tutorial. I promise you'll love it!
Week 5/52 of the #52handlettered project with Miranti Kayess (formerly Pen & Peplum)
Unanswered Questions
When I think back to the summer of 2014, I gotta tell you, I don't remember much of it. I was blessedly knee-deep in my first handful of projects as a full-time freelancer. I only noticed the sunshine when it reflected off my computer screen. Only felt the warmth when it blew through the window of my studio.
It was the first week of August by the time I made it to the beach that I lived 5 minutes away from.
Fortunately, my focus led me to a good place within. I read this quote the other day & finally understood what I was up to all last summer. Missed meals, moonlit work nights, no idea what my friends were up to but...but...I started to feel a rumbling inside me. My quaking hands were a good sign. I looked at my fear & said "hello". I know I'm making this sound like it was easy. I know it seems romantic. Sometimes saying how hard things are makes them harder & then you can't see the good in them so please, take this wrong way.
Like a stretch during yoga your body doesn't feel ready to do. Breathe into it. Breathe into your unanswered questions. Inhaling & exhaling, Em.
Week 4/52 of the #52handlettered project with Miranti Kayess (formerly Pen & Peplum)
Embrace Messy
I'm reading The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. It's a book that helps artists recover after burnout & rediscover their creativity (at least that's what I'm hoping it'll do for me).
It's very easy for me to think perfection is where happiness lies, especially working in the design field where pixel-perfect is standard & well-thought-out concepts drive the entire project. I mean, that kind of makes you want to get it right the first time.
I do my best to offset this when I'm away from the screen with hobbies like taking care of my succulents, writing & sketching but the problem with a perfectionist mentality is that it doesn't have a timeframe. It badgers you when you're watering the plants, digging its claws into your psyche; "These are going to die, you don't know how to take care of living things".
It pops into your head at the end of a run-on sentence as you're spilling your heart out onto the page; "Who do you think you are? You're not a writer!"
It even takes away the 2 weeks of fun you had simply doodling away fun words as a weekly project. It starts comparing you to others so much that you don't open your sketchbook all week out of fear.
The beautiful thing about being an artist (which I will forever argue all of us are) is that you can take this negative self-talk or your ruminating thoughts & turn it into something compelling. It could be bright strokes on a canvas, it could be a heartfelt story told in black & white, it could be a universal message that will guide someone to a perspective they needed to see that day. Whatever happens, that's not the part you're attached to as an artist. You don't even have to share it with anyone. You just feel the urge that you must. get. this. out. So you honor it.
I had to get this out.
I'm craving to embrace my messy as a human being because I'm tired of swearing at the vacuum when I get tangled around the chord. I'm over listening to my gremlins telling me I can't keep things living (tell that to my fiddle fig I'm SAVING right now) & I sure as hell AM a writer. I'm writing right now.
It has nothing to do with the curated images I see on social media, that's the least of the platforms I'm playing victim to. We have to all know at this point that images online don't tell the whole story. It's silly to aspire to one morsel of someone else's bigger picture.
Listen. Learn. Love.
& then set that aside so you can hear what you're telling yourself.
Are you talking to yourself kindly? Are you letting you speak up & out & in circles?
This is messy. It's all coming out in jumbles. My heart just got lighter. Embrace your messy.
Cheers, Em
Week 3/52 of the #52handlettered project with Miranti Kayess (formerly Pen & Peplum)
Summer Love List
It's weird thinking about what I love most about summer when I see a foot of snow outside but the sun keeps showing up so if I close my eyes & face towards the light, I can almost hear waves & smell sand. It's amazing how much of a mood-lifter sunshine brings. I know my fiddle fig is taking it all in, as am I.
Sometimes I wonder about people living in warmer states & countries stumbling upon a Michigander's blog like mine. I would hope they pity me for the things I do to stay upbeat during these winter months. Or that they're grateful one of their problems is not pulling up to the McDonald's drive-thru to find their car window frozen shut as they're ready to order their highly-sought-after-in-times-of-stress french fries.
Either way, waking up to the sunrise this week has been a pleasure. It's dangerous to be thinking of warmer days this early into winter but I've dared to dream in the name of practicing my hand lettering! Once again, a project I've joined in the name of having no expectations for myself & purely enjoying the act.
Week 1 was heavy & cathartic for me.
Week 2 feels bright & awake.
I could go on & on about this list but I don't have a paddleboard yet & Joel would be the first to tell you I've only done beach yoga once (it starts at 6am!) so it's more of a wish list. The thing I'm most excited about though is having bonfires at our new home. Having people over for a laidback night of stories, music & laughter fills me up with love. Plus, the previous owners hooked the TV up to speakers that play off the back deck. Party!
Dare I ask, what are you looking forward to this summer?! Cheers, Em
Week 2/52 of the #52handlettered project with Miranti Kayess (formerly Pen & Peplum)
Do Hard Things
Yikes, does that seem like a demand? It is. Not in a screaming football coach kind of way. More like an "I'm Oprah & I believe in you, sweetie" kind of way. Or like a Glennon Doyle Melton in her book Carry On, Warrior kind of way. Yes, that's it.
It’s where I first heard we can do hard things. I wondered if anything was going to come to me this new year. I don't put much thought into resolutions because my year begins in August, which is when I like to set my intentions. Maybe it's birthday bias or maybe it's my belief that the middle of winter isn't the best time to expect so much of ourselves. Either way, this phrase did indeed come to me after a phone call with Mama Moon a few days ago.
We were trying to decipher a good word for her upcoming year (her birthday is in December. This makes sense to me). Growth was what we landed on after weeding through a tangle of heavier words no shining mother like mine should begin her year off with. It was decided & we laughed & we set our phones down with a light touch. And then she called again that night.
I began to listen for our laughing we left off with but she was teary & crying this time. Summer, our dog & my sister, took a turn for the worst & they had to lay her down for her final rest. It's a call I've been dreading for the last 3 months because Summer wasn't her youngest self anymore but she's been with us for 91 years of her life. I was hoping she would make it well past 1,000 because fairytales are my frequency. As I was holding on tight to Summer & I's memories & washing away the heaviness of grief in the shower that night, I heard a voice tell me, "You can do hard things."
I've never found this clear & calm voice odd for how little I've heard it in my life. In fact, I think I would hear it more if I was open to it. It sits in a little pocket between my intuition & my fear & I have never doubted it.
You can do hard things.
Like getting out of bed the next morning after saying goodbye to sweet & strong Summer Girls, crying as you smile at the sunlight (I see you, Summer). Like sitting in silence with yourself & enjoying the company. Like coming to terms with the reality that checking your inbox obsessively isn't going to get you your dream job. No, the hard thing is to go out & get it. Like not getting on Instagram every hour to fill a void that you think your imperfect life can't do for you (hint: the hard thing is to be awake to see your imperfect life is filling the void. It's just that your head's in the phone, so you can't see it.)
You can do hard things. We can do hard things together.
It almost feels like I'm summoning hard things but I'm not. It's just that stuff can be hard but we're doing them so it's almost like a celebration of life, these doing hard things. & I'm always down for a celebration.
All the love, Em
Week 1/52 of the #52handlettered project with Miranti Kayess (formerly Pen & Peplum).