Changing Habits & Achieving Goals

My word of the year for 2024: Discipline

Mostly, this means actually finishing the projects I start (or have already started and stalled out or given up on) as well as holding myself to the standards and goals I’ve set forth. A big part of this means striving for integrity—if I say I’ll do something, I do it. This is following on the heels of some of my overarching themes from the previous years: momentum, consistency, persistent. I like having a yearly word. It’s kind of like throwing your own year-long themed party.

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Update: Graphic Novel

I’m doing exclusive updates and behind the scenes content over on my Patreon page, but I thought I’d do a quick recap what I’ve been sharing over there so far this year. I’m making steady progress on the graphic novel that I began writing in 2017. The script got a rewrite last year and since then I’ve been working on character design, page layouts, and the like. I’m more than halfway through the page layouts now—for a 93 page graphic novel it’s been quite the undertaking. While I have a day job that I love, it nonetheless takes a lot of time away from my creative endeavors. Progress is happening, if slowly.

You can follow along and get all the updates and see all the sketches over on my Patreon.

"The Four" Artist Profile Interview.

I was recently interviewed by 9&10 new’s “The Four” for part of their ongoing artist profile series. It was such a wonderful experience, especially for someone who gets nervous in these sorts of situations. Sarah was incredibly kind and easy to talk to.

Here is the transcription of the interview with a link below to the video.

Who are you?

I’m Bird! I’m a Traverse City native. I’m back after being gone for about a decade. I have been a professional artist for probably four years.

When did you get started in art?

I’ve always been artistic and creative. I was a doodler as a kid and I got in trouble for it a lot. It was the natural thing, even though I tried doing some other things before I ended up here. So, I went to Northern Michigan University, I started out as a graphic design major, thinking I would eventually go into set design, or transfer colleges, but I just didn’t love it. And, I fell into illustration and that was the major for me. I minored in creative writing as well.

What is your favorite medium? 

I’m primarily a watercolor artist, though I do dabble in collage, graphite, ink, colored pencil, but watercolor is one that I keep coming back to over and over again, it’s challenging. It makes you kind of collaborate with it. So I think that’s what draws me.

What inspires you?

Nature is probably my biggest inspiration, local wildlife, local plants that’s super interesting to me. I’m also really interested in the occult, world religions and spiritualitie,s and how the human mind works.

What do you hope people get from your work?

I hope people learn something, maybe about nature or mythology, or maybe just about themselves and kind of what’s going on internally with them. A moment of peace and introspection.

And here is the video!

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

There are some big changes ahead.

We, Max, Trinity, & I, are moving back to Michigan. We'll be moving to Traverse City, my hometown.

Our lease was coming up at the end of April here in Maine. It got Max & I talking about what we wanted to do next. Did we want to stay here another year? Did we want to try to move north, to Augusta, perhaps? We started digging into our ten year plan, talking about what we want to accomplish, and thinking about where we want to end up. It quickly became clear we didn't want to be here another year. And maybe Maine hadn't been the best choice right now after all... (Northern Maine is still one of the most beautiful places, we may eventually move back.)

Well, we got in touch with my brother & sister-in-law who have been trying to get us to move in with them for forever to see if the offer was still open. It is. And they've asked us to be their business partners & open an art supply store with them! What!

To that end, I'm quitting my job. I've been with the same company for six years, three of which I've been in a management position. It's very daunting, losing that stability (& the benefits, let's be honest). I'd been planning to leave when I turn 30 anyhow. The timing just felt right.

It's been a year of incredible change. I don't regret any of it. Both Max & I have grown so much & we've learned a lot. We've made some great strides on the paths of our chosen careers & we've stoked the passion-fire for our dreams. I think you struggle to make you strong. 

I'm feeling very positive, very at peace about the decisions we've made. It's a good feeling. I know this move is going to bring great good.

The coming of April will bring to a close an amazing, crazy year & open up onto a whole new wonderful adventure that will be full of even more success!

Graphic Novel Update

If you listen to the podcast I do with my husband then you already know what my plan is for the graphic novel. If not...

I've given up on getting four pages of the graphic novel done a week. I don't know yet what I WILL be able to get done in a week. I wanted to get it done in a year, but I don't see that happening now.

I've stepped back to reassess.

I need to up my technical drawing skills. When I was writing the graphic novel I wasn't really thinking about the art, not the making of it. I was thinking more abstractly about it, composing the panels & pages like shots of a film.  So now that it's come to the making of it I've found that my imagination has reached far beyond my skill level. This is a good thing, truly. But a difficult, frustrating, & painful thing as well. Growth is hard, or it can be.

My new plan is to work on perspective drawing every day for thirty days. I think I'll start fresh February first & finish some other paintings up in the meantime. This was prompted by an episode of Your Creative Push, a (kick-ass) podcast I listen to.

I'm hoping this will force me to get better. Maybe I'll even find that this sort of drawing is something I really enjoy. All I know is I want the art to be worthy of the story.

New Year, New Goals: Update

Well, I've been pretty shit really at following through with my resolutions.  

My biggest failure so far is that I haven't worked on the graphic novel. At all. I started working on page one and immediately got overwhelmed. I really should have paid more attention to the perspective lessons in college. My first panel should be a big, beautiful shot of a castle amidst mountain peaks, a highly-detailed three-point perspective piece that will set the visual tone for the rest of the graphic novel. So far I have...a horizon line. 

But it hasn't been all bad. I just finished a new painting that I'm quite proud of (you can see it in my Personal section). 

In addition,  I've started setting up my online store & populating it with products. So far I have a few originals & prints of my more favorite pieces. The hold up with officially opening? Taxes & legalities. Sales tax is complicated, folks. But, with any luck, it will be open by the weekend!

"Awesome" News!

My work is up for sale at Awesome Hobby Shoppe in Biddeford, Maine! I will be selling some of my work through them for the foreseeable future.

The exterior of Awesome Hobby Shoppe. That's a statue of Jason in the window.

The exterior of Awesome Hobby Shoppe. That's a statue of Jason in the window.

Last week was a real whirlwind!

One of the goals I set for myself for this year was to get into galleries. I'd seen artwork up in AHS while walking the dog & finally decided to stop in a couple weeks ago & see how to get art there. I was told to contact their art director, Mike, & left them my name & website. (Mind you, I had absolutely nothing to show for my intentions outside of curiosity. Oops!) He got in touch with me shortly after Thanksgiving. After meeting Mike in person on the morning of the third, I've been cranking out original artwork.

I'm selling prints & a handful of originals. I hope to also open my online store here shortly as well, since I'll be getting prints made anyway. 

ALSO...I've been invited to be part of AHS's first show in 2017: Kickflip'd. It's all art on skate decks. I'm stoked. If you listen to Chat-Man & Robin you've already heard I'm going to make a pussy-board. We'll see how it goes. Kickflip'd is set to run February 1-16th. I'll post info on the opening reception, if there will be one.

Check out Awesome Hobby Shoppe on Facebook.

The artwork to the right of mine is by Elizabeth Carmella.

The artwork to the right of mine is by Elizabeth Carmella.

 

Podcast News

Chat-Man & Robin, the podcast that I co-host with my husband, Max, is now up on iTunes!

This is something we've been wanting to do for a while so it would be more accessible to our listeners. Hosting it on his website really wasn't the easiest way to tune in.  I wish we'd known long ago how incredibly easy the iTunes review process was.  

For any newcomers out there, Chatman & Robin is a nerd & pop culture-focused podcast, though we do dip into social issues, politics, Feminism, gender/sexuality, & anything else we feel like discussing. Most of the time it's very light stuff. We have a lot of fun just sitting down & talking to each other. 

So, if a bit of nerdy fluff sounds right up you alley, we (TRY to) put out a podcast every Wednesday!