The Drawing Pad: Dior
Christian Dior Haute Couture, worn by Kiera Knightly in VOGUE October 2011
Artist Life: Dealing with burn out
Every year my husband and I get busier and busier. Two kiddos, working artist, freelance accessory designer, adjunct professor, starting a restaurant (husbands project) and trying to accomplish numerous goals. OH MY GOODNESS!!!! I know it's all part of a bigger plan and I trust that completely. But sometimes....honestly...I get super burned out and grumpy. For like a whole day. Like PMS grumpy. I think, 'what the heck am I doing?' Waaaaaaaaaa! All I wanna do is curl up on the couch and binge watch Say Yes to the Dress or flip through the giant pile of unread magazines I'm collecting. All that whining being said, I don't think I'd have it any other way. I LOVE what I do. I have a lot to be thankful for. Obviously, counting your blessings can help when you start to feel the burn out coming on. So no complaining here!
I guess I'm writing this little post because I want to reach out and see what other people do when they feel burn out coming on. Do you have anything creative you do to squelch it? Or to keep burn out from even happening at all?
I'm becoming...let's say creative with finding new ways to deal with the burn out slump. New ways to quickly recharge. Today it's working on a perpetual grocery list template. (Side note: Organizational systems. They are a magical key to maintaining balance. More on that later.) But in relation to burn out, sometimes if I organize something, all feels right with the world again. Yes, I'm that kind of girl...hehe!
Oh...ain't no shame in binge watching SYTTD for a day either!
-Kelly
Working Artist: Enchanted
This was a super fun project I worked on back in May.
I was asked to create some enchanted inspired greeting cards for a fundraising event and it was a great excuse to do something slightly outside of the fashion realm. Painting flora is probably my second favorite subject matter next to fashion. And fairies, well, we have a history together. I used to be a big Brian Froud fan. I may have painted a couple fairy inspired nursery murals...
The cards were very successful at the fundraiser so I decided to have a second run printed. I finally got around to adding the remaining cards to my Etsy shop. You can find them here!
While I love autumn, these paintings are making me long for spring...already. We have months before we see those beautiful blossoms emerging from the frost bitten ground. I'm longing to paint this subject matter again...
-Kelly