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We all love to get little sneak peeks into the working world of various people, so I thought I'd start capturing some of these moments as I go.

Meet Finley, my studio (and everywhere) cat. He's kind of an ass, if we're being real, but a cute and cuddly ass (is that literally a thing? Probably not. Gross). On a typical day, he'll be climbing around behind the shelving unit as pictured above, tracking inky paw prints across the floor, scaling the tall shelving units in my closet, and doing his general best at trying to prevent me using a mouse and keyboard in a normal manner.

Finn, as I call him for short, is the epitome of that whole "curiosity killed the cat" saying. You may have recognized him from one of my more popular Christmas cards. I've blogged about him before, and I already have a sequel planned for said Christmas card this coming year.

What's going on in your studio or creative space lately?

I have officially been part of the Baltimore art world for the past five years. I mark the beginning of Row House 14 as the start of that timeline. In five years, I have sought out the community of others who make, love, or share art. Something about being surrounded by others that love art just as much as I do is important to me. I think it's the aspect of inspiration-- being inspired by others and having others to share your ideas with.

However, in those five years, I feel as though few gains have been made in becoming part of that community. I've written about those hopes and dreams on multiple occasions on the blog, but I've never written more deeply about it.

During this past holiday season, my frustrations came to a head as I found myself at a poorly attended arts and crafts market surrounded by other incredibly talented artists of all kinds. It was the third show in just as many weekends that didn't go quite as I had hoped, and I noticed that those same artists that I saw on that day were in attendance from the weekends before.

Meanwhile, on that same weekend, another craft fair took place that was wildly popular and very well attended. The group of artists was a familiar group. I had attempted to get into that market on multiple occasions, but despite my many, many attempts, I was denied once more. I couldn't understand why so many of the same artists were able to return to the market each year without giving a newbie like myself a chance. After a frustrating weekend, I proclaimed to Andrew that I felt like I had gotten into all of the reject markets. However, the quality of the art at each of these markets certainly were not of reject material.

For me, and many other artists that spoke to me about this, it feels as though there is a divisive line within the art community that doesn't intend to exclude, but does. Over the days following Christmas, I explained to my visiting parents how frustrating things can be for so many artist entrepreneurs in Baltimore and that many of us feel as though we're outsiders being shut out of a small group that often sees a bounty of success. My parents' continued response was, "But that's just how it always is. There's always the 'in' group, and that's just how it is."

Yes, they're right. That IS how it is, but does it have to stay that way? Can't that change? Or can't outsiders be the catalyst for change? Their continued response to my questioning was still a solid "no."

Maybe I'm an idealist, but I believe all people should be given a fair and equal opportunity. In this city, and certainly elsewhere, that simply isn't the case in the arts. In a city that is often ruled by The Maryland Institute College of Arts, it is often hard to be taken seriously if you're not an alumna. I've heard the question and response all too often at various art events. "Oh, I just love your cards! Did you go to MICA?" "No, I did not." "Ohhh." The "ohhh" is often accompanied with a tone of disapproval, a quick glance away, and an abrupt change of subject or end of conversation.

Alternatively, I get those who ask if I will be at such and such market or if my cards are sold in particular local stores. When I respond with a no, I get a "What?! Why wouldn't they want your cards to be a part of that?! I can't believe it!" And I usually respond, "I don't really know why," because I truly don't. That's not to sound arrogant or come off as if I think I'm above others-- that's just not the case. It's more along the lines of not understanding how despite any and all efforts, I still end up on what feels like the reject's side.

You may be reading this nodding in agreement with my parents' sentiments, thinking to yourself that this is just how things like this are and that I should move on and get over it. However, I just can't shake it.

Why should some opportunities be given to only just a few to enjoy? Haven't we ALL worked hard in order to get to the place that we are today? It reminded me of why I first became a teacher when I first moved to Baltimore. I hold a firm belief that everyone should be given a fair and equal opportunity, and when fair and equal doesn't seem to exist, especially in a world and field that is always touted as so open-minded, I feel disheartened, frustrated, angered.

I'm not sure what to think anymore about makers and the arts in this city. Sometimes I feel a sense of community with a few individuals that I chat with or see from time to time. Other times, I feel completely disenchanted and excluded. While I still think finding community within the arts is important to me, I also believe that maybe it's time to look for it through other avenues and be a catalyst of change.

I'm not quite sure how that will look in the future. Andrew has suggested starting our own art market. And I'd still love to have my own retail shop. Perhaps those are things to spend time working on building rather than trying to be a part of what already exists. It can be strange being on your own, by yourself, in your house, with no one else other than a dog and cat. I like the solitude most of the time, but the energy of an art community is missing. I'm not quite sure how to get there, but hopefully I'll get there somehow. And for now, I'm focusing on the small positives notes and building things one small block at a time.

 

Last year, I felt as though I made some serious steps to being more organized. This year, I wrote about wanting to continue on that path and I have some serious goals to go with that. I needed some accountability, and wanted a way to keep track of my progress, so I decided to make a goal tracker for the entire year.

I decided on a full year check box format so that I could see progress throughout the year. Something about having all 366 days of the year right there in front of me is both daunting and incredibly motivating. I added some fun hand lettering with a lined section where I color coordinated two almost daily goals that are important to me. For the check boxes, I started each month with the lettered initial of that month to mark the first day. The lettered boxes are then followed by the appropriate number of days for that month. Each row on the chart is 14 boxes, or two weeks.

Finally, I printed the goal tracker on a piece of card stock and taped it to my inspiration wall so that I can see it frequently for that good ol' daily reminder. In case you're wondering, that's some letterpress awesomeness from Eight Eleven Press, a cloud painting post card by my cousin Julia (check out her amazing art here!), a photo of me and Andrew at Uluru, and a sunset over the Sydney Harbor.

In line with my goal to blog every week day, I thought I'd blog about how I'm trying to keep track of my goals. It seemed like it would be added accountability. Then, I had the genius idea to share my goal tracker with anyone else that might need a little motivation this year. So, if you'd like to download a copy for yourself, click the image of the goal tracker below and you can snag a PDF version. All you need to do is print, and you'll be on your merry way!

You're more than welcome to share this with others as well if you'd like. I just ask that whatever you do, you don't use this to sell to anyone-- that would be a jerkface move, since, you know, I'm already sharing the love and giving it away for free. ;)

So far, I'm on track with my goals, and I'm hoping that this will help me continue that trend. Have you had a productive start to 2016? What sorts of tools do you use to help you stay on track with your goals?

They're here! They're here! My favorite time of the year has arrived, and the new Valentine's Day line is ready! I probably say this every single year, but these are truly my favorite to date. I've written before about finding a my voice and creating a full line of cards that are much more cohesive, and I believe that this line stays true to what my brand represents. I love the bright, bold, sassy style of each card and finally feel as though I've found that place that I want to be.

To celebrate this new release of cards, I'm offering 20% off with the code VDAY20. You can use that code both here on my website and in my Etsy shop.

I'd have to say the "pants off" card is my favorite this year. The idea came to me while I was in the shower (because don't all good ideas happen that way? And I'm suuuure you wanted to know that). Which of the new cards is your favorite this year?

As I wrote about yesterday, I was certainly glad to see 2015 pass and start fresh with 2016. While reading various blog posts throughout the week, it would seem that I wasn't the only one that was happy for a new year and a fresh start. It was my aunt who put it best last night while we enjoyed a yearly cheese fondue New Year's Eve tradition when she announced, "Good riddance!" We all chimed in with agreement and gave cheers to a happier 2016.

With a new year come plenty of new goals. Overall, I feel that the most important aspect of improvement for me this year will be staying as productive as I can be. When things didn't go quite right last year, I spent time wallowing instead of turning lemons into lemonade. Lack of productivity certainly led to more frustrations, and so I think that being productive is an overarching focus for this new year.

1 // Continue learning new things. This is the same as my first goal last year. I want to continue with lifelong learning, but I'd like to narrow my focus. As a few examples, I'd like to learn more about the stationery industry in order to better my business. I'd like to refocus learning on photography. And I would like to learn new songs by spending time with my guitar and piano. Some of these learning objectives may come in the form of actual courses, while others may be research and investigation dependent through my own motivations.

2 // Become stronger and healthier. Near the end of this past year, I made steps toward this, and I'd like to continue on that path. I'm not getting any younger, and I'd like to be sure that I'm getting the most out of life. With that said, I was probably in the best shape during my junior year of high school. I spent large amounts of time in the weight room and countless hours conditioning as a student athlete playing multiple sports. Once I went to college, that part of my life changed. I want my six pack abs and my strong arms back. That might sound silly, but when I feel strong, I feel good about myself. And while I may eat healthily, that doesn't mean that my heart is healthy if I'm not getting regular exercise. This past summer, I started a yoga and running regimen that started building that strength and endurance again, and I'd like to build upon that.

3 // Streamline my wholesale program. This is a business related goal that is incredibly important to me this year. I've spent time mapping out how I'm going to accomplish this goal. Right now, my wholesale program is not as approachable as it could be for buyers. As the list of shops that stock my cards increases, it has been more and more difficult to manage. Streamlining would mean creating an online interface for buyers to place orders and updating my physical catalog. A large part of this goal is motivated by the possibility of expanding my line and reaching bigger goals that I have in mind for the future of my business.

4 // Identify when I'm sabotaging myself and take active steps to change that. This also has to do with the productivity that I talked about earlier. Some mornings I sleep in just a little longer. Some evenings I spend time on social media instead of playing guitar or baking bread for the week. Other times I skip yoga class because of various excuses. This year, I'd like to not only identify when I am doing these things (I know that I'm doing them when I do them already), but make an active decision and put a plan in place to keep myself on track. This is one of those tough self love sorts of things, but I have ideas in mind already to help me out that I plan to try this year.

5 // Start blogging regularly again. I miss writing. I have had mixed feelings about blogging for quite some time as the world of blogging has evolved. I miss reading about human stories. These days we're inundated by How To articles, sponsored posts, and blogging advice. Everyone must be an expert these days. I'd like to get back to blogging, but write about whatever I damn well please. If someone wants to read it, great. If not, that's ok too. I might be completely crazy, but I'd like to make this goal quantifiable, so I'm aiming to blog about something, anything, every week day this year.

6 // Take more photos. This sort of goes hand in hand with the blogging goal. I have spent years learning about photography both formally and informally. During the last two years, the majority of time I spend with a camera in hand is during product photo shoots. I want to get back to doing what I love doing, plus photos are a great addition to the blog posts I'd like to write.

7 // Make time for myself and the people in my life. I feel as though I didn't spend enough time on myself as a person last year, which may be one of the reasons why I felt in such a funk during 2015. As a result, I was also probably a lot more crabby toward Andrew and didn't focus much on the other people in my life. I'd like to find that balance between work and daily life again and recognize when I need to clock out for the day. I know that this will be tough as the beginning of the year is always my busiest season as Valentine's Day nears. However, I think being more productive and efficient in my business will help create that balance so that I can unplug when I need to.

8 // Spend more time traveling. Last year was rough. We went on only one short vacation during the entire year, which left us with little chance to recharge when we needed to the most. Any other traveling we did consisted of family get togethers or travel related to my business. We even canceled one of our planned vacations because just the thought of being away during that particular time was too stressful for both of us in relation to both of our work schedules. So, not only would we like to travel more, we'd also like to be better planners about vacation instead of trying to figure things out on the fly.

9 // Continue to minimize and organize our house. We started major organization and minimization last year. This included doing some extensive purging of stuff that we no longer used as well as tackling projects that have been on our to do list for years. We've made progress, but have a long way to go with a new to do list already sitting on our dining room table. It's exciting to look forward to ticking those items off the list one by one.

And that rounds up this year's major goals. A lot of self care is planned for this year, which may be a result of a less than great 2015. I'm looking forward to being more aware of when I need to take time for myself and focus on life instead of work. Additionally, I look forward to trying to be more productive in the day to day. I think it means that I'll really need to be more intentional about how I spend my time and the routines that I fall into, but I'm ready for that challenge.

Do you have any goals for 2016? Are you as happy as I am that you're getting a fresh start? I'll be back on Monday to kick off the new year with this year's line of Valentine's Day cards! See you on the blog then! :)