2011 was a leap of faith for me - after leaving a job I had held for 4 years to follow my true bliss. I was determined to have one of the best years of my life, and to listen to my heart, trust my gut and follow my dreams. It was time to nurture my soul that had been damaged from a job that left me drained sad and depressed most days. I became more in tune with who I am, what makes me happy, and how much my attitude affects everything. I focused on being as positive as I could be, and it's amazing to see and feel my life change! I have manifested so many amazing things into my life - I feel immensely blessed and fortunate and am SO excited to see what 2012 has in store for me!
some highlights from this year in no particular order!:
Feeding my soul with lots of face time with the sweet Pacific Ocean! This is where I thrive, where my heart sings, and where I feel most complete. I spent as much time as I could taking random road trips west. I took an art retreat by myself with a pile of cameras, vintage ephemera for collaging, and books to sew while overlooking the ocean - it was amazing!
I found a secret beach this year that I almost always had all to myself even in the busiest summer months. I would have picnics with the sea lions and the eagles <3 I also had my first overnight stay in a yurt! Sleeping with stars above me and listening to the waves and barking sea lions at night was so peaceful :)2011 held lots of successes with my crafty endeavors such as:
- Featured in Etsy's Quit Your Day Job
- BINGO books featured in the UK magazine 3D Artist
- Had my first "big customer" - NBC purchased a big lot of BINGO books to use for their Green is Universal campaign
- Interviewed for the site Retail Me Not
- Featured in the Oregonian (RadCat Cat Toys!)
I also started volunteering as a photographer and pet finder bio writer for the Cat Adoption Team! It has been such a rewarding experience, and is great practice for my RadCat Cat Photography (http://www.radcatpdx.com)! I was also asked to be one of their Professional Photographers for next years Cat Calendar!!!
In October of 2011, I landed a dream job of becoming the artist assistant for the amazingly talented Katie Daisy!!!! I have followed her work for such a long time, and was thrilled to see she had moved to Portland and was looking for an assistant! She has also become one of my best friends! :)
Finally my favorite part of 2011 is having my twin sister on the same coast! We took a cross country road trip from New York to Oregon in early August to move her out here for good!
This has to be one of my favorite years to date! I am so excited to see what 2012 has in store for me - and wanted to end this with a big THANK YOU to all of my family, friends and fans for supporting me! I love you all so much :)
xoxo,
me :)
