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So you might have heard me shouting about it on social media already, but if you haven’t I’ve given my store and portfolio a bit of a refresh! I’ve designed a line of new products I absolutely love and finally shared some of the work from this year that I’m most proud of.

 

It took me a god while to get going with this update, I’d been meaning to do it for a while. But I kept psyching myself out. I desperately wanted to create pieces I loved and by putting all of that pressure on myself, I ended up being too afraid to start and make that work.

There were 2 things that got me out of that funk. First, I set myself a hard deadline (which I overran a little but that’s not the point) and started to treat myself like one of my own clients. Second, I started making in the tiniest, most ignored sketchbook in my collection. It already had a few drawings in and had seen better days so it came with absolutely no pressure. I could use it as a mind mapping space and as somewhere for my weird little thumbnail sketches.

 

And once I got started it was hard to stop.

 

Here’s a rundown of the new pieces I’ve made especially for the update:

Reflection Cards

I’ve made no secret of the fact that tarot has become a real inspiration and influencing factor in my life recently, so I wanted to make something that really brought that out. So, I’ve made a mini collection of 4 reflection cards. They’re like tarot but without the mysticism for anyone who finds that a bit uncomfortable. They’re perfect for using to reflect on your own day, to display or to send to loved ones in cards to mark big (or little) moments.

Original Ink Drawings

For the first time, aside from my screenprint which I’m still obsessed with, I’ve stepped out of my digital bubble to share some original ink drawings. They’re all capturing themes of things I’ve been reflecting on recently whether that’s the need to look after yourself, our complicated relationships with our bodies, how creativity can be a defence but also a provocation, or just that we need to be kind. They’re not perfect, such is the wonder of making things, by hand but each one is truly unique and a message I want to send out into the world.

A New Christmas Collection

I’ve designed a brand new christmas card and matching patterned wrapping paper for this year. I took inspiration from all of the things I love about the festive season, but I mainly just wanted to capture that warm cozy feeling it brings with it – hence the little knitted mittens.

 

I am genuinely so happy with everything I’ve added to my store. Every piece is something I feel a connection to, and every piece says something. Please go and give them a little love over in my store, they’re all longing for new homes.

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Around this time last year I designed a series of ‘podcast posters’ to celebrate some of the podcasts I love. A year on, in a strange manifest your destiny kind of way, I’m designing the real artwork for podcasts I love, most notably Emma Gannon’s Ctrl Alt Delete.

 

The new artwork we worked on together launched a little while ago but it’s still a thrill to see it pop up in my iTunes or when someone shares their favourite episode on social media.

 

Her decision to trust me with her new illustrated branding has kicked off a new wave of work for me, so I thought I’d take you all behind the scenes a little bit and show you how a piece of cover art like this can come together. If you’re interested in your own illustrated cover art or rebrand, I’ve left all the details at the bottom of this post.

 

But let’s get into the good stuff first.

 

Projects like this always start with someone getting in touch with me, and us just having a brief email conversation about what they want. For the Ctrl Alt Delete piece of work, Emma had already put together a great moodboard filled with pieces and colours she liked which was a brilliant guide.

 

Then I take that inspiration and turn it into drafts. Usually these focus on layout and are super sketchy like the ones above, but sometimes they’re more fleshed out. It completely depends on what I’m working on, and what we need to work out as a client-illustrator team.

I send those roughs off and get some guidance on what the client is looking for. In the case of Ctrl Alt Delete we decided to keep it simple and focus on the bright yellow that has become synonymous with Emma’s brand. So I fleshed out the sketch with a more worked up portrait, and went through that cycle of draft and feedback again before adding in the lettering.

 

Then there were just some final tweaks to do before the final artwork was settled, and put into place across Emma’s social media and most importantly on the podcast itself. These final tweaks can make all of the difference, and it’s so so crucial to me that whoever I’m working with is really happy with what they get in the end – especially if it’s got their face on it!

That was where the story ended on this particular piece of work. But I’ve also worked on social media banners and illustrated frames for sharing quotes and guest profiles for similar projects. So the sky really is the limit.

 

If you’ve got a podcast, or any other creative endeavour, and you’d like to chat about what we can do together head on over to my portfolio to see some of my other work or just drop me a line – I’d love to hear from you!

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I’ve spoken about being a modern hermit before, so it will come as no surprise that I’m a big believer in the power of doing things on your own.

 

I’m an only child so I never really understood the fear of doing things on your own, or having to sit and amuse yourself. I have always just done what I wanted to, whether someone wanted to come with me or not.

 

I travelled all over Europe on my own when I was 18. I’ve been taking myself on solo cinema trips since I was 13. I’ve walked, and bus-ed, and train-ed, to anywhere I wanted to go. I’ve gone to gigs, eaten dinner, and danced all by myself, without a second thought.

 

I never thought doing any of those things was strange until people started questioning me on it.

 

Why aren’t you going with a friend? Isn’t your boyfriend going with you? Aren’t you scared? Aren’t you lonely? Oh, I would never do that on my own.

 

Those comments have come in waves throughout my life. But I hit a peak quite recently when I took myself on my second solo long weekend of the year to Bath.

 

So I wanted to say that it’s not weird to do things on your own.

 

It is weird to constantly need company. I know I’m an introvert and I’m inclined to like my own time. But even if you’re an extrovert and draw on the energy of having other people around, you need to know how to be on your own.

 

You need to get to know yourself, to feel that slight discomfort when you walk into a restaurant solo and sit in it. Just sit in that feeling. Lean into it, for want of a better phrase. It will pass. Then, beyond that discomfort, you’ll find another little bit of yourself.

 

When I take time with myself, when I’m not working or distracting myself, I often have to face things I’ve been ignoring. That’s not always a fun conversation to have, my demons aren’t always kind. But I do come out of those conversations stronger, wiser, and more sure of myself.

 

Doing things on my own makes me better aware of who I am with other people and how to do more with them.

 

Time alone isn’t weird it’s necessary. Take yourself on a date, you might just find someone you can love.

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I’ve recently got into a bit of a rut with my reading, after picking up a few longer reads I struggled to get into. So, when I had Sayaka Murata’s Convenience Store Woman, a short bright yellow oddball novel, recommended to me at least 3 times by The New York Times I had high hopes that it would be the remedy. I raced through it’s 163 pages in two hungry sittings so you could say it did the trick.

 

Translated from Japanese by Ginny Tapley Takemori, Convenience Store Woman is Sayaka Murata’s debut English-language novel. Despite being one of the most exciting voices in fiction at the minute, Murata still works part time in a convenience store, which was where she found her inspiration for her latest novel.

 

The story follows a self-defined peculiar woman named Keiko as she struggles to learn how to fit in. The core of her attempts to conform is a convenience store, the Hiiromachi Station Smile Mart, where she’s worked for 18 years. She develops a deep, and almost romantic, relationship with the store which has given her life structure. But pressures from her friends and family push her to reconsider that relationship.

This is my alternative cover design for Convenience Store Woman, it’s a new more illustrated take on that bright yellow background.

Convenience Store Woman is certainly not a thriller but it’s surprisingly difficult to put down. Every small twist has you wanting to know more and Murata/Takemori’s prose has a real rhythm to it. It’s also absurdly deadpan funny. While the narrative bobs and weaves, Keiko’s narration stay ramrod straight and stuck to her tone. So you’re left with a story that’s at once unflinchingly unemotional and self-aware, and has the off-beat charm of an Amelie or Shopgirl.

 

Instead of my normal “I’d recommend this book if…” conclusion, I’ll just leave you with this review so you can decide for yourself:

 

“A slim, spare and difficult-to-define little book, both very funny and achingly sad in turns, told from the point of view of a woman who’s trying to find her place in the world . . . This empathetic novel is also a touching exploration of loneliness and alienation, feelings and conditions that, for better or for worse, can be recognized by people worldwide.”—Book Reporter

 

SOME QUESTIONS TO PONDER AS YOU READ

  • Keiko picks up characteristics from those around her very directly. Have you ever picked up behaviours from those around you? Did you know you were doing it?
  • If Keiko doesn’t see herself as having a stable personality, does she have a stable narrating voice?
  • There’s a lot discussion in the novel about societal structures and expectations, to what extent do you feel these are real or perceived by the characters?
  • Convenience Store Woman might takes the idea of being defined by your work to an extreme, have you ever felt defined by your job? How?

 

IF YOU WANT SOME FURTHER READING TRY…

 

IF YOU WANT MORE BOOKS LIKE THIS HAVE A LOOK AT…

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About 6 months ago I bought my first tarot deck and since the moment I picked it up for the first time it’s had a huge influence. I know that for a lot of people tarot seems like hocus pocus, either a complete scam which preys on the vulnerable or something reserved for witches or at least those who love a cloak. While I am a proud cloak (thanks Elizabeth Suzann) wearer, tarot for me is about reflection and intimacy.

The wonderful Sarah Hughes wrote a piece for the Guardian about the rise of tarot lovers like me, who are new to the cards and using them as a tool for focus:
“People are clearly looking for other ideas, and I think tarot allows us to consider where we fit in the universe. It works as somewhere you can go in with a problem and come out feeling clearer and better about the world.”

Sarah’s article is far more articulate than I could ever be, but I also want to share my own story. I think hearing it first person makes a difference. I also just love talking about things I love.

I can’t lie, I was initially drawn into Tarot because of the beauty of the cards. There’s a deck out there in every style imaginable. My first tarot loves were the slightly more old fashioned ones which draw on religious imagery and medieval aesthetics. But my deck is Caitlin Keegan’s Illuminated Tarot which is bright and bold, something altogether more modern. Then you’ve got decks like Adam JK’s which strip the illustrations back to their purely symbolic form.

Whatever your preference, you can’t deny that tarot decks are works of art. Not only that they’re works of art you’re encouraged to interact with, to engage with, to make your own meaning out of over and over again.

That’s why I love them.

For me, Tarot isn’t about predicting the future. It’s not a magic 8 ball or Bill and Ted. It’s a visually engaging lens through which you’re encouraged to make your own meaning.

Currently, I do a daily reading with a single card. I like to use that reading as a bit of motivation for that day. I end up shaping how I reflect on what’s happened with the card in mind, trying to see how my story could be a part of that universe.

Now, I know some people would see that as me trying to force the card to come true. But it doesn’t matter if it’s “true”, whatever that may mean, for me. What’s more important is that it gives me a new perspective with which to look at my day. It gets me out of my head and out of my set brain paths. As someone who suffers quite seriously with anxiety, that’s pretty much magic for me.

I also like to do bigger readings when I start a project, or I just want to do some more reflection. Again these readings for me are about trying to look at my plans in a new light. They’re proved to be a source of inspiration. Using the cards also helps me dig to my underlying fears or motivations far quicker than just thinking to myself. They push me to find solutions and to confront my real demons.

So, that’s why Tarot is an increasing force in my life. Expect it to become an increasing influence in my artwork as well.

But for now I just want to learn more.