The girl(s) who wanted to fly - part ONE

(all artwork by Heidi Mc Donald)

I've been thinking for a while about this.  It's something I'm always very curious about.  That is, how you go from the 'pay your bills' job to following your arty dreams.  I love to read interviews and features where fellow arty chicks tell their story.  I'm interested to know their stories, as I am sure you are too.

So, for this blog post, it's not me that's going to be sharing, and showing (well, apart from this bit), today it is the turn of my very first guest...

(drumroll please)

the fabulously talented and all round cool chick

Heidi Mc Donald

Over to Heidi....

The Girl Who Wanted To Fly

After Art school i thought "That's it ! I am a proper Artist and now i am going to get a proper artists job" 

Not being that straight forward i found myself with a shiny new Art Degree working in a curtain shop so i could pay my rent and a night working away on ideas and getting freelance designs jobs here and there. 

I hated working in a curtain shop and would wonder when my time when i could be a real artist ! Not realising i already was, i just needed to feel it.

My dreams of turning my passion of art and design into a career went on hold after many years of ill health, the freelance work dried up and i packed up my art stuff thinking it was all too late for that.

Life and my health turned around and i found a unstoppable thirst to get back into drawing, to make, to create.

How amazing that now the creative world had opened up with the internet and i was able to connect with amazing talent, read inspiring blogs, immerse myself in workshops and read how other artists had grown there dreams into reality.

The time felt right to take the leap and so...

I took a part time job and started to think beyond the sketchbook.

Setting up my Etsy shop was the big leap for me, i made the decision and within months i was up and running, Etsy has been great a wonderful place to sell, and such a thrill to know my  art has reached the corners of the globe.It has lead to my agent finding me !! Commissions and meeting many talented people

Now with a agent in place i am working on broadening my horizons, with children's books, summer exhibitions and hopefully keep building my art, learning and growing.

So what made me go for it ?

I felt it was all passing me by waiting to be a artist...i was one and when i realised that i had the confidence to start selling my art.

Am i making a living from it ? No not yet but i have faith, it's not a overnight thing ! Dreams take work and they don't land through your post box so i have to work for it and just keep the faith ! Que- Jon BonJovi - Keep The Faith *dances round studio* :) 

If you'd like to follow Heidi's adventures, you can find her blog HERE

and

she has a fab little shop HERE

Thanks so much to Heidi for this fantastic little insight into how she got started,

more tales of the Girls Who Wanted to Fly coming soon.

Rachelle x

p.s. I'm taking a weeks vacation to have a little de-stress, the shop and workshop will re-open on June 15th.

This is dedicated...

It's been a while since my last post... a whole month has just slipped by.  It's been tricky to get my fingers to start typing again, never mind start anything else.  The reason is that my Father passed away.  (you might have read that he has been ill for sometime).  It was expected, not that it makes it any easier to prepare, and thankfully it was very peaceful.  So this is just a quick little catch up, just to let you know where I've been.

This week, the paints will be out again to work their colorful, healing magic and I will be back here.  In the meantime, THANK YOU to those of you who have emailed and messaged me with your kind words.  It helps.

Rachelle x

Somewhere over the rainbow...

I can't really begin to explain how excited I am about this, but I'll try.

I bought my first copy of Somerset Studio over 10 years ago whilst I was on vacation in Florida.  As I flicked through the pages, my eyes were opened at the artwork, the articles and everything else.  I'd never seen magazine publications like this and Cloth, Paper Scissors in the UK, and it was so good to see there were lots of creative people out there.  The page that really struck me at the time was the call for submissions.  I was really excited to see that they allowed you to send in artwork for possible publication.  That was something I'd do.  The possibility of seeing something I'd made in print was something to aim for.

But then, as often happens, life took over.  My priorities switched to work and family and not so much making art.  It's only in the last twelve months that I have actually gathered the courage to send art into publications or approach licensing agents, and yes of course I've not always been successful, BUT just lately, something seems to have switched and now I have.  You can probably hear my squeals of excitement where you are.

These four mixed media canvases are the very first things that I made once I got back to art, and as it turned out, they fit the brief for a submission at the beginning of this year.  And what do you know...

They got published!

(and of course they are OZ themed, my obsession with everything OZ still continues)

Sometimes, you just have to go for it and start to take steps to make things happen for you.

BELIEVE

If you'd like to see them close up, you'll find them in the May/June issue of Somerset Studio.

Ok, I'll stop squealing now!

Rachelle x

Print Candy is here!

I'm really pleased to say that after being postponed for a little while,

PRINT CANDY mixed media workshop is now OPEN for you to sign up.  Class will actually begin on May 1st and run for 5 weeks.  If you do miss the start date, don't worry because you can join any time, but I know that places are already filling fast so I wouldn't want you to miss out. 

To read all about it, and find out what we will be doing, CLICK ME.

And don't forget, if the money is tight, there are a few Payment Plans that you can check out HERE.

Have a lovely Sunday!

Rachelle x

We have a winner!

CONGRATULATIONS

PAULA

you are comment number 12!

You are the winner of this fabulous book,

plus a little piece of original art from me too.

Oh Happy Day!

Thank You so much to you ALL for entering, 

I know Suzi Banks Baum was pleased to see your interest too!

Don't forget, you can still get your hands on a copy HERE.

Rachelle x

Giveaway Time!

How are you today?

So, I figured that it's probably time for a little blog giveaway seeing as we've not had one in a while.  As you might already know, I was recently lucky enough to be asked to be a contributor to another fantastic book.  This was something different for me, as it was for a written piece, rather than an arty one.  But it was such a great pleasure for me to do, and I have to say what a fabulous book it turned out to be too.

Here it is,

It's a collection of writing from 36 women, all Mothers, on different aspects of their creative lives. The very lovely Suzi Banks Baum is the girl who started it all, here's a bit about her taken from her website.

Suzi Banks Baum has been a full-time mom for the last 18 years. She leads the Powder Keg Sessions: A Writing Workshop for Mothers and Others at Simon’s Rock College, and blogs at laundrylinedivine.com. In addition to editing An Anthology of Babes: 36 Women Give Motherhood A Voice, she is writing her own first book, Laundry Line Divine: A Wild Soul Book for Mothers. She lives with her husband and two children in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts.

This fantastic book will soon be available to purchase via Amazon BUT before that happens I'm going to giveaway a copy (with a little original arty treat inside too as a little extra). And if you were wondering what it is you need to do, well it's simple... Just leave a little comment, that's it, easy peasy.  Then the random number generator will work it's magic sometime on Wednesday to choose a winner. 

But if you can't wait till wednesday, or just want a copy quick fast, then you can get one over on Suzi's website HERE

Oh, and I've just written a new post for Suzi's blog, you can read that HERE too.

Have a fabulous day, lots of luck!

Rachelle x

Easter Greetings...

Wishing you all a very 

Happy Easter

Rachelle x