OMG, I HAD TWINS

Three months ago I gave birth to twin boys! Arthur and Theodore are doing SO well. I don’t think I could ask for better babies. Aside from near constant spitting up, the occasional diaper blow out, a few seriously sleepless nights… This first three months of motherhood have been wonderful. There are moments when I can’t help but look at them with wonder and awe.

Theo on the left, Arty on the right a few days after they were born

Motherhood has given me a fair share of surprises. I didn’t know I’d love it this much. I didn’t know it would be this hard. I didn’t expect to have so much help. Friends, family, people I barely knew… it seems like everywhere I turn someone is offering to help in some way. I am so grateful for that. Being a new mom (or a mom at any stage) is hard. It’s possibly the most difficult and rewarding thing I will ever do. Yet, I am so so thankful for this opportunity to enjoy life with these two little ones.

Hoping to share more as I have time! For now, mama out! :)

Ordinary Objects

So happy to share a few photos from my new series Ordinary Objects! Just got these back from my dear photographer friend, Angie Webb! Take a peek!

Of course Murphy had to make his way into the shoot! Shop the notecards on Etsy or swing by the Woodstock Visitor's Center in Downtown Woodstock if you're local!! 

Lately

Lately...

Lately it's been celebrating a birthday with french toast. A surprise present from Dusty hidden in the hall closet. (Sneaky!) New lights in the kitchen. 

It's been about doing less and taking more care of myself. I need exercise and 8 hours of sleep. And sunlight. And good food. And time with my nephews. The list goes on.

Launching a new line of notecards. And little pins. And working on cashflow so I can get a new batch printed.

Finally caving and subscribing to Barkbox. Murphy, you're so spoiled. Enjoy it, sweet pup!

Work life. Updating websites for lovely clients doing good. Folding an endless supply of white towels at the yoga studio.

Spreading mulch for weeks. A new couch. Planning our housewarming a year and 2 months after moving. All 1200 sq ft of home has never felt so good and right. It just keeps getting better.

What have you been up to?

 

Lately

Lately it's been celebrating 7 years together with guacamole, ice cream cones and a long walk. It's been sitting on the old couch and finding the scratchy spot on the dog. The one that makes his eyes close and leg kick. He finally got that itch itched! New workouts and running. (?) I don't like running, but it's better with friends.

It's been thinking about new projects. Building picnic tables and reading books. Catching a mouse in the house. (!) Making iced coffee on messy counter tops. It's meeting neighbors and walking to the farmer's market. Watching This Old House. I miss when people were awkward on tv.

There's a little bit of doubt too. And heart ache. Am I doing the right thing with my life? It's long hours and procrastination and I hope this works. It's a mouse in the house?! It's missing people who live one zip code away. And missing people who live a bunch of zip codes away. 

It's a season. It's a blur of now or never or later and someday and it's okay. All is okay in this house with a mouse.

Illustrating for Downtown Woodstock

Hi! Can I talk to you about a project I'm over the moon for? I got to play a small part in Woodstock's history by drawing 6 historical chairs for the visitor's center. This was such a fun and meaningful project to me. I was born in Fresno, California, but Woodstock is where I grew up. It's my hometown and I'm so glad we're still here. Here's a little behind the scenes!

Each chair was illustrated digitally using an iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and Procreate. I started with a pattern study based off of photos of each chair. Then I sketched them, using the photos for reference. Then I added in color and textures based off of the materials each chair was made out of.

Last summer, I did a series of small illustrated objects from around my house. I was just playing and using those tiny projects as an opportunity to practice. (You can see some on Instagram if you scroll a bit!) Working digitally was kind of disorienting at first. There is a tiny bit of lag between the pen and the screen - plus you really have to experiment with the brushes to get the right look. It's not quite as easy to get texture as it is with actual materials. I'm so glad I spent time playing because it gave me the skills and experience to work on a project like this. We shouldn't shrug off play time so much - it leads to fun projects, new interests and growing our skills. 

This bad boy above by far took the most time. (In fact, the gif might have a hard time loading because there are that many layers.) My chiropractor recommended more abstract art and left handed tasks to balance out all the realism I'd been working on. Left / right brain imbalance - it's a real thing! That was the first time I got a prescription for more art. I mean, I should probably go buy some more paint. Thanks Dr. Bob!! :)

I am so excited to see these printed and hanging in the new visitor's center. The new visitor's center will be open on February 23rd, so you should plan on stopping by to see what an amazing job the team at Downtown Woodstock has done! Seriously so proud of this city and happy to be a part of it!

Hugs!
Mads

Career Experiments with Laurah Hagen

I love meeting people who encourage experiments. Lucky for me I had the chance to meet Laurah, the stellar career coach behind Better & Better. She encourages a lighthearted approach to your career path and she’s got all sorts of fantastic resources to help you. She interviewed me on her blog about a really fun thing I got to do over the holidays. I’d love for you to go read about my latest career experiment! 

Have you thought about starting a morning routine?

I have always liked mornings, which I realize could put my in the slightly unbearable category of people. BUT Coming back from time off over the holidays, the struggle has been real. I need something to do immediately after the alarm goes off, or all bets are off. Covers are pulled back up and I'll doze for as long as possible.

I found that if I have a set routine, waking up is a lot easier. This is my current morning routine:

Wake up
Roll from bed to couch
Aquire coffee along the way
Write in my journal
Look over the list for the day
Spend some time talking with Dusty and maybe make lunches
Get showered and/or ready for the day
Take Murphy for his walk
Off to work

It may be the January talking, but I also want to work in a little exercise time. 

How do you go about setting up a new routine? Any secret morning tricks?

P.S. Local entrepreneurs, One Million Cups is coming to Woodstock!!

P.S.S. I love this, but not sure I could do that with a book!

About my Latest Career Experiment...

Over the summer I got the chance to work on a fun website design with a career coach. Apparently searching and being scattered brained when it comes to what you want to do with your life can be a constrctive thing. I got to share one of my most recent career experiemnts with her on her blog! Take a peek!

It's Saturday and very cold!

We made it to our very first 2018 weekend, friends. I have such high hopes for this year. 2017 was such a year of growth. I learned so much. I started new habits. Broke old ones. Forgot things. Learned things. Added some wonderful people to my life, and said bye to a few too. 2017 was filled with good, bad, difficulty, joy, tears, laughter, strength, jealousy, and unbridled thankfulness. 

I am happy with you, 2017. We did our best.

It's so cold! Possibly the most popular conversation starter of 2018! Ha. I started thinking about my spring collection this morning. There's such a gentle softness to spring. That warming sunlight. Trees budding out. I'm imagining a gentle color palette. Soft pinks, greens and pastel blues. Lavenders and creams. I'd love to create a kid's line (of something), personalized announcement for new homes, new babes, and things like that. Perhaps some more desk accessories for you, too? Let me know what you're after! I'm taking notes!

One thing on my mind lately is how to balance graphic design with my art. I love the challenge of design. I love the clients, running a business, planning out projects, and working on strategy. Yet, I feel myself pulling away from the actual sitting-down-at-the-computer design. I'm not sure what that's about. Is it really about design as a career? Or is it burnout that can be soothed by a more mindful schedule? A different client mix? It requires more thought for sure. I'm working on an illustration project right now and loving every minute. Dusty had some great insight. I'm always so impressed at how well he knows me. Thankful for that dude. (I will share more on this when I get my thoughts more organized.)

Made any resolutions? I think I'd like to pay off student loans, take a trip or three, and work on our home. As far as work, I'd like to keep a better schedule, take better care of my stockists, and work on getting a few wholesale accounts. For relationships, I want to plan fun surprise dates with Dusty and make sure I see my friends more often. I have dreams and dreams of things I want to make and do. We will see how far I get! What are you planning for the year?

I hope your weekend and new year are off to a great start!
xo Mads

P.S. I found this home tour / interview with an illustrator and loved it! You might like it too!