iPhone photography: red berries

Something unexpected happened with my September Shift list. First I put it out there. Then you gave me wonderful feedback both in comments and email. Thank you! I can’t really express how helpful it’s been!

And then I stared at my list. And spent time with the list and my thoughts. Gradually my thoughts turned more towards the season, towards the shift and how refocusing seems to be a recurring theme both in my life in general and for my creativity. (Here’s an example of Refocusing Creative Life.)

One day everything seems to be going well, I’m satisfied with how I’m supporting myself with yoga and swimming and healthy meals, my work is going well and is full of meaning. I’m learning new things, spending time with loved ones and the items on my to-do lists are getting ticked off at a gratifying pace.

Then one day, I’m out of sync with the beautiful plan, maybe it started with a cold that set off my daily routines or perhaps I started doubting myself, or had a technical difficulty, or got swamped with work, for what ever reason though, it feels like I lost balance and I have to make an effort to get back on track. Focus and then refocus. Perhaps it’s simply a natural part of life that we’ve lost touch with?

So I thought I’d like to do this deliberately, take stock and refocus, regularly, before I lose the plot. And since it feels so appealing and natural to me to follow the seasons, why not make a shift each autumn, winter, spring and summer? Then I thought that if I find this helpful, maybe other people do too? So I’ve been carried away by a wave of creativity and inspiration, working on a set of Seasonal Shifts! I’m so excited and almost ready to release the first one!

Tags: creative cycle, focus, growth, recharge, redefinition, Seasonal Shifts, seasons, transformation

iPhone photography: birch tree and lights

First the squirrels chase each other across the oak tree and then the pigeons arrive. It’s the acorns. It’s the end of summer. The scent of apples. A kind of clarity in the air. The last night the party lights are strung up under the birch tree. Harvest time and a shift to a different pace. 

And I’m not painting, which is what I really should be doing in my spare time. Instead I busy myself with things that seem important, or that seem fulfilling but that leave that slight feeling of unease or dissatisfaction… You know that feeling one can get after having indulged in fast food? It kind of wasn’t worth it? Busy work. The kind of work that seems productive, but actually just keeps you occupied. (Is it just me or does this happen to you too?)

So I wrote a list of what I need to balance and prioritise in the area of art and design.

• paint
• redesign my website (like disappearing down the rabbit hole?)
• design skins for iPhones and put them up for sale in my shop
• make an illustrated recipe book or perhaps prints with recipes (“Studio Cooking” perhaps? Quick, fun and easy both for a budget with the odd party thrown in. What do you think?)
• prepare some new super inspiring interviews with creatives for your reading pleasure
• open life drawing programmes start soon. I’ll be going to draw dancers in motion at the Museum of Dance and perhaps try a new one for the regular life drawing.
• website maintenance (yawn, and also another rabbit hole)
• make pixel art mini posters with Hype Hair designs
• write a micro magazine for members of Club Marmalade Moon. (The next issue will come with a pre-release of a new collection of Vintage Folder Icons)
• did I mention painting?

Lets see if writing this list puts things into perspective for me and gives you an idea of some of the things you can expect here at Marmalade Moon this autumn. What’s your autumn looking like? Got that back to school feeling of energy and clarity? Fresh beginnings? New projects on the go? Or still muddled up like me, with more ideas than time?

Tags: autumn, creative cycle, focus, goals, growth, priorities, recharge, redefinition, summer, transformation

iPhone Photography: the first winter day

Do you feel a need for reflection at this time of year? In between the energising summer and the comforting winter holidays? Before the bustle of holiday preparations and the blank page of a new year?

I do. It’s so easy to get caught up in the bustle of everyday chores, and lose sight of the big picture. This feels like a good time to assess what’s been working and what hasn’t. I’d like to let go of the baggage of the past and be ready for a new beginning. Ease myself into Christmas and find a focus for next year.

My theme for this autumn has been to reevaluate my expenses, energy and time. I seem to constantly be pruning and reinventing my digital life. Reducing stress, clutter, noise to support focus and creative space. This autumn I’ve reclaimed a surprising amount of time, focus and money by cutting back on online activities, subscriptions and participation in various online forums, challenges, blogs, e-courses, business books and so on, in favour of focusing more on being in the present, spending time with family and friends and exploring opportunities of the offline world. So far I’ve:

1. Taken a course in “Discovering and Creating Patterns” at the National Gallery of my hometown.
2. Applied for an artist’s grant to go to Paris for a month! (cross your fingers!)
3. Set aside Friday afternoons in the studio for spontaneous, playful explorations in different media with a focus on letting go of expectations. It’s been wonderful to create a space for my own creativity (aside from client work) and to treat that time with the same respect as I would if it was a course or a meeting with other people.

I thought about what I’d like to focus on during the end of the year, and jotted down my thoughts with pen and paper:

1. A time to commit to your art and illuminate the skills and resources that nurture your talents. Build a stronger foundation.
2. Inner wealth.
3. Look at different ways of generating an income.
4. Keep it simple. Sensuality. Slow life. The cozy comforts of home.
5. Bloom where you’re planted. Sink in where you are, a path to creativity.

What are your reflections for the end of winter? How has your autumn been? Do you like to refocus and reassess now and then?

Tags: creative cycle, focus, growth, life balance, Paris, priorities, recharge, redefinition, transformation, winter

Icon sketches: inspiration, mockups, drafts, ideas, palettes, mood boards

I’m having so much fun designing this icon for drafts and sketches! Perhaps because I love this part of the process myself. Gathering inspiration, finding reference, doing research, catching ideas that spark in mind maps and mood boards.

The texture I used for the Moleskine (image below) is the same as the one I originally designed for the leather wallet, briefcase, satchel, old book and folder icons in the Organizer Collection. I felt that it worked well for the Moleskine and that it helped make the icons fit smoothly together, connecting the Moleskine with other icons.

While I was working on the icon for “Sketches, Drafts”, I came up with several variations. First I felt I had to pick one, but then I realised that a lot of people probably have different kinds of inspirational material that they collect. There could be drafts of text or images or a combination. There could be textures and palettes. Or combinations. So, why not include all three!? I’m calling them Sketches/Drafts, Ideas and Inspiration but naturally you can modify their names so that they work for you. How could you make use for these icons?

Sketches, drafts, inspiration, ideas

[To be continued... ]

Did you miss the other parts of this series?

• Part One: Designing the Collection of Process Icons: Sketches
• Part Two: Designing the Collection of Process Icons: A Vintage Touch
• Part Three: Designing the Collection of Process Icons: Indicating Time
• Part Four: Designing the Collection of Process Icons: Look and Feel
• Part Five: Designing the Collection of Process Icons: The Dreaded Report

Tags: creative cycle, creative process, design, ink, sketch, texture

iPhone photography: the maple tree in the early summer

Seasons. The constant transformation. I find it fascinating to go back and compare photos from the same spot but at different times of the year.

Always in transition. Movement. Gradual change. Through deep sleep and hibernation to abundant spring and summer. Harvest. Like the creative cycle.

iPhone photography: maple tree and red building

The autumn photo above was originally posted with other startlingly yellows in Delight In Yellow and the winter picture is from Sugar Land.

iPhone photography: snowy trees

Tags: autumn, carpe diem, creative cycle, iPhoneography, seasons, seize the day, transformation, trees, winter