long-ish update FULL of GOODness. (and plans and stuff.)

so back in september, i signed up for the last run of kelly rae robert's flying lessons. this was a mega-stress time full of unknown worries and wishes. just days before, my brother had let us know that he was breaking the lease on our old house and moving to austin. when we decided to sell it, rather than rent again, the unspoken concerns were plentiful but i had faith that it would work out in a way i've never had faith before. it had to work out.

as some of you know, by the end of september the house was officially on the market and by the end of october we closed on a cash offer, almost two years to the day we closed on our new house.

during this time i fell into a sort of quietness that i've still yet to fully emerge from but an even more magical string of events unfolded during that time, as well.

big, juicy news!

one of the first lessons in kelly rae's e-course was to think about our dreams and goals and write them down, no matter how far-fetched or lofty they were. i wrote down some immediate + longterm goals, including a long-held semi-secret desire to illustrate children's books (and/or write my own).

the very next day, my friend, stacy asked if i'd be interested in illustrating some stories she's developed for toddlers. i was shocked and humbled and excited. a few days later i quickly jotted down a little reminder/reinforcer of ideas. i wrote down the words "children's books" and "memoirist" because i was tossing around the idea of writing children's books instead of, or in addition to, a memoir.

and. then. an actual memoirist, by the name of corbyn hanson hightower, also contacted me about illustrating for her. i'd been a secret fan as we had mutual FB friends and i'd visited her blog a few times, so i was completely blown away. it's been months and i'm still having a pinch me moment.

since then, we have schemed, dreamed, and collab'd and she's also hired me to create the cover for her memoir and and and the logo work for her soon-to-be-revealed website!!!

stuff i've been working on for corbyn's new site

 

i am SO excited and have much to learn about seeking representation or self-publishing as i embark on exciting paths with both stacy and corbyn!

and also...

i'm writing my memoir and just getting used to saying it. this is the year that i will take myself seriously as a writer and get over the long-held, secret notion that i can't be both a writer and an artist. it occurred to me that i need to write when i was giving more serious consideration to attending the wild mountain memoir retreat than i've ever given an art retreat. unless i experience an unexpected financial windfall (which i'm open to), it's not going to happen. but i'm okay with that. there are plenty of steps i need to take, right here, right now, and i'm ready to take them...

step 1. finally go through "the stack" of old journals. i couldn't throw them away without scanning them for note compilation but i need to set a date and get it done.

step 2. online time is undergoing a re-structure because i need to paint, homeschool, and attend to a host of other things that are simply more important than everyone's fabulous facebook lives.

step 3. write. everyday. write.

so. despite my still-hibernating mode, i can say i am thoroughly, 100% looking forward to 2013.

cheers!