“What I Want to Accomplish in 2019” Gr8Blogs bloghop

My writerly pals and I are sharing our hopes - on the creative road and in our family life - for 2019 in our #Gr8Blog hop: “What I Want to Accomplish in 2019.”

Please have a read, and then visit the other #Gr8Blogs linked at the end of this post for more smiles and inspiration.

The start of a new year is like a blank slate, and we don’t know what will be written upon it, but to me that’s half the fun of it.

I promised myself not to tell the world about my plans before I did them as sometimes they go right out of the window! So there are some super exciting projects in the pipeline but, until I know they are definitely happening I am keeping my lips sealed.

The main big news that I can officially share now is that I have launched my online shop for Splatterink Art,  yes I am doing a happy dance. Honestly I have never known anything take so long  to put together. I felt like I was just redoing and correcting everything over and over again. Being a faffer has not helped, I have got to be more decisive!  Those with the more logic minded brain would probably have done it in half the time but me being me had to look at 5000 different options first only to stick with my first choice with pretty much everything I touched… sigh. Anyway it is done, woohoo!!

The main aim with this range is to uplift peoples hearts which is why the option of including a personalised message on all the products has been included at no extra cost. There is nothing more heartwarming than receiving a gift from someone you hold dear that is personal to you. I am hoping these products will create many happy memories out there and put a smile on peoples faces.

Setting the shop up was probably the easiest bit, now I have to market the bad boy lol. Which brings me to the next thing I will be doing this year, marketing! I am continuing to do my course and hope to complete it this year.

Sharing a big tip here that I encourage any business owner to do…. Pop down to your local university and ask to collaborate with students on your chosen field. I have done this with the business and marketing department and am going to be working closely with some students for a year starting in March. I cannot wait for this! I think it will teach me so much and hopefully they will find it highly beneficial too, it is a win win situation.

So basically they want to offer the students two projects to work with, my Splatterink art collection and relaunching my illustration’s website. They will pitch the projects to the students at the end of this month and then the ones that want to work with me have to put together a video presentation of why I should choose them. Then I go with whoever feels right for the job and then that’s it, got me a mini guru for a year. How super awesome is that!

Along with me doing my Richard Branson bit (a girl can dream right lol) I have several books lined up for the first half of the year so will continue to illustrate for others and I am putting together a proposal for an after school art club for a primary school. I feel I need to get out of my comfort zone again and this seemed like the right thing to do. I think it is extremely healthy to face your fears now and again, it really does push you in the right direction.

Outside of work I will continue to spend time with my nearest and dearest. My eldest is heading into his final years of high school now and has his work experience this year so important years for him now. My youngest has adapted well to high school and has seemed to taken up a musical passion lately which is lovely, she and my husband are bonding over their love for music which has inspired my husband to pick up the guitar again so our little home is a creation station at the moment. Both of them are excelling at school and are big dreamers when it comes to what they want to do afterwards. I admire them for having a vision and sense of direction at such a young age, those two make me proud every day.

I will be meeting up with my best friend from primary school in Zambia at the end of January, we haven’t seen each other for 23 years so it is going to be quite a surreal moment. I can’t wait to hear about how her life has developed since then. There is another big thing to look forward to but again not saying anything until I get the green light tee hee.
So there we have what I know is coming up, but like I say half the fun of the year are all the surprises that pop up along the way so who knows what weird and wacky little u turns might appear.

I am not sure if I will continue to run this blog for the remainder of the year as I will be doing newsletters and a routine blog through the Splatterink Art site so I will post most of my content on there from now. If you did want to sign up to the mailing list then you will be kept up to date with all the latest news / blog posts and any new products / artwork added to my shop not to mention the giveaways and discounts.
Thanks for stopping by! What do you want to tick off your bucket list this year? Please share in the comment section.

For more inspiration, visit my #Gr8blogs pals below.

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If you blog and want to join us on this hop, just add the family-friendly link to your blog post in the comment section. We’ll visit and give you some blog love-:D

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Cat Michaels

Sandra Bennett

Jacqui Letran

Julie Gorges

Shana Gorian

Rosie Russell

Carmela Dutra

Rebecca Lyndsey
Jim Milson

"My Ups, Downs, and In Betweens on the 2018 Creative Road" - December Blog Hop 2018

Was 2018 a crazy roller coaster ride for you? Smooth sailing? Milestone events?

My writerly pals and I are remembering the happy moments as well as lessons we learned from challenges this past year in our blog hop: The Ups, Downs and In Betweens on the 2018 Creative Road.” Check out our personal reveals, then visit the other #Gr8Blogs linked at the end of the post for more shared recollections and lessons learned along the way. We hope you'll be inspired to dive into your own special memories of 2018! =============================================================

So what important life lessons did I learn this past year? Here are four of them...

Never stop believing

So in October 2017 I had a panic moment career wise and was in that fun position of job hunting. Now what I should have done was to have faith and know that things would have worked out, but instead I went into panic mode and I landed up starting up another venture in the form of a singles social club, random I know! It landed up taking up so much of my time and energy away from my creativity and in the process left me feeling incredibly lost and confused for most of the year. I also took on a part time job in a school which I adored but again began to hinder me in the end. The funny thing was, that as soon as I had committed myself to this other venture and accepted the position at the school my art then decided to take off and SplatterInk Art was born. If only I had trusted my inner voice more and held off I could have avoided alot of headaches, drama and confusion. I have finally managed to rectify the situation and feel a tonne of weight lifted which has resulted in me being more focused and I have gained some much needed clarity on where I am heading now.

Releasing negative relationships with money

I continue to do alot of inner work and I am constantly developing my mind to work for me rather than against me. The biggest change I have seen this year was releasing my negative relationship with money. Now I know I am still a baby when it comes to being a full time artist and I knew this road wouldn't be easy to begin with, but I felt like I was just going round and round in circles when it comes to finances. Dead broke one minute, ok the next. It was beginning to get tiresome going through the same thing time and time again so I thought enough is enough this needs to stop.

So I started attending online courses about how to attract money, keep it, grow it etc. For the first time ever I started to record all of my finances down and get full control of my income and expenditure. I used to avoid this because it scared the hell out of me but I knew it was time to face it. I started researching success stories, signed up to loads of life coaching channels and listened to them daily. I began to change how I viewed money and then I finally released the hold it had over me by doing something that would have seemed highly foolish at the time. I had no jobs in the pipeline and barely any money in my account and I signed myself up to an expensive marketing course that felt so right for me and which could be paid in 3 installments. I took out a credit card, yes I know I know lol and paid my first payment. Guess what? Within that week I had a book offer and that month I had agreed to work on 4 other books. Since that day more and more work has been steadily coming in, and 2018 has turned into the most creative year I have had to date. Funnily enough so much work has come in that I didn't have time to do the course so I just chip away at it as and when I can and it will get completed eventually. I have a completely different relationship with money now and respect it rather than fear it.

Sometimes you have to be selfish in order to be selfless

I tend to do a lot of extra things in the background to do my bit in the world and hopefully raise a few vibrations out there. As a result I take on too much, work myself into the ground and scatter my energy all over the place. The last year I had to make some very tough decisions in cutting some of these things out of my life. I stopped some volunteer work that I loved doing, I recently stopped running the singles social club and I had to cut back my hours at the school. All of these choices were decisions I found incredibly difficult to make as they bought me so much joy, but it was something that needed to be done. I feel I need to put all my focus and energy into my creative work now so that I can do the things that I am being guided to do. Once I have done that and have the backing I need to start giving back fully, then I can return to giving more, but the main thing I have learned that it is NOT good to give from an empty cup. Looking after yourself is top priority, as hard as that is to do when you are a bit of a people pleaser.

People make you happy

And last but not least, I always knew seeing others happy makes me happy but the last year has reinforced that even more. I have had an amazing time meeting new people and watching new friendships being formed around me. I have witnessed a couple fall in love and so much happiness being shared. Being with other people really lifts your spirits, we are social beings and are meant to be around others. I strongly recommend that everyone should try and go out and meet new people at least once a month and if that's not possible then pick up the phone and connect with your inner circle. All this online stuff is no good for connecting people, to find true happiness you need to go back to the old school way and do it in person.

So there we have it, the top four life lessons 2018 has shown me. I say it every year but.... it's been one hell of a ride ha ha. As much as it has been a challenging one it has taught me so much. It didn't feel like I was learning anything through it at the time but now when I look back it all makes sense. Life truly is a magical puzzle and I am super excited about the opportunities I have presented to me for 2019.

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Thanks for stopping by! How was your year? What was your biggest accomplishment/event? Most powerful thing you learned the past 12 months? Please share in the comment section.

For more inspirational recollections and lessons learned, visit more #Gr8blogs below.

And if you blog and want to join us on this hop, just add the family-friendly link to your blog post in the comment section. We’ll visit and give you some blog love-:D

Rosie Russel
Rebecca Lyndsey
Cat Michaels
Carmela Dutra
Sandra Bennett
Auden Johnson
Julie Gorges

Finding your art style, sometimes it's best not to try so hard. How an accident turned into a blessing.

For years I have tried to find my style. Flitting from one medium to the next and generally feeling like a 'Jack of all Trades' and master to none.... know the feeling? Well last year I finally had an halelluah moment. and do you know what, it came about completely by accident!

I have been experimenting with my art for many many years now and have painted with all different mediums and in different styles to find that niche that felt right. I have loved experimenting, but I won't lie it has been incredibly frustrating as well! Hours and hours of work goes into trying to perfect your craft, and we are our own worst critics, so if it doesn't feel right we tend to beat ourselves up over it. I have always felt like a Jekyl and Hyde character with my art, one minute you can be all airy fair and little miss positivity and the next minute it's self sabotage / abuse and a heady mix of anger and frustration... or maybe that's just me ha ha

Anyway I have pretty much dabbled with all sorts of styles and techniques over the years, you would be forgiven to think that my work had been done by different artists as my portfolio is that diverse. I would always admire artists that had their style and just focused on that, it seemed so alien to me as one minute I would be drawing cartoon characters, the next a landscape, or a decorative piece and if I was feeling the need for a release, something dark.  Nothing seemed to flow at all.

Last year something changed all of that. I was going through quite a lull with things,  work had dried up and I had totally lost my art mojo. I had well and truly hit a wall career wise and wasn't sure where I was heading at all. I had been given some acrylic inks for my 40th birthday earlier that year but what with broken legs and hip replacements I hadn't had a chance to use them. So when I saw the official Inktober list appear in my newsfeed I thought why the hell not, what better excuse to try these babies out.  

For those that don't now the Inktober challenge is held every year and invites all artists to create something every day in October in ink and share it online under the hashtag #inktober

So I did a very quick study of a swift and popped it on Facebook and Instagram. I didn't really put any effort into it, it took literally half an hour and was a half hour of pure enjoyment for me. I just fancied trying my new inks out. So I posted my little creation online and what happened next blew my little mind, loads of people went gaga over it. That one little painting had more attention and sales than anything had done over my entire art career....crazy!  I started getting asked if I would sell prints, then I was getting requests to do inky creations for their own ideas. As each day went on more requests started coming in, to the point that I couldn't continue  with Inktober as I had a backlog of orders to get through. Then it went on to dog portraits and what with it coming up to Christmas I landed up doing loads of them.

Fast forward nearly a year and I am still painting with inks and still taking commissions, the latest being portraits. I have done some big  pieces now and experimenting with different backgrounds, but it is safe to say that these are staying! I just love working with them, and each piece is a joy to do. I  have opened up an online store to start selling them wider afield, but that requires a fair bit of marketing which is going to be my next challenge. I am not claiming that I am a hugely successful artist now, but what I can say is that sometimes it is best not to try so hard and just to go back to the basics of loving what you do. 

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/SplatterInkArt

Have you got a similar story of how you found your style? Curious to know if this resonates with other creatives out there :)

Can You Really Change Your Thoughts To Change Your World?

So here I am hitting yet another phase of the end of month struggles and frankly the novelty has well and truly worn off. So a bit of history as to what has moved me to pick up my writing again after 2 years ….

So just over a year and a half ago I decided to take the brave and what some would call a highly stupid move of leaving a well paid job and security to pursue my dream of becoming  a full time creative. So as you can imagine it has been a colourful period mixed with highs and lows. I didn't go into it completely fool hardy, I saved up enough to keep me comfortable for 6 months and within that time secured some illustration jobs and concentrated on getting my business Artypeace off the ground.

So as soon as I made that momentous change in my life synchronicities started to happen and people started coming into my life which were key to where I needed to go, everything was flowing beautifully and I felt unstoppable. However about a year in things took a downward dive and work dried up, I started getting into debt, I had to go job hunting and was applying for job after job and not even getting an interview. Things were bleak and I felt a failure. I could feel my energy changing and I didn't like it so I had a moment of enough is enough, this shit needs to change now! I started to really look at my relationship with money and tried a new approach. I pretended I had no financial worries, I bought the good quality food that I wanted my body to have, I signed up to a meditation library that I felt my mind sorely needed. I started reading affirmations out aloud every day and made an effort to appreciate everything I had rather than panicking about what was lacking. Guess what, things took a very surprising turn. I stumbled across an art style while mucking about with the Inktober challenge that suddenly took off online and orders started flooding in, a book deal I had been waiting on for months suddenly got the green light. Things started flowing again and I felt like things were on the up. More job offers were coming through and I finally felt like I was getting my life back on track.

Skip to several months later and I am back in the same boat as I was before, all these job promises that were there have gone quiet, debts are mounting up and fear is beginning to creep in again. So time for some more healing and self reflecting. This time I want to get rid of these blocks I have once and for all as there is clearly more work that needs to be done.  So I am going to do some deep work and am also looking into finding a life coach. So the first step I have taken is to do a life abundance course by Liz Barallon. I have just read the first steps for week one and am instantly compelled to write this blog post. I haven't written anything in nearly two years but I am hoping this kicks me back into it.

So the first thing I am going to tackle to start manifesting some changes is to change the way I communicate and stop complaining! Now I don't know about you but, I complain a lot! I seem to be constantly moaning about hardships, all the things that are going wrong or that frustrate me and I am beginning to realise that this could well be playing a big part in why I do have these times of struggle. So I am going to make an effort to quit complaining and if I cant say anything nice about my day to say nothing at all. So any friends or family reading this, if I start moaning slap me ha ha. This is going to be a huge test to overcome as I moan a lot, its funny because I am actually a very positive person and I love life yet what comes out my mouth tends to be negative and self sabotaging. I then started reflecting on all the people I hang out with and all the conversations that are had during the day and the majority is complaining about something, it made me wonder what conversations we would actually have if there were no complaints at all, would we turn into a bunch of mutes with nothing to say. Anyway I want to try this little experiment and see if it has any benefit at all on me and others around me as we do tend to mirror each other so I am curious to see what happens. I am looking forward to completing the course and I will try and share anymore little tips or insights that I pick up along the way when I can.

It would be amazing if it does help shift some blocks as when life flows effortlessly it is so much fun and I really want to get back on that road again, I know the detours help me grow and learn but I think it's time to just ride the wave for a bit now….. no more struggling. So can changing your thoughts really change your world? I am about to find out, watch this space xx

With special thanks to Jerry Sargeant at www.starmagichealing.com who's meditation library has helped me immensely the last 2 years and to Liz Barallon at http://www.sylaaustralia.com for offering her services freely through the life abundance course. I have already taken so much from it from just the 1^st week.

Celebrate International Book Giving Day with our HUGE book giveaway

Did you know that not only is February 14 a special day for all you love birds out there, it is also International Book Giving Day! So what better way to spread some love than giving away some books!

My writerly pals and I are feeling the vibes of this special day and decided to do a Blog Hop devoted to the love of books, and because we are feeling extra loved up we are giving away a load of our own books too! Please have a read and enjoy. Then visit the other #Gr8Blogs listed at the end of this post for more Book Giving inspiration. 

So what exactly is  International Book Giving Day?

International Book Giving Day’s focus is on encouraging people worldwide to give a book to a child on February 14th. The aim being that we get books into the hands of many children as possible. It is a 100% volunteer initiative aimed at increasing children’s access to books and to encourage their enthusiasm with reading. There are many ways of doing this from donating books, giving them as Valentine gifts, swapping books, creating events etc. For more ideas of how to celebrate this day or to learn more about the event please click here 

I am sure you will all agree with me on how important reading is for a child. Here are just a few things I can think of...

• It encourages your child to set their imagination free and use their creativity.
• Reading aloud to your child encourages more bonding between parent and child.
• Stories provide inspiration, thought and reflection.
• Books provide a constant source of knowledge and learning.
• It provides your child with some time to escape reality and still their mind.
  

I could write more but I shall control myself. You get the jist though.... reading is kinda important! So much so that days like this are created. So to help celebrate this day we are giving away some of our books which includes 14 signed print books and 4 ebooks.....that is a total of 18 books!! not bad eh! I am participating by giving away 2 signed copies of Animania for UK entries only.

For a chance to enter this giveaway please go to the rafflecopter tab on the main screen where you can choose which books you would like to win and follow the instructions on how to do so.

Thanks for stopping by! For more International Book Giving Day reading, visit the #Gr8blogs below. And don’t forget to enter the rafflecopter for your chance to win autographed copies by some amazing authors. And hey, if you’re a fellow book lover just add your family-friendly International Book Giving Day link to your blog post in the comment section. We’ll visit your blog and give you some blog love!

Cat Michaels, Cat’s Corner

Julie Gorges, Baby-Boomer Bliss

Carmela Dutra, A Blog for your Thoughts

JD Holiday -JDs Writers Blog

James Milson - Writing and Things

Tracy Bryan - Tracy Bryan

Rosie Russell - Books by Rose

Sandra Bennett - Sandra Bennett Author

Terms and conditions: There is NO purchase necessary to enter or win. Eight winners (still to be determined exact amount) will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget within 48 hours and notified by email once the giveaway ends. The winners will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner(s) do not respond within 72 hours, a new winner(s) will be chosen. This giveaway is open to all who live in and outside of the US. However, as there are several sponsors of this giveaway who live both domestic and international. Print books are available only for domestic country of author origin; ebooks offered outside author's country of origin at their discretion.

Tackling Dyslexia and Author Interview with Willy Robins

What better way to kick off the new year than celebrating the new release of a book I worked on last year. Nogard the Dyslexic dragon is written by Willy Robins and is about an adorable little dragon who is going through the process of finding his wings. However things aren't plain sailing and he has a few obstacles to overcome first as he soon discovers that his dyslexia is a bit of a hinderance when it comes to map reading. Not one to give up, he overcomes all of his challenges thanks to some helpful new friends and his teacher. I absolutely loved bringing this little guy to life, well and truly fell in love with him.

Willy will be hosting a facebook launch party on Thursday the 19th of January to celebrate the release of the book. It will then be available to purchase through Amazon

I wanted to dedicate this post to the book and the author so I have asked Willy if she would kindly answer a few questions so that we can learn a bit more about the book and the creator of this little fella. So without further ado, I give you the lovely Willy Robins....

Willy Robbins grew up in the middle of the Ozarks in Missouri.  She was raised on the family farm, where she resides today.  Willy grew up with the love of reading, as her first grade teacher, Mrs. Chapman can attest. Willy was the first one to reach the moon that year with the number of books that she read.  Reading and writing continue to be an integral part of Willy’s life, she has taught them both for 17 years as an elementary educator.

What made you choose a dragon as your main character? 

Dragons are so cool to kids.  My favorite dragon as a kid was H.R. Puffnstuff and Pete the Dragon.  Dragons never get old for a character, as they can be portrayed with so many different personalities.

How long did it take to write Nogard? 

Nogard didn't take a long time to put on paper, it did take a bit of time to get him out of the drawer.  He was an idea that was put in my head about two and a half years ago.

Nogard is about an adorable dragon learning how to cope with dyslexia. What made you choose this topic for the book? 

Dyslexia is not a diagnosis that I see a lot with my students, but I see a lot of students with various symptoms of Dyslexia.  I started paying attention when so many kiddos, were flipping their letters or numbers all the time, not just once in awhile like we all experience.  I took it upon myself to start researching Dyslexia, but the whole time I did that research, my mind kept wandering to ways to get the word out that kids need to be monitored more closely in their formative years when learning reading and writing.

How does being a teacher affect your writing? 

It affects me by having an educational theme in my stories.  I just can’t seem to get school out of my writing, as it is a major part of my day to day life. You write what you know...right?  I also get to brag that I have books published...some of the kids think that is cool.

How long have you been writing and when did you publish your first book? 

I have been writing since forever, but I helped write a screenplay in 8th grade for an English project.  I don't remember much about it except it was titled The Adventures of Bleep and Bloop. Alas, I had to wait until 2014 to get published.

What is your writing process like? 

Honestly, I don't have a process that can be described in a text book situation.  But it begins with a funny story, joke, over heard idea, a piece of conversation that stands out, or an epiphany of something I have seen of years and think HEY, that is a good children's book topic...then I decide my hero.

What advice do you have for other writers? 

Write, network, write, oh, and don't forget to write.

Have there been any things that have surprised you with the publishing process?

What surprised me is how much time it takes to market.  If you have the ability, find 5 or 6 people you completely trust, and have them help you.  This is called a street team.  I don't have one, but need one so that I can have extra hands tweeting, google plus-sing, face booking for me a few times a week.  

If you had to do something differently as a child or teenager to become a better writer as an adult, what would you do? 

I would pay attention in Math.  Why Math?  Because, if I was better at Math, then my college career choice would be a HIGH paying job, so that I could save a lot, then retire early, like let's say 25, and write and write.  

What were your favourite subjects at school and did you always know you wanted to be a writer? 

My favorite subjects in school were History and English.  I had no clue I wanted to write, but I was always a creative writer.  The closest thing I can get to a professional reader (which is my first love) is to teach reading and write children's books.

What is the hardest part of being a writer and what is the most rewarding? 

The hard part of writing is realizing not everyone thinks your book or story is the best-it's a tough pill to swallow.  The most rewarding is being able to take a mini vacation with family to England and meet the person responsible for giving Nogard his colors.

Thank you so much Willy for taking the time out to answer a few questions and more importantly for giving me the opportunity to bring this little guy to life. I can't wait to meet you in person this summer and I wish you every success with the book launch.

You can connect with Willy through the following channels....

Twitter

Blog

Much love to you all

Corrina

2016... What A Year!

Well that's another year over, where on earth did that time go! 2016 has been a funny old year with so many great icons taken from us and I know some people have really suffered this year. My heart goes out to all that have had a difficult year and I hope next year will be much kinder.

Firstly I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and wishing you all much love, luck and happiness in 2017. Thank you to all that have been supporting me throughout the last year. It has been a year of huge changes for me as most of you know. I haven't felt comfortable blogging about my experiences as it's all very new to me still and I didn't feel like I was in any position to give advice on taking such a drastic leap of faith as I did, because I won't lie....it is a scary old jump to make.

So for those that don't know, I left my day job of 15 years in August to become a full time artist. It wasn't a decision that I took lightly I can assure you. It was reckless and risk taking as all I was going by was pure faith and following my heart. I had no jobs in place, just savings and my gut instinct. My poor husband deserves a medal for what I have put him through as he is very much Mr realistic, and well... I live in la la land. There were many clashes over my decision, some people were like " Yeah you go girl", some not so much. It took a year of thinking long and hard until enough was enough and I handed my notice in. So what happened? Well.. I landed a big book deal illustrating a series of spiritual based childrens stories about a month after I left. All going well this will see me through until spring. After that is anyones guess, I am hoping some more work comes through to keep me living this new life for as long as possible.  If this is truly what I am meant to be doing then I am sure things will work out and the universe will provide, if not then it's not my time and I need to learn new life lessons elsewhere.

I am collaborating with other people and might well be branching into new territory next year with my art. It could be through fine art as I am working on a bunch of spiritual paintings to approach galleries with or it could be in a whole different area of art that I am keen to explore. I can't say too much yet, one thing I am learning to do is to not announce things before they happen. I  read that somewhere and it is so true.... the times I have got excited about stuff and mentioned it, nothing comes of it so this time I am keeping my lips sealed until things do actually happen. 

My writing will have to take a bit of a back burner for now, as I need to focus on Artypeace and everything else going on. Oh and my business Artypeace.... well not much to report there I'm afraid. Setting up a business is hard work! I am just treating it like a hobby for now. I still believe it will take off eventually, it's just trying to figure out which direction to go in, as the ones I have tried have been pretty pitiful. I have started an online art therapy course which I am finding very interesting and experiment when I can with new workshop ideas. So I am slowly working on it, but it will take a lot of time. 

I am also doing a bit of volunteer work which I started back in September that deals with people going through depression and mental health issues. It is very challenging and probably the scariest thing I have put myself through to date, but it is doing me the world of good, and I am learning so many new things through it which I am hoping will be put into use alongside Artypeace somehow. I am not sure how yet, but there is obviously a reason why I have been drawn to this area, and it feels so right. 

Thanks to my daughter for her artwork in this XX

I don't want to write a big post on me me me, so I will keep this short and sweet. It was a quick post to say thank you so so much for being in my life and for all the people that have encouraged me and supported me throughout the year. Hopefully next year I will be in a more secure place and will feel confident enough to share some tips and advice, but for now I have only just bought my arm bands and not a clue where I am swimming to ha ha. One thing I can say, I have never felt more alive before and every day brings new surprises. As reckless as I have been with throwing away a steady wage and security I do not regret my decision in the slightest, and as much as I have the odd wobble of this could go horribly wrong, my faith and heart tell me that no matter how things will turn out, it will all help me grow as a person in the long run. So I embrace 2017 with open arms and I encourage everyone to embrace their fears, live a little recklessly, let your inner child free, live in the present and help others.... this is my key to happiness. 

Much love to you all
xx

C*U*R*R*E*N*T*L*Y - Fall Blog Hop

Brilliant foliage. Jack-o-lanterns. Apple cider. Fall is in the air! My writerly pals and I are sharing autumn moments in the C*U*R*R*E*N*T*L*Y - Fall Blog Hop. Please have a read and enjoy. Then visit the other #Gr8Blogs listed at the end of this post for more Fall 2016 C*U*R*R*E*N*T*L*Y inspiration.

Loving

Absolutely loving my new lifestyle. I took the leap of faith in August and left the dreaded day job to pursue creativity full time. It was the most scariest decision I have ever made and was not one I took lightly. However as stressful as it was, it is the best decision I have ever made. I am finally able to put more time into doing what I love and my art is coming along leaps and bounds with all of my experimenting. I have no idea how long this will last, but I am thoroughly loving the new lifestyle even if I do resemble a hobo most days due to the lack of makeup and permanent wear of jim jams and dressing gown ha ha. 

Reading
I am currently reading Jerry Sargeants book Star Magic. As most of you know energy healing and meditation has been a big part of my life since last Christmas after it snapped me out of a slippery slope to doomsville. It is the healing of Jerry Sargeant that has transformed my life and helped me find my true self. I was so lost last year, but after tapping into meditation and energy healing everything suddenly made sense. I knew what I needed to do, and most importantly I no longer let my fears control me. 

So much has changed this year, people have entered my life who seem to be key to my journey and opportunities are constantly coming in that all seem to be linked somehow. I just love this new game of life, it's like trying to piece together a very elaborate and colourful puzzle. I found my missing piece and now I just need to put it altogether, exciting stuff. I really need to write more posts about all of my experiences with this new “reality”. I am handwriting them all down in my journal and one day I will blog about it all. Anyway I am fascinated with Jerry's work and when I heard his new book was out I had to buy it. Its a very interesting read, quite nuts in parts but I love the unusual so it's right up my street. I am hoping it will help me understand more about it all and how I can use everything I am learning to help others. I would love to do one of his facilitator courses in the near future.

Listening To

Now that I am working from home I have been taking a trip down memory lane and listening to a lot of alternative and ecclectic sounds. I usually like my dance / house music but lately I have been listening to things like Enigma, Paul Oakenfield, Enya and a few tribal beats. I might do musicals next week, fancy a bit of Les Mis and Phantom of the Opera, although that was my Dad's favourite and might not be the most productive choice, never a dry eye when thats playing, stunning soundtrack though.

Thinking About

Gosh what am I not thinking about! Well I am still trying to get my business Artypeace off the ground so that takes up a lot of my thoughts. The latest thing I want to try this weekend is decorating candles so if that goes well I will run a little Christmas workshop for the kids again as I thoroughly enjoyed Artypeace's trial birthday party. There is still so much to do with the business but it's going to be such a slow process as the illustrating has to take precedence seeing that illustrating is what's paying the bills. I have recently handed a tonne of leaflets out for the painting party packages so I am hoping I will get a booking soon. It can be frustrating when things get stuck but you just have to keep going and think of different angles, it is one big learning curve! So far the workshops seem to be the most successful so I will have to plan more of them next year. It is fascinating seeing how much creativity does benefit people though, I am thoroughly enjoying all the experiences I have had through the company so far and am looking forward to all the ones to come.

Anticipating

I am off to Australia at the end of the month for my sisters 30^th. I will be going by myself so I am a little nervous about the flight, but can't wait to see my family out there again, I miss them so much! I am also going to meet an Art gallery director out there so I am trying to get a few story telling pieces together for it. Fingers crossed they will agree to have my work on display and hopefully we can collaborate in some way with bringing their concept to the uk.

I am also currently working on a spiritual themed range of children's stories at the moment which have been written by Jerry's daughter… see what I mean about the right people coming into your life! I am very curious to see how these books will turn out, there seems to be big plans for them and Jerry certainly is a man who makes his visions happen so I have a feeling that they will do just fine! 

Hot off the easel

Around illustrating, launching a business and the usual motherly duties I have been able to squeeze in some other artwork to keep the creative juices flowing. I participated in inktober over on Instagram which was great fun and I have painted several new experimental pieces, trying out different mediums and techniques. I am trying to incorporate everything I have learned over the past years and bringing them together somehow. My style seems to be slowly coming together, taken long enough! I have also launched an online shop through https://www.curioos.com/corrinaholyoake for prints of my work. Here are some of the things I have been working on......

Thanks for stopping by! For more Currently - Fall 2016 moments, visit the #Gr8blogs below.

And hey, if you’re pumped about writing your own Currently - Fall 2016 post, just add your family-friendly Currently link to your blog post in the comment section. We’ll visit your blog and give you some blog love!

Cat Michaels Cat’s Corner 

Julie Gorges, Baby-Boomer Bliss 

Carmela Dutra, A Blog for your Thoughts 

Auden Johnson,  Dark Treasury

Sondra Robbins Rymer Fairytales Imagery