Hi guys!
Long time, no chat! Well, unless you've been following along on my Youtube channel. I've been posting there weekly, but everything else has sort of fallen by the wayside. A little behind the scenes as to why and where I've been:
At the start of the year I began a huge project. It was something I've dreamed of for a while, but also something that was a little outside my comfort zone. I went into it with a lot of confidence, produced it with a lot of second guessing, and came out the other side with greater confidence, growth, and a product I'm really proud of. I'm looking forward to sharing more about this project when it gets published, but what I'm referencing is illustrating a children's book! Honestly a dream come true! It should be going to print this week, so I'm expecting to have a copy in my hands soon. Stay tuned!!
That project by itself would have been a lot to complete in three months, but I also completed 3 commissions, a 12x12 landscape, and painted another bear statue for my hometown. Oh, and I also knit a baby blanket and a teddy bear for my friends baby showers. A busy first quarter to say the least! With due dates approaching, I definitely felt a little in over my head at times throughout the month of March, so I really had to focus on completing my projects, which meant I sort of went silent and hermited myself in the studio to get it all done. The good news is, I finished it all! And each thing turned out better than I imagined! I really am so proud of each project and I'm grateful for a chance to sort of ground myself a little in Q2.
What's ahead? I'm working on that. I've taken a little time away from the studio to celebrate my birthday and catch up on neglected tasks and friends, and now I'm getting back into the swing of things. I'm preparing for a 2 day market at the end of May and I'm feeling inspired to create new art. I'm excited for what's ahead and the room to kind of explore what inspires me and see what happens.
Follow along on instagram/tiktok @sammyjeanartist and youtube @sammyjean to catch up on what I've been up to and to see what's next!